InfoTeacher

Slate’s Farhad Manjoo writes about the next version of Office, Office 2010. The provocotive title, Microsoft Office’s Last Stand, alludes to the coming revolution.  If 2010 has something to offer beyond what one can get online, it will continue to dominate as it does now. If cloud computing, long predicted by forward thinkers but lagging in implementation and practicality for full function users, does become more and more dominant, why would you pay to get what you can get for free. Why would you pay when free and online offers more?

I’m a user of Google Docs (I use them just to be current. At this point, I don’t really have projects I work on that need to be shared/collaborated on in the way that really makes Docs superior). I use Google calendars. I think the cloud councept is amazing (not necessarily for everything – for some things I want control right here in my reach). True, one needs an app for the times when broadband is not available (a problem that is becoming less of a problem all the time). To me, Open Office would fill that void just fine.  Now in reality, Office 2007 is on every computer I use. I bought a laptop for personal/school use. I have a computer at school and a school laptop that I also use. All of these have MS Ofc 2007. My desktop has ‘03 (it’s the oldest computer in my house).  Yet, I wonder. . . How much of Office’s market dominance is because “it’s just what everyone has to have?” Will that kind of motivattion continue when the cloud becomes dominant?  What will computing look like in ten years?

Farhad Manjoo, Slate’s technology writer, writes an article entitled, “Fix Your Terrible, Insecure Passwords in Five Minutes.”  Most of us have bad security habits (this is going to come back and bite many, many Americans in a bad way — possibly soon).  I’ve written earlier about the password keeper I use (which is always out of date on at least one password,  is often out of reach when I need it, and doesn’t serve me as quickly as I’d like — but in general does funtion ok). I use the same password for many apps/sites — which is ok for the less security necessary ones, but I confess less than secure behavior (better than most people I observe, however — except for some areas where I know I routinely follow clear no-no’s, but there are in areas where I choose my level of risk).

Back to the article — interesting trick. Create a sentence you’ll remember related to the site — make it a mnemnonic, tweak it, and you have a unique password that is untraceable, yet related to the specific site. This gets one past two cardinal security rules – (1) use a different password for each secure site; and (2) don’t use a dictionary word at all. For the third cardinal rule (use special characters and mix up numbers and capitals in random ways), that comes in the Teak it step, above.

I’ve read this somewhere before (though there is no reference to an earlier version on the magazine’s site!), and have one very important (non-school) password that I created with this same technique. I may expand my use of this. The sentence one creates just has to be something you relate to a site and can remember.  This also allows you to remember very long passwords which are much more secure than short ones (the level of security goes up exponentially after you get past 10 digits).

Bottom line — password security doesn’t have to be hard. Be systematic and follow true secure procedures. Using your memory is important, too.  Teachers often complain about having to remember so many, but in this day and age what profession wouldn’t have to remember several different passwords?

Next time I have a presentation of any kind, I’ll use Prezi.  It’s part Slide Show (without the slides if you can imagine), part Poster (electronic), part Graphic Organizer and Note Taking Machine all in one. That probably doesn’t really explain it, but I know that a Prezi presentaiton will get noticed.  I may be practicing something, and if I get that done, I’ll come back her and post a link.  Interesting tool. I would really like to find a way to use this with students.  A character development timeline sould really be interesting with this tool, though there are lots of possibilities.

Post Script- the day after I posted this, I go to a meeting. At the meeting Greg Wilborn talks to us about 21st Century Teaching. What does he use for his presentation? A Prezi.  It was mentioned by someone else in the group earlier, too. I’m going to have to stay up later to stay ahead of these guys and gals.

Everyone should read this post at the Dangerously Irrelevant Blog (the title of the post is “10 Questions About Books, Libraries, Librarians, and Schools” (great blog to read, by the way — oh, I forgot, I mean btw).

At least one colleague emailed me to note that I should cross reference Joyce Valenza’as Things That Keep us up at Night post at Never Ending Search. She is on my RSS feed, is she on yours?  Or, check out her 21st Century Librarian Manfesto.

Check out Spreeder — “free online speed reading application.”

I’m not sure what it is, but there must be a way to use it (probably not with your Dylexia students; but then again maybe because they see only 1 word rather than lines and lines of words . . . . who knows?). Anyway, what a cool, creative site.  (Maybe in a staff training?).

Myna – a web based audio creation site. See the Myna Demo. It looks cool. It shows what can be done and how easy something that used to take specialty equipment can now be done.

