Consumers must be made aware that the “full ownership” they have experienced over most of their physical possessions cannot be taken for granted when purchasing digital products. Writes Rebecca Mardon. Microsoft has announced that it will close the books category of its digital store. While other...
When the children’s digital game Roblox launched on the New York Stock Exchange earlier in March, the company’s share price rapidly took off. By the end of the day, it was valued at US$38 billion. How can a game for kids be worth so much?...
Taking information from the internet is de rigueur for today’s students. Now that many have to work from home under unusual conditions Klay Lamprell considers the weighty issue of plagiarism. Information is at their fingertips. With just a few clicks of a keyboard, children can not...
Why you should stop asking your child what they want to be when they grow up. What parents can do to arm this generation with the skills for jobs that don’t even exist yet.
Students across Australia have started the new school year using pencils, pens and keyboards to learn to write. In workplaces, machines are also learning to write, so effectively that within a few years they may write better than humans, predicts Lucinda McKnight. Sometimes they already do,...
There's no such thing as 'alternative facts', writes Mark Pearson The blame for the recent assault on the US Capitol and President Donald Trump’s broader dismantling of democratic institutions and norms can be laid at least partly on misinformation and conspiracy theories. Those who spread misinformation, like...
It is estimated around half the world’s students’ schools remain shut down, writes Neil Selwyn. All told, this has been a potentially damaging disruption to the education of a generation. But one of the few positive outcomes from this experience is an opportunity to rethink how...
Playing video games can boost students’ academic results in crucial subjects, a new University of Southern Queensland study has revealed. While excessive screen time has negative impacts on school students’ reading, writing and numeracy NAPLAN test results, the study found playing video games and browsing the...
If there is one industry that has grown during COVID lockdowns, it’s the gaming industry, writes Dr Matthew Harrison. Sales, downloads and viewership have blossomed worldwide. But the rise of competitive gaming hasn’t happened overnight. Pre-COVID, eSports championships were filling world renowned venues like Madison Square Garden,...
Group tables, ottomans and gym balls: kids told us why flexible furniture helps them learn, write Julia E. Morris and Wesley Imms. The COVID pandemic has meant many students learnt from home for a lot of the year. But with schools returning to normal across Australia,...
