Attractions In New Orleans - Apps to Protect Your Info Online -- 'TakePart Live' Tech Affect

Source      - http://news.yahoo.com/
By            - Jose Iniguez
Category  - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

Every week we show you some apps, sites, and services that do more than monitor your favorite YouTube cat videos -- they give you high-tech solutions for real life problems. We call it the "Tech Affect."

This week's recommendations -- as featured on the Wednesday, Oct. 23 episode of 'TakePart Live' -- provide with you with tools to keep your personal information safe and private online. All three were handpicked by our special guest expert, CTO of Beyond Trust Marc Maiffret.

2-step Verification – Two-step verification is an optional security feature that requires you to verify your identity using one of your devices, like a phone. This extra layer significantly raises the bar for people who may be trying to hack into your accounts. TrueCrypt – This is a free, open source, on-the-fly encryption service that can encrypt your entire computer, or even selected folders or files within your computer. KeePass – This is a free password manager that keeps you from having to remember all of the many passwords for all of your logins by keeping them all in one place.

Attractions In New Orleans - Scientists Estimate How Much Longer The Earth Can Support Life

Source      - http://www.forbes.com/
By             - Alex Knapp
Category   - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

The end of the world is near! Well, relatively near, geologically speaking. Okay, even geologically speaking, it’s pretty far off.

But scientists at the University of East Anglia have made their best estimate for how much longer the Earth will be habitable for human life, barring nuclear war, rogue asteroids, or being destroyed to make room for a hyperspace bypass. Fortunately, you don’t need to put your affairs in order any time soon. The researchers estimate that the Earth will remain habitable for another 1.75 to 3.25 billion years.

Their research, which has been published in the journal Astrobiology, is part of the bigger project of looking for life outside of our own solar system. Over the past few years, astronomers have discovered a number of planets that exist within the habitable zones of their stars – meaning that their orbits place them not too far, but not too close, so that temperatures on the surface are just right for life to develop.

But with so many planets in potentially habitable zones, there has to be some priority in trying to determine which planets are most likely to contain life and are therefore more worth devoting additional resources to observing. That’s where this research comes in.

However, as the orbits of planets change over time, and as the nature of their stars change over time, no planet is likely to stay in a habitable zone forever. So in this paper, the astronomers did their best to estimate the “habitable zone lifetime” of a planet. Since life took hundreds of millions of years to evolve on Earth, the researchers reason that the best candidates for observation are those with the longest habitable zone lifetimes.

The researchers then studied 34 planets, including Earth, that are thought to exist within the habitable zones of their stars. They then used observations of their orbits and their stars’ to arrive at estimates of each planets habitable zone lifetime. There is an astounding range of possibilities – ranging “from significantly less than that of Earth to over five times Earth’s HZ lifetime,” they wrote.

Of course, this paper really represents a first step in determining how likely a planet is going to evolve life. The scientists themselves notes this in the paper, where they write “Interpreting the results that have been returned by this simple model should be done with caution. While we have sought to estimate a theoretically habitable zone lifetime, we do not claim that the time that a planet spends within the HZ is the only control over habitability.”

They also note that different planets will experience different factors, which will provide still further interesting effects on how life might evolve on them. “The actual HZ lifetime of any given planet is unlikely to be controlled solely by planetary surface temperatures, and individual worlds may experience a variety of divergent (bio)geochemical evolutionary histories, possibly resulting in markedly different planetary environments to that of Earth.”

First step it may be, it’s still a fascinating one. As the models for habitability get further defined, that may help astronomers find another planet with life that much sooner. Additionally, this research reminds us that though the end may be billions of years away, the ability of the Earth to remain home for human beings won’t last forever.

But if humans are still around when the Earth begins to move out of the habitable zone, we can always move next door.

“If we ever needed to move to another planet, Mars is probably our best bet,” lead researcher Andrew Rushby said in a statement. “It’s very close and will remain in the habitable zone until the end of the Sun’s lifetime – six billion years from now.”

Attractions In New Orleans - How Will a Cheaper iPhone 5C Affect Pricing For Older iPhones?

Source       - http://news.cnet.com/
By              - Marguerite Reardon
Category    - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By  - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

As rumors heat up that Apple will likely introduce not one, but two new iPhones in September, consumers wonder what it means for the company's traditional product discounting conventions.

