High-Tech Baby Sitters

Earlier we read about truck drivers and what is being done to control their use of cell phones while driving. This week we look at an option for drivers that takes the decision making out of their hands. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Why do you think that people need to use a service like ZoomSafer? Is the solution described in the article a viable one? Will it work? How do you think customers will respond to insurers’ offer of a discount for using a call-blocking service? Respond to the following Quote: “Passengers in cars can override such systems, but in many cases doing so automatically sends an e-mail message to the account administrator — say, a parent or employer — alerting them that the cellphone is in use.” If you were to design a system to address the problem of cell phone use while driving, what would it be?

High-Tech Baby Sitter Article

Selling Lessons Online

We are all aware of the fact that teachers have to plan lessons. It is part of the work that comes with the profession. This week’s article looks at how lesson plans that used to be shared for free are now being sold online. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How do you feel about teachers selling lesson plans? Under what conditions should the school own the materials? Under what conditions should the teacher own the materials? Respond to the following quote, “Joseph McDonald said the online selling cheapens what teachers do and undermines efforts to build sites where educators freely exchange ideas and lesson plans.”

Selling Lessons Article

iTunes U Gains Respectability

People commonly use iTunes to listen to music. Podcasts are not as popular, but they are still viewed and listened to by many people. This week’s article looks at iTunes U and how its standing has evolved over time. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

If you were a professor at a college or a university, how would you use iTunes U? Is it fair for universities to use iTunes U as an advertisement for what kind of research is being conducted? What solution would you suggest to a professor for dealing with the amount of time required to examine and evaluate the online material offered at iTunes U? What is your reaction to the research that has bolstered the site’s reputation?

iTunes Article

Avoiding Malware on Facebook and Twitter

The problems with malware infecting computers are increasing. This week’s article focuses on how social networking sites are being exploited, things to watch out for, and what you can do to protect yourself. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What practices do you follow to protect yourself from malware? Which method used by hackers seems most likely to work in your mind? Choose one of the best practices that you should follow. Describe a situation in which that practice should be used and tell what you would do if you were in that situation.

Malware Article

Email No Longer Rules

It seems like everyone in the world has used email, but is it the best way to communicate? This week’s article looks at how we have changed and how other types of communication services are likely to change the way that we communicate. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

The article talks about how the new services make our interactions faster. How long do you expect a text message to take to get to a friend? As the services make communication easier, the messages are becoming more frequent. How is this affecting the quality of what you write? Is your writing less personal? How will filtering affect communication? Do you use filters? Is having a more public profile something that is good or bad? Explain why. Respond to the following quotation: “You can argue that because we have more ways to send more messages, we spend more time doing it. That may make us more productive, but it may not.”

Email Article

Social Networks Bite Back

Students are frequently told to be careful about what they post in the Web. This week's article provides examples of embarrassing and sad adult behavior in using social media. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What do you think about potential employers screening candidates via social media? Did the percentage increase from last year surprise you? What could explain the difference in numbers of people joining Facebook from the different age groups? Respond to the following quote: "More than half of college students surveyed in a San Diego State University study said they view social networks as vehicles for self-promotion." Go to the link at the bottom of the article about 20 Social Media Blunders. Describe one of the blunders that you found most interesting. What was interesting about it?

Social Networks Article

Facebook as a happiness index

People look at Facebook pages for a variety of reasons, mostly personal. This week’s article discusses how researchers are taking advantage of Facebook as a source of data for social research. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How accurate do you think the Gross National Happiness Index is? Respond to the following quotation, “The idea, one that is generally accepted in social psychology, is that word choice can reveal a person’s mood.” Do you agree that Facebook records relationships? How accurate do you think the researchers are in analyzing the ethnic and racial backgrounds of Facebook users? Mr. Pennebaker indicates in the article that the research has the potential to turn “creepy.” What would be your worst fear about how the data could be used?

Facebook Article

Student Bloggers Used to Promote Universities

Blogging is not an unusual practice. Lots of people do it for lots of different reasons. This week’s article looks at how the practice is used by universities for promotion purposes. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What positive things do you see about having student blogs on school websites? What negative things do you see about having student blogs on school websites? Is it ethical for a school to use student blogs as a marketing tool? Should our school website have student blogs? What would be the best way for the administration to choose students to blog on our school website? Should there be censorship of student blogs? Is MIT’s remuneration for student blogging appropriate? How else could students be “paid?” go to the link for the MIT Admissions homepage, read one of the student blogs and comment on it.

