This week's class focused on searching/search engines and online word processors. Throughout my 10 years of teaching I have always been a proponent of using multiple search engines when doing research. After covering the topic of searching and experimenting with some various online search options I came to realize that I have been slowly falling into the habit of always using Google. I remember giving my students many different options and explaining that not all websites are listed under every single search engine. I've always understood that using multiple search engines is essential to getting a good variety of results but Google has carved such a solid niche in the searching category that it has made me (and many others) complacent in their searching efforts. I feel a large part of Google's success originates from the fact that they have so much more to offer...and it's almost all free. I think I even heard that the word Google has recently been officially added to the dictionary as a verb, like in the phrase "Google it". The morale is that going through searching strategies and techniques has brought my reliance on Google to my attention. I still love Google and all it has to offer like the online Calendar and the growing features of Google docs but I intend on going back to using multiple search engines when doing more extensive research.
Online word processing is becoming more prevalent in education for several reasons. Cost, access, ease of use and collaboration are the driving forces behind online processors' growing popularity. Most online options are free and accessible from any computer/tablet/device with an Internet connection. Educational institutions like the convenience of not worrying about installing software, updating software, or storing files on their networks. The capability to share and collaborate on projects is perhaps the most exciting feature because it is breaking down physical and geographical barriers in the classroom. With Internet connections becoming more commonplace and the widespread use of WiFi it is making online word processors a more viable option for schools and student use.
I haven't used online processors in any of my classes yet because of the need for setting up accounts and email addresses but I have found a solution for next year. I have set up a school account on a student management system called Gaggle that allows you to setup student accounts and give them restrictive email accounts. This will allow me to setup accounts that the students can use to register for online word processors such as ZohoWriter. I think it will end up being a gradual shift from traditional to online word processors for our school but I think it is an inevitable change that has to happen. Next year when students get signed up and are comfortable with online word processors I'd like to try some group projects within our school and have the students collaborate in school on the project simultaneously, away from school at the same time, and away from school at different times. Once we figure out any kinks the online processor might have I'd like to try doing a collaborative project with another school locally, nationally and then globally.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Using Productivity Tools Effectively - Week 1
We just started a new class this week - Using Productivity Tools Effectively. I am really excited about this class because I'm hoping it will provide me with some extra resources for our teachers and staff. It has been an ongoing struggle for me to find effective Web 2.0 type applications for my staff. The main reason has been simply finding the time to sit down and go through the quickly mounting amount of options. Being in a class such as this will be extremely helpful because it will give me a starting point from which to work from in my quest for useful Web 2.0 applications. A perfect example is the content of the first week's assignments. One assignment was to explore different programs that create graphics. The other assignment was to explore presentation programs. In both cases there were 5-10 different examples to choose from. These examples had been tested out by the instructor and deemed effective enough to include in this class. Like I stated earlier, the key is that a starting point was provided. We weren't limited to these choices but it is much easier to have some viable options presented to you and then spin off and explore on your own than it is to just start from scratch. The results can be overwhelming when putting a search term such as "graphic programs" into a search engine. I was introduced to many new applications and Web 2.0 tools already in this first week. I already have thoughts of how to incorporate the new graphics program by Deviant Art into some teacher lessons this year as well ideas for its use next year. An added bonus is that it uses HTML5 so it can be used on the iPad 2. The presentation software I chose was Empressr and while it was somewhat difficult to publish the finished product I still enjoyed exploring it's features.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Final Reflection - Computer Systems and How They Work
Well here we are at the end of the 2nd class of the MEIT cohort and we finished strong with an assignment about putting together the perfect computer. I read quite a few blog reflections from others where they expressed relief that this class is over but I'm actually wishing that we could have had a couple more weeks to get a little more in depth. My hardware knowledge and skills have always been decent but this class took me to those limits with assignments to the point where I wanted to edge a little further to expand my horizons. I know I spent at least an hour longer on the perfect computer assignment because I kept getting sidetracked by wanting to take a deeper look at Hexa Core processors, different types of RAM, USB 3.0 external hard drives, etc. The same is true of some of the other assignments as well. The Operating System assignment was probably the most eye opening for me because I had little to no experience with Linux. After the exposure to Linux I have big plans for it after reading numerous forum posts where people told stories of Linux rescuing their older laptops or desktops. Apparently Linux still runs fast on machines with older hardware - now that is knowledge that I can put to good use.