While Apple has generally kept tight-lipped about the launch of its new iPhones, there are a few things that most Apple fans have been able to count on each year. One is that the company will introduce one new smartphone a year. And the second is that last year's model will sell at a $100 discount and its 2-year-old version will be $200 less expensive than the new one -- or it will be free with a two-year carrier contract. 

But with the rumor that Apple will be introducing a high-end flagship iPhone, called the iPhone 5S, along with a lower-cost option called the iPhone 5C, consumers aren't sure what to expect. Apple as usual has been mum. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a wireless consumer wondering if he should buy the iPhone 4S now or wait. I also answer another reader's question about buying insurance for her son's new iPhone.

Will the iPhone 5C replace the iPhone 4S?

Dear Maggie,

My wife is wanting to get an iPhone 4s, and up until recently we were going to wait until the announcement for the next iPhone. In previous announcements, the latest device retails at $199, the prior year model (in this case would be iPhone 5) would be priced at $99, and the two-year prior would retail at $0. Of course, I'm referring to the two-year contract prices.

My wife wants the iPhone 4S, mainly because we don't want to replace all of our accessories with the new connector that is on the iPhone 5 and will likely be on the new devices. Recently, there has been a rumor that a low-cost iPhone, the iPhone 5C, will be introduced along with a new high-end iPhone. I've heard that the iPhone 5C will replace the iPhone 4S, and that one would not be able to buy a 4S upon release of the new devices. Does this rumor hold any water? Should we eat the $99 that it costs right now to get the device that she wants?
Thanks,

Alex

Dear Alex,
As with any iPhone rumor, I have to be clear that at this point, there is far more speculation out there than factual information about what Apple will or will not announce in September.

That said, when the rumors reach their current intensity, it is more likely than not that at least some of the things you've heard are true. For instance, it's pretty clear at this point that Apple will hold an event in California on September 10. And it's also pretty clear that the company is preparing to launch not one but two new devices in September. One is a high-end smartphone, using top-of-the-line components dubbed the iPhone 5S. And the other is a less-expensive model you mentioned in your question called the iPhone 5C. 

Beyond the actual existence of this "second" device, it's hard to say exactly how the new phone will be sold and what Apple will do about its older models. I have speculated in the past that the low-cost model of the new iPhone may not be available in the US market. Instead, I predicted that the device would be available only to consumers in developing markets, such as China, much like other phone manufacturers have done with other low-cost devices. A few of my CNET colleagues and analysts, who follow Apple, have made similar predictions about this possible strategy.

But others, such as CNET's own Apple expert Josh Lowensohn, think limiting the iPhone 5C to developing markets veers too far from Apple's traditional product playbook. 

"Apple doesn't do specific devices for specific regions," Josh told me. "They do something that's mass market, and as mass market as possible. A cheaper, plastic, colorful iPhone addresses a ton of consumers here."

Attractions In New Orleans - Spanish Unemployment Falls For First Time In Two Years

Source - http://www.reuters.com/
By - Press Release
Category - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

Spain's unemployment rate unexpectedly fell for the first time in two years in the second quarter, adding weight to the government's contention that the worst of the country's economic slump may be over.

A strong tourist season helped the unemployment rate dip to 26.3 percent from 27.2 percent in the first quarter, the National Statistics Institute said on Thursday,

That left 5.98 million people out of work - a far greater proportion of the population that every other euro zone country bar Greece - but the drop was the first since the same period of 2011.

"Almost all the improvement we've seen today, in terms of the number of people working and the unemployment rate, is due to seasonal factors," Angel Laborda, economist at think tank Funcas, said.

Tourism accounts for around 10 percent of Spanish gross domestic product and is expected to be strong this year as cash-strapped Europeans look for budget vacations away from Egypt and other Middle Eastern troublespots.

"Having said that, even seasonally adjusted data is better than we expected which is in line with the economic improvements forecast by the Bank of Spain earlier in the week," Laborda added.

The central bank said on Tuesday the economy shrank just 0.1 percent quarter on quarter between April and June, offering some support to a government that has talked up prospects of an exit from recession as soon as the current quarter.

But many economists believe the country's two-year slump, the second in three years, is unlikely to come to an end this year

A major factor behind that more pessimistic view is an unemployment rate that has surged since a property bubble burst in 2008, with some 3.8 million people joining the jobless lines since the first quarter of that year.

STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS

Thursday's drop in unemployment was unexpected by economists polled by Reuters, who forecast a slight rise.

But the improved figure masks a deep structural problem - that of long-term unemployment.

Around half of the near six million out of work in Spain have not held a job for more than a year, while the number of homes with no one in work stood at 1.8 million, the data showed.

After a decade of above average economic growth, the prolonged recession prompted hundreds of thousands to leave the country in the 2012, including immigrants returning home and Spaniards in search of work elsewhere.

Attractions In New Orleans - Zombie Films Like Brad Pitt-Starring 'World War Z' Are Delicious Summer Treats

Source - http://www.latimes.com/
By - CRITIC'S PICK
Category - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

For sheer summer escape, it's hard to beat a good zombie flick. Good, bad, always ugly, the undead are a highly amusing genre as a whole. "Zombieland" from 2009, with Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone riding shotgun and Woody Harrelson wielding one, remains my favorite. "Warm Bodies," a clever hipster twist on the old trope starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer out earlier this year, comes close. But for now, consider indulging in the campy, eco-eccentric fun of Brad Pitt's battle with the undead, their teeth-chattering and bad hygiene giving "World War Z" its bite. And don't let the environmental message scare you either. Director Marc Forster understands it's the absurdities and the oddities that bring zombie movies to life. Something — virus, plague, aliens, a studio exec in need of a horror film in his portfolio — is causing the undead to rise in "WWZ." They have a swarming tendency, making giant hills of undead bodies with their undead buddies. So cool. The best is when they hit a wall. Ah, zombies, always a message for the living in the undead.

Attractions In New Orleans - Oil Prices Decline After Weak China Data

Source - http://www.marketwatch.com/
By - Carla Mozee
Category - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

Crude for July delivery CLN3 -0.30%  fell 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $91.81 a barrel, with some pressure on the dollar-denominated commodity coming from strengthening U.S. dollar.

The ICE dollar index DXY -0.11%  , which measures the greenback against six other global currencies, rose to 83.237 from 82.294 on Friday. The index finished May higher by nearly 2%.

 On Monday, the final version of HSBC’s China manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index showed activity in the sector contracted in May. The index fell to 49.2 from a preliminary reading of 49.6. The latest reading was also more than a point off from April’s 50.4. A result below 50 signals contraction.

China is a key consumer of oil, and the reported contraction in the country’s manufacturing sector came at a time of general concern about a slowdown in China and its impact on energy demand.

HSBC’s report contrasted with China’s official PMI, released Saturday, which rose to 50.8 in May from 50.6 in April.

Monday’s slip in oil prices added to the 1.8% drop on Friday, when news about record-high European unemployment and a decline in U.S. consumer spending in April dented energy-demand prospects.

The oil market later Monday is due to receive May PMI reports for Germany, France, Italy, and the overall euro zone.

Ahead of the reports, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said Monday that the euro area’s economic situation “remains challenging,” and the ECB doesn’t expect much of an improvement before the end of this year.

 The ECB on Thursday is expected to yet again downwardly revise its economic-activity forecast for this year. It currently expects a contraction of 0.5%.

But industry and investor worries about lackluster energy demand didn’t sway OPEC on Friday from sticking to its current oil-production target.

OPEC oil ministers at a summit in Vienna agreed, as expected, to keep the output target at 30 million barrels a day for the rest of the year, with many members expressing satisfaction with current price levels of about $100 a barrel for Brent crude.

But OPEC’s current target “has no teeth because there are no individual country allocations within the quota,” Simmons & Company International head of research Jeff Dietert wrote Friday. “Our view is that all nations, aside from Saudi Arabia, are essentially producing at max capacity anyway.”

July futures for benchmark Brent crude oil UK:LCON3 -0.36%  on Monday fell 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $100.23 a barrel. Brent ended May with a loss of 1.6%.

Attractions In New Orleans - SoftBank Could Gain $3.5 Billion By Walking Away From Sprint

Source - http://www.reuters.com/
By - Mari Saito and Tim Kelly
Category - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

Masayoshi Son, billionaire founder of Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank Corp, is expected to stay in the battle for U.S. wireless service provider Sprint Nextel Corp - even though he could walk away with more than $3.5 billion in gains from currency hedging, a convertible bond and break-up fee.

