Tapped In Newsletter: September 2004
...On the Tapis
September 2004
Issue 82
In This Issue
[1] Member Perspective: Sandra Shattuck
[2] Gone phishing? Don't get hooked!
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
[4] News Nuggets
[5] Tips and Comments From the Experts
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela (Surfnetkids.com)
[1] Member Perspective: Sandra Shattuck
Sandra, a Tapped In member since January 2003, teaches in the Department of English, Foreign Languages & Telecommunication at Alabama A&M. She has about fifteen years experience teaching undergraduate/graduate courses in English, Women's Studies, and Humanities programs. Her areas of interest include feminist literary criticism and theory, multicultural U.S. literatures, postcolonial literatures (primarily African/Caribbean), and gender and technology. Sandra is currently researching blogging, writing, pedagogy and activism, is a Tapped In Helpdesk Volunteer and leads the monthly Tapped In WriteTalk group.
Sandra's Perspective
Some time in the early 60s, I completed a science project in middle school that entailed building a computer from a kit I ordered. The whole thing measured about the size of a coffee-table book and weighed as much as a loaf of Wonder bread. I connected the bright red and white plastic strips with lots of small metal rods and delighted at the ease with which all the pieces moved. I remember learning that computers worked in binary, communicating and computing solely through 0s and 1s. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, and I didn't really understand how my fun plastic model related to the huge machines my dad worked with at IBM. I thought some magic might be involved somewhere.
Over thirty years later in a computer science class, I commented to my teacher that while I knew I was writing a program for rolling dice, I still thought maybe magic was involved. I thought my teacher would scoff, but she replied, "Of course computers are magical!" I was comforted that someone who understood how bits and bytes fit into silicon and hexadecimal still ooh-ed and aahh-ed at what computers could accomplish.
Read all of Sandra's Perspective online.
[2] Gone phishing? Don't get hooked!
Phishing is the latest generation of spam email in which criminals try to convince you to give up personal or financial account information. These spammers are frighteningly good in impersonating trusted businesses or organizations. If you get an email asking you to click a link to enter or verify any personal or financial information, or to reply to confirm some information, DON'T. These imposters look very legitimate, with the company URL and email address and everything. The message may lead you to believe that clicking on a website link is vital to your continued access to your financial accounts or other services. You may be asked to fill in a form on a website to provide credit-card or bank account numbers, PIN, password, or your Social Security Number. Don't fall for it. Be aware: Reputable companies would NEVER ask for personal or financial information via email.
There are easy ways to spoof a link in html email or a web page. A technically savvy person who looks at the raw source of the email text can see that the link is spoofed. But it's easy to be fooled. Phishing actually hooks up to 5% of recipients--a much higher rate than other spam. If you receive a phishing email, don't respond. If you're unsure, contact the institution by phone. Tapped In staff feels that if even one teacher is saved from being a phishing target, this article will be worth the time you took to read it! For more on this phishing lure approach see http://www.antiphishing.org/. For a description and tips to help you avoid getting hooked see http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
Folders are live!
You can now create folders for your files, links, discussion threads, and notes in any room you own. Once you create a folder for Files, by clicking on Files on the blue menu and choosing New Folder, you can then move files into this folder. To do this click on Files again and check the box(es) next to the files you want to move and then scroll down to the Move Checked button. You will be prompted to select the folder you want to move the files to. You must put the same type of items into a folder (files/files, links/links, etc.).
[4] News Nuggets
And you think YOU'RE busy?! Tapped In member Nancy Willard recently had a call from a news reporter who works with an independent news organization that provides news feeds for local CBS affiliates. He wanted to do a story on cyber bullying. The feed went out August 30. So by the time you read this she had to finish or almost finish her book, a parent brochure, a needs assessment survey, and get a web site up providing this information and promoting a workshop and upcoming online class. All that and she'll be leading her monthly Internet Safety and Cyberbullying session in Tapped In on September 16!
--------------------
Media educator and Tapped In member Frank Baker has produced a film study guide for the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. He invites all educators who use the film in their classrooms to visit http://www.med.sc.edu/medialit/tkam.htm. He would like to hear from teachers about this resource.
Now that we are in the election season, Frank has produced a timely website called The Role of Media in Politics. It is designed to help teachers/students more closely examine the 30-second political campaign ad that is prevalent on television and streamed on the Internet. See http://www.med.sc.edu/medialit/mediapolitics.htm.
--------------------
Tapped In member Roslyn Teirney has also been busy lately. Faced with the challenge of exploring the concept of leadership and writing about it, the Ogilvie girls that Roslyn teaches opted to produce what turned out to be an award winning learning quest on the theme "Women's Winning Ways of Leadership." See http://www.ogilvie.tased.edu.au/Leadership.htm. In July, 2004, Roslyn received the Minister's Learning Together Award for Educational Excellence. This award is given for outstanding leadership in the use of ICT for teaching. Read more information about Roslyn at her blog at http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/ec/teachers/goodprac/ogilvie.htm.
--------------------
Tapped In members Mike Ribble, Gerald Bailey, Glen Bull, Donna Baumbach, and Diane McGrath wrote or contributed to articles in the September 2004 issue of Learning & Leading with Technology.
--------------------
Do you have a News Nugget about yourself or another member of the Tapped In Community? Send your News Nugget to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org.
[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts
You never know who you'll meet and what information you will learn when you are at the Reception Helpdesk.
EugeneGst1: Hello BJ. Thank you.
BJ: May I help you with anything, Eugene?
EugeneGst1: I read the article Designing and Studying Learning Experiences That Use Multiple Interactive Media To Bridge Distance and Time (http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/tbrownlb/T502/MultipleMedia.htm) and [Tapped In] was mentioned.
Designing and Studying Learning Experiences That Use Multiple Interactive Media To Bridge Distance and Time was written by Tara Brown L'Bahy and Tapped In members Chris Dede and Pam Whitehouse.
--------------------
Roslyn Teirney shared this poignant reflection which is a credit to all her Tapped In friends and the Tapped In Community. "All those hard years of teaching came flashing back to me. The last few years have been quite positive and I've felt way more appreciated. A lot of my confidence has come from rubbing shoulders with the exciting and motivated members of your community. I am so grateful."
--------------------
If you have a comment or experience to share with the Tapped In community, please submit the information to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org.
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Past issues of ...On the Tapis newsletters are available online.
Contact us if you have any questions about your subscription, password or user name, or if you have any news items that you want to share with the community for ...On the Tapis.