21apples

Blogging from Mac OS 10.5 Leopard

Posted by arvind s grover Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:11:22 GMT

So I ponied up $116 for Apple's new operating system, Leopard. Ok, well actually, I used a gift certificate I had, but still, I could have picked up an iPhone instead. I chose Leopard mainly because I had been having so much trouble with my very-new iMac and was hoping Leopard would cure what ails me. After a somewhat tedious install (due to my previously mentioned troubles) I got it up and running. It's pretty, I'll give 'em that. It doesn't have a lot of new features, but it has a few. My favorite so far is Time Machine (see screeshot to the left). I turned on Time Machine, pointed it to my external firewire drive, and that was it. Now, my Mac takes hourly backups of every file I have (including photos, music, documents, etc). The larger the firewire drive, the farther back my backups will be kept. So I could go back and look at my Word document for my 3-weeks-ago version, or I could find a photo I accidentally deleted. Hopefully I will also have all my data were my Mac to crash. Also hopefully, I won't have to test that theory. I will blog more on Leopard if interesting things arise. Would I recommend you buy it? Probably not. Wait until you buy a new Mac, it will come with Leopard.

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Tags: Apple, Mac, software, Leopard, operatingsystem, time machine, backup

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Learning is Free

Posted by arvind s grover Sun, 21 Oct 2007 23:22:07 GMT

Technically, the Internet is just a bunch of computers connected together so that they can exchange data. As a result of this though, the wired world ended up with a massive communications network. And somehow, an idea of free culture has spread round and round this network. That helps everyone. There are many free things I could write about, but today it's about free learning.

The K12 Online Conference is a free, completely online conference about using web 2.0 and new technologies in the classroom. It is facilitated by a group of dedicated volunteers, and the presentations are created by volunteers as well. I happen to be a presenter this year, but that's not why I'm writing about it. I'm writing because the conference is a treasure trove of information for any educator looking to improve their craft.

Just like a traditional conference there are keynotes and conference strands. The great part if that for most events you don't have to be there live, you can listen whenever you want, wherever you want. Some events though are live and interactive.  If you have an iPod (or other mp3 audio player) it is incredibly easy to tune in. Simply follow the link to the audio feed, and subscribe using iTunes. Then, each time a new presentation is released, your computer will automatically download the presentation. Then, just listen on your iPod or on your computer. Keep in mind that there are enhanced (or video) presentations as well, but your iPod might only be able to play audio files (unless you have a video-capable iPod or digital audio player).

If you are interested in using technology in your classroom, I couldn't recommend this conference more. There is great information for first time attendees, a help desk in case you get stuck and each presentation has a way for you to find a mentor on that subject (or be a mentor).

Take a risk and learn something new. It's easy, it's free, and it is what the new culture of the Internet is all about. Or at least it should be about. Remember to send your comments in via the website or e-mail so people can know what you got out of the conference.

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Tags: education, conference, free, 21apples, k12online07, presentation, professional development, k12online07pn09,

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The Real Truth About Teens and Online Social Networks

Posted by arvind s grover Thu, 17 May 2007 02:06:32 GMT

For the past few years I have been educating students, teachers, administrators and parents about the “realities” of online social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, etc). For the past few years, I have been wrong. Well, somewhat wrong, anyway. At the encouragement of law enforcement, the media, and other responsible adults, I have feared for the safety of the young women I educate. I was concerned that the details they were sharing online put them at risk for predation and victimization. My main concern was never really their physical safety, as that was such a minute possibility. I was mainly concerned about their futures, their college admissions, their job opportunities, but mainly, the possible humiliation they faced by the wrong people viewing their profiles. In that way, I was right.

Last week, before Congress, the four foremost experts in the country testified to the reality of online youth victimization. Every law enforcement person I’ve heard, and most educators I’ve heard have been wrong. The truth, according to the experts: 1) teens who post information online are no more likely to be victims of sex crimes than those who don’t 2) of all the statuatory rape in the U.S. last year, 7% of victims met the perpetrators online, the rest offline 3) parent education does not work.

There are many more important facts pointed out, so watch the hour and twenty minute testimony. It is the most important professional development I have had in the last few years. I can’t recommend it any more strongly. Original video here, transcript here, or YouTube video below. A post to follow will be on what type of education we need to do for/with our students. Your suggestions would be much appreciated.

technorati tags:MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Bebo, safety, online, education, students, teachers, parents, danah boyd, David Finkelhor, Michele Ybarra, Amanda Lenhart, Tim Lordan, Congress, victimization, myths

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9th Graders Discuss Their Laptop Program

Posted by arvind s grover Sun, 13 May 2007 21:01:22 GMT

After reading Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops in the New York Times on May 4th, I decided to use it as a discussion piece with my technology classes. I teach in a K-12 girls school in New York City with a 1:1 laptop program in grades 8-12. I wanted the students to respond to the article using their own experiences as students in a laptop school. A colleague at another school, Bill Campbell, suggested I record this discussion. The audio below is 1 class of my 9th grade answering a series of questions from me. As you will hear, I did not suggest any particular answers, but asked them to speak freely.

If you wish to use this audio, please let me know. Since it is a broadcast of a school class, I would like to let me school know where it is being used. Contact me at arvind [at] 21apples.org.

technorati tags:laptop, 1:1, New York Times, Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops, article, schools, education, technology, podcast, audio, students

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