I love that this Master's program is online, don't get me wrong, but this might have been a class that I would've enjoyed being in a lab with my fellow cohorts while playing around with the different hardware, devices, and operating systems. Maybe that's just me.
I love that this Master's program is online, don't get me wrong, but this might have been a class that I would've enjoyed being in a lab with my fellow cohorts while playing around with the different hardware, devices, and operating systems. Maybe that's just me.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Safety, Security and a Plan
This week's topics happened to coincide with a very similar unit that I just started teaching to my middle schoolers. Our technology committee had decided that it was time to incorporate some mini-lessons about being safe and secure online. While some of the content that we covered in my MEIT class were more in depth, there was also some overlap. We talked about different kinds of viruses, malware, phishing, identity theft, and safe practices for using email to name a few. After doing a security audit of my PC using the website auditmypc.com I discovered that my PC was pretty safe except for my Internal IP address. The auditmypc.com website was able to run some little Javascript and get around my router to view my internal IP address. I'm actually not too concerned about it but it was still somewhat eye opening since I thought my router from AT&T Uverse was masking my IP address. Everything else looked ok, though, so thumbs up!!
Another topic we covered was the creation of a disaster recovery plan at the personal and organizational levels. I didn't have too much trouble with the individual plan because I already have a pretty comprehensive plan in place but creating the disaster recovery plan at the organizational level was quite the mind-numbing experience. It is one thing to plan for a disaster at home where you might have 2-5 PCs or similar devices but it's a whole different ballgame when you start thinking about locking down and securing a network that may contain multiple servers, 100+ computers, 100+ users, and an overwhelming amount of data. There are numerous factors to consider in the structure of a network before you can piece together the most efficient infrastructure. I didn't realize that there were so many choices of RAID and I didn't really understand what the advantages/disadvantages of each of them were until this assignment. I also never really thought about using "cloud" storage in conjunction with the regular file/data backups. We did the organizational DR plan as a group and we found that while we all worked at places that had existing plans, they were all very different because of the different hardware, devices, operating systems, etc that were unique to our schools. As a result, my group's normal 1 hour weekly meeting turned into a 3 hour groan fest as we tried to piece together an adequate plan. I can't imagine what it's like in settings where there are even more people involved in the decision making.
Another topic we covered was the creation of a disaster recovery plan at the personal and organizational levels. I didn't have too much trouble with the individual plan because I already have a pretty comprehensive plan in place but creating the disaster recovery plan at the organizational level was quite the mind-numbing experience. It is one thing to plan for a disaster at home where you might have 2-5 PCs or similar devices but it's a whole different ballgame when you start thinking about locking down and securing a network that may contain multiple servers, 100+ computers, 100+ users, and an overwhelming amount of data. There are numerous factors to consider in the structure of a network before you can piece together the most efficient infrastructure. I didn't realize that there were so many choices of RAID and I didn't really understand what the advantages/disadvantages of each of them were until this assignment. I also never really thought about using "cloud" storage in conjunction with the regular file/data backups. We did the organizational DR plan as a group and we found that while we all worked at places that had existing plans, they were all very different because of the different hardware, devices, operating systems, etc that were unique to our schools. As a result, my group's normal 1 hour weekly meeting turned into a 3 hour groan fest as we tried to piece together an adequate plan. I can't imagine what it's like in settings where there are even more people involved in the decision making.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Operating Systems + Viruses
We've jumped from talking about operating systems to talking about viruses, malware, spyware and their solutions...antivirus software. We weren't required to blog in week 2 so I didn't, ha, but I'd still like to reflect on some thoughts about operating systems first.
