One of the Best, Historically Speaking

Finding the "best" of something is what a lot of people spend a lot of time doing. When it comes to finding the highest quality web sites for just about any purpose, simply typing in a search string into Google typically gives you a lot of links to check out but no real way to judge how good or relevant each of those sites is.

Not surprisingly, a number of "Best of........" sites have sprung up to help people find really useful sites without having to spend hours checking hundreds of sites themselves.

In the realm of history and social studies, I recommend a web portal called Best of History Web Sites. Historical sites are grouped by era (e.g. Prehistory, Ancient/Biblical, Medieval, 20th Century, US History, Art History, etc.) and by rating (top rating is five stars). There are also links to Maps, Multimedia, Lesson Plans/Activities, and Resources.

There is a vast amount of material represented here and I've only begun to scratch the tiniest surface layer. My early sets of exploration, though, have taken me to fascinating and very useful resources. And that luck included the exploration of lesson plan and classroom activity resources that are included here.

I would highly recommend Best of History Web Sites for all students of history.

Are You A J.K. Rowling Fan?

I'm not a rabid Harry Potter fan but I must say that my first impression of author J.K. Rowling's web site is....wow!

Maybe I'm easily impressed by animations and interactive elements. Still, I'd give it a "thumbs up" and suggest you consider a visit.

Movies, Movies, and More About Movies

One of the things people like to do on weekends -- although maybe not on weekends with the beautiful weather we had on this particular one -- is go to the movies.

An online place where you can find just about anything you might want to know about movies is The Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Information about movies currently in theatres, movies of the past, movie stars, the creative folks behind the scenes, movie reviews....and more.....is available here.

Check it out before, or after, you go to the show!

Have A Question About Computers? Ask Leo!

The web has many sites that offer tutorials and how-tos about just about any software application you can name. In lots of cases, the quality of these sites is very high. Often there are resources for beginners, as well as intermediate and experienced users.

There are times, though, when you have a question that you'd like the answer to. Sure, you can do a Google search and maybe come up with the solution.

But there are times when the search doesn't do it or you just would like to ask somebody.

A site I've explored a bit is called Ask Leo! Leo Notenboom says he's been in the industry 25 years. At this website, he provides a place where you can submit a question and he'll send out an answer. As nice as that is, the site is set up so you can easily scan the recently asked questions. Plus, there's a way to search the archive of questions narrowed by category or the whole shebang.

Seems like an excellent resource.

Interested In Wireless Networking?

Connecting to the Internet via a wireless connection is becoming quite common. We've had wireless access at school for a couple years. In some parts of the country there are cities trying out wireless access in some neighborhoods. And we all see more and more wireless access
being offered in places like McDonalds and Starbucks.

The technologies that make wireless systems work are continually evolving and, in particular, getting faster and faster.

The article "New Zip for Networking" by Sean Captain in today's New York Times Circuits section spells out some of the changes and improvements underway.

Too Good To Be True?

Wouldn't it be great if we could access our high-speed broadband ISP by simply plugging our computer into a standard electrical wall socket?

Sounds like this scenario is now a distinct possibility. Take a look at "Is Broadband Out of a Wall Socket the Next Big Thing?," written by James Fallows and published July 11 in the New York Times.

I-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g.

OneLook and Over Six Million Words

As I'm clicking and clacking away on e-mail or word processing, I've gotten more and more in the habit of nabbing definitions or checking spelling online. Not long ago I discovered that, among the many other things it can do, Google can give you short, succinct word definitions. All you have to do is type in the search field "define:" [no quotes] followed by a space and the word you want defined. For example, type "define: miscellanea" [again, no quotes] and in a split second you'll get a concise definition of miscellanea and a link to the source of that definition. Kind of a handy feature right there in our familiar search engine....but.....

Consider checking out OneLook. This is like an online meta dictionary. Like meta search engines, which sends out your search string to multiple separate search engines and brings back the separate results, OneLook sends out the word you want defined to multiple online dictionaries. The results are listed by specific dictionary.

OneLook says "6,097,226 words in 970 dictionaries indexed". That's quite a lot of words to explore!

But there is more: OneLook also offers translations and a "reverse dictionary" feature. Check out their About OneLook page which does a good job of laying out the tools they offer.

OneLook may not be the answer to all your questions about words, but I think you'll discover, as I have, the more you use OneLook the more you'll like it and find it useful.

Nothing Is Much Better Than The Word.....FREE!

Seeing the word "Free" attached to something always catches my eye, I must confess. But I've also been around the block enough to know that the promise of getting something for nothing rarely turns out as, well, price-less as the word "free" tempts one into believing.

Still, the allure of the label "free" continues to lure us in.

In the world of computers programs and utilities, there are many talented and generous-minded creative minds out there creating handy things we can use on our computers. They often are in the freeware/shareware slice of the online world out there.

I've come across a site that has a range of free and not-too-expensive support sites. The main page features a listing of the 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities. In addition to that you'll find links to handy shareware (programs that are not free but often inexpensive) and sites where you can get answers to support questions.

