Odds and Ends December 21, 2009

Too big to be a country, too small to be an insane asylum

I am still have a problem believing this story and that it comes from my native state. South Carolina Attorney General (and candidate for Governor) Henry McMaster sent a message to Georgetown County claiming the county’s ban on concealed weapons on school campuses violates South Carolina’s law on concealed weapons. Georgetown banned all concealed weapons on school campuses in an effort to make schools safer. South Carolina state law says concealed weapons can be carried on school campuses as long they are locked in a center console, glove box or trunk of a vehicle.

Okay would someone please tell me how Georgetown’s children are served by having firearms on campus? What floored me even more was people who were interviewed supporting the right to carry firearms on school campuses. There have been incidents of parents being arrested for disturbing schools because they decided to get into a fight at school, and we are not talking a high school sporting event either. Someone will get a gun from their locked trunk and finish one of these fights one day. Once again South Carolina will make national news for all the wrong reasons.

Story from My Lowcountry 3, SCNow.com

 

I’m trying to cut down

Mashable relayed a New York Times story about teens realizing they are spending too much time on Facebook and are pledging to either cut down or totally give it. This sounds like a positive step by some teens or these are teens who are not getting enough friends. Teens taking part are promising only to login at certain times and “punish” those who break their promises. Let’s see if peer pressure makes a dent in Facebook.

Reality Camera, really?

Tech Crunch announced one of its Tech Crunch 50 favorites, Tonchidot has released it’s iPhone app to a worldwide audience. Tonchidot is an augmented reality application which means people who use the app can leave notes, pictures, or audio recordings at whatever point you are in the earth. Users can also see posts other users have left. This is made possible by the iPhone’s GPS and compass abilities. The education use is students can see what other people have said about about museums, historical places, zoos, etc…. This information could help in completing reports about field trips and other educational outings. Of course this is also another way to see reviews of restaurants as you walk down the street.

Interactive displays go on a diet

LG announced what is billed as the “World’s Thinest” 42-inch LCD panel. This is another step in what I believe where interactive whiteboards are headed. Classrooms of the future will have thin display panels that can be manipulated via touch and/or tablets carried by teachers and students. Of course these displays will be 3-D compatible as well. Source Engadget.

Podcast or Pencast?

Earlier today I decided to give podcasting another try. I have been thinking about this for awhile now and just decided to go for it. The new thing is I used my Livescribe Pulse pen to create this episode of the reborn Teacherbytes Podcast. I jotted down some notes on a my special notepad then tapped the record button. As I talked about topics I made some notations on the pad next to my notes. When I was finished I uploaded the notes to the Livescribe site and set it as a pencast in their community section. Then I exported the audio into Audacity to convert it into an MP3 file then finished uploading all the files to the proper sites to finish my podcast. Look below for the audio and pencast.


Teacherbytes 12.21.2009
brought to you by Livescribe

They can see what!?

A few years ago I belonged to a local health club that had a unique way to keep members coming in to workout. The manager would have contests for members to sign up to do x number of workouts or go y number of miles on a treadmill. Those who complete the contest usually would receive a t-shirt. It was a great marketing ploy because it kept members coming into the club and paying their monthly dues.

Facebook has a similar approach to keep it’s members coming back to the site so they can see the adds on the site. This is how Facebook makes money. Advertising companies go through great pains to research potential customers of their clients so ads created are most effective at getting people to purchase products. This research requires as much information about the target market as you can get. Facebook has one of the greatest market research schemes going in the history of market research, they have people freely hand over their personal information without giving it a second thought. Information surrendered that would get a pollster slapped if they asked the same questions on the street or hung-up on the telephone. How does Facebook do this? Games and quizzes millions of users play for sometimes hours. It is truly  amazing what information is gathered about you as you play these games. Then the information is sold in a nice neat package to advertisers.

