April 25

April 25

In the News
Electronic Paper: http://www.media.mit.edu/micromedia/elecpaper.html

Electronic Reusable Paper: http://www2.parc.com/dhl/projects/gyricon/

Free PowerPoint Templates for Microsoft PowerPoint™: http://www.soniacoleman.com/templates.htm

Landmark Citation Machine: http://citationmachine.net/index.php?code=&g=6
Put in the information for your resource, choose the citation style you want to use, and the citation is created for you!

The Pandia Goalgetter - A Short and Easy Search Engine Tutorial: http://www.pandia.com/goalgetter/index.html
This English language site from Norway offers a step-by-step tutorial in using search engines. It's very complete and includes Boolean search logic and other advanced techniques. The site incorporates high-interest examples ("advanced searching is like ordering pizza") to demonstrate its lessons.

Photography is Critical to Learning: http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?sssdmh=dm4.158682&articleID=172303086
Digital photography works well with its power to quickly create a visual impression and promote lasting learning experiences for this "instant results" generation.

QuestGarden: http://webquest.org/questgarden/author/
Here's a relatively new site created by Bernie Dodge, the original developer of the WebQuest. It allows you to create a WebQuest using a template.

Online Quizzes
Aces Interactive Quizzes: http://www.copydesk.org/quizzes.htm
Ready-made quizzes

E. L. Easton-English Online: http://eleaston.com/quizzes.html
Ready-made quizzes and quiz-makers can be found at this site.

Hot Potatoes: http://hotpot.uvic.ca/
Make your own quizzes with this free software.

Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
The Five Dimensions of Digital Equity: http://digitalequity.edreform.net/

Multicultural Education and the Internet: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/net/guide.html

Scenerio One
John fills out a survey form on a computer game web page. The survey asks for his email address, mailing address, and telephone number which he fills in. In the following weeks, he receives several advertisements in the mail as well as dozens of email messages about new computer games.
Questions:
Whose privacy is at risk?
What danger or discomfort might the unethical or unwise action cause?
Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a business knowing your personal likes and dislike?
Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
Comments:
Businesses and organizations use information to market products. Sometimes this information is collected without a persons permission or awareness that it is being collected. Information given to one organization may well sell it to others.
How much would you like a company to know about you?
Will a company who knows a lot about you use it to customize products for you or only to manipulate you?

Scenerio Two
Jerry borrows Ben's game disks for Monster Truck Rally II and installs them on his home computer. He says he will erase the game if he does not like it, or will buy the game for himself if he likes it.
Questions:
What is the property?
Who is its owner?
What danger or discomfort might the unethical action cause?
Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
Is digital media more likely to be unlawfully copied than physical media (books, videotapes, etc.)? Why?
Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
Comments:
Computer software is protected by copyright law. It is unlawful, as well as unethical, to make copies of computer programs without permission or payment of the producer of those programs.
When purchasing software, one is usually only purchasing the right to use the software. The ownership of the code that comprises the program stays with the producer. This means that one cannot alter the program or resell it. The vast majority of software licenses require that one copy of a program be purchased for each computer on which it is to be run. And no, the inability to pay for software is not a justification for illegal copying anymore than the inability to pay for a book is any justification for shoplifting it from a bookstore.

Scenerio Three
Jack has been using the digital camera to take pictures for the family photo album. Jack has found that he can use a computer program to change the photographs. He has used the program so far to make himself look taller, to blacken out the front tooth of his sister, and to give his dad slightly crossed eyes.
Questions:
What is the inappropriate action?
Who committed it?
What danger or discomfort might the unethical action cause?
Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
Comments:
While this example may seem frivolous or even like "good fun," integrity is a serious issue which even young writers and photographers need to be aware of. Deliberate distortion of events whether through words or pictures may harm both those involved in the event as well as the reputation of the reporter. The purpose of a family photo album is to make a record of the activities and appearance of individuals.

Scenerio Four
Adele "meets" Frank, who shares her interest in figure skating, in an Internet chat room. After several conversations in the following weeks, Frank asks Adele for her home telephone number and address.
Questions:
Whose privacy is at risk?
What danger or discomfort might the unethical or unwise action cause?
Is there a safe plan of action Adele might take to meet Frank?
Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
Comments:
All individuals need to know that a stranger is a stranger, whether on the playground or on the Internet. The same rules we teach children about physical strangers apply to virtual strangers as well. The fact that we cannot get clues to a person from his or her physical appearance (age, dress, gender) adds to the difficulty in judging the new person.
How might Adele find out if Frank is a person whom she would like as a friend? Perhaps Adele needs to meet Frank in a public place accompanied by a trusted adult or group of friends (depending on her age). She could ask Frank for his phone number and call him, but some telephone services now record the number of the incoming call. In any event, Adele should not reveal any personal information to Frank until she knows that he has been representing himself fairly.

Scenerio Five
Betty downloads a solitaire card game from the Internet that is "shareware." It can be legally used for 30 days and then Betty must either delete it from her computer or send its author a fee. Betty has been using the game for 30 days.
Questions:
What is the property?
Who is its owner?
What danger or discomfort might the unethical action cause?
What is the advantage to the user for paying for shareware?
Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
Comments:
Software falls into three main types: freeware (that which can be used without payment indefinitely); shareware (that which can be use for a trial period and then must either be erased or purchased); and commercial software (that which must be purchased before use). Understanding the concept of shareware helps people understand why purchasing software benefits them. The profits that software producers make are partially used to fund the development of more software. If the profit motive is lost from software creation, less software and fewer improvements are likely to be made.

Scenerio Six
Just for fun, thirteen-year-old Alice tells the other people on her electronic mailing list that she is twenty years old and a nursing student. Others on the list have begun emailing her health-related questions.
Questions:
What is the inappropriate action?
Who committed it?
What danger or discomfort might the unethical action cause?
Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
Comments:
Disguise, impersonation, and other forms of "trying on" new personalities are common childhood and adolescent behaviors. The anonymity of the Internet limits such impersonation only to the degree that a lack of a young persons writing skills or sophistication of thought allows discovery. Role-playing in a physical context is often seen as both healthy and educational. We need to help students ask when such activities are productive and when they might be harmful.
We also need to help students understand that persons they meet online may not be fairly representing themselves. A student was quite excited because she was corresponding with a woman who had served as a fighter pilot in Vietnam. She had to "consider her source" when she learned that there were no female fighter pilots during that conflict!

This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch. This page was last updated on January 19, 2007
Email to studyplans@yahoo.com.