EIA Ch. 6: Hacking

In The Hacker Crackdown, Bruce Sterling writes that hackers perceive hacking as a game, that it never feels real to the hackers. This is so scary! Just like in The Blue Nowhere, hacking and social engineering was a game to get to the next level.
I like what Mr. Sterling says in the second paragraph of his statements on page 301 of our book: "If 'hacking' is supposed to be so serious and real-life and dangerous, then how come nine-year-old kids have computers and modems? You wouldn't give a nine-year-old his own car, his own rifle, or his own chainsaw..." AMEN!
As many of us in this class have stated on the discussion board, we need to be more vigilant in our supervision. We need to explain the AUP document and ramifications for not following it to our parents. Kids are getting to be more and more technologically proficient and it is our job, as their teachers, to make sure the understand and follow the rules, for their own safety!!

Ch. 5 EIA: PATRIOT act

I feel that the PATRIOT Act is justified to keep the people of the United States safe. If you've got nothing to hide, why worry about whether or not you are under surveillance? The terrorists that crashed those four planes were living, working, and plotting right under our noses! How many suspected terrorist cells has this legislation already helped uncover? How many more are there yet to be discovered? The terrorists are showing no sign of letting up. If we let up, what will they do next?
The PATRIOT Act "provides federal law enforcement and intelligence officials with greater authority to monitor communications, gives the Secretary of the Treasury greater power to regulate banks which prevents them form being used to launder foreign money, makes it more difficult for terrorists to enter the United States, and defines new crimes and penalties for terrorist activity."
I, for one, am happy to have that added security after the attacks of September 11th, 2001!

1/2 Blue Nowhere #2

Wow! All of this social engineering stuff is scary!! This book is definitely keeping me guessing about who the "good guys" are and who are the bad guys. Now I can't wait to finish it!

1/2 Blue Nowhere #1

I have never had a book that was so hard for me to get in to!! All of the technical jargon is so hard for me to concentrate on. Since this is the third book I've read by this author, I know he's setting everything up for his conclusion.

Article: The school of the Future

As we can all plainly see, the schools we grew up with no longer exist. Technology is becoming more and more essential. According to this article, "Technology has changed the emphasis to the learning of kids rather than the teaching of kids." Teachers can assess student learning through portfolios and creative performance tasks. The article does go on to say that the use of computer is only an means.
I still believe that students cannot only rely on computers to learn. Students need peer and adult interaction to be successful in today's society. They need to learn cooperation and social skills. They can't learn that from a computer!

Article: Laptops, Handhelds, ot Tablet PCs

In this article professionals were asked which form of technology they preferred.
Tablets were good for handwriting, keyboarding and free form drawing, and there was a potential for math and science classes with the technology.
Handhelds were best for storing the demographics of the teacher's class, but not for instruction.
Laptops were the most preferred because they "give more for the money."
I would prefer a laptop to the desktop in my classroom. I would be a great benefit to be able to take it home and work on school related projects.

Article: Ensuring Student Privacy on the Internet

After reading this article, I wonder--does our school district have such a policy? I have not heard of one, but will investigate.
In this article, issues under The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) are addressed. Student records are to remain confidential. School districts are not to allow the posting on the district's website (or email) of personal information pertaining to the students. Students are to be prohibited from disclosing their own personal information or that of other students.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, teacher are able to act in lieu of parents for the safety and protection of the students.