Student Bloggers Article

MIT Admissions Homepage

Truckin’ with computers

We just read an article about the potential problems of people texting while driving their car. This week we take the discussion a step further and look at truckers’ activities while driving. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What uses of technology by truckers do you think is justified? What impact would the banning of using computers in the truckers’ cabs have on safety and on their income? Respond to the following quotation: “The study found that truckers using on-board computers take their eyes off the road for an average of four seconds, enough time at highway speeds to cover roughly the length of a football field.” How do you feel about Mr. Long’s explanation for not pulling over to read messages? Look at the multimedia graphic about understanding why truckers crash. What is most interesting or surprising in the graphic? If you were writing a federal bill to control the use of technology while driving, what would you include in the bill?

Trucker Article

Driver Texting: an issue among friends

Cell phone use while driving has been a controversial topic for some time. Now texting is becoming an issue and the friends and family members of people who text are getting involved. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How dangerous do you think it is to text while driving? One driver said, “I barely even look at my phone when I text.” Is it safe for this person to text while driving under those conditions? Do your parents text or talk on the cell phone while driving? If so, what do you do about it? What do you think of the statistics given comparing the percentage of female drivers who multitask versus the percentage of male drivers who multitask?

Driver Texting Article

Virtual Vacations

Taking a vacation is enjoyable for most people. The global economic situation has caused people to travel less. This week’s article suggests an alternative to real travel – virtual vacations. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Which of the virtual vacations mentioned in the article seem the most interesting to you. Have you used any of the programs or websites mentioned in the article? If so, what did you think of your experience? What is your impression of the road trip taken by Marc Horowitz and Pete Baldes? What do you think of their plans for September 19? Read the comments below the article. Find one that you agree or disagree with and make a statement about it.

Virtual Vacations Article

Technology and the decline in critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that we try to develop at our school. This week’s article looks at the negative effects that technology has had on critical thinking. You may find some surprising findings as you read. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

The article states that reading for pleasure has declined in young people. How much do you read for pleasure? How would you answer the questions from the article, “How much should schools use new media, versus older techniques such as reading and classroom discussion?”? In addition to the use of PowerPoint presentations, what should teachers do to increase using visual media to test students? What should schools do to encourage students to read for pleasure? What should parents do? Do you know people who play violent media games? Do they show any of the effects mentioned in the article? What surprised you most about the article?

Critical Thinking Article

Fake Photographs

Taking photographs can be fun. With digital photography you can take as many photos as you like without being concerned about the cost of film and developing. At the same time we want our pictures to look good. Often, when we later look at the photograph, we see something that we did not notice when we were taking the picture, something that detracts from the shot. This week’s article looks at famous photographs that might have been altered and why. This week there is a link to the article and a link to the slideshow. Go to the links below and read the article and view the slideshow. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What responsibilities do you think the photographer has when his/her photos are published? What responsibilities do you think the newspaper, magazine, website, etc. have when publishing photos? Under what conditions should it be acceptable to alter photographs? Which of the photos in the slideshow did you find most interesting? Why?

Fake Photographs Slideshow

Fake Photographs Article

Online Education Beats the Classroom

Online learning is not new. You may have even taken an online course. This week’s article presents information from a report that was conducted for the Department of Education in the United States. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

The report indicates that most of the studies were done in colleges and adult continuing education programs. Do you think that the results would have been similar if most of the studies were done in K-12 settings? Do you agree that online learning tends to be better than conventional instruction? Why do you think people learned better with online learning? What advantages and disadvantages do you see in online learning? The dean of Arizona State University’s Online and Extended Campus program said, “Learning has to occur in a community.” What is your response to this remark?

Online Education Article

Technology for Breakfast

Many people find that they use their computer on a daily basis. You may also have a regular routine of computer use, but when do you begin? This week’s article looks at people’s mornings in the Internet age. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How does your family normally begin each day? What do you think about the use of texting as an intercom and alarm system? Do you feel that the situations described in the article are excessive or are they commonplace? What rules and guidelines do you think should be set for families regarding the use of technology in the morning?

Technology for Breakfast Article

Textbooks and the Digital Future

The computer is a common resource. Teachers and students regularly use technology for educational purposes. This week’s article looks at the role of textbooks in schools and how textbooks are changing. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How do you think that the use of textbooks will change in the future? How successful do you think the California initiative will be? What problems do you see that might keep it from being successful? One school superintendent in the article predicts that “In five years, I think the majority of students will be using digital textbooks.” What is your prediction? How should schools address the digital divide issue that is mentioned in the article?

Textbook Article

Websites as Study Buddies

Websites are making a difference in education for students. The Internet provides some wonderful resources to help students learn. This week’s article looks at some websites that give help in ways that some people think encourages cheating and undermines learning. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions. Note that I expect more from you than just answering my questions to get full credit.

When you go to college, will you use one of the sites mentioned in the article? If so, how will you use it? What features of these websites do you think are ethical? Which features should be removed? Respond to the following quotation: “Part of what’s valuable about homework is that it gives you a safe space to practice and struggle.” Should homework be graded?

