Virtual
Teacher Newsletter No. 101 4th December 2004 MUMšS THE
WORD
THE
FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER
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CONTENTS
1.
Welcome
2.
Mind Candy
3.
WWWinfo BETTER HUMANS
4.
New Printables - DATA LOGGERS
5.
Technical Stuff EVIL THINGS
6.
Web Site Focus BBC PYRAMIDS
7. ITSC
CONFERENCE
8.
Great Sites
9. Readers' Requests/Comments
10
Next Issue
11.
Code of 'Netizens'
12.
Tips
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1. WELCOME
EVERYONE. Last one of the year.
Thanks
for all the Birthday wishes for my 100th edition, I
decided
to publish just one. Great Stuff from
the ITSC
Conference
this year well done Apple, if you missed it,
you
missed a knock out conference. Read
a bit about
it
below. Also take control of you computers with Ad-ware and
spybot
and OUT all those computer nasties. There are so many
exciting
things waiting in the wings, just about to happen, in the
world
of education, I just canšt wait to get back into it next year,
that
is, after a well earned break, sleep-in, holiday, chill out, for
the
next few weeks.
Hope
you all have a fantastic break.
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2.
MIND CANDY
"The
critical challenge for the adaptable and impressionable
young
human brain is to develop and mature under the particular
stimulation
and constraints of the environment in which it is going
to
have to survive, whether it is one of jungles or computers.
Unlike
chimpanzees our brains have an extraordinary capacity
to
adapt to the environment in which we are placed. "
pp
109 'the human brain' Susan Greenfield 1997
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"only
those exposed to he music of Mozart, for example, will
ever
have the chance to say that they have a preference for
Mozart. Experiences we have never had can play
no part in
framing
our personality"
pp
122 'the human brain' Susan Greenfield 1997
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For
all the world mother is most beautiful ... but father from
the
thought
By Catherine
Keenan
November 26, 2004
Mums take
heart. The most beautiful word in English is mother.
But
father doesn't even make the top 70.
To
celebrate its 70th anniversary, the British Council
compiled
a list of the 70 most beautiful words in a survey of
more
than 42,000 people from 102 non-English speaking
countries.
About 7000 English students in the council's
schools
were quizzed directly; the rest responded to an
on-line
poll.
Filling
out the top 10 were, in order: passion, smile, love,
eternity,
fantastic, destiny, freedom, liberty and tranquillity.
Down
the list were peace at 11, serendipity (24), pumpkin (40),
lollipop
(42), bumblebee (44), peekaboo (48), kangaroo (50),
whoops
(56), oi (61), hodgepodge (64), fuselage (67) and
hen-night
(70).
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/25/1101219683777.html?oneclick=true
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3.
WWWinfo BETTER HUMANS
Aiming
to connect people to the future so that they can create it,
Betterhumans
is an editorial production company that's dedicated
to
having the best information, analysis and opinion on the impact
of
advancing science and technology.
Extinct
Creature's Genome Reconstructed
Technique
uses computers and DNA comparison to travel back in time
http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-11-30-3
This
is a commercial magazine site.
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4.
NEW PRINTABLES Data Loggers
More
on Data Loggers You Really Need to look into these
Herešs
a great site to look at:- download it Print it out and
hand
it around.
Email
Ed ed@cpsoftware.com.au get just
one temperature
Data
Logger(includes the software) and play with it over Christmas.
Then
tell me who has HOT HOT Xmas.
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5.
TECHNICAL STUFF EVIL THINGS
Is
your computer slowing down, are your eating up band width,
are
your ISP bills skyrocketing, are there strange pop-ups when
you browse, is your homepage changed, does
your email take
a
long time to download/upload?? then you probably have an
internet
nasty, or quite a few of them LURKING in the back
rooms
of your PC. Macs currently donšt
get this stuff.
Strictly
defined, spyware is computer software
that gathers and
reports
information about a computer user without the user's
knowledge or consent.
More broadly, the term spyware can refer
to a wide range
of related malware products which fall outside the
strict definition
of spyware. These products perform many
different
functions, including the delivery of unrequested
advertising (pop-up
ads in particular), harvesting private
information,
re-routing page requests to illegally claim
commercial site referral fees, and installing stealth phone
dialers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware
n the
context of computer software, a Trojan horse or Trojan
is a
malicious program that is disguised
as legitimate software.
The term is
derived from the classical myth of the Trojan horse.