People who are my friends know I am always trying to throw a wet blanket on their fun by warning them of the risks they are taking with their personal information. Up to now I thought it was their own information they were knocking themselves out to hand over as they do that hit in Mafia Wars, beat their friends’ score in Bejeweled, or get help planting crops in Farmville. When I was listening to This Week in Tech (TWIT) #225, Leo Laporte and his guests were discussing Facebook’s new privacy policy. One thing Leo said that made my jaw drop was these games not only gathered information on the player but, depending on privacy settings, their friends as well. A game created by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was mentioned and I played it as soon as possible. The idea was to pry as much information out of you and your friends by asking a few questions. Either Facebook changed the conditions of the game or I have fairly good privacy settings. Not much information came out but the questions made me think and hence this blog post.

Should people stop using Facebook? No, I still use it myself and sometimes play the games. I just try to stop when they start asking for too much information. Other games I stay away from. Friends don’t take it personally if I don’t take up your causes, join you in your games, or play along with the many activities offered on Facebook. I am just thinking about my privacy and now yours when I don’t participate. For me, Facebook is a place to relay some stories about me and my family with my family and friends I choose to share with. That is all the information anyone needs to know. One more thing, did you know the default privacy setting for Facebook is all your information can be seen by anybody?

Parting Thoughts From SC Ed Tech 2009

I am tired but happy to be back with my family after returning from the 2009 South Carolina Educational Technology Conference in Myrtle Beach. The last three days have been a whirl of learning, connecting with old friends, and making new ones. Here are some of my thoughts and observations of the time I spent in Myrtle Beach in no particular order.

The biggest trend coming over the horizon is the use of mobile phones in the classroom. While this might not be a new idea, I believe many educators are rethinking their stance on their use. Okay, it not breaking news that almost every student has a mobile phone these days. However, instead of taking them away maybe we need to look at how we can use these devices in the classroom. Today's cellphones are essentially mini-computers. They can access vast amounts of information from the Internet and kids could probably type essays using their thumbs faster than writing them on paper. Of course rules would have to be set governing their use. With budget cuts reducing the availability of more computers in the classrooms this is an idea with more study.

Speaking of budget cuts and the economy, attendance was way down this year. Many of my friends around the state were not able to come. Vendors did not have the usual cool "schwag" you usually see at the conference. This could be a blessing in disguise. I had the pleasure of meeting many new people who I now communicate with over Twitter. Since the vendors did not have much to offer, there seemed to be more participation in the sessions.

I have challenged people to show me a serious educational use for Facebook I would consider it. Nobody took me up on my challenge until I saw how a USC-Sumter Economics professor used Facebook groups to extend class discussions to the popular social network site. The professor also used her groups on Facebook to give out class information too. I was so impressed I created a Facebook group for my school.

Congratulations to my good friends Mary Ann Sansonettie and Chris Craft on receiving the Making it Happen Award. This award was deserved to two educators who are passionate about using technology in teaching. Both educators are a great inspiration to me personally.

Hopefully, I will be back next year to help solve the great mystery which will be the theme for next year. Until then, I will be exploring many of the things I learned at this years conference. I hope to see everyone in Myrtle Beach next year.

Too Much Information or Not Enough

An ARS Technica article tells about a Ohio Education Association (OEA) memo recommending teachers to not participate in social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook. The reason given is to keep any possible inappropriate postings from being used against teachers by administration or parents which could jeopardize careers. Another reason given by the OEA is to make sure there is no question if students post fake sites in an attempt to embarrass teachers. A third reason is students using these sites to contact teachers could be considered inappropriate contact even if the site is considered professional.

While it is commendable for the OEA to take these steps to protect is members which is one of the purposes of the organization, this position is too drastic. What the OEA should do is sponsor workshops and in services to educate teachers about social networking and how they work. These workshops could include information on appropriate use, how to spot fake sites and what to do when one is found, and how they can be used for professional development and networking. Social networking sites are being used by professionals to network and share information with other professionals more and more. For teachers to not make use of these professional opportunities is short sighted.