Report: High School Grads Need Same Skills for Workforce as for College

High-school graduates who pursue vocational-training programs need the same mathematics and reading skills as do graduates who plan to attend four-year colleges. The report, entitled “Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different?,” also urges high-school officials to encourage students to take rigorous courses no matter what their career choice may be.

The study identified the level of reading and mathematics skills needed for entry-level jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree, yet pay a wage sufficient to support a family and offer the possibility of career advancement. The report also sets out to determine if the levels of performance needed for college and workforce readiness are the same or if they differ...(ACT, Inc) Read more

Federal, Higher Ed Team Open Iraqi Virtual Science Library

A U.S. appeals panel challenged the Bush administration over new rules that would make it easier for police and the FBI to place wiretaps on Internet phone calls. U.S. Circuit Judge Harry T. Edwards said the government's courtroom arguments were "gobbledygook." Edwards appeared especially skeptical about the FCC's decision to require providers of Internet phone service and broadband services to ensure that their equipment can accommodate police wiretaps under the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, known as CALEA.

The skepticism expressed toward the administration's case encouraged civil liberties and education groups that argued that the U.S. is improperly applying telephone-era rules to a new generation of Internet services...(USA TODAY) Read more

Free Web Player for 3D Content Sharing

Caligari Corp., a producer of 3-D modeling and animation software, announced the release of truePlay, a free Web player for sharing interactive 3D objects, scenes and multimedia “worlds.” Users are able to interact, learn, and work in real-time in a photorealistic, simulated, 3-D space that offers a richer presence than 2-D technology can provide.

Participants can open, enter, and interact with 3-D scenes that are sent to them via download or e-mail. Multiple participants can join the same 3-D space to meet, interact, and collaborate in real-time. The company said the player would support applications in education, where it will enable students and teachers to use real-time demonstrations and virtual experiments, or join each other in a shared space on the Internet and learn in real-time...(Caligari Corp) Read more