MIT $100 Student Lap Top

You will want to check out this article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/242632_kidslaptop29.html

I disagreed that even $100 was too expensive. Let me know what you think.

Blogging with NEA

I just got my October NEA Today magazine today and it features an article entitled "New Kids on the Blog: Students and teachers are chatting it up on Web logs" by Mary Ellen Flannery. From the article, most teachers were using it as another way read and write in the classroom. Many teachers felt that it movitvated students to write better.

Check out the following blogs from the article. See which one you think might be controversial.

http://acontar.blogspot.com/

http://msfrizzle.blogspot.com/

http://posthipchick.blogspot.com/

http://hipteacher.typepad.com

http://ginnybonk.blogspot.com

http://educat.blogspot.com

http://folkbum.blogspot.com

http://www.assortedstuff.com

http://www.shutupandteach.org

IT Gender GAP?

Panelists participating in a Web cast hosted by the National Science Foundation last week suggested numerous ways to attract more girls to the information technology field. Among their tips: Encourage girls to try science activities that can be messy or "gross" and stress technology's "human context" by noting its potential to help solve the world's problems.

We talk about the gender gap in education with the girls taking higher order mathematics and sciences. The same gender gap is also seen with technology.

Over the mountain, and through the web to Hyperspace

It looks like my school division is going to let me blog for my class. I really want to thank the Tech people - you are awesome!

Visual Literacy

As I reviewed the request from our Group Project, there was desire to "develop a deeper understanding of visual literacy.." as well as how should "schools & colleges incorporate visual literacy courses into their curricula?"

I was curious as to what standards, missions, and/or statements there were regarding information technology and visual literacy.

From the American Library Association (ALA):

Information Literacy and Information Technology

Information literacy is related to information technology skills, but has broader implications for the individual, the educational system, and for society. Information technology skills enable an individual to use computers, software applications, databases, and other technologies to achieve a wide variety of academic, work-related, and personal goals. Information literate individuals necessarily develop some technology skills.

Information literacy, while showing significant overlap with information technology skills, is a distinct and broader area of competence. Increasingly, information technology skills are interwoven with, and support, information literacy. A 1999 report from the National Research Council promotes the concept of "fluency" with information technology and delineates several distinctions useful in understanding relationships among information literacy, computer literacy, and broader technological competence. The report notes that "computer literacy" is concerned with rote learning of specific hardware and software applications, while "fluency with technology" focuses on understanding the underlying concepts of technology and applying problem-solving and critical thinking to using technology. The report also discusses differences between information technology fluency and information literacy as it is understood in K-12 and higher education. Among these are information literacy’s focus on content, communication, analysis, information searching, and evaluation; whereas information technology "fluency" focuses on a deep understanding of technology and graduated, increasingly skilled use of it. 2

"Fluency" with information technology may require more intellectual abilities than the rote learning of software and hardware associated with "computer literacy", but the focus is still on the technology itself. Information literacy, on the other hand, is an intellectual framework for understanding, finding, evaluating, and using information--activities which may be accomplished in part by fluency with information technology, in part by sound investigative methods, but most important, through critical discernment and reasoning. Information literacy initiates, sustains, and extends lifelong learning through abilities which may use technologies but are ultimately independent of them.

From the International Visual Literacy Association, they have developed a mission as well as standards that can be found at www.ivla.org I was not able to view these from their site but am wondering if our professor is already a member that we could look at their documents.

From the National Council of English Teachers:


To participate in a global society, we continue to extend our ways of communicating. Viewing and visually representing (defined in the NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts) are a part of our growing consciousness of how people gather and share information. Teachers and students need to expand their appreciation of the power of print and nonprint texts. Teachers should guide students in constructing meaning through creating and viewing nonprint texts. Be it, therefore "Resolved, that the National Council of Teachers of English through its publications, conferences, and affiliates support professional development and promote public awareness of the role that viewing and visually representing our world have as forms of literacy."

What strikes me about NCTE's statement is that they state to participate in the global society, people will have a growing consciousness of how information is gathered and shared in mulitiple ways. Not surprisingly, this one statement is imbedded in all five questions that were to be addressed by the planning group.

The fact that the NCTE has stated that visually literacy is indeed a form of literacy makes our task even more important: Will Drupal be an effective content management system in the age of visual literacy?

My Blog Mission

The purpose for my blog will be to become an adequate user of blogging. I also will evaluate blogs used by K-12 professionals as well as to explore the ways that blogs could be integrated in public schools.

To implement my objectives set in the purpose, I will emerge myself in the blogs of my fellow classmates, my professor, and others. By joining the community, I hope to contribute to the knowledge generated by being an active blogger.

The final assessment for this activity will be an culminating paper that will conclude the findings that I set in my purpose.

Ethical Concerns with Wireless

At the end of class last week, I was asking one of our members about her wireless laptop. She had mentioned that she can pick up others access because there are so many people that do not put up their safety net. I had mentioned this to our CTT who indicated that there are 10 people in his neighborhood who all have wireless and do not make any attempt to protect themselves. In fact, one of his neighbors even offered him to use his wireless connection! I was discussing this with our techno AP who said his sister lives in an apartment and does not pay for a connection because she can tap into neighbors in the building.

To quote Hadi: That's why it's very important to activate encryption on any WiFi network. Just like when you leave the house you lock the door, do the same with your network.

I want to purchase my very own wireless laptop and so I do not have to rely on the school. So I have been researching which laptop to purchase as well as the security software to protect my investment.

Thanks to All

With the thanks of our professor, I was able to get my blog up and running. It was indeed the firewall at school that was not permitting me from carrying out the setup. Our CTT will let me know if he will allow me to have access at school.