I want to explore the site more thoroughly, but, like I said, that word FREE gets my attention every time.

Fiery and Spectacular!

I know it's a little on the late side for the 2004 celebration of July 4th, but I came across this site called Kaboom! that I couldn't resist. Actually fireworks displays take place more often than just the 4th of July (I've seen them at a Mariners game and, heck, even at Seattle Opera [indoors no less]), so this fascinating information is relevant many times of the year.

If you've ever wondered what makes fireworks tick (and then explode!), you'll love this site sponsored by NOVA and PBS.

More About Copying and Copyright -- This Time With DVDs

As a sort of follow-up to yesterday's post about copyright and fair use, here's an article reviewing some of the issues involved in the debate about the legality -- again an aspect of the fair use doctrine in copyright law -- in people being able to copy DVDs they own.

DVDs come with anti-copying protections built into the disks but programs have been written and distributed that over-ride those protections and allow the DVDs to be copied.

Lawsuits have been filed and decisions rendered. Programs making the copying possible have been outlawed; new programs (many free and available for download via the 'net) have been produced to continue to make copying DVDs possible.

Difficult to know how this will utlimately play out. It's clear that the major movie studios are pressuring hard to keep the anti-copying protections in place. It's also clear that a number of people are feeling that, if they own the DVD (just like with their audio CDs), they should be able to make a back-up copy in case the kids mess up the original or if they want to view a movie they bought on their laptop without schlepping around the disks.

I suspect we'll hear more about this as the battlelines get drawn.....

Copyright and the Classroom

Getting a grip on the state of copyright law in the digital age is one great big challenge. Teachers, students, administrators, and parents have to be aware of the basic tenets of the actual law in the form of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998.

Ah, but there's more. All of us also have to get well-acquainted with the concept enshrined in the DMCA called "fair use". Intended to allow for access to material in the furtherance of research and education, and also to provide a mechanism for copyrighted work to be "transformed" (as in commented on or parodied). Much information about fair use can be found such as the Copyright and Fair Use Overview at Stanford University.

One way to test your own knowledge of the implications of educational fair use and your teaching and your students' research is to take a quick online quiz by Hall Davidson. You may be surprised at the results! (Quiz answers available here.)

As educators, we have the obligation to know the law and to model the proper use of copyrighted materials. Some of the resources I've included here can help you figure out how to stay within that ethical framework.

Yeah Spiderman!

I don't know about your household, but ours has been quite excited of late with the opening last Wednesday of Spiderman 2. Its arrival was the number one priority of our 5-year-old and, yes, we went to see it on opening day.

The theatre (the Cinerama -- what a great movie theatre!) was sold-out. The movie was great. We had a wonderful time. And it's a hit!

Now the challenge is to not break the bank by going back too often!

Filtering Web Access? No Easy Answers

The decision handed down by the Supreme Court at the end of the '03-'04 term that kept in place an injunction blocking enforcement of the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) "until its validity can be resolved" has brought to center-stage the question of what is the best way to offer our students online access while, at the same time, protecting them from the dangers and inappropriate content out there.

As a member of the adult community in a school that does not currently filter any of the online access provided to students or adults -- and especially as a member of the technology team -- we have struggled, especially in recent years, with how to balance what some might view as academic freedom or freedom of speech with the responsibilities we have, as faculty and staff, to provide protection for the students who are in our charge.

Three articles from the New York Times form a fairly good summary both of the case, the issues, and some thoughts about the effectiveness (or not) of filters. The article about the court case can be found here, a more general look at the challenges of writing a law such as the COPA that must meet the test of free speech as laid out in the US Constitution is here, and some thoughts on filtering can be found here.

One resource mentioned in the article that seems well worth taking a good long look at is called GetNetWise. In the brief look I was able to give it, there are obviously many very helpful tools and information that can help us as parents and teachers as we try to navigate these unclear waters.

Selling Soap.....I mean....Electing a President

Although things haven't really gotten fired up -- what with the fall-out from the primaries determined long ago and the Republican and Democratic conventions yet to happen -- but pretty much everyone is aware that a presidential election is happening.

One place where it's pretty difficult to escape the convention, even now these months before the election, is on the tube. Both the Kerry and Bush campaigns have been spending big bucks on political commercials trying to demonize the other guy and/or reinforce their own proximity to perfection.

An online site that enables us to not only look at the current crop of commercials, but to take a look back at presidential politic polemics, at least through the view of the tv screen and political advertising.

The site is called The Living Room Candidate and is part of the American Museum of the Moving Image.

I'm still back looking at the commercials used during the Eisenhower/Stevenson and Kennedy/Nixon eras, but they have them, as I said, right up to the present campaign.

By the way, you can view them by campaign year but also by categories (biolgraphical, fear, documentary, commander-in-chief, etc.) or by issue (civil rights, taxes, war, welfare, etc.).

