Currituck County Schools Media and Tech

I came across some reports on Teen Tech use this week that challenged some assumptions and reinforced others.

First is a survey of teens from Harris Interactive.  ” In total, the Cox Communications funded survey found that nineteen percent of teens surveyed go online via their cell phone and 19 percent say their parents are unaware. The vast majority of teens (80 percent) whose parent know they go online via their cell phone say they are not given any limits or controls — far fewer than are given boundaries on their desktop PC or laptop.”  Combine this with the finding that 19% of teens have engaged in sexting (sending, receiving or forwarding sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photos through text message or email) and you can see the potential for problems.

The second survey found that 60% of teens who text admit to texting while driving.  This is definately a big risk for teens as driving while texting (DWT) is potentially as dangerous as DWI.

Finally, there is a Nielsen report that suggests teens’ use of media is not that terribly different from adults’ use of media.  Here are a couple of myths and realities from the survey.

Myth: Teens use media—10 screens at  a time.  Reality: Teens are more likely than adults to use their media one at a time.

Myth: Teens are abandoning TV for  new media.  Reality: Wrong. They’re watching more TV than ever.

This study is excellent reading and it comes to a not too surprising conclusion.  “When it comes to media, teens are not as radically different (from adults) as some think.”

What does all this mean for those of us who are responsible for teaching, training, and caring for teens?  We need to be actively talking with them about potential dangers but we have more in common than we think.

This promises to be another busy summer for the Technology Department.

Kathryn Blades is conducting technology traning every week.  Check out Sea System for a complete list.

We will be installing new computer labs at CHS, KEC, and hopefully, MMS.

We also have a major upgrade to the website software that promises to make it much easier to use.  I know a lot of folks will appreciate that.

NCDPI has released the first draft of the new Essential Standards.  They are asking for us to review the standards and make comments.

We have set up a wiki to facilitate this process.

The wiki was created using Wikispaces, a free service for creating wikis.  The address is http://currituckacre.wikispaces.com/

I created an instructional video using Screencast-o-matic.  This is a free service for creating screencast video.  The address for the video is http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cQfUoDeC5

Have you heard the phrase “Cloud Computing” and didn’t know what it meant?  You have probably used cloud computing  and didn’t even know you were doing so.

Very basically, cloud computing is using the Internet to deliver software applications to the end user.  Let me give some examples.  I often use Google Docs.  This is an online word processor.  I don’t have to have Microsoft Word, or any other word processing software, on my computer.  I go to my free Google Docs account, type my documents, and save them on the web.  The word processing, aka the computing, is done on the web, or in the “cloud”.  I don’t know exactly where the software is located, or where my documents are stored.  I just know I can access them anytime I have Internet access.

Cloud computing has many advantages.  Many of the applications are free.  They can be accessed anywhere you have Internet access.  You do not have to maintain the software application, or buy multiple copies to use on different computers.  There are also some disadvantages.  In many cases, if my Internet connection is down, I can’t access my documents.  I don’t have the same control over my documents I would have if they were stored on my computer, so I’m very careful with private information.

Some of my favorite cloud computing, or web-based applications include Gmail (for email), Google Docs (for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations), flickr (for photo sharing), Delicious (bookmarks), and YouTube (for video).  All of these services are free and I can access my information anywhere.

Google has an added bonus.  When you use Google Gears you can copy your online docs to your local computer for a backup.  This helps with peace of mind!

Here are a couple of resources that speak to issues of copyright and fair use.

This first report claims we educators are missing out on some great education opportunities because we are unfamiliar with fair use and too afraid of copyright violations.  http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/the_cost_of_copyright_confusion_for_media_literacy

The second is concerned specifically with Fair Use in Media Literacy Education.  http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/code_for_media_literacy_education/

We have purchased several hundred refurbished computers over the last few years.  I was not satisfied with the refurbished laptops, however, we have been very happy with the desktops.  The savings have been incredible.  We recently purchased Dell Optiplex 280 computers with XP Pro licenses, 1G ram, 2.8 G processing speed, and DVD players for only $170 each.  And that includes a three year warranty!

Today I read some interesting information about the environment impact of using refurbished computers.  Significant energy is used in the production of PCs.  Reusing PCs eliminates this energy use.

Congratulations go out to Mary Simmons and Beth O’Briant.  Their article, Journey into the World of Manga and Graphic Novels, has been published in the January/February issue of the national magazine Library Media Connection.

1031080848a.jpg, originally uploaded by pgobriant.

Candy Sample from Jarvisburg Elementary and Donna Corbo from Currituck Middle School presented a session at NCSLMA today. The session was “Ready, Set, Go to the library”. They highlighted programs and strategies for getting students into the library.

There was a big crowd in the session and the information was eagerly received by the attendees. Many people stayed around after the session to ask more questions.

1031080913a.jpg, originally uploaded by pgobriant.

Mary Simmons and Beth O’Briant from Currituck High School gave a presentation today at the North Carolina School Library Media Association conference in Winston Salem.

Their presentation was about going green in the Library. They gave suggestions and described strategies they use in their library. The attendees also offered lots of ideas.

It was an informative session that was appreciated by those who attended.