Son, a rare risk-taker in Japan's conservative corporate culture, is likely to put his ambition to create a global company, with a $20.1 billion investment in Sprint giving SoftBank a toehold in the United States, ahead of quick financial gains, analysts said on Tuesday.

Dish Network Corp, the No. 2 U.S. satellite TV provider, on Monday offered to buy Sprint for $25.5 billion in cash and stock, trumping SoftBank's proposal last October to buy 70 percent of Sprint in the biggest Japanese overseas acquisition. The offer by Dish, which wants to combine its satellite service with Sprint's wireless network in an attack on telecoms powerhouses Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc, represents a 13 percent premium to Softbank's bid.

"The issue for Son is that he wants to build a global company, he promised to do that. This is probably the one shot he has of doing that and I don't think he's going to walk away," said Neil Juggins, Hong Kong-based regional telecoms analyst at JI Asia, an affiliate of Societe Generale.

A Tokyo-based analyst, who declined to be named, also said Son was unlikely to back off and would probably raise his offer to seal the Sprint deal. "Son isn't going to give up that easily. I expect him to come back with a higher offer," the analyst said.

SoftBank has yet to respond publicly to the Dish move on Sprint, but a spokesperson told IFR, a Thomson Reuters company, that it will go ahead with a dual tranche bond issue in dollars and euros that is worth $2 billion. That bond issue is to help fund its Sprint deal.

CURRENCY HEDGING, CONVERTIBLE BOND

Announcing the Sprint investment last year, SoftBank said it hedged its acquisition with a forward exchange rate of 82.2 yen to the U.S. dollar, saving some 200 billion yen ($2.04 billion) in the process. The yen has since weakened 24 percent against the dollar as a result of an aggressive monetary policy by Japan's central bank to lift the country out of deflation.

In addition, SoftBank stands to make around a $1 billion gain from a $3.1 billion convertible bond it purchased from Sprint last year at $5.25 per share. SoftBank can convert the bond as soon as it abandons a Sprint deal. Sprint shares last traded at $7.06 after jumping as much as 17.8 percent on Monday to a near 4-1/2-year high.

On top of all that, SoftBank would also be paid a $600 million break-up fee if Dish walks away with Sprint.

"Short-term, yes, there are benefits that they would gain if they walked away, but I think SoftBank shareholders would mark them down quite heavily," said Juggins.

SoftBank shares fell 8.9 percent to a 2-week low of 4,270 yen in Tokyo on Tuesday - set for their biggest one-day drop in 6 months, since it announced its Sprint investment. That drop wipes around $5 billion off its market value.

In January, SoftBank reported a 12.6 percent increase in April-December operating profit to more than 600 billion yen ($6.1 billion).

Attractions In New Orleans - U.S. Stocks Start The Second Quarter With a Drop

Source - http://online.wsj.com/
By - Kaitlyn Kiernan
Posted By - Attractions In New Orleans
Category - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

U.S. stocks started the second quarter down Monday, pressured by disappointing manufacturing data, after the Dow industrials and S&P 500 capped off the first quarter with records. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 5.69 points, or less than 0.1%, to 14572.85, with Hewlett-Packard and Intel leading the index lower. 

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index lost 7.02 points, or 0.4%, to 1562.17, as industrial shares led eight out of 10 industry sectors lower. The benchmark index finished at a record Thursday, bringing first-quarter gains to 10%. Markets were closed Friday for Good Friday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite on Monday gave up 28.35 points, or 0.9%, to 3239.17. 

"We just finished a strong quarter, and there are a couple weeks before earnings reports really start up," said John Carey, executive vice president and money manager with Pioneer Investments in Boston, which manages about $200 billion in assets. Mr. Carey said he isn't currently shifting his asset allocations. "Unless we see some real surprises out of the central banks, I think the focus will really be on business fundamentals."

The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 51.3 in March from February's 54.2. That reading was below expectations of 54. At the same time, February construction spending rose 1.2% on the month, slightly above forecasts for a 1% rise. 

"The market has been up, up and away, so it wouldn't surprise me to see a bit of a pullback as people take profits after the end of the quarter," said Stephen Carl, head equity trader at Williams Capital Group.

Monday marked a light day before economic data reports heat up later this week. Investors likely will pay close attention to central-bank meetings in Japan and Europe this week. 

