In April 2011, several groups of parents, whose kids spent hundreds of dollars on in-app purchases while playing “free” games, filed a class action lawsuit against Apple.  Is Apple to blame for what happened?  On one hand, it does appear deceptive to call a game “free” when in fact playing it requires making in-app purchases.  On the other hand, one can argue that parents should have exercised better control over their children’s online activities, making sure that they do not make inadvertent in-app purchases.  And what about the developers who did not explain that their “free” games had in-app purchases and the games could not be played effectively in the free mode? 

The last five years have really changed our everyday lives, and it all started when in June 2007, when Apple released its original iPhone. It is hard to believe that it's only been five years!  Now, there are over 550,000 apps available on the App Store that have been downloaded over 10 billion times.  It is projected that in 2012 alone, Apple will have sold approximately 118.89 million iPhones.  The number of Android phones sold is projected to total 310.09 million in 2012.  Overall, by the end of 2012, the cumulative number of iOS and Android devices activated is predicted to be over 1 billion.  Clearly, the technology is here to stay... we are curious where we will all be in five years.  Check out this infographic - "Growing Up: The Maturation of iOS and Android OS."

The Gates Foundation has recently issued a report “Technology and Effective Teaching” that surveyed 400 teachers across the United States.   According to the report, 67% of teachers use technology in class.  20% of the teachers said that they felt that technology should not be used in the classroom.  In general, teachers remained skeptical that there is no proof that using technology provided actual value for student learning.  In terms of barriers to technology use in the classroom, 69% of teachers cited the lack of access to computers, 62% - personal comfort level, and 27% - union and school rules!  We wonder, - what proof are the teachers seeking to be sure that they should use technology in education?  By the time the studies get done and published, the technology will make yet another leap forward, and the gap between technology and education will widen even further.  What proof is good enough for the teachers?  It is important that teachers themselves get educated in what the modern technology can offer for and in the classrooms, before deciding whether there is any value in it for the students.

Check out the brand new free coloring pages under Activities! Download and print the PDF pages for the kids to color and enjoy!

Apple Inc. has announced that its App Store reached 25 billion downloads.  According to Mashable, that's more than three apps per person in the world.  On average, each iOS device owner downloads about 60 apps.  Combined net sales for the App Store, the iTunes Tore and iBookstore in 2011 were $5.4 billion, a 33% increase over 2010.  In fact, last quarter, Apple Inc. reported its highest ever revenue and earnings.  Way to go, Apple! http://mashable.com/2012/03/03/app-store-25-billion-downloads/

In February 2012, the FTC issued a report which focused on mobile apps available for children.  The FTC found that there was lack of information available to parents prior to downloading mobile apps regarding the data collection and sharing practices of the apps.  It was not clear from the description of the apps on the App Store whether the developers collected any data, and if yes, what type of data was collected and what was the purpose of the collection.  This report, along with the recent settlement of the FTC’s first COPPA enforcement action against a mobile app developer and the FTC’s notice of upcoming amendment to COPPA, are a “warning call” to the industry that developers must provide greater transparency about data collection practices.  According to the report, the FTC staff will conduct additional review of mobile apps for children to determine whether there are any COPPA violations and whether enforcement is appropriate.

The full report is available here: http://1.usa.gov/wuktOS