TIGblogs - Jim Gates's TIGBlog http://jgates513.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us The Scam - Part I http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/6748945
His 6 year old Windows XP machine is probably loaded with spyware. I say that because it takes about 15-20 minutes to boot. Sometimes even longer. There were multiple hangs and freezes, and each one accompanied by the notice that asked if this error should be reported. He always said yes, figuring that it would keep the Microsoft folks employed.

Re-imaging a windows machine is no job for a novice, and paying someone else to do it was out of the question. The computer just wasn't worth the $200 that it would no doubt cost. I showed him how to put it into Hibernate mode instead of shutting it down, and that helped him tolerate this slow machine a while longer. In retrospect, that turned out not to be such a favor.

One evening he received a phone call from a very pleasant sounding woman who identified herself as an employee of Microsoft. She claimed to have been noticing an abnormal number of error messages (I think she called them error codes), and she was offering to fix them. How? Just allow her access to his computer and she'd take care of it.

Now, you and I know better, right? Microsoft doesn't employ people to call the homes of users, even if they DID somehow know your phone number, and volunteer to fix your computer. But, she even gave him a phone number and suggested that they hang up and he could call her back after he confirmed everything.nbsp; But, after all, there WERE a lot of error codes coming from his computer. Still... it smelled fishy. But yet, she was SO helpful over the phone. You can almost see the little angel on one shoulder and the devill on the other, can't you?

Long story short, he DID allow this woman to have complete control of his machine. She said it would take quite a while, so he left it on and went to bed. Somewhere around 2:30AM he heard it reboot. That sick feeling in his stomach hadn't left. He just wasn't sure about this, but it was too late now. By the time I found out about it the next day it had been over 12 hours since she took control of his machine.

In the interest of reading comfort I'm going to stop this post here. I'll continue with Part II to let you know what he's gone through since then. In the meantime, PLEASE tell ALL your friends about this scam. It's SO easy for it to work, because if you've got a windows computer in the house, chances are it's running poorly and throwing errors. It's the perfect scam.
Creative Commons: Flickr: Ivers
]]> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:01:00 -0500 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/6748945 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 I'm REALLY starting to detest FourSquare http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4931503
First of all, I don't get the attraction. But then, I don't get the attraction to tattoos, either, so the fact that I don't get it may be beside the point. I'll grant that.

But, I find that the FourSquare posts to Twitter amount to little more than Spam. In fact, those annoying posts are the essence of what some people find as the major fault of twitter. "I don't CARE what people are having for breakfast." You've heard, or perhaps, even said words to that effect. Right? Well, FourSquare is just that. I'm here, or I'm there, or I'm the new Mayor of someplace. Really? And you think we need to know that.. why?

I follow educators who tweet about what they're reading and learning and discovering. But, more and more I find that the noise from FourSquare tweets amounts to a significant percentage of those tweets. If they were emails I'd have a filter on them to auto-delete them. At BEST they are worthless. At worst they are annoying, time-wasting SPAM and I want to yell, "Knock it off!"

Mayor of some pizza shop?... you've GOT to be kidding.

Update: 12:51 PM
Thanks to a twitter follower, I learned about the Global filter in Tweetdeck. I had been looking at the icons at the bottoms of the columns, but the Global Filter is in the Preferences. Here's a screenshot of what to look for if you, too, want to filter out the FourSquare (4sq.com) tweets.:

]]> Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:08:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4931503 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 I'm SO glad this person is a teacher http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4931505
When asked about her new job she said she was excited...

"And nervous, and anxious, and all of those good things that come with a teaching job. I am so lucky, I know. And the best part: not only do I get a class of my own (the newspaper class - SO much better than just advising a club!), but I get to benbsp;the high school librarian!!! How cool is that?"nbsp;

Wouldn't it have been a TERRIBLE shame if she hadn't been able to find a teaching job - her obvious passion?
]]> Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:08:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4931505 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 Counterpoint to my ipad rant http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4637425 My keyboard wasn't even cold yet before I had my first comment on my ipad rant. Tony took exception to my viewpoint and here is his response. It's in the comments area, as well, but I wanted to give it more 'air.'nbsp;


BTW - do you also think I'm way off base? Convince me. Tell YOUR story in the comments.