When I was pursuing a degree in programming (2000-2003) I completed a few courses that dealt with hardware and operating systems. Times have sure changed since then. Both in the way operating systems function and the way that courses are able to be taught. I remember dealing with DOS and Windows and making little .bat files to perform certain tasks. We had 3.5" floppy disks that we brought back and forth to class. The only thing I ended up remembering about Linux was that everything was treated as a shared file, even devices. We didn't have access to any computers running Linux - we just learned about it from a book. I remember talking about BASIC when we discussed the Mac OS. Fast forward to today. The obvious prediction back then was that there would be new versions of the current operating systems already out there and maybe a new OS or two. However, DOS and BASIC have gone from being able to be accessed fairly easily, to running in the background, to being phased out completely. Networking is part of operating systems and not a special OS (Windows NT?), there are completely new OS's from Apple and Microsoft, Linux has what seems like a thousand different flavors and Android is fast becoming the trendy new kid on the block. Not to mention all of the different implementations of these OS's on various mobile devices, tablets, and other gadgets. Just think - I can set up an OS to run inside of another OS (Linux inside of Windows), I can set up a machine to be capable of being "Dual-Boot" (Apple machine with both the Mac OS and Windows), or I can just make a bootable USB/Flash Drive with an OS on it that I can carry around in my pocket from PC to PC. That's a lot to keep up with. Geesh.
The antivirus topics we talked about this week were pretty familiar. I just finished teaching a 3 part unit on Internet Safety (Privacy, Cyber Bullying, Viruses/Malware) so this info was fresh on my mind. There are times when my middle school classes can get restless when I go into lecture mode, but this was not one of them. This topic really hits home for a lot of them and I was thrilled when many of them were sharing their personal experiences with viruses, etc. I have had just about every possible virus-related scenario happen to me or my computers through the last 10 years or so. I've had spyware, adware, my credit card account has been hacked twice, my email has been hacked, my computer hard drive even got erased in one instance. I am a lot more educated about these things now and I haven't had anything major to deal with lately but even if you are careful, you're still bound to have something slip through the cracks. If you are a PC user, that is. That's why reviewing antivirus software was informational for me. I've just been using the Security Center software that comes with my Internet service (McAfee) since it is free and seems to work fine. After doing some research, though, I discovered a few titles that I had never heard of and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are extremely powerful and in most cases, affordable. There are even packages for Mac users because contrary to what some Mac users think, they can also get viruses. While it is in fact true that Macs get viruses a lot less than PCs it is not because they are more secure. Rather it is because Macs are owned in approximately 12% of US homes that have a computer. (as of Oct, 2009) Why would a troublemaker make a virus that will only effect 12% of the US when you can target 80% of computer users by targeting PCs with the Windows OS? They wouldn't.
When I was pursuing a degree in programming (2000-2003) I completed a few courses that dealt with hardware and operating systems. Times have sure changed since then. Both in the way operating systems function and the way that courses are able to be taught. I remember dealing with DOS and Windows and making little .bat files to perform certain tasks. We had 3.5" floppy disks that we brought back and forth to class. The only thing I ended up remembering about Linux was that everything was treated as a shared file, even devices. We didn't have access to any computers running Linux - we just learned about it from a book. I remember talking about BASIC when we discussed the Mac OS. Fast forward to today. The obvious prediction back then was that there would be new versions of the current operating systems already out there and maybe a new OS or two. However, DOS and BASIC have gone from being able to be accessed fairly easily, to running in the background, to being phased out completely. Networking is part of operating systems and not a special OS (Windows NT?), there are completely new OS's from Apple and Microsoft, Linux has what seems like a thousand different flavors and Android is fast becoming the trendy new kid on the block. Not to mention all of the different implementations of these OS's on various mobile devices, tablets, and other gadgets. Just think - I can set up an OS to run inside of another OS (Linux inside of Windows), I can set up a machine to be capable of being "Dual-Boot" (Apple machine with both the Mac OS and Windows), or I can just make a bootable USB/Flash Drive with an OS on it that I can carry around in my pocket from PC to PC. That's a lot to keep up with. Geesh.
