On Episode 12 of Dads On Tech, Ray and Zev Mo speak about the Motorola Droid Bionic, an Android smartphone running 2.3.4 gingerbread running on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Watch and see why we gave it a 3/5 remotes.

Stats:
- qHD display
- 4g LTE
- $299 with a two year contract
- Android 2.3.4 (gingerbread)
- 4.3 inch display
- 8 mega pixel camera
- Will shoot 1080p hd
- Front facing camera
- 1GHz dual core CPU

Pros:
- Verizon’s LTE network, which is fast
- 4.3-in. display to be bright enough for outdoor use
- Front and back cameras
- Can be a mobile hotspot (4G makes this a Pro)
- ZumoCast Capable (access any file from your computer remotely)
- Can dock with a laptop (like the atrix)

Cons:
- Expensive ($299 w/ contract)
- Battery life not so good (expected on 4G phones)
- 1Ghz Processor vs the 1.5Ghz in other models
- MotoBlur (not a fan)

Ratings:
- 3 out of 5 remotes

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 has targeted broadband as an instrument to help in revitalizing our economy. The investment in this information infrastructure will not only help to create jobs but assist in developing new technologies, applications and services. These initiatives are part of the — “Transforming Our Economy With Science And Technology” heading. The recovery bill states that “for every dollar invested in broadband the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment.” The bill plans to allocate (in grants) $6 billion dollars to expand broadband access to businesses and every community.

Read more at the Huffington Post….

Fire up the Flux Capacitor

The next time you have a parent-teacher conference, take a quick glance around the classroom, and see it through the eyes of your child.  If you have more technology sitting in your pocket, than in that room, your education system is stuck in the Dewey Decimal age.

Outdated

Unfortunately, most schools in the world still rely on the outdated educational methodology of around 200 years ago. This digital discontinuity is becoming a roadblock to achievement, leaving students unprepared, ill-equipped, and restless.  It is no wonder why the most common complaint from students is that school is B-O-R-I-N-G.  When kids get home, they shoot right for the computer, DSi, Wii, PS3, XBox, or are already tweeting their discontent with school on their smart phone.  In fact, if you were to take a poll, “Watching Ramen noodles cooking in the microwave” would probably score higher than school, on the entertainment scale.  And I’ve never heard about any case of Ramen noodles cyber-bullying anyone, either.

Progress

It reminds me of the Walt Disney Carousel of Progress, when the family in the 1900′s commented on their newfangled washing machine, “But we do have this new washday marvel. It takes only 5 hours to do the wash. Imagine! It used to take two days.”  Now, we didn’t stop there… at least not for clothes.  Why is the classroom any different?  It seems counter-intuitive.

Clearly, as technology and society progresses, teaching much evolve also.  Let’s face it, our orientation for information delivery is changing.  Our method by which we absorb information, whether it be rich video content, audio, tactile response, co-operative tasks, or perhaps all of those, are changing.  Right now, an American student on the way to school can video-chat and share documents with a friend in Japan, interactively, wirelessly on the bus, while each are on two separate continents.  Yet, at the same time they are doing this, they are lugging around 50 lbs. of textbooks in their backpack.

If we require our children to constantly upgrade their skills, re-think old problems, adapt to new scenarios, to stay on-top of the latest gadgets and services in their leisure time, why do we settle for less in their classrooms?

An intriguing idea

In 2004, an accomplished Israeli business person, who is also an education advocate, founded a company called, Time To Know.  Their Digital Teaching Platform was developed as a philanthropic endeavor, in response to the many challenges facing schools worldwide and the lack of meaningful change in education practices.

I was really taken by the company’s mission, the genuine care they put into their work, and the passion for driving innovation in the education system.  Watch the video below, and check out the website, for more information.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/8434559[/vimeo]

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/8373409[/vimeo]

As every parent knows, finding ways to motivate kids to brush their teeth, go to bed on time, or make their beds in the morning can be a seemingly impossible task.  But if you have an iPhone, your job just got a little easier.  There is an iPhone application called, iRewardChart, from Got Clues Inc., and it is a really easy way to positively reinforce good behavior and complete their chores.

Read the entire review at zevmo.com