"Here is an example of using the iPads to improve instruction without any apps other than the Safari web browser that comes with the device: Let’s say I am teaching the concept of warm blooded vs cold blooded animals. At or near the end of the lesson, I can have the kids quickly turn on their iPads and go to a bookmarked Google form that I call a discussion form. It is nothing but a place for the child's name and a text box. I then ask them a question to test their understanding of the main concept. The kids know that their name will not appear on the LCD projector but I can see who says what on my screen. What this does is allows me instant feedback of who still needs more instruction or who is not getting it. It is hard to visualize without seeing it in action but I can walk around the room with my device right up to the struggling kids because I know instantly who they are as they submit the Google form. I have been able to actually help struggling students gain understanding in real-time. Now if a bunch of kids are struggling with the concept then I might have to re-teach the content in a new way (which has happened). However it is better that it happens during the instruction than at test time. Now how is the iPad better at this than a laptop? Well again, it is instant on with no log-in required for this. I have 3 science classes and all they do is leave the device on the desk. A bulky laptop on a desk leaves little room for books and just did not work when we left them there for the next class. I have also found that the kids really type faster on the iPad keyboard allowing me to offer thick questions with generous expectations of text and still not cut out a lot of instruction time. Lastly, all the responses are put into a spread sheet by Google Apps for a permanent record of how well my instruction went to allow me to reflect on how I will approach the lesson next year. And I will give you one more benefit that I did not expect. I had a student who was sick for a test. So I let him take it when he came back the next day. He did not do well at all so I looked back in his formative assessment data from the Google spreadsheet over the instruction period. It turns out that all the data proved that he understood the concepts well. So it made me think that he was perhaps not feeling well yet and I let him re-take the test the next day. He got an A. Needless to say that I am excited with implementing this new technology right now and I have several other examples which I think are unique to my classroom which I will talk about as I perfect them. I am not trying to push the iPad by any means, however for now it seems like the best device for my way of instruction. I am sure another device will come around that might offer even more benefits. But the kids really do like these things and after 5 weeks, have still not tired of them. I will keep you posted. Thank you Jim for letting me share."
]]> Sat, 23 Apr 2011 03:04:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4637425 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 THIS is why we do it! http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4562523
Creative Commons license: Flickr: m00by



NOT this:
Let's not let government forget that!

]]> Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:04:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4562523 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 This is why we became teachers http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4444567 state budget ("Day of Reckoning") will effect our schools, my sister sent me this note below. It was posted to her Facebook wall.

"Speaking of your brothers, I had a patient out here in OH who was looking for your bro. Jim. She was from ####### and took guitar lessons from him when she was a teenager. When she found out I was from Homer City she wanted to know if I knew how to contact him because she always wanted to let him know how that changed her life! She has moved with her family to the South somewhere since then, but if you want to pass it along to him her married name is ########."

That was two lifetimes ago. But, I know that if you're reading this then you will understand how a simple note like that can mean so much.

And, when you read this and then you compare that to the teacher-bashing going on, now, it's enough to make a grown man cry.

What will become of our Education system?
]]> Tue, 08 Mar 2011 07:03:00 -0500 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4444567 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 It's not that they don't want to do the work, necessarily http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4385085

But, the point is that I really believe that for many students it's not that they don't want to do your work. It's that they don't want to do your work when YOU want them to. Not all, certainly, but for some I believe that to be the case. They must get done with their own social life which is a much higher priority, isn't it? At 14 you're still exploring your world. When you're done with that THEN maybe you'll do this school work stuff.

If you're in a discipline where you encourage a lot of discussion then I strongly suggest that you establish a discussion forum in Moodle or Blackboard of in any of the free forum sites. Consider assigning fake login names so that they can post anonymously (except to you) so that they are free to really express their thoughts. Moodle has a great feature that lets you split a discussion post into its own thread. Perfect for when a student's response isnbsp;provocativenbsp;or insightful enough to warrant its own discussion.