In the siege of Troy,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_horse_%28computing%29
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THE
FIXES
AD-WARE
- FREE
Ad-ware
is designed to provide to provide advanced protection
from
known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, parasites,
Scumware,
selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware,
Browser
hijackers., and tracking components.
Spybot
Search and Destroy
Spybot
- Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware
of
different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively
new
kind of threat that common anti-virus applications
do
not yet cover. http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10289035.html
==============================================
6.
WEBSITE FOCUS BBC: History: The Pyramid
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/pyramid/
BBC
has put together a fantastic collection of interactive
games
(Building the Ultimate Tomb and The Mummy Maker),
multimedia
galleries (Gods, Animals, and a tour of Khufu's
Pyramid
Complex), and feature articles. Everything here is
excellent,
but here are three of my favorite clicks: the illustrated
Egyptian
timeline from 3100 BCE to 395 CE; The Short History
of
Pyramidology, which reveals some pretty wacky theories
about
who actually built the Pyramids; and hieroglyphic
postcards
to send to friends and family.
British
Museum: Pyramids
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/
"The
ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the
pharaohs
and their queens. The pharaohs were buried
in
pyramids of many different shapes and sizes from
before
the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of
the Middle
Kingdom." This British Museum exhibit for
upper-elementary
and middle-school students is divided
into
three sections: Story (about the building of the Great
Pyramid
built for pharaoh Khufu) , Explore (a reconstruction
of
the pyramid) and Challenge. The challenge is to find the
height,
area and weight of the Great Pyramid. Here's a hint.
When
estimating how many stacked buses would equal the
height
of the pyramid, keep in mind that the English ride
double-decker
buses!
Discovery
Channel: Great Pyramid
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/greatpyramid/greatpyramid.html
Although
the Mummy Maker game here is the same as
the
one on the BBC History site, the rest of the site is
unique.
Best feature is the slide show of Howard Carver's
1922
discovery of King Tut's Tomb. Carver was a watercolor
artist
turned archeological explorer. To view the slide show,
choose
your preferred player below Carver's photo. Other
worthwhile
clicks include A Day in the Life of a Tomb Robber,
and a
Great Pyramid screensaver for both Windows and Mac.
==============================================
7.
ITSC 16th Innovative Technology in Schools Conference.
Once
again a hugely successful conference organized by Apple.
They
are putting their investment right where it should be into
educators,
and backing it up with great support and equipment.
I
would just love the Premier of NSW, to give Apple all the
allocated
teacher inservice money for ITC over the next year
and
let them handle the whole program.
The
conference was held at the beautiful Wollongong University,
the
venues were well resourced and just fantastic. It made
attendees
feel professional, unlike the half baked inservices
that
are generally run by the department , with second rate
speakers,
which tend to make teachers feel like a bunch of
school
kids. Top notch educators, well
prepared speakers,
well
resourced presentations were the order of the day.
Marco
Torres worked with participants for 3 days on
Transforming your
Classroom into a Professional &
PRODUCTIVE Movie
Studioš, what a knock out.
The general
feeling was that we were learning from the best
of the best. Participants were given an apple
computer for the
duration of the
conference. Birds of a Featherš sessions
allowed course
participants to get together and discuss
common interests,
the largely live-in aspect of the conference
allowed time for
good networking to occur.
With the
increased allocation for computer inservicing
currently
allocated to schools I suggest targeting the
next Apple Conference.
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8.
GREAT SITES
HOT
SITES
Video
Game Revolution (PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/
This
is the story of how a whimsical invention of the 1960s helped spawn
the
computer industry as we know it. Video games have influenced the way
children
live and play, forever altered the entertainment industry, and
even
affected the way wars are fought. See how it all began and find out
what
it means for the future. Major
sections include History of Gaming,
Inside
Games (how they are made), Impact (cultural influence) , Arcade
(quiz,
game), and About the Show
(includes video interview).
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Archimedes
of Syracuse: The Father of Buoyancy
http://www.engineering.usu.edu/jrestate/workshops/buoyancy/buoyancy.php
"People
have been aware of objects floating on water (or sinking)
since
before recorded history. But it was not until Archimedes of
Syracuse
came along, that the theory of flotation and the buoyancy
principle
were defined." Archimedes was a mathematician born in
287
BCE, in the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily According
to
this University of Utah site, Archimedes is best remembered
for a
discovery involving the crown of King Hiero II. Learn why
Archimedes
shouted "Eureka!" and how he proved that the king's
crown
maker had defrauded him.
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HyperPhysics:
Buoyancy
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pbuoy.html
For
high-school and college physics students, HyperPhysics is
an
illustrated, hyperlinked, mind map of hundreds of physics topics.
