Tech Tidbit – May 18
Cell Phones - Less about Talking
It will probably be no news to you that most teens are high volume users of text messaging. In general, teens in the US prefer to text over speaking on the phone. Speaking on the phone seems to be more common between teens and their parents than between friends. In terms of gender differences, girls seem to text more frequently than boys.
Some parents monitor their child's cell phone use, checking for stored content as well as calls made and received. This behavior is most common (in the USA) amongst parents of girls who are 12 - 13 years old. There is a correlation between parents checking the cell phones of kids and kids reporting that they think twice before sending a text message or before sending sexually suggestive or nude images (known as sexting). Sexting is more common amongst older teens than younger teens.
(Source: Teens and Mobile Phones, Pew Internet)
Nowadays, many cellphones are more than phones, with capabilities for taking photos, recording videos, surfing the web, playing music, accessing social networks, etc. It is important that parents and schools speak with children about appropriate uses of the various capabilities that come with a cell phone. Most schools have an acceptable use policy, an electronic policy and other guidelines to help students navigate the electronic and online worlds. It is important that parents discuss these expectations, as well as family expectations for technology use. Important guidelines include times and locations when children may use technology, the types of technology that they may use, procedures that they should follow before creating online accounts, and guidelines for making responsible and safe choices online. It is up to us adults to help children make safe use of the Internet and electronic technology that they have access to. Discuss rules and expectations with your child to help him/her stay safe online.
I'd be interested in hearing about your rules at home. Please post a comment below.
Citation:
Lenhart, A., Ling, R., Campbell, S., Purcell, K. (2010). Teens and Mobile Phones: Text messaging explodes as teens embrace it as the centerpiece of their communication strategies with friends.
Free Apps (limited time only)
- Orchestra To-Do App - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/orchestra-to-do/id459356540?mt=8
- Kindergarten Addition - http://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/kindergarten-addition/id492101092?l=en&mt=8
- Drums HD - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drums-hd/id458624097?mt=8
New in Tech
I think that Google Knowledge Graph is fascinating because of the connections that it can help users make. The more perspectives, the more connections, the richer the resultant learning. Google Knowledge Graph is gradually being rolled out to users.
Links to Explore
- Quincy and the magic instruments - http://a.dolimg.com/media/en-US/games/nondxdgames/pre_lte_magicinstruments/quincymagicinstruments.swf
- Want to explore game making? - http://www.scirra.com/ and http://www.stencyl.com/
- What do you love (from Google) - http://www.wdyl.com/
- Grammar Quizzes - http://www.roadtogrammar.com/junior/
Simple K12 Online Education Conference
I’ll be presenting on using Google Sites for collaboration in the classroom April 26 at the Simple K12 Online Education Conference: An international conference that’s 100% FREE! My presentation will be at 7:00 - 7:30 a.m. EST. I'd love your help by completing the survey below:
For more information about the conference, see the flyer below:
When Learning Goes Social
A few months ago, a friend of mine posted on Facebook that he was going to close his account. I promptly messaged him to ask why, as this is the only way that I keep in touch with him. He responded that it is a complete waste of time and that he spends too much time on Facebook when he could be doing other more worthwhile things. I get his point. I even think that there are good reasons to not be on Facebook. However, I use Facebook and post on it regularly although I don't spend much time on the actual site or in the app. My twitter account posts to Facebook, and my blogs post to Facebook, so I appear more active "on" Facebook than I actually am. I learn things on Facebook all the time. Sure, I comment on pictures that my friends post and engage in discussions about lifestyle or other mundane topics. However, I'm also part of a personal computer club group, I follow a workout blog, I discuss the use of social media in schools with other colleagues, I read news stories of interests that my friends share in their feeds, I get recipe suggestions from friends, etc.
Social isn't the antithesis of learning. In fact, learning is a very social activity. When I post an observation, an article, a video, etc. on Facebook, I'm hoping for dialogue, for conversation, for co-creation of understanding with my "friends". The process of engagement, having friends support me and challenge me strengthens my own understanding of situations and concepts. I propose a paradigm shift, a mental shift where social networks and social media become part of learning, integrated into learning. They're not illicit activities that people only do to waste time. Sure, one can waste a lot of time online but what if we removed the artificial disconnect between social and learning? What if we start creating environments and opportunities for social to be learning. I think that that would be a step in the right direction rather than continuing to support the current tensions between social media/networks and learning.