The European Central Bank on Thursday will hold its first meeting since the turbulent bailout of Cyprus was finalized March 24. Traders will look to the bank's statement for signs of any forthcoming policy changes that might support growth in the euro zone. The Bank of Japan also will convene Thursday under new leadership. Investors will watch for signs of a shift by the new governor toward bolder actions and looser monetary policy. 

The U.S. government's monthly jobs report will cap off the week as market watchers look to see whether hiring maintained February's momentum. Economists expect a slowing in the pace of nonfarm payroll gains. The median forecast in a survey compiled by Dow Jones Newswires is for 200,000 jobs to have been created last month. In February, there were 236,000 new hires, far exceeding expectations. The March unemployment rate is expected to hold at 7.7%. The Federal Reserve has said it won't start raising interest rates until the unemployment rate falls to 6.5%. 

"Everyone has been hearing about new highs and what a great quarter the first quarter was, that I think you have some investors wanting to sit back and see how the new quarter starts," said Richard Sichel, chief investment officer at Philadelphia Trust Co., which manages $1.8 billion in assets. Mr. Sichel said he is looking back at last quarter's underperformers and outperformers, but waiting to see how the second quarter progresses before shifting investments. 

May crude-oil futures shed 0.2% to finish at $97.07 a barrel, while April gold futures settled 0.3% higher at $1,600 an ounce. The dollar lost ground against the yen, but rose against the euro. Demand for Treasurys rose, sending the yield on the benchmark 10-year note down to 1.84%. 

In corporate news, shares of Tesla Motors climbed $6.04, or 16%, to $43.93 after the electric-car maker said it expected to report an adjusted first-quarter profit, compared with expectations of a loss, on the back of better-than-expected sales of its Model S vehicle. 

Intel dropped 41 cents, or 1.9%, to $21.43 following weaker-than-usual chip sales data from the Semiconductor Industry Association over the weekend and a downgrade to "market perform" by JMP Securities. 

Panasonic slipped 62 cents, or 8.5%, to $6.71 after The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. authorities are investigating whether a unit of the Japanese electronics giant paid bribes to land business. The company also said Monday that the date for its delisting of American depositary shares from the New York Stock Exchange is April 22. 

EBay gained $1.49, or 2.8%, to $55.71 after Canaccord Genuity upgraded the online auction site's stock to "buy" and J.P. Morgan raised its price target on the shares to $64. 

Gastar Exploration rallied 25 cents, or 14%, to $2.01 after the company agreed to buy back Chesapeake Energy's entire stake in Gastar, certain Chesapeake assets in Oklahoma and settle all litigation for $85 million. Chesapeake shares slipped. 

Quicksilver rose 35 cents, or 16%, to $2.60 after the company announced over the weekend that it agreed to sell a 25% interest in certain oil and gas assets for $485 million to a subsidiary of Tokyo Gas.

Attractions In New Orleans - Rafael Nadal's Win Over Roger Federer Leaves a Strange Taste

Source - http://www.latimes.com/
By - BILL DWYRE
Category - Attractions In New Orleans
Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

A typically spicy battle turns into an unsatisfying 6-4, 6-2 victory for Nadal in less than 90 minutes in a BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal match.
Tennis did its best to serve up a classic dish Thursday night in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. But a dash of this and a pinch of that were missing.

We expect plenty of spice every time Roger Federer plays Rafael Nadal. It is a legacy built on their previous 28 matches, most of them thrillers, over nearly a decade.

But minus the usual paprika, Nadal still managed to slap out a 6-4, 6-2 victory. It was somewhat convincing. Also somewhat unsettling.

When these two play, we expect some 7's in the score line. Also, some numbers in parentheses after tiebreaker sets. A line that reads 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour 24 minutes, with the ending feeling like a monotone, rather than a crescendo, is surprising.

There was a crowd of 16,100 —maybe more if they all squeezed over a seat or two — in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. When the match began shortly after 7 p.m., there were perhaps 100 empty seats scattered about. By the first player changeover at 2-1, the stragglers had arrived and this, a Thursday night quarterfinal at a non-Grand Slam tennis tournament in the middle of a desert, had the feel of Indianapolis and gentlemen starting their engines.

There were 28 Grand Slam tournament titles represented on the court, 17 for Federer and 11 for Nadal.

It was the first time they'd ever met in a quarterfinal, and only the third time they'd ever met earlier than a semifinal. That was because, while Federer had maintained a high ranking at No. 2, Nadal had taken seven months off to heal a knee injury and had slipped to No. 5. And the form of the draw puts No. 2 against No. 5 in the quarters.