The antivirus topics we talked about this week were pretty familiar. I just finished teaching a 3 part unit on Internet Safety (Privacy, Cyber Bullying, Viruses/Malware) so this info was fresh on my mind. There are times when my middle school classes can get restless when I go into lecture mode, but this was not one of them. This topic really hits home for a lot of them and I was thrilled when many of them were sharing their personal experiences with viruses, etc. I have had just about every possible virus-related scenario happen to me or my computers through the last 10 years or so. I've had spyware, adware, my credit card account has been hacked twice, my email has been hacked, my computer hard drive even got erased in one instance. I am a lot more educated about these things now and I haven't had anything major to deal with lately but even if you are careful, you're still bound to have something slip through the cracks. If you are a PC user, that is. That's why reviewing antivirus software was informational for me. I've just been using the Security Center software that comes with my Internet service (McAfee) since it is free and seems to work fine. After doing some research, though, I discovered a few titles that I had never heard of and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are extremely powerful and in most cases, affordable. There are even packages for Mac users because contrary to what some Mac users think, they can also get viruses. While it is in fact true that Macs get viruses a lot less than PCs it is not because they are more secure. Rather it is because Macs are owned in approximately 12% of US homes that have a computer. (as of Oct, 2009) Why would a troublemaker make a virus that will only effect 12% of the US when you can target 80% of computer users by targeting PCs with the Windows OS? They wouldn't.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Computer History for Laurence Mala - Post #1
As I reminisce about my early experience with computers I am taken back to 4th grade (1984) where I was fortunate enough to be involved in a program called the G&T (Gifted & Talented) program through the School District of Greenfield. The program was designed to challenge and provide accelerated opportunities for advanced students. I don't quite remember the criteria for belonging to this program but this is where I remember having my first exposure to computers. The computer model that I worked with was an Apple IIe and I remember that the whole Greenfield School District (4 grade schools) only had 2 of them. From what I remember we worked primarily with various software titles but I know that I was given the opportunity to do some really simple programming with graphics using the BASIC programming language. I remember using commands like Color=Green, Plot, Hlin, and Vlin. The Apple IIe used a 5 1/4" floppy drive for a lot of the software but it also had a tape drive. An interesting aside is that at my very first job as a computer teacher (1998) we still had 4 Apple IIe's that were used for a reading program (Accelerated Reader??) along with a few other popular software titles like Oregon Trail and Number Munchers. I also had 7 stand-alone PCs running Windows 95 to work with. No Internet connection - No network. Ahh...the good old days.
Soon thereafter (about 1988) I convinced my parents to purchase a Commodore 64 for me and that was my very first home computer. I dabbled a little bit in trying to program with it (again using a form of BASIC) but there was only so much a 12-13 year old could do with a computer at that time. I had a few software titles that made use of it's computing power like Koala Painter and a word processor but I ultimately started using it more and more for games. Awhile back I downloaded a C64 emulator through which you can run just about any software that they made for the C64 from HERE. While it was amusing to turn back the clock at first, I quickly grew tired of it and realized that I didn't miss it as much as I thought, haha.
Middle school came and it was more Apple IIe exposure even though it was somewhat outdated. High school came and that began my first experience with DOS and IBM-compatible computers. I owned PCs for the rest of my time from high school all the way through college. In college I learned Fortran as part of my Engineering courses and then I took some C, C++, and Visual Basic(.net wasn't available yet) courses.
My computers since 1995 have had Windows operating systems ranging from Windows 95 to my current PC with Windows 7 (I skipped over Vista, thanks goodness).
It'll be good to review a lot of this information about hardware, operating systems, etc as I rarely get a chance to play around with those types of things nowadays.
Soon thereafter (about 1988) I convinced my parents to purchase a Commodore 64 for me and that was my very first home computer. I dabbled a little bit in trying to program with it (again using a form of BASIC) but there was only so much a 12-13 year old could do with a computer at that time. I had a few software titles that made use of it's computing power like Koala Painter and a word processor but I ultimately started using it more and more for games. Awhile back I downloaded a C64 emulator through which you can run just about any software that they made for the C64 from HERE. While it was amusing to turn back the clock at first, I quickly grew tired of it and realized that I didn't miss it as much as I thought, haha.
Middle school came and it was more Apple IIe exposure even though it was somewhat outdated. High school came and that began my first experience with DOS and IBM-compatible computers. I owned PCs for the rest of my time from high school all the way through college. In college I learned Fortran as part of my Engineering courses and then I took some C, C++, and Visual Basic(.net wasn't available yet) courses.