The
material can be scrolled through from top to bottom or you
can
jump around, following the links in each short article. Topics
related
to buoyancy include density, mass, weight, fluid pressure,
submerged
volume, buoyant force, Archimedes Principle, and
Pascal's
Principle.
NASA:
Buoyancy: Archimedes Principle
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/WindTunnel/Activities/buoy_Archimedes.html
Helicopters
and airplanes depend on thrust and forward speed
to
fly. Hot air balloons and dirigibles rely on buoyancy
(or
differences in air density) for lift. This NASA page for high
school
students is part of a larger site on aeronautics. It offers
a
short article on buoyancy, and concludes with five exercises
to
test your understanding of the Archimedes Principle. At the
bottom
of the page you'll find links to more aeronautics topics.
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9.
READERS COMMENTS/REQUESTS
Dear
Cathy,
I
have just read your newsletter and love it. Please add me to the
subscription
list.
Regards,
Alison
May
------------------------------------------------
Thanks
Alison. To subscribe, to unsubscribe, to unsubscribe and
resubscribe
with new email addresses please use:
Subscribe:
http://mojo.epicentre.org.nz/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?flavor=subscribe&list=Virtual_Teacher
Unsubscribe:
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This saves me a
great deal of time and gives me more time to
write the
newsletter. If you unsubscribe all disused email address
I would also be
most grateful.
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I
have subscribed to virtual teacher, but donšt seen to be
receiving
the newsletters
Gayle
Pinn
------------------------------------------
You
are subscribed - the problem probably lies in your server
filtering
software - VT maybe classed as spam by dragnet.
You
can write to them and let them know you want to receive
VT
and it is not spam. or download the newsletter from -
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/archives.html
I
have attached the latest newsletter here.
cathy
------------------------------------------
Dear
Cathy,
I am
just waiting for the 4th of December for my final results as a
student
teacher. I would like to thank you
for your great site, as
it
has abundantly assisted the journey.
Soon I will be using your
site
as a TEACHER!
Thanks
to all for your great ideas.
Kay
Panna (Melbourne).
Glad
to hear it goodluck.
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Hi
Cathy,
Many
happy returns. Congratulations on a much loved and
respected
effort.
cheers
Greg
Alchin
------------------------------------------
Cathy,
Can
you add this to your newsletter please?
The
link is now http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/
Sorry
for the inconvenience, but the P.L. Duffy website is moving/has
moved.
So if you have any links to it on your intranet or internet sites
please
change ASAP (so I don't fall off the radar at Google).
Basically
for most things you will be able to replace
http://library.trinity.wa.edu.au/
with
http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/
there
have been some changes/re-organisations especially with religious
education,
information technology and hospitality.
If
you prefer to find things with a site map go to
http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/site.htm
You
can go to the new home page http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/
and
use the free find search on the right hand side to find a particular
file
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=98716202
(Don't
use the Google one yet ...It still points to old site!)
If
you can't find your favourite link, please e-mail me. If you find any
broken
links (to pages on my site) please let me know.
Cheers
Rosemary
Horton
Teacher
Librarian
P.L.
Duffy Resource Centre
Trinity
College
Trinity
Avenue
EAST
PERTH WA 6004
http://www.trinity.wa.edu.au/plduffyrc/
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10. NEXT ISSUE - this is the last
issue of the year. Back again
early
February 2005 is it really that.
I will be looking into
digital
cameras in the next issue.
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11.
Code of the 'Netizens'
This
Newsletter is not free, despite the misleading advertising
above.
The Fee is now due. Each week you must help one
colleague
on the Internet who has less knowledge than you.
Help
that person even if you have to visit their classroom or
do a
little research and get back to them. Trust me, this will
help
a lot of people get their computer classrooms running better.
OK
I'm trusting you!!!
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12.
TIPS
1.
Double click on highlighted URLS to open in browser.
2.
Send in your Questions, Questions will be published with
Answers,
send in your Answers, if you have expertise to share.
3.
Nominate a brilliant site for review and inclusion in this
newsletter.
4.
Nominate a fantastic school site for review and inclusion in
this
newsletter.
5.
Make contact with other schools using fantastic programs.
6.
Prepare and innovative article for this newsletter.
7.
Tell 2 colleagues about this newsletter.
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The
opinions expressed here are purely those of the editor,
Cathy
Brown. All other small print clauses apply. Such as:
Use
at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. If it doesn't
work
for you send me an email.
Editor:
cathy brown mailto:cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
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