Here’s some more bytes to chew on as you head into your weekend:
• Parents of adolescents—and young adults who are still on the family plan—may want to know that Apple has recently patented technology that could prevent kids (or other users?) from sexting, according to reports from CNN and other outlets.
The technology, which is not yet in commercial use, could also be used to make children correct grammar mistakes in texts they send, or send texts in a foreign language of study. It does not, however, address the sending or receiving of explicit images.
• An Australian nonprofit is aiming to help students understand whether they are cyberbullies, enablers, or victims with a new interactive website, according to the Australian Associated Press.
CureTheBullies, created by SchoolAid, aims to educate elementary-aged children by giving them an online self-discovery test to help them identify behavior that makes them bystanders to bullying, and turns six cyberbulling behaviors into viruses that children can “cure.”
As one example, “Gang Green” is the metaphor for group gang-ups on Facebook, blogs or chat forums.
• And while most CIOs in K-12 and higher ed are still feeling the pinch, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that postsecondary information-technology budgets showed gradual signs of improvement in 2010, with 20 percent fewer departments reporting budget cuts in the new Campus Computing Survey. More than two in five schools were still reporting overall cutbacks, however.