Weekly News Roundup

Project Tomorrow has just released the results of its Speak Up 2010 survey that asked over 300,000 students (and 43,000 parents, 35,000 teachers, and 3,500 administrators) about their thoughts on technology and learning in the classroom. It found, no surprise, students' ownership and use of technology is on the rise, with students now saying that Internet filtering - not Internet speed - is their major obstacle at school. This week, MindShift looked at students' and teachers' responses to the question of filtering.
Analyst firm Piper Jaffray released the results of its annual survey of teens and Apple products, suggesting that one third of teens plan to buy an iPhone in the next six months. Sam Diaz from ZDNet questions the survey (and the headlines that followed), and asks whether teens are interested in other smart phones too.
Whether or not teens want iPhones or Androids or just mobile phones in general, a new study has found that what they really want is access to the Internet. And even more so, when they don't have access to it, they face symptoms of withdrawal and depression. That's the findings from a University of Maryland study that asked 1,000 students from around the world to abstain from media for a day.
The Gates Foundation's new initiative Next Generation Learning Challenges announced the winners of its first round of grants this week, with $10 million in funding going to projects aimed at boosting college graduation rates. The projects tackle blended learning, student engagement, learning analytics, and open courseware initiatives. You can read the complete list of winners here.
Kno, once the maker of a student-oriented tablet is officially getting out of the hardware business. The company has handed over the development of that technology to Intel, according to All Things D's Kara Swisher. Kno has taken another $30 million in investment to focus now on developing educational software.
The Department of Education announced several initiatives around students' privacy, including clarification of FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and the hiring of a Chief Privacy Officer.