It was also only the fifth time they had played each other in the United States, three times at the Miami tournament that always immediately follows this one, and last year in the semifinals here, where Federer prevailed and went on to win the title.

So the scene, and the hype, was not only predictable, but justified. Federer is 31 now, Nadal 26, but the public, with non-erasable memories of classic five-set battles at Wimbledon and elsewhere, still sees them as two gunfighters, facing off at high noon, hands poised over pistols.

Even their personality contrasts feed the fire. Federer appears to be a worldly sort, ever poised, a diplomat who emotes mostly with smiles and shrugs. Nadal is a 10-year-old who can't wait to come outside and play, whose favorite gesture is a fist pump.

And so the stage of great expectations was set. To the lucky ticket-holders, and to those eagerly tuned in to watch on TV, this was nothing less than the final, four days early.

But what followed was an hour and a half of under-delivery.

At the 30-minute mark of the match, after the usual feeling-out process had been completed, Nadal broke serve by sending a passing shot past an approaching Federer. That made it 4-3, and was revealing in itself.

In this day and age of slower courts and rackets that might as well be called rocket-launchers, few players even attempt to get to the net much. That's because the ball just flies past them on one side or the other.

Thursday night, Federer approached often and in key spots that represented all-or-nothing moments.

He even said afterward

that he discovered early in the match that he would have to adjust the way he played.

When the greatest player in the history of the game, if you use major titles as a measuring stick, changes the way he plays, tries to force a quicker ending to points, the likely reason is an injury.

He has admitted recently to having a back problem, and has announced he will not play again for seven weeks,

until the May 6 tournament in Madrid. But that schedule announcement came before any word of a bad back.

Asked directly about it, Federer said, "I could play. I was happy to be out there and able to compete. It's obviously a small issue, but one that doesn't work against guys like Rafa."

Then there was Nadal, whose seven-month absence created speculation that his bad knee would never allow him to be the same player.

Nadal, still powerful off both sides and as fierce a competitor as the game has ever seen, moved and hit and thought well throughout. But the knee appears to have stolen a tad of his mobility and he seems at times to favor it.

His match analysis: "I played a great first set. But the second set was strange. Roger didn't seem to fight as much as usual. Maybe it was back problems."

Straight stuff. Not much salt and pepper there. Kind of like the match itself.

Attractions In New Orleans - 73% of Teachers Use Cellphones for Classroom Activities

Source - http://mashable.com/

By - Camille Bautista

Category - Attractions In New Orleans

Posted By - Homewood Suites New Orleans

Attractions In New Orleans

More middle- and secondary-school teachers are using digital tools in their classrooms and professional lives, a new report says. A study by Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project released Thursday delves into teachers' increasing technology use, but also expresses educators' concerns about the digital divide.

The study surveyed Advance Placement and National Writing Project teachers across the United States, and 92% say the Internet has a "major impact" on their ability to access content, resources and materials for teaching. Teachers are becoming advanced tech users, according to Kristen Purcell, Pew's associate director for research.

"The findings bode well for people who really want to see these tools become a part of the educational sphere," Purcell tells Mashable.

Use of mobile technology dominates the learning process, the study finds. Seventy-three percent of teachers say that they or their students use cellphones in the classroom or to complete assignments. Nearly half of respondents use e-readers and tablets for teaching.

Not only are educators using devices in the classroom, but they outpace typical online adults when it comes to personal tech use. Fifty-eight percent of teachers surveyed have a smartphone, compared to 48% of all American adults, and they're more likely to use social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. There are differences, however, across subjects. English teachers will use these networks more than their math-teaching colleagues.

Teachers as professionals are always in the position of sharing, which accounts for their higher use of new technology, according to Linda Burch, co-founder at Common Sense Media.

"Teachers are really active sharers and connectors from time immemorial," Burch says.

"They're people who like to gain knowledge from others and in digital literacy, teachers are the best evangelists. They want to understand how to improve their practice."

They're also in a position to keep up with their students, and work to bring familiar tools into their classroom in creative and engaging ways. Sixty-four percent of teachers under 35 describe themselves as "very confident" with new technologies, compared to 44% who are 55 and older. Still, 42% say their students know more than they do when it comes to digital tools.