It has been a pretty slow weekend newswise, but we have a few good nuggets to share. Almedalen, the big Swedish political meetup began today with massive social media presence. South Korea aggressively pursues digital media in education. Google+ might be a great free opportunity for schools. Consumer interest in WIndows Mobile is already waning. A great Swedish app for travel expenses. And Augmented Reality – past, present and future. Enjoy!
Social Media
[Swedish] Godmorgon Almedalen
The yearly political meetup in Almedaten on Gotland has begun and you can easily follow it online. On Twitter just follow the hashtag #Almedalen to follow what is going on. At eight each morning, Brit Stakston, Jocke Jardenberg and Social Video is broadcasting the morning talk show Godmorgon Almedalen. You can of course also grab the show recorded when ever you want. Follow the Twitter discussion with the hashtag #GMA11.
Education
South Korea on massive push to digital education
It will be very interesting to follow the results as South Korea now aggressively pursues digital media in education. South Korea plans to convert all textbooks to digital by 2015 and by the same date also Replace All Textbooks with Tablets in Schools. South Korea invests US $2 billion to convert textbooks to digital with links to various multimedia content, establish massive servers and WiFi networks in schools, and provide free tablets for students from low-income families. This is a far cry from Sweden where many students witness that they almost never are allowed to use computers or digital media in classes or assignments. Both articles at The Next Web.
Google Plus: Is This the Social Tool Schools Have Been Waiting For?
This post points out that here is a lot of potential with Google+ for schools: better student collaboration through Circles, opportunities for blended learning (a combination of offline and online instruction) with Hangouts, project research with Sparks, and easier school public relations with targeted photo-sharing, updates, and messaging. More at ReadWriteWeb.
Technology
Bad news for Windows Phone 7 (and for Nokia) – consumer interest is waning
Fewer people are now interested in buying a smartphone with a Microsoft operating system than before launch, a Nielsen survey claims. More at ComputerWorld.
Augmented reality: The past, present and future
A good post documenting the development of Augmented Reality and where it is heading. More at The Next Web.
[Swedish] Reseräkning för iOS (Travel expenses for iOS)
This is my most retweeted link during the weekend, an iPhone / iPad app for travel expenses. One of my Twitter followers pointed out that many accounting software companies charges 10 SEK for each expense report submitted through their webfront. This app is free and will soon also be available for Android. More at Surfbloggen.