Ill admit, I haven’t tried Myna. It was just something I noticed while perusing a new 2.0 Webside called Electric Chalk (now in my Blogroll)  I’m into Audacity and find bandwidth a challenge at times, and I spent too many years working where web link was unreliable.  Same reason I don’t link to You Tubes, but instead download them so that I “have” them whether the web is working or not.

Anyway, cool site, cool tool.

Here is the text of President Obama’s speech to school children (provided by MSNBC).  Here is their story about his speech and conservative response (you want other links from a more centrist source?  Go find it yourself; it just ain’t that hard!).

I have to admit that I only skimmed the speech, but from my quick read it sounds a lot like an exhortation toward hard work and personal responsibility.  Not exactly the Socialist agenda that the Extreme Right swore he was going to indoctrinate into the nation’s children.  But the paranoia and partisan positioning are running hip deep, so no one should really expect a rational response or a thoughtful opposing viewpoint.  Now maybe the speech evolved into its current form as the Right reacted — or maybe it was a simple motivation speech the whole time.  Still, the entertainment value is high (though the sadness for our nation is extreme).  To my friends on the Religious Right — I commend you to read this essay (Christians: What Are You Saying about the President? — by Michael Spencer, the IMonk).

Tomorrow, as the “tech guy” in my school I will record and re-show the speech to all the kids that show up (OK — as the tech guy, I have to admit that our district will have a link to the video available after the live show, and it will also run repeatedly on our district’s cable channel, but it’s easier and safer to record it myself off of cable and download the streaming video as a backup).  The truth is lots of kids may not show up. We sent home parent permission slips telling all that we were showing the speech to all students. Our permission slips contained a parent “opt out” option; they also invited parents to come and watch with students if desired.  All schools in our district were left to decide how to handle this, but it was required that parent notification and parent opt out options were in place.

I want to continue to watch this story unfold, but I am quite saddened that we are so polarized as a nation that the extremes of both parties have undue influence. The balanced and thoughtful middle needs to regain influence in both parties.   (I am also saddened that the Christian Right has abdicated their position of political thinking influenced by the Gospel rather than their “Gospel” [read Culture War] influenced by secular politics).

Now that I’ve ranted about the Right, how about a little from the other side. Do I think this speech will actually do anything to motivate kids?  No, not very much.  I essentially agree with Doug Johnson. The speech will be really well received by many of the kids who are already motivated.  The kids who are more difficult to motivate will need a teacher who builds a relationship over time.  That’s the way it has always been — and those relationships are more important than ever.

One of the big complications in today’s digital world, is passwords. As an educator, I hear it all the time how “teachers have to keep a password for everything.” It’s also true in any job you work.  Add multiple email accounts, blogs, online accounts, online banking, etc., and you have a lot of passwords to manage.  And by the way, this isn’t going to change.

I’ve used Key Pass for some time now.  I’m pretty sure I downloaded it from CNET. They are a good source of reviews, and they guarantee their downloads have been checked for spyware, etc.    Key Pass runs off my flash drive so it doesn’t have to be installed, I can take it with me from computer to computer, and it stores all of my passwords securely. The security is quite elaborate (DOD grade: basically I’m confident that if anyone got a hold of my flash drive, I could change all of my passwords before they could break the Key Pass encryption), and yet very simple and easy to use.  I keep one master password (very long and secure ) — and Key Pass keeps all of my various passwords for me.  I could make my own passwords at each site, or I can have Key Pass autogenerate one for me (which is best, because then Key Pass will create for you very secure, long and complicated passwords.   Too hard to type them in?  No. I don’t have to enter them into any field — with a couple of clicks they can be autotyped in for me (you could copy and paste, too, but the autotype feature is easier and more secure).

I was driving to the store and had the radio on. On comes Kim Komando (the most widely syndicated computer/digital talk radio show). What is she talking about? Passwords and security. Don’t keep your passwords in IE or in Firefox (anyone with any tech sense can find and know them if they can spend a little time on your computer).  What does she recommend?  Key Pass for one. You can get a free download of it from her show’s page.

Now if you move around to as many computers as I do, the hard part is keeping Key Pass updated (never quite sure that I remember to update Key Pass when I update the password to that one account I just had to change).   You’ll also want a copy of it on one computer just in cast you lose that flash drive (even though it’s secure, you’ll want to change your passwords). That one copy will have all your most recent passwords, so you can go to each account and change the passwords (it’s always good to have a “just in case” plan).

I have a laptop with a fingerprint reader and software to store secure passwords for all sites that require a log in. I swipe my finger and the laptop’s software reads and enters my securely kept passwords instead. Bottom line: I use Key Pass instead because it’s easier to use. I think some day that fingerprint thing may become a standard. But as of now, it’s unreliable, bulky and awkward, Key Pass is pretty simple and easy to use.

