Blurts

Fewer than 25 percent of educators feel comfortable teaching students how to protect themselves from online predators, cyberbullies and identity thieves, says a new study from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Educational Technology, Policy Research and Outreach (ET PRO).

This from K12 Education.

My argument has been that filtering is not relevant, but education might be. I guess I had assumed educators would have some guidance to offer.

Sometimes issues are issues because they become no one’s responsibility. For example, I talk with my students about how they learned to study as they study. Did anyone offer them suggestions on how to take notes, read and review a textbook, etc. The point is after a dozen or so years of formal education many claim that no one has talked to them about potential strategies. We either assume it is someone else’s responsibility, that such skills are irrelevant, or that everyone knows how and what to do. Maybe this situation is similar. Maybe, like sex, we assume this is a parental responsibility. Maybe we don’t know what to say. Hard to believe that with all of the intervention programs teachers feel unprepared to offer advice. Maybe the programs have been targeting students rather than the educators. Beats me.

I can’t take credit for this one. One of my colleagues has a thing for the history of rock. He put together this YouTube viewing list in commemoration of the day the music died. He does call me Markie (on occassion). The last video is good.

For the kiddies, a little walk down memory lane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UWoDl0PBP8

Of course, the only thing they’ll remember,
but then again, no idea what the song was about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DazyCJNdZ8U

it delivers):  www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV5gOEAVNwY

It is interesting just how many Twitter posts are focused on coffee – the delights of the first cup of the day, the need for a cup, etc. 

I came across this post from LifeHacker on Brewing the Best Possible Cup and thought I should pass it on to my fellow caffeine addicts.

“People always assume that if someone doesn’t know something, it’s because they haven’t paid attention or haven’t yet figured it out,” Proctor says. “But ignorance also comes from people literally suppressing truth—or drowning it out—or trying to make it so confusing that people stop caring about what’s true and what’s not.”

Wired has an interesting article by Clive Thompson claiming among other things that we have more and more information, but so much of it generated by organizations purposely attempting to confuse rather than inform.

I have wondered about this – twenty-five years ago, how much of the nightly news was a report of events and how much was interpretation. “Reporting” the news has changed. There are so many options and a version of the truth for every taste. I think the important question is whether we are being purposely misled or offered convenient options to support our biases? In other words, how much of the interest in “spin” is the fault of the individual who selects the channel.

I keep thinking about this topic (e.g., Ignorant as we want to be), but I  no solution. Even my professional field (education) is plagued by special interest groups that would rather speculate than argue based on solid evidence. I do think that more people participating in the discussion is a good thing. But, participation means making an effort to evaluate a range of sources and to test positions taken against whatever evidence is available.

Thanks to Doug Johnson for the link to Thompson’s Wired article.

BTW – read the comments attached to the Thompson article. Hard to make a point without being accused of promoting spin yourself. Shows just how difficult it is to suggest there is a way to learn through accessing available information.

We have felt a connection with Turtle River State Park since our common involvement in a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant. The GF Herald had a nice feature on the women hired to provide educational experiences at the park.

If you like to read the history of tech businesses, here is an account outlining the history of Twitter.

The history also links to a book promoting the “140 character” writing style. Hmm.. Notice the “history” required more than 140.