When I heard it said again at PETEamp;C that nbsp;study found that some students will go for DAYS without being asked a question in school, that made me (again) ill. At least a discussion forum will get that student expressing his/her thoughts.

Try it; you'll like it. (Name THAT slogan!)
]]> Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:02:00 -0500 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4385085 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 I Want that list!! http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4366763
THAT'S when you heard me scream!

I've asked this before, but seriously, WHY IS THAT LIST A SECRET??? Think about how many sites are blocked now that might not have to be if we only knew what was on that list!

Businesses, I've read, will create an offshoot company whose sole purpose is to, as it was described, "Sink the mother ship." Tell us where our weaknesses are. Where are we vulnerable? What are we doing that is keeping us from being the best we can be? If we did that in education they would have NO shortage of areas to point to as things we're doing wrong. Not necessarily in the classroom, but in our policies.

They're going to hold us accountable to match a list that we've never seen? NOBODY can say that this makes ANY sense whatsoever!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!
]]> Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:02:00 -0500 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/4366763 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 Polluted - Part II http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/3474525
These two images show men in canoes, salvaging what they can from the tons of debris floating in the river.

Now if those images aren't a writing prompt, I don't know what is. Send this to your favorite earth science teacher and sociology teacher and World Cultures teacher. There are prompts there for everyone.

Creative Commons Licensed: Flickr: LMGM: Liz Murphy Global Media


Creative Commons Licensed: Flickr: dosomethink!

I'm a lucky man!
]]> Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:12:00 -0500 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/3474525 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 The Power of the PLN http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/3358731 this blog post. A teacher commented in his blog that he was trying to create a new course, and he asked for help. He created a Google doc (the address is shared in his blog post) and asked for ideas. Visit the document and take a look at how his internet friends, his PLN, responded.

Is this powerful or what?
]]> Sun, 21 Nov 2010 12:11:00 -0500 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/3358731 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 My thoughts on the ipad craze http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2718597
I should state for the record that I don't (yet?) own one, and I think that fact allows me to be a little less emotional about them. I do own an ipod touch and (finally) an iphone, so I'm familiar and comfortable with apps and how cool they are, etc. That's just to say that I'm not totally unfamiliar with them.

Here's what I keep coming back to. We KNOW what we need to do in the classroom that will do all the things that we know to be good things to do. The research has been there for many years. There are volumes of textbooks that are written on the subject. But, I venture to say that nowhere is it ever stated that what we REALLY need is some device that has yet to be invented. Like the ipad. "What we need is an ipad!"

We know, for example, what the power of Inquiry Based learning (IBL) can do, and the power of either Problem or Project Based Learning, yet how often is it done? We know that with today's technology we can communicate and collaborate with students from around the world, yet how often is that done? We know that we want our students to be producers of content rather than consumers. We know that we need to get away from scantron sheets with true/false or multiple choice questions. We know that we need to move towards a more student-centered environment, with the students being in charge of their learning - to the extent possible. And, we know that none of those changes would cost a penny - aside from the current technology in the buildings. Yet, it's a HUGE struggle to make those ideas a natural part of classroom life.

We've got laptop carts and carts of mini laptops that can do everything the ipad can do - and MORE - but we're often not using them for anything more than just a research and typing tool. But now we're saying that if we could only get the ipad then everything will be different? How so? They can't do everything the mini laptop can do and we're not using it to its fullest. They may be a great personal learning tool, where we consume the information of others, but they are NOT a tool for personal expression or creativity. Yes, there are lots of examples of artists using the painting tools, or musicians playing tunes together using ipads. And there are lots of teacher-created wikis that do a wonderful job listing hundreds of applications that kids and teachers could use. But, check out those lists. They're all - or mostly - apps that let the user consume information.

