We wrote a recent feature on software supporting “information collections.” This piece incorporates a discussion of outliners and newer tools which have yet to be tagged with a consistent label (e.g., NoteTaker).
n
nI have come across new additions to this self-defined tool category and this entry is basically an update.
NoteTaker – the “valet for your digital life”
acta – an older outline tool
If you are an iMovie user and searching for tips to improve your skills, here is a comprehensive FAQ.
Kidz Privacy, a new site sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission, deals with privacy issues outlined in the 1998 COPPA legislation. Federal Trade Commission has established new rules for website operators to make sure that kids’ privacy is protected while they’re online. Here are explanations – for kids, parents, teachers, and the business community.
Searching for a unique present for the holiday? From May 12-18, 2003, nearly 4,000 professional photographers and tens of thousands took more than a million digital photographs of American homes creating a collection called America 24/7. You can collect “coffee table” books from this collection – you can find a version for your state. Thbe online gallery is also interesting and consists of slide shows set to music.
Cindy has little interest in posting to my blog, but she does participate actively in several lists. A list she participants in recently began to discuss the topic of print vs. online resources with some members lament the increasing interest in online resources (because sites are not permanent).
Here is Cindy’s comment (my title relates to her comments about our “kids”)
I have sincerely enjoyed this conversation and decided to contribute.
Janice, the people that you talk to – at what point are they in their career? I ask this question as I bet they are mainly established professionals and not new to their careers. I have children that range from 20 -29 and spent time with them over the holidays. I watched as they used the Internet for everything from finding a quote from a certain author, to getting the lyrics to an old song, to comparing bridal gown prices and hunting for reception locations, to posting a college assignment to WebCt and contacting members of a study group, to keeping aware of job opportunities in a special field, to creating Christmas presents with digital images and the list goes on. This was a seamless process for them.
My real concern for children these days center around the digital divide. The divide that keeps some children from having the opportunities to participate in this seamless process outside of school and the divide that exists for all children that the world around us is growing exponentially with digital information and our education system is functioning in isolation as if it doesn’t exist. The children that take advantage of it at home become disinterested in school as they know better and the children who cannot take advantage of it at home are really left behind. Our kids really live in a world that is difficult for us to comprehend. How can we take advantage of the good and help our children be problem solvers in order to deal with what is not so good?
I also sometimes chuckle when we talk about inaccurate information in the Internet. At least the realization makes us question what we read – whoever said that everything written in a book was true? Yet, in most instances we did not question the validity.
We have programmed our database to keep track of the links visitors follow. From these stored data, we now generate a top 15 list. Following the trends revealed in this list has been interesting. For a while, the Apple iMovie site was most popular. At this time, the list is topped by the Highly Interactive Computing (Univ of Michigan) web site which focuses on handheld computing and student projects.
I must say that I tend to interpret proposed directions in K-12 technology from a personal perspective. I don’t think there is anything wrong with being egocentric as long as the perspective is conscious. At this point I have yet to be convinced that present handhelds are the answer to the desire for ubiquitous technology. While it is true that you can purchase at least a half dozen handhelds for the cost of a cheap laptop, the issue is still whether you can do enough with them. I try to listen to me saying this kind of thing because I know similar questions were asked about the first personal computers.
So, I am trying. I downloaded a copy of FreeWrite from the HLE site and I am using it to write this short piece. To tell you the truth, it is driving my crazy. For some reason, the software or my cheap keyboard, the handheld keeps trying to synch and I have to repeatedly reopen the application. At least all of the text I enter is automatically saved.
I must admit that I am glad there are those who take the initiative to try new things. Students appreciate the adventure and without the risk takers, the rest of us would continue in the same old rut.
Maybe I can find a 4th grader to show me how this is supposed to work.
I am exploring while recovering from today’s meal.
The Opti Project is an effort to map the Internet. A cool feature (unimplemented at present because of server pressure) will allow you to find your machine within this map.