From Beloit College’s Mindset List for the Class of 2013

Ok, I still claim to be one of the “young” teachers, but this list starts making me look older.  I don’t like it.  Sometime we assume everyone thinks like we do. Maybe that’s why those can’t hear or understand what we’re saying.

Most students entering college for the first time this fall were born in 1991.

1. For these students, Martha Graham, Pan American Airways, Michael Landon, Dr. Seuss, Miles Davis, The Dallas Times Herald, Gene Roddenberry, and Freddie Mercury have always been dead.
2. Dan Rostenkowski, Jack Kevorkian, and Mike Tyson have always been felons.
3. The Green Giant has always been Shrek, not the big guy picking vegetables.
4. They have never used a card catalog to find a book.
5. Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister.
6. Salsa has always outsold ketchup.
7. Earvin “Magic” Johnson has always been HIV-positive.
8. Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
9. They have been preparing for the arrival of HDTV all their lives.
10. Rap music has always been main stream.
11. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream has always been a flavor choice.
12. Someone has always been building something taller than the Willis (née Sears) Tower in Chicago.
13. The KGB has never officially existed.
14. Text has always been hyper.
15. They never saw the “Scud Stud” (but there have always been electromagnetic stud finders.)
16. Babies have always had a Social Security Number.
17. They have never had to “shake down” an oral thermometer.
18. Bungee jumping has always been socially acceptable.
19. They have never understood the meaning of R.S.V.P.
20. American students have always lived anxiously with high-stakes educational testing.
21. Except for the present incumbent, the President has never inhaled.
22. State abbreviations in addresses have never had periods.
23. The European Union has always existed.
24. McDonald’s has always been serving Happy Meals in China.
25. Condoms have always been advertised on television.
26. Cable television systems have always offered telephone service and vice versa.
27. Christopher Columbus has always been getting a bad rap.
28. The American health care system has always been in critical condition.
29. Bobby Cox has always managed the Atlanta Braves.
30. Desperate smokers have always been able to turn to Nicoderm skin patches.
31. There has always been a Cartoon Network.
32. The nation’s key economic indicator has always been the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
33. Their folks could always reach for a Zoloft.
34. They have always been able to read books on an electronic screen.
35. Women have always outnumbered men in college.
36. We have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time.
37. Amateur radio operators have never needed to know Morse code.
38. Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Estonia have always been independent nations.
39. It’s always been official: President Zachary Taylor did not die of arsenic poisoning.
40. Madonna’s perspective on Sex has always been well documented.
41. Phil Jackson has always been coaching championship basketball.
42. Ozzy Osbourne has always been coming back.
43. Kevin Costner has always been Dancing with Wolves, especially on cable.
44. There have always been flat screen televisions.
45. They have always eaten Berry Berry Kix.
46. Disney’s Fantasia has always been available on video, and It’s a Wonderful Life has always been on Moscow television.
47. Smokers have never been promoted as an economic force that deserves respect.
48. Elite American colleges have never been able to fix the price of tuition.
49. Nobody has been able to make a deposit in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).
50. Everyone has always known what the evening news was before the Evening News came on.
51. Britney Spears has always been heard on classic rock stations.
52. They have never been Saved by the Bell
53. Someone has always been asking: “Was Iraq worth a war?”
54. Most communities have always had a mega-church.
55. Natalie Cole has always been singing with her father.
56. The status of gays in the military has always been a topic of political debate.
57. Elizabeth Taylor has always reeked of White Diamonds.
58. There has always been a Planet Hollywood.
59. For one reason or another, California’s future has always been in doubt.
60. Agent Starling has always feared the Silence of the Lambs.
61. “Womyn” and “waitperson” have always been in the dictionary.
62. Members of Congress have always had to keep their checkbooks balanced since the closing of the House Bank.
63. There has always been a computer in the Oval Office.
64. CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging.
65. Avon has always been “calling” in a catalog.
66. NATO has always been looking for a role.
67. Two Koreas have always been members of the UN.
68. Official racial classifications in South Africa have always been outlawed.
69. The NBC Today Show has always been seen on weekends.
70. Vice presidents of the United States have always had real power.
71. Conflict in Northern Ireland has always been slowly winding down.
72. Migration of once independent media like radio, TV, videos and compact discs to the computer has never amazed them.
73. Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
74. Congress could never give itself a mid-term raise.
75. There has always been blue Jell-O.

I created a little flier to promote my role as a teacher.  Download and use it if you’re a technology teacher.