There are a LOT of logistical issues with the ipads in the classrooms, as well. For one, when the kids don't have admin access they can't install apps. Using a netbook or laptop they can just go to another website that offers that applet or activity. Try using your ipad with no admin rights. And, add to the cost of the purchase of these ipads the cost of carts for a charging station. And some other device that will let us project them - a document camera, maybe? And, we'll have to install something to let them print. And, what about connecting to the network? Updates, etc?

The device may be cool, but I'll also be willing to bet that it will become obsolete in half the time of a laptop due to its limited functions. Imagine using this ipad three years from now. You can still be using the same laptop, but I'll bet you won't be using the ipad in three years. One, the thrill will be long gone when new technology leapfrogs this one. Two, let's face it - it's a fad. It's NOT the answer to education's persistent questions. (Anyone think that sounds familiar? Guy Noir-ish, maybe? :-) ) How many of us have traded - or wish we could afford to trade- our year old ipod touches since the new ones are so much better?

I may be completely wrong. It won't be the first time. But, for my money, I'll spend it on better professional development on using the existing tools and on creating professional learning networks, etc. Someone is going to have to prove to me that the ipad is worth the expense.
]]> Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:10:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2718597 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 New Personnel Should NEVER Be An Excuse http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2260683 ]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:09:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2260683 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 ISTE's Opening Powerpoint on Excellence http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2092453
First, ISTE posted a video of it on their website. It's also on Youtube and able to be embedded.

Thanks, ISTE!

]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:07:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2092453 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 A Needed Approach to Eduation? http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2080311
We need to approach Education like a fireman approaches a burning house; with purpose, determination, and an acute sense of urgency.
]]> Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:07:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2080311 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 A Needed Approach to Education? http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2081989
We need to approach Education like a fireman approaches a burning house; with purpose, determination, and an acute sense of urgency.
]]> Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:07:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2081989 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 An ISTEVision Presentation http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2080313
]]> Sat, 10 Jul 2010 05:07:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/2080313 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 I LOVE this idea for using TED in school http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1959935
The teacher will have a weekly Ted Talk Luncheon with the Gifted students. They will bring their lunches to her room and they'll watch a Ted Talk video and discuss it. Now, with so many of the talks being 20 minutes long their discussions can't be very in depth, so I'm betting that she'll set up a Discussion Forum for them to use, as well.

Isn't that a great idea? I love it! Wouldn't it be great if, say, the AP Physics teacher and the Earth Science teacher, and the Social Studies teacher would also do something like this? There are plenty of great videos for each discipline, and they could always show videos from PopTech or Fora.tv, as well.

I love it!
]]> Sun, 06 Jun 2010 11:06:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1959935 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 Do YOU know a student like this? http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956557
But, watch this video of James Cameron at TED.nbsp; Listen to how he talks about his life growing up, and how he behaved in school. Do you know a student who seems lost in his own world? What do you do with that? As he says, "...your imagination creating a reality." Do you yell at him/her to get them to focus on your content ("For once!") Or, do you find the time to talk with him/her later to find out what the interest is? I wish I could say I did the latter.

Listen to his advice on life. I think this is an EXCELLENT video to show to your students. This is a fantastic writing prompt.

Watch this video. You won't regret it.

]]> Mon, 03 May 2010 08:05:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956557 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 This guy will change EVERYTHING! http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956559
This technology was introduced at TED by another person a while back, but this is from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

When you watch this, what are you thinking? Is this a good use of technology, or not? Is this a vision of a world in which you would want to live - or not. Would this make a GREAT writing prompt, or not? :-)

"We perish for want of wonder, not for want of wonders." - CK Chesterton

]]> Mon, 03 May 2010 08:05:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956559 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 More on WolframAlpha http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956561 WolframAlpha project and of the creator, Stephen Wolfram. How can you NOT like a guy who says, "Ever since I was a kid I've been thinking about systematizing knowledge and somehow making it computable." (I feel like such a loser! All I ever thought about were girls and hunting or fishing, depending upon the time of the year.)

