Of Mice and Middle Years…

The Uncultured Project / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0“>

Wait, the title didn’t fit the video content? Well, IT SHOULD HAVE!
The generosity of the young man providing monies (13 dollars a book), while applauded for the short term, does not address the real problem.
One man can buy a book. A government can place the content for all to access in whatever manner fits the context of the society.
The old adage of feed a fish and teach one to fish will not apply if we allow only the privileged access to the lake.

Created by GeekandPoke

Well, it started off with a simple request to transfer to the high school. No positions.
Fine.
Then the principal of said high school resigned. Suddenly an ed tech position (.5) opened up along with a trip to the high school.
The Batman theme music certainly didn’t accompany my visit to the board office.
My mood and mindset was more to the effect of Law and Order…. bum bum, doo doo doo doo doo..
Well the interview went well, I think (in the fact I could not remember a thing I said).
And I got it. I am a .5 tech consultant. Huh?
So, the summer approaches, challenges loom (including the final year of my masters….) O. K.

Alright, this blog needs a name change. Should have happened long ago. Looking for ideas in relation to educational technology. My wife, in consideration that I work for a Catholic School Division, has offered “Tech See Scrolls”. She is officially in the running.
Any idea offered and and accepted will be given full credit under an “attribution license”!

The video may be old, but I have never come across it….

Gotta love those parfaits.

What would you do to safeguard children that may be involved with your social networked site? Well, Facebook, in conjunction with the power of the judicial system of 49 states, have decided on the following changes to help combat cyberbullying and sexual predators: A quick cut and paste to show the listed initiatives… See the full article here.

-Ensure companies offering services on its site comply with its safety and privacy guidelines.

-Keep tobacco and alcohol ads from users too young to purchase those products.

-Remove groups whose comments or images suggest they may involve incest, pedophilia, bullying or other inappropriate content.

-Send warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an adult.

-Review users’ profiles when they ask to change their age, ensuring the update is legitimate and not intended to let adults masquerade as children.

Just a thought…what present day institution that is directly involved with children would be the ideal conduit to address cyberbullying and predators and halt this “Big Brother ” mentality?
Here come the vid screens.

Zellers presents….the V-Book! Linux operating system! No hard drive….flash drive?!! Wireless? Could this be the OLPC that could have been?


Sync: VisionQuest V-Book

Just received this great e-mail and I decided to throw it on the blog! Take the test! (It does make you think) The page claims that thousands have taken the test (based on what norms who knows?)
No comments needed on the results. Let’s just say I was happy with mine….
Click here.

As I am waiting outside my child’s school a number of days ago I stumbled upon a CBC show called Search Engine. The host was discussing the topic of whether or not Net Neutrality should be a right. Net Neutrality? Huh? Well after my child jumped in the car and immediately accessed the nearest FM station, I had to explore this further. I had heard enough to learn that this show is quite interactive and develops it’s content from feedback from it’s viewers on the Search Engine site. (podcasts are available too…was going to grab one for the post, but copyright states otherwise) So I find the link for the broadcast and I find the topic.
Darcy Cassleman, a listener to Search Engine, comments on the blog..“Net Neutrality guarantees that new technologies (and new people) won’t be excluded by incumbents seeking to defend their position.” He also adds..” Tim Berners-Lee said “When I invented the Web, I didn’t have to ask anyone for permission.” [http://dig.csail.mit.edu/breadcrumbs/node/1440]

However I quickly discover it may be more than just censorship, it involves access and of course (gasp) corporate interests!
Check out this YouTube video for a much better explanation… Warning! It is from the John Daily Show!

So my journey continues to my starting point, the Search Engine broadcast. There is a movement to develop an Internet Bill of Rights to address this issue of Net Neutrality.
Then just recently, Comcast, has announced their own "P2P Bill of Rights".
I then find that Search Engine developed another broadcast entitled "Internet Bill of Rights pt.2: Comcast's bill of rights?"
O.K, where is this going (or is it already gone)? What did I miss? I can see some interesting conversations that may arise from this topic. What do you think?

Why we should!

Download Video: Posted by rachelboyd at TeacherTube.com.

Download Video: Posted by shoemap at TeacherTube.com.

I found this site called Educational World. There is a section on educational technology. Looking for input from my network of experts…here is a small sample.. Alec, Rob, Dean, Heather , Rick , and of course the rest of you out there in the ed tech blogosphere! I am on the fence at the moment. First of all the site seems very inviting to teachers, especially for those outside the realm of educational technology. My second impression is that some of the practices suggested may be somewhat archaic. I am also looking for some comments on some of the featured ed techs on the site. Recognize only one.
Thanks!

A tribute to one of the great academic thunkers of our time.

georgewathisbest.wmv