My computers since 1995 have had Windows operating systems ranging from Windows 95 to my current PC with Windows 7 (I skipped over Vista, thanks goodness).
It'll be good to review a lot of this information about hardware, operating systems, etc as I rarely get a chance to play around with those types of things nowadays.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Session 2 thoughts
Well, week 2 is well under way and we've been responsible for immersing ourselves in some pretty impressive tools to finish off this 1 credit intro class. Some with an organizational nature like the Social Bookmarking sites, some with some impact on personal work habits and structure like the online storage sites, and some related to communication and distance-learning like the video conferencing using Skype. While this class has been designed primarily as a preparation for us, as students, to start the process of online learning it has opened up a window to so much more for me on a professional level. The big surprise for me is the impact it is having on my personal practices as well.
1. I haven't stopped using Google Chrome at home since the Browser reviews.
2. I am now signed up and using Diigo as a bookmarking tool (along with a Delicious account tied into it). I haven't used the sharing features yet, but I haven't stopped brainstorming about it's possible uses.
3. I have signed up for a SugarSync account and am currently using it for some basic online storage. I have files on my home PC synced and I also installed the Android app for it on my phone. My mind is bouncing with thoughts of all of the possible uses of an online storage site and how it would impact my work and personal habits. I am kind of testing it out first with the files I currently tote around on my 2 flash drives and if all goes well I intend on making the switch.
4. I've setup Skype on my PC and had a pretty impressive group video conference call with the 2 fellow colleagues. I had used Skype sparingly a year or two ago but I only used the voice portion of it and if I remember the quality wasn't all that great. Well, the voice AND video quality were spectacular and like the other tools mentioned above it has set my wheels spinning for possible professional and personal uses.
5. I've even stumbled across a few sites on my quest for useful research documents that have provided me with some extra bonus networking resources like Scribd and LinkedIn.
All in all I would say that the "Cloud" is becoming a more realistically attainable goal than I had ever imagined.
I just attended an in-service through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (my school district) on what we call "curriculum day". More often than not I am stuck sitting through sessions that have little to do with my content area and rarely help me with my curriculum. The librarian at my school felt the same way and decided to do something about it by designing and hosting a curriculum day of her own for her fellow media center colleagues for the second year in a row. Hmmm...will this class provide me with the kind of forward thinking and initiative to do something similar for my computer teacher and technology coordinator colleagues next year? So far so good. :-)
1. I haven't stopped using Google Chrome at home since the Browser reviews.
2. I am now signed up and using Diigo as a bookmarking tool (along with a Delicious account tied into it). I haven't used the sharing features yet, but I haven't stopped brainstorming about it's possible uses.
3. I have signed up for a SugarSync account and am currently using it for some basic online storage. I have files on my home PC synced and I also installed the Android app for it on my phone. My mind is bouncing with thoughts of all of the possible uses of an online storage site and how it would impact my work and personal habits. I am kind of testing it out first with the files I currently tote around on my 2 flash drives and if all goes well I intend on making the switch.
4. I've setup Skype on my PC and had a pretty impressive group video conference call with the 2 fellow colleagues. I had used Skype sparingly a year or two ago but I only used the voice portion of it and if I remember the quality wasn't all that great. Well, the voice AND video quality were spectacular and like the other tools mentioned above it has set my wheels spinning for possible professional and personal uses.
5. I've even stumbled across a few sites on my quest for useful research documents that have provided me with some extra bonus networking resources like Scribd and LinkedIn.
All in all I would say that the "Cloud" is becoming a more realistically attainable goal than I had ever imagined.
I just attended an in-service through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee (my school district) on what we call "curriculum day". More often than not I am stuck sitting through sessions that have little to do with my content area and rarely help me with my curriculum. The librarian at my school felt the same way and decided to do something about it by designing and hosting a curriculum day of her own for her fellow media center colleagues for the second year in a row. Hmmm...will this class provide me with the kind of forward thinking and initiative to do something similar for my computer teacher and technology coordinator colleagues next year? So far so good. :-)
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