Watch this video of Stephen Wolfram talking at the TED conference. Share it with your math students or those AP or Gifted students. Then, ask them what THEY think about. Ask them, "If you could take any path in life right now, where would you want to go and what would you want to do?" No, it's not a question that will appear on any test, so it won't a test score, but it just might get them thinking about their own interests and passions.

]]> Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:04:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956561 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 THIS is what drives me crazy http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956567 I was in two schools today. They're about 30 minutes ride from each other. Same county. In the first, they block Wikispaces. Why? It's thought that the board is just a little nervous about what COULD be there.

In the second school they allow student access to youtube.

This kind of stuff just drives me insane. (OK, more insane) All of this COULD be avoided if there were just CLEAR guidelines to follow. "Run this test. If nothing gets through, then you're good to go." Why why WHY do we have to GUESS?


http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
]]> Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:04:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1956567 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 Can grownups learn from Kids? http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1921386
"When expectations are low, trust me, we will sink to them."
---

]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:04:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1921386 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 Dear Dept of Education http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1916134
I've written to you before, but I feel compelled to write again with one very simple request. Before you spend another dime on Education reform, please consider doing the following:

Publish instructions on how to test our school filters for CIPA compliance.

That's it. Just tell us what sites you use to make that determination. Such an easy thing to do, but something that would do more for advancing public education than ANY new law or tweak you can make on NCLB, for example. I'll tell you why.


Around this country there are as many different interpretations of that law (with respect to what should be or need not be blocked) as there are districts. We'll assume that every person who is making that decision has the very best intentions at heart, in that they want to provide a safe, secure network that facilitates learning as we currently define it. Yet, access to the tools and information on the Internet isn't the same across the country. The haves and have nots aren't defined so much any more by their access to technology, but by the access that their technology has to the world's information, and to the online tools that allow them to create and collaborate.

And the saddest part of this, from my experience, is that it seems that the poorer the area is, the more likely it is that their filter will lock them out of the very resource that will help to educate their children. In some of the poorest areas in Pennsylvania we can find districts that block Google Docs, for example, because they fear that a specific kind of abuse of the tool falls under some definition of CIPA that would put them out of compliance. (I don't get it, either. I'm just telling you how it is.) So, the children whose lives are already so geographically restricted due to their economy also cannot even READ about what is going on in other parts of the world. (See this post) Some children are learning with and from other children from around the world, while others are not permitted - because of one person's definition of CIPA compliance.

Giving us that list would level the playing field in this country between those WITH broad Internet access and those with limited access. What a SHAME it is to allow that to continue - for no good reason. There is NO REASON why we should be operating in the dark with this. Simply publish the instructions on how to test our networks. You'll be able to hear the cheers rise up from the far corners of the country. Think about the immediate impact that would have on the education of ALL children in this country.

PLEASE, publish those instructions! WHY keep us guessing, when the losers in that guessing game are our children - and the very future of this great nation?
]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:04:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1916134 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 Got 16 minutes? Watch this http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1902236 ---
]]> Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:03:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1902236 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444 FlatClassroom Conference heading to Beijing. Can you read this? http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1892478 I wrote about how the Flatclassroom Project was going to have its summit in Mumbai, India, and how others, including teachers, can't even read about it in our schools. Well, Vicki and Julie just announced that the Flat Classroom Summit for 2011 will be in Beijing, China. They are moving ever forward. I just wish that I could report that our teachers can now at least READ about it. Sadly, I cannot. Oh, it may be true that a school here or there has opened up their filter to allow their teachers and maybe their students to see it, but there are still huge numbers that continue to block it.

So, first I encourage you to check out the Flat Classroom Conference link above. You've got time, now, to rally the troops to maybe even take your students there. What an experience for all concerned, yes?

Second, I encourage you to again make the push to get your filters opened up to allow your teachers to at least be able to read about what other teachers are doing. If your children are in a school that has such a restrictive filter, get involved! There is WAY TOO MUCH AT STAKE!
]]> Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:03:00 -0400 http://jgates513.tigblog.org/post/1892478 40.2411111 -76.894444440.2411111-76.8944444