Mac Trojan Attack
Over 600,000 Macs have been affected with the Flashback trojan which obtains the usernames and passwords that you have stored on your computer. This could have happened without your knowledge by visiting an infected website. To find out if you're infected, please follow the instructions at http://mashable.com/2012/04/05/mac-flashback-trojan-check/. We recommend that you use Sophos Antivirus which you can download at http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition/download.aspx. Apple released an update on April 3 to protect Macs against this trojan. It is good practice to perform Mac security updates as soon as possible. Please go to Software Update and install all updates for your Mac.
Digital Identity
The concept of digital identity is becoming ever more important in our society. A concept that comes up in discussions of online identity is that of duality, and the idea that one's online identity may explore feelings and activities that are considered anti-social or are not acceptable in "the real world".
Personally, I don't think that a person's online identity should contradict his/her offline identity. I think that we have one identity, that of human beings who are part of complicated connected interrelated systems. Each of us has the responsibility to decide what we will put out in the world, realizing that those decisions show us in a particular way. Every picture that we post online, every post that we write, every product that we create, every comment that we make - each of these convey our beliefs, our attitudes and our attributes. Some might argue that our online identity has even broader reach than our offline identity, given the global nature of the Internet, and we need to take care of it.
Even when we safeguard our digital identity, we may occasionally make poor choices. I remember sharing a story on my blog about riding a motorcycle with two other friends. This was not illegal in India and it was not an uncommon sight, but I later thought about whether that was really a story that I wanted to share with the world. I took down the post but several of my students had already seen it and talked to me about it. In the scale of things, it was relatively easy to recover from that judgement of error. It would have been more difficult if I'd made disparaging comments of a student or colleague.
The nature of the web is such that as soon as you post something online, you lose control of it. Friends and enemies alike can view it, make copies of it, save it, forward it, etc. It's a good idea to think twice before you post something - think about the impact that it might have on others in your communities, and think about what the post says about you.
Are you comfortable with what a university or employer might find about you on the Internet? Do you think that what you post on the Internet should be a true reflection of who you are? Do you think that universities/employers should be able to access your Facebook page?
Facebook Tells Employers a Lot About You: MyFoxPHOENIX.com
Kony 2012
Injustice exists in the world. Many of us feel the desire to do something about it, at the very least raise awareness. In this era of online sharing and the World Wide Web, the Internet can be a powerful tool for building support for causes. It is important to be critical in deciding what causes to join and support.
- African voices respond to hyper-popular Kony 2012 viral campaign - http://www.boingboing.net/2012/03/08/african-voices-respond-to-hype.html
- Kony 2012 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
- The Soft Bigotry of Kony 2012 - http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-soft-bigotry-of-kony-2012/254194/
Cross Posted at http://www.dpresident.net/2012/03/10/kony-2012/
One Google
Google has taken one step closer to an integrated product. In the past, each Google product had a separate privacy policy. Now, there is one privacy policy for all the Google products. The privacy policy indicates what data Google collects and how it might used this data. However, Google also practices data liberation which lets you download all your data and leave Google.
See http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ for more info.
4 Blogging Platforms to Choose From
Choosing a Computer
Securing an iDevice for a Child using Restrictions
It is a good idea to enable security settings in iDevices before giving them to (especially younger) children. These security settings are called restrictions. They allow you to set up a variety of options including what kind of content a child can access on the device, whether they can delete and install apps, whether they can modify accounts, and whether they can make purchases without passwords. To set up restrictions, follow these instructions.
- Go to General on your iDevice.
- Click on Restrictions.
- Click on Enable Restrictions.
- Type in a restrictions password and confirm it.
- Click off for any restrictions that you would like to set e.g. Ping, Explicit Language, Deleting Apps.
- For allowed content, you can set ratings. There are two important settings here: Turn off In-App Purchases and set the time limit for how much time should pass between asking for your password when making purchases.
- You also have the option to turn off Game Center settings (recommended for young children).
- Please note that if you forget your password for restrictions, you will have to restore the iDevice.
