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  I’ve written earlier about the password keeper I use (which is always out of date on at least one password,  is often out of reach when I need it, and doesn’t serve me as quickly as I’d like — but in general does funtion ok).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?

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.

The  New York Times writes more on digital textbooks.  They are coming; they are going to change what we do (probably more than we expect them to), and they are going to change other aspects of teaching and learning.  One open source philiosophy textbook already online for high school math is MathOpenRef[dot]com. I have had links to certain parts of this site for years on my school’s resource page. My impression: it’s terribly under utilized (It’s not necessarily under utilized by my school’s teachers. I teach at an elementary school, and Math Open Ref is a high school curriculum. My school makes use of it’s visuals occasionally; and I do wish more teachers would use it. But I believe it’s very under utilized by high schools who could supplement their texts DAILY.  I think that by doing so, they would better  engage kids. Qualifer: I don’t know what really goes on in high schools. Perhaps they do make use of this, and other digiatal sources on a DAILY basis. I hope so).  I’ve also made use of John Page’s (Math Open Ref’s author) article, “Ten Reason’s Why Technology is Vital to Education”

My school just purchased a new reading series and a new math series. We spent tons of money and these series will last us a number of years (not including consumables).  These new paper books do come with great online supplementation, e books, online assessments and the like — it’s way different than the last new series we bought (only about 8 years ago). 

But, I was just wondering. When we replace this series in a few years, will there be a paper book at all?  Will the entire replacement be digital? Will it use digital readers, e books, online assessments, online projects and online assignments?   Will the reading materials be put on something equivalent to a Kindle instead of old-fashioned paper?  Will the audio reads be Itunes subscriptions instead of CDs that it comes with now? (Text for another post:  Itunes University).

These things are interesting to ponder.  The future will definitely be different than what we do now. How many of us are ready? How many of us are preparing kids now so that when the future gets here they will be ready?  I think we are making progress, but I think we are behind and playing catch-up.

Several universities — Case Western, Reed, Princeton, University of VA, Pace, and Arizona State — are going to issue Kindle’s instead of textbooks.  Wall Street Journal article.

Backpacks would get immediately lighter, and the used text book market would immediately die if (when) this goes widespread.  I’m sure there are lots of other 21st century implications, as well. Soon — sooner than many think — books are going electronic.  This will catch us all by surprise even though we should be preparing for it right now (how to prepare? I’m not sure).

21st Century Library minus the Technology

Equals

15th Century Library minus all the monks

This formula didn’t come from me, see the link to its source, below.

In the movie, I Robot, Will Smith’s character resists the role robots (and all integrated technologies) have come to play in society. Another character accuses him of backward thinking. One quote (approximate), “I guess you would have resisted the closing of the libraries in the early 21st century when all information became available on the Internet.”

I work as a librarian. I actually don’t like the term. Really what I am is an Information Teacher (see the title of my blog).  In a profession that ought to focus people on future thinking, way too many of us are still using antiquated thinking and we use an antiquated term for what we do. It makes you think of old, quiet rooms and grumpy old ladies (sorry, that was my stereotype, but I think many of your male K-12 students are with me on this).  I have a logo at my school’s library that says, “not your grandma’s library.”  I keep it kinda low key, but really want to post it everywhere (link).

http://drapestakes.blogspot.com/2009/05/media-technology-specialists.html