Technology & Learning - January 2008 - (Page 4)

» News & Trends By T&L Editors Sony’s PlayStation 3 goes supermassive, an introduction to techLearning forums, and best-selling author Daniel Pink talks tech. Supercomputing at Your Fingertips Once reserved for scientists working on NASA– or National Science Foundation–related projects, supercomputing is now available to us at our nearest video-game store. At UMass Dartmouth, physics professor Gaurav Khanna and colleague Glen Volkema have discovered that combining eight Sony PlayStation 3 gaming consoles can create a supercomputer powerful enough to assist them in their study of gravitational waves emitted from supermassive black holes. According to Khanna, the unique PS3 feature that enables advanced computing is the cell processor, or “supercomputeron-a-chip.” Considering that a single simulation might sometimes require The number of students who drop out of high school every day in Mississippi. Shocking? Yes. Unusual? Not by any means. This statistic applies not just to Mississippi, but to the nation in general. Recent reports such as the April 2006 TIME feature “Dropout Nation” cite a disturbing one-third as the average yearly percentage of U.S. high school dropouts. Mississippi, however, is the first to step up to the plate and 5,000 hours of supercomputer time— address the problem. This month, normally rented by scientists from it’s conducting a first-ever NASA at the rate of $1 an hour—the Destination Graduation: Teen new PlayStation is not only innovaSummit, with student representative but also incredibly cost efficient. tives from all 247 high schools across We predict it won’t be long before we the state. The aim is to develop stusee some enterprising middle school dent-generated dropout prevention students assembling their own superstrategies with a mission to reduce computers using Sony’s technology. the rate by half by the 2011– 2012 school year. A followup event will be held in February NEW! Techlearning Forums 2008 to engage Do you have security breach horror stories? Great parents, comfree stuff you’d like to share? Compelling digital munities, busistorytelling tales? A point of view on games and nesses, and virtual worlds for learning? If so, we’d like to hear other stakeholdfrom you. Please weigh in as part of our T&L er organizations community by joining one of these new discussion in identifying forums on techlearning.com—or start your own and implementconversation on another topic of interest. Also ing prevention included is a Letters to the Editor forum where strategies. For we’d be delighted to receive your feedback on artidetails on the cles and suggestions for new topics to cover in the program, visit pages of Technology & Learning magazine. the Mississippi http://forums.techlearning.com/ DOE at www .mde.k12.ms.us. 36 4 | www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com http://forums.techlearning.com/ http://www.mde.k12.ms.us http://www.mde.k12.ms.us http://www.techlearning.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - January 2008

Technology & Learning - January 2008 Contents Editor's Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews Cover Story: Ten Top Tech Trends ERP Makes a Comeback Tossing Out Textbooks LOY Profile Series Higher Ed How To Bottom Line What's New Emerging Tech

Technology & Learning - January 2008

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