One amazing source that gives us a look at the political process and cultural change, not to mention the change in television as a medium and advertising as an "art."

Spyware? Should You Care?

The installation of "spyware" and similar programs that can record activity (keystrokes, web site visits, etc.) on your computer has, no doubt, already happen unbeknownst to you.

More and more of this category of invasive computer "malware" is getting added to people's machines as they click around the Internet. Again, unless you have a program installed on your computer to counter (and delete/destroy) spyware, you have no idea that this stuff is getting placed on your computer.

Like most things, the best place to start in becoming able to combat spyware and keep it from reporting things about your computer activity, not to mention slowing down your computer's performance, is knowing what you're up against.

Mike Emery, of New Philadelphia City Schools, has written a very good summary that describes what we are all up against. He also includes some excellent and practical advice on how you can minimize or completely avoid these invaders. This description is well-written and well-worth the time to read.

Mike's document is called: Spyware, Malware, and Adware (this is a .pdf file)

If you would like to really dive into the whole question of adware, spyware, and maintaining your computer's security and integrity, you might want to read Removing Spyware by Michael Horowitz. Mr. Horowitz goes into a great deal of detail and is also quite fascinating.

Clippy's Demise

Not everything in the world of computers is simple and uncomplicated. Heck, not everything is trouble-free, let alone "user friendly." Some would say (would I?) that anyone using a computer must prepare her/himself to be downright annoyed now and then!

While there's not always a solution or the thing will freeze or it will blithely delete the new revisions or it will shutdown of its own accord (and lose everything you didn't save AGAIN!), a web site provides some help and, maybe, comfort.

It's called -- logically enough -- Annoyances.org. What will you find there?

Annoyances.org lays out some of the truly annoying things about using computers and some explanations as to what is going on. It also gives you some how-to advice to improve the reliability and performance of your computer (we're talking the Windows OS, here).

Other subject areas covered include networking, customizing Windows, and trouble-shooting. If that's not enough, there are discussion forums covering the various versions of Windows. Last, but not least, is a whole section on "humor" (speaking of....their home page features an animation in which a foot squishes dear-old Clippy [that animated "helper" in Office]) to take away the sting on those not-so-good computing days.

Next time your computer gets annoying, stop by Annoyances.org for the antidote!

Got questions about MS Office?

There are many, many online resources that offer a wide range of help with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
One that I'd invite you to consider looking at is The Office Letter. Current and previous issues of the Standard Edition are available free. You can also subscribe to an online newsletter (at the "standard" level) for free.
For $12/year, the Premium edition offers all the content of the Standard edition plus more (and no advertising).
This seems like a very helpful resource for questions about using Office apps.

So you want to do an Internet Search?

Doing an Internet search for information is something most of us do many times each day. The search engine of choice for a lot of people is (no surprise, here): Google

My guess is that a lot of you out there do what I often do: I find that I need to find out something about something and so I type something into the search field and click Search. One of the reasons so many gazillion people use Google is that it's darn good and coming up with results to queries that often hit the proverbial nail on the head or it's the third or fourth result shown on the first page.

That's not to say that the quality of the results you get could not be improved by entering better crafted search inquiries to begin with. And we haven't seen the many other things Google can do.

So, today I want to point you to a tool provided by Google itself about itself. There's a GoogleGuide that provides information, tutorials, hints, and tips galore.

You have built-in options to skip the most basic introductory information and move to tips for more experienced users.

Searching is covered, of course, but so are some of the features you may not realize that Google offers. Like what? Like being an online dictionary. Like being your calculator. A way to find someone's phone numbers. And there are more..........

With the GoogleGuide, start with the link to Contents. Nose around as much or as little as you have time for. I have no doubt that we will be confronted with an ever-increasing (ballooning?) amount of information on the Internet in coming weeks, months, years (duh). To me this (obviously) means that smart searches will save ever-increasing (ballooning?) amounts of time while giving us more of the information you actually need!

I figure time spent getting to know Google better will be time well spent. Check out the GoogleGuide!

Welcome Everyone!

Today I join the ranks of the bloggers. I've approached this step with some trepidation not knowing exactly what I'm getting myself into. The potential of using this kind of tool, though, has my appetite whetted (that, and it's about time for lunch), so I'm taking the plunge.

As I say in my intro above, what follows over the coming days, weeks, and months will be a variety of who-knows-what. My greatest goal, though, is to use this tool as a way to record and document a host of discoveries and helpful information I come across regularly. In the past, much of this ends up as a bookmark or saved e-mail message. What doesn't happen is that this information, these tutorials, and those great hints don't make it to the Tech Department website or distributed in a way that might help you users out there. As I say, I hope this blog will give me the medium to get these tips out there so they can be shared and used.

That's not to say that every single item here will be strictly focused on technology and teaching....this is a blog after all! But the exciting thing, here at the beginning, is the hope that you'll find useful information and help (not to mention some fun stuff too!).

Harold