Archive for March, 2009|Monthly archive page
Understanding Computer Worms
Filed under: Conficker, Facebook, Online Security, Technology, web2.0, worm |
Leave a Comment Conficker Virus Countdown– discusses ways in which the Conficker worm and other Internet threats can be used to steal personal data – even via accounts such as Facebook
Conficker Report – 60 Minutes report 3/29/2009
Online Banking – Is It Secure?- YouTube video
Other Conficker Articles:
Leave a CommentEnhancing Student Creativity
Filed under: Curriculum, LanguageArts, Technology, Video, web2.0 |
Leave a Comment As I sat in various presentations at the MACE conference last week, I envisioned how the various web sites and software tools being demonstrated could be utilized to enhance student projects. Capitalizing on the poetry the freshman recently wrote over the book, The Outsiders, I decided to experiment.
My first experiment was to use the Wordle. website to create a picture to illustrate one of the freshman poems. Wordle utilizes words to create a picture. The size of each word in the picture is determined by the number of times it is entered. Thus, if one wants a word to dominate the picture, that word is entered numerous times. Below is the resulting picture:
- Behind A Wall – Poetry Cloud
The orientation of the words can be altered, but the positions of individual words within the cloud cannot be manipulated. The user can select from a variety of color combinations and font styles to personalize their cloud. Using a screen capture program such as Gadwin, the picture can be saved as an image and added to the word processed copy of the poem.
My next experiment centered around the use of voice. Ideally, this would involve a recording of the student reading his/her poem. With the Voice Thread web site, one can record the reading of the poem directly from the computer. A picture can be uploaded as a visual behind the poem. A very creative student could divide their poem into sections and record each section with its own picture backdrop.
http://voicethread.com/share/390368/
If a student wishes to enhance the visual presentation he/she could use PhotoStory or MovieMaker. With each program, individual pictures can be added to a timeline. The audio can be recorded with the handheld voice recorders. These recorders create a “.wma” file which can be added to the timeline. If desired, MovieMaker would allow for the addition of music behind the voice. PhotoStory saves the file in the “.wmv” format and MovieMaker creates a “.wp3″ , “*.avi” or “*.wmv” file. All can be viewed with Windows Media Player.
The final experiment was with the Animoto web site. This site is a quick way to create 30 second clips utilizing pictures and music. In order to use the audio clip created with the digital recorder, it was necessary to convert it from the “.wma” format to “.mp3″ format. This was quickly done utilizing the ZamZar web site. With this particular project, the length of the poem was longer than the 30 seconds allowed by the free version of Animoto. Thus, the audio fades away before the poem is finished. This site would be an easy way to visualize a shorter piece of student work.
http://animoto.com/play/QoECFl7Qo2INLERgHvg9tA
None of these projects were difficult to complete and each could be completed in a class period if students have a clear idea of what visual imagery they wish to use. Some of the projects could be shared via the web depending on the file formats required by the various web sites.
Challenged by Milt
During Milt Dougherty’s presentation at the 2009 MACE conference, attendees were challenged to move from Education 1.0 to Education 2.0. In 1892, the Committee of Ten studied the high school curriculum in relation to success in college, particularly Harvard. The curriculum recommended by this study is fundamentally the curriculum found in most high schools today. Not only do we organize our high schools around this 100 year old curriculum but it drives much of the testing dictated by NCLB. As society rapidly changes due to the influences of the information age and outsourcing of jobs, one needs to question when the educational system will be willing to make significant change. The following video may capture the challenge faced by those advocating change in education.
Just as the Internet has become web 2.0 to capitalize on globalization, education must also advance to incorporate the following types of skills:
- Focus on individual
- Career focused
- Global perspective
- Engaging / relevant to student’s world
- Personalized / customized
- Challenge to student / teacher
This type of change is demanded by the change in the job market during the past 50 years. In the 1950’s, 80% of the jobs called for unskilled labor. By 2000, 85% of the jobs called for skilled labor which requires training beyond high school. With the current economic situation, many people are losing their jobs. Job seekers are discovering that in order to get a new job, they need a skill set that is dramatically different. In order for students to prepare for this rapidly changing job market, education needs to get beyond the 1892 curriculum and focus on the skills that will help students be gainfully employed throughout their adult life. These skills include:
- Technical fluency
- Communication skills – Verbal Proficiency
- Collaboration skills — Leadership. Coordination, Teamwork, Interpersonal skills
- Problem solving skills – Ability to apply learning creatively to solve complex problems
- Analytical and Thinking skills
- Gumption — Self-direction and Reflection
- Initiative and Ambition
- Inquisitiveness
- Creativity
Unless we are willing to radically change education to incorporate this skill set, our students will be surpassed by students from China and India in the job market.
Are we willing to change?