Study Buddy Article

Print Books and Pirates

We have talked about e-readers and how they affect people’s interest in reading. This week we look at another aspect of the e-book popularity – piracy. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions. Note that I expect more from you than just answering my questions to get full credit.

Compare the controversy about music piracy with this new phenomenon. How are they similar and how are they different? Are the sites where the books are posted responsible for monitoring their sites for unauthorized content? The article states that “Publishers and authors say they can learn from their peers in music, who alienated fans by using the courts aggressively to go after college students and Napster before it converted to a legitimate online store.” What do you think they can learn and what should they do? Several authors expressed their opinions in the article. Which author’s opinion do you agree with?

Pirates on the Web Article

Can E-Readers Save the Daily Press?

You may have heard of the Kindle and its use for reading books. Big-screen e-readers are being produced to provide similar options for other media. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions. Note that I expect more from you than just answering my questions to get full credit.

How much do you think that the new big-screen e-readers should sell for? The article mentioned the possibility of having textbooks on Amazon’s larger version of its Kindle. What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of having textbooks in this form? The article states that “The move by newspapers and magazines to make their material freely available on the Web is now viewed by many as a critical blunder that encouraged readers to stop paying for the print versions.” Do you agree? What should newspapers and magazines have done instead? What can publishers do to get people to pay for subscriptions to newspapers and magazines that they would read on big-screen e-readers?

E-Reader Article

Groups Outwit Net Censors

We all know that certain governments censor what their citizens can read online. This week's article looks at the efforts that have gone into circumventing this censorship. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What is your opinion about the use of this software to evade government censorship? Should people be allowed to access any website that they want, regardless of its content or purpose? Under what conditions should a governenment block and filter Internet content? What risks do you see in using this software? What is your reaction to the following quote from the article? "As with George Orwell’s “Newspeak,” the language in “1984” that got smaller each year, governments can block particular words or phrases without users realizing their Internet searches are being censored." Should Congress fund circumvention services?

Net Censors Article

Wii Warriors, Wii Wounds

Computer games are fun. People often will become so involved that they can play a game for hours. This week’s article looks at the popular Wii system and some of the implications that using it can have on a person’s physical health. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

If you are not familiar with the Wii system and how it works, do some research to familiarize yourself with it so that you can address my questions. Which of the Wii games do you think would be most likely to cause an injury and why? In the article, Dr. Halpern said that he treated two types of injuries. Which type would you be likely to sustain? Have you ever injured yourself while playing a computer game? What happened and how long did it take to recover? What advice would you give to adults who are considering playing games on a Wii?

Wii Article

Medical Charts Go Electronic

When you go to a doctor’s office, the doctor usually has a chart that is used to maintain health records about you. This week’s article discusses how technology is changing the old system of paper records. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Should all doctors use electronic health records? If not, why not? How would you encourage doctors to switch to electronic health records? How could the problem of start-up costs be addressed? How might Dr. Ferris have avoided the problems that he encountered? What potential benefits do you see using electronic health records? What potential problems do you see using electronic health records?

Medical Charts Article

Spy System Loots Computers

We all should be concerned about viruses and people trying to do things to our computers at home. This week’s article shows us that these concerns should be shared by organizations and government agencies. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What sort of information do you think is covertly gathered by the governments that are using these sophisticated programs? Who do you think is really responsible for the GhostNet system? What is your opinion about this sort of practice? Is it ever justified? What should the Dalai Lama do now? The article quotes two researchers, “What Chinese spooks did in 2008, Russian crooks will do in 2010 and even low-budget criminals from less developed countries will follow in due course.” Does this bother you? What should we do about it?

Spy System Article

Jurors Turn to the Web

The influence of technology is now reaching the legal system in the United States. In this week’s article we look at some of the problems that have been created in trials because of technology. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What is your opinion about the way in which technology is being used by jurors? How would you solve the problem? If you were serving on a jury and learned of another juror doing one of the things described in the article, how would you react?

Jurors Article

Social Networking’s Silver Streak

Social networks like Facebook have a minimum age requirement, but these sites do not have a maximum age limitation. As older members join online social networks, younger users react in different ways. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Think of friends of yours who have Facebook pages. If their grandparents saw those pages, would they get the wrong idea about what kind of people their grandchildren are? What impression would your parents or grandparents get if they saw your Facebook profile? How will the presence of older users affect Facebook and the people who post there? If you were to post 25 random things about you, what would be the most interesting and unexpected?

