Mexican Universities Offer Free Online Bachelor Courses

General

Mexican Universities are offering online bachelor degree courses to students and its free. The UNAM and The UNAMEXICO have teamed up to offer free online bachelor courses. The courses are specifically geared to migrant Mexicans living in the United States. The name of the program offered by the UNAM is B@Unam. However, very few register for these courses. The program allows students to complete bachelor studies in two and a half years.

According to Dr. Ernest Garcia Palacios, the director of Distance Bachelor Education at Open University and Distance Education of the UNAM, (in August) there were 241 active students in all the United States, while 48 students graduated since the program started. Dr. Ernest Garcia Palacios, noted that after a wider publicity, registration rose from 150 normally to 250 for last September. After graduating from the distance preparatory program, students can register at the UNAM for one of the 20 degrees via distance. In addition to the UNAM, the Universidad Nacional a Distancia de Mexico also has such a program.

As with any course of studies, those who register for the program need to first understand carefully how it works as there are certain requirements which students must meet. For example, those who register then return to Mexico can no longer continue in the program at the UNAM but they can register at a program in Mexico.

To find out more write to soporte_edad@cuaed.unam or visit http://www.cuaed.unam.mx/portal/

Aviso.  No está  disponible  el sitio web con el artículo original  pero puede escribir a la UNAM o revisar sus programas  (Por  aquí)

More American Adults are using only cellphones

General

 

In 2014 the U.S government conducted research on cellphone use among Adults. The results show an upward trend in the first half of 2014 with a four percentage points gain over a previous study done just 6 months earlier. About 43 % of adults living in the U.S are in homes with only cellphones.  About nine out of ten Americans are likely cellphone owners and almost two-thirds are likely smartphone owners (See here). With the increasing importance of mobile devices, Americans are inventing rules about how to use these apps in social meetings and public settings.

Cellphones can serve to connect people instantly but could be a distraction as well.  Many worry that as people engage with mobile apps in both public and social settings, this urges them to live “Alone Together” according to the title of Professor Sherry Turkle’s book. Professor Turkle considers that kind of life as socially stagnant and not good for communities. The close to fifteen years exploration of people’s digital way of life by Professor Turkle found disturbing relationships among people who are close such as parents, children, friends and even lovers as well as new uneasiness about the way we perceive privacy and community(See here). In contrast, researcher Keith Hampton’s study on people’s use of mobile devices in public settings shows instead of limiting group social interactions, those devices fill time when people wait or during other institutional moments. Generally, Hamilton’s research revealed that for the last 30 years, instead of aloneness, or digital interruption there is gender equality. That is something that would’ve been unthinkable in America 30 years ago (See here).

These issues need consideration as people should not view rules of etiquette as merely small niceties but rather as truly impacting the way humans deal with each other as well as the make up of public settings. This was the subject of a Pew Research.

The results of the survey shows hundred of Americans hold different and shaded beliefs about new civil behavior. They are studying the neo-etiquette of mobile existence. In some instances, they confirm the social benefits of prolonged connectivity and in other instances lament the distractions which screen causes to social gatherings. On some occasions they welcome the ability to have both people and information right away, but on other occasions, they feel wronged when others try to use it to their own advantage.

In some instances, they show support for being around others physically but in other instances, they quickly look at screens while in groups which have in-person conversation.

To read the original article (See here).

 

 

You wouldn’t believe what Digital Life will be in 2025.

AUTHORED MATERIALS

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In looking ahead to what Digital Life would be like in a decade form now, the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project conducted an online study from November, 2013 to January, 2014. There were 2, 558 participants comprising knowledgeable individuals and tech builders. Some notable themes were present in what participants foresee.

Respondents foresee the information setting will be such that it will require no effort to access the internet and the majority of people will turn to it so easily that it will be automatic or natural as electricity. Respondents foresee a linking together of mobile, wearable, and embedded computing into the Internet, thereby enabling individuals and their environments to turn to ‘artificial intelligence-enhanced cloud-based information storage and sharing.”

Notably, these knowledgeable individuals share the view that there is an impending future change in  technology. However, they differ on its repercussions. The majority of respondents thank that:

  • There will be an ambient networked computing setting established due to prolonged multiplicity od Smart Sensors, cameras, software, databases, and massive data centers in a world-encompassing information fabric called the Internet of Things.
  • “Augmented reality” betterment to the actual-world input that individuals understand by using technologies that are portable /wearable/implantable.
  • The physical and social realms will experience intelligent analytical mapping, tagging, and databasing (See here).

Concerning the Internet in the next decade. Lee Rainie one of the presenters at the World Future Society World Future 2014 event presented a detailed list of what experts predict for the Internet in the coming ten (10) years. Rainier discussed how internet availability everywhere impacts the way people behave, the arising of new social and cultural separations, the serious disruption on education, and how a new kind of companies will impact the Internet.

To read the full report (See here).

 

 

Facts about the World Wide Web at 25 years in the U.S.

AUTHORED MATERIALS

March 12, 2014 was a memorable date for the World Wide Web as it marked 25 years of its existence. Sir Tim Berners-Lee succeeded in making the internet turn into technology adopted and used by many people worldwide instead of just being a geeky data-transfer medium which only specialists and a handful of enthusiasts supported. Without a doubt the Internet has affected almost every facet of people’s lives from the manner in which they create, get, and share the news; how they care for their health, how they do their jobs, the make up of their political activity; how they deal with government; the way and extent to which they communicate with family and friends; and how they form into communities. The spread of the internet and its impact is unbelievable.

In 2014, internet use by adult Americans was at 87%. There has also been an unbelievable adaptation of internet related technology as well. From  2000 there has been a dramatic rise in the adult who own cellphones. Similarly, the number of adults who own smartphones has risen. In face of its plusses and minuses, the overall view of many is that the internet is something positive. A study found 90 % of those who use the Internet consider it as something good personally, and 76% thought it is something beneficial to society.

To read the full report (see here).

15 years of Americans accessing the Internet.

AUTHORED MATERIALS

Learning DirectionsAmericans Interacting with the Internet: 2000-2015.

As Internet use inches closer to saturation among some groups, what is the adoption trend for others?

Starting in 2000, the The Pew Research Center’s unit examining the internet and society started consistently measuring how Americans adopt the internet. So far the unit has done 97 nationwide surveys involving adults who have documented the way their day-to-day life revolves around the internet in spite of various sections of society.

Various main trends arise from analyzing the data gathered over the 15 years. On one hand, Internet use is at its peak among mainly highly educated young adults, as well as those from more well- to – do households. On the other hand, Internet adoption rate had been historically lower but steadily increasing among older adults, groups with a lower level of education, and groups in the lower-income bracket. However, there are still digital gaps. Differences exist also among racial groups and communities. Although the gap has narrowed, White or English Speaking Asian-Americans are more internet users than African-Americans or Hispanics. Also, although more than 75% of persons living in rural communities are online, they are less prone to use the internet than suburban and urban residents. The gap between the percentage of female and male internet users has narrowed considerably from less that half for women in 2000 to within a 1% today. For the entire report (see here).