Silver Streak Article

Google’s New Privacy Controls

We are all used to seeing ads on Web pages as we surf. Google ads seem to be very popular and they frequently are related to the topic of the Web page that you are looking at. This week’s article discusses how Google accomplishes this feat and how its programs have changed to be more effective. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How might “interest-based ads” be good or bad? What do you think about “retargeting?” What kinds of information that is tracked by Google and other search engines should be kept private and not used in determining ads to display? How useful will the disclosing text that Google is now putting on the bottom of its ads be to consumers? Is this something that all search engines should do with their ads? What choices would you make with Google’s ad preference manager?

Privacy Controls Article

Wireless World, Digital Divide

This week’s article looks at an interesting United Nations report about ICT (Information and Communications Technology). The report compares the use of technology resources in rich and poor countries over a period of years. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What aspect of the report surprised you the most? Why do you think that there has been such a large increase in cell phone use in developing countries? What percentage of the people at our school do you think have broadband access to the Internet from their homes? What do you think will happen to people in poor countries if the digital divide continues as it has in recent years?

Wireless World Article

The Deep Web

Searching for information on the Web is a common practice. Most people rely upon Google when they search, believing that it can find anything. But can it? This week’s article looks at the challenges that search engines face in trying to find information in the Deep Web. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What kinds of Deep Web content would you find useful in your life, either now or in the future? What is your opinion about Google’s search results format? How would you modify it to include Deep Web content? How important will accessing Deep Web content be in the future?

Deep Web Article

Text Messaging: Romance Killer?

Text messaging is a common practice. We have read and heard about situations and times when it is not safe to text message. This week’s article is about texting while dating. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Would you text while on a date? How would you respond if someone you were dating began texting? What would be an appropriate way to get your date to stop texting? Is it possible for someone to be a “textaholic?” The article mentions some special uses for texting. What is the most unusual or special use for texting that you have seen or heard of?

Text Messaging Article

To Twitter or not

Twitter, Tweet, RT – are you familiar with these terms? This week we look at a social networking and micro-blogging service that offers an interesting form of communication. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Have you ever used Twitter? Do you know anyone who uses Twitter? What are some potential uses that you can see for Twitter in school? How might you use Twitter in your personal life? What rules would you propose for Twitter?

Twitter Article

Digital Pirates are Winning

Watching video via the Internet is becoming more and more popular. This week’s article looks at developments that have made video more accessible. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How many people do you know who practice “digital theft?” Do they download their video, use streaming, or both? What sorts of video do they watch? Is video piracy the main reason for the drop in DVD shipments or are there other reasons? Respond to the following quotation: “Young people, in particular, conclude that if it’s so easy, it can’t be wrong,” said Richard Cotton, the general counsel for NBC Universal. What do you think the movie studios should do to solve the piracy problem?

Digital Pirates Article

Cell Phone Risk for Pedestrians

You have probably heard about the increased risk that comes from using a cell phone while driving. This week’s article focuses on a different group using cell phones in a different situation. The information may surprise you. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What do you think about the statistics that were presented at the beginning of the article? If the study were conducted with older children or adults, what do you think the results would be? What is your response to the following quote: "Younger peoples' brains are wired differently and are better able to multitask than older people, but they still have diminished attention to whatever primary task they're supposed to be doing."

Cell Phone Article

Watch Out Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a popular resource on the Web. In fact, it is one of the world’s top-10 most visited websites. Now someone else is trying to take Wikipedia on by imitating it. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What do you think about Mr Cauz’s remarks about Google’s ranking of Wikipedia? Mr Cauz also made comments about Wikipedia itself. To what degree do you agree or disagree with his comments about Wikipedia and the people who use it? How successful will Encyclopedia Britannica be with this new ploy? What would you recommend Encyclopedia Britannica do to be more successful?

Watch Out Wikipedia Article

Is the Web a Dangerous Place for Kids?

This week’s article looks at a report from the Internet Safety Technical Task Force that assessed technologies for protecting children from unwanted contact online. Their findings did not please everyone. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Do you know anyone who has been approached online by a predator? How reliable are age-verification technologies? The report said that "Parents, teachers, mentors, social services, law enforcement and minors themselves all have crucial roles to play in ensuring online safety for all minors." How should these groups be involved?

Task Force Report Article

Changes in the iTunes Store

You probably have an MP3 player. Millions of people use iTunes to purchase songs that they play on their computer and/or MP3 player. Apple recently announced changes in the copy protection and pricing of the songs that it sells. This week’s article explains the details of Apple’s announcement. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

Have you ever purchased music that you downloaded? Have you ever downloaded music that you did not purchase? What do you think about the changes described in the article that Apple is making? How do you feel about the pricing changes? What is your opinion about DRM? Apple has been campaigning against DRM at least since February 2007. Why has it taken this long to remove it? What should be done to motivate people to legally purchase music?

iTunes Article

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