A Publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning
Summer 2013
VOLUME 33, ISSUE 4
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Staying Safe Online Your Digital Footprint Also In this Issue Cyber Safety Using Avatars to Keep Them Safe Michigan CSI - Nearly 1 Million Strong MACUL 2013 Award Recipients
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I really like the idea of the independence of online learning. I’m excited for college … I know I will have a lot of opportunities to take online courses and I feel really prepared.
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(MVS Chinese 1A student)
Last year, the Michigan Virtual School provided more than 22,000 online enrollments in courses ranging from AP Physics to Mandarin Chinese to Algebra. • Courses – High School offerings include Advanced Placement and seven World Languages. Middle School courses include the entire core curriculum and advanced courses in language arts, math, science, world cultures and world geography. • Instructors – Highly qualified, Michigan-certified teachers who have training in online instruction.
• Expands learning options for students
• Standards – Courses meet state and national standards where applicable. Nearly 80 high school courses meet NCAA eligibility standards.
• Teaches 21st century learning skills • Makes learning relevant
w w w. m i v h s . o r g
• Proven effective • Gives educators new ways to reach students 2
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MACUL
The MACUL Journal is published four times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) by MACUL, the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, Inc. MACUL OFFICE 3410 Belle Chase Way, Suite 100 Lansing, MI 48911
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Telephone 517.882.1403 Fax 517.882.2362 E-mail: macul@macul.org www.macul.org
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A publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning Summer 2013 | Volume 33, Issue 4
Executive Director Ric Wiltse rwiltse@macul.org
CONTENTS
Executive Assistant Ieva Kule ikule@macul.org
Calendar........................................................................................................... 4
Business Manager Barbara Surtman bsurtman@macul.org
MACUL Officers and Board of Directors............................................................ 5 Special Interest Group Directors....................................................................... 5
Member Services Associate Krystal Ohler kohler@macul.org
From the President’s Desk................................................................................ 6
Professional Development Coordinator Sheila Dunham sdunham@macul.org
A Look Back..................................................................................................... 6
MACUL Journal Editor Judy Paxton jpaxton@macul.org
Federal Trade Commission updates COPPA:..................................................... 7 Cyber Safety..................................................................................................... 8
Webmaster Paul Yelensky pyelensky@mac.com
Using Avatars to Keep Them Safe................................................................... 10
Become a MACUL member for free at www.macul.org/ membership, or sign up to become a Friend of MACUL for $20/year and have the MACUL Journal print version mailed to you. The MACUL Journal digital version is available at www.macul.org.
The Youngest Digital Citizens.......................................................................... 11 Michigan CSI – Nearly One Million Strong!..................................................... 12
The MACUL Journal welcomes and encourages letters, articles, suggestions, and contributions from readers. Publishing guidelines are posted at: www.macul.org > MACUL Journal.
Cyber Safety at the MiLearns Online Portal..................................................... 14
All editorial items and advertising inquiries should be sent to: Judy Paxton, Editor 231.342.4801 E-mail: jpaxton@macul.org
MACUL Honors 2013 MACUL Award Recipients.............................................. 17
Composition and design by: Jonathan Guinn Rogers Printing, Inc. 3350 Main St. Ravenna, MI 49451 Telephone 800.622.5591
Cyber Security and Us.................................................................................... 20
MACUL Conference in Pictures....................................................................... 16
Displaying an iPad on a Projector or TV.......................................................... 18
Ads on Google and Facebook: Masterful Illusions........................................... 22 Connecting with Poetry via Kidblog................................................................. 24
Information is available upon request.
Hack Your Students’ Textbooks........................................................................ 26
Portions of the MACUL Journal may be reprinted with permission as long as the source is clearly acknowledged.
Preparing Digital Citizens................................................................................ 27
Opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent MACUL.
MACUL Conference Sponsor Thank You........................................................... 30
Publication of items in the MACUL Journal does not imply endorsement by MACUL. MACUL journal
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2013 May 2013
Igniting Learning Through Meaningful Collaboration And Innovation Founded 1975 An organizational member of The International Society for Technology in Education MACUL is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that exists to:
p rovide a state association for educators involved with, or seeking knowledge of, computer-related technology in learning ■ provide for the sharing and exchanging of ideas, techniques, materials, and procedures for the use of computerrelated technology through conferences, publications and support services ■ promote and encourage effective, ethical and equitable use of computerrelated technology in learning ■ encourage and support research relating to the use of computer-related technology in learning. ■
May 3 Tech Forum Chicago
May 10 Mobile Learning Conference, Kalamazoo RESA, Kalamazoo
May 17 MACUL Journal articles due for 2013 Fall Issue: eCurriculum
May 19-21 MACUL Leadership Retreat, Kettunen Center, Tustin
June 2013 June 11-12 iBook Authoring Hackathon, Kent ISD, Grand Rapids
June 18-19 iBook Authoring Hackathon, Wayne State University, Detroit
June 23-26 ISTE 2013 Conference, San Antonio, TX
July/August 2013 — Best of MACUL, www.macul.org/otherevents/ July 22 REMC 17 - Oakland Schools, Waterford
July 24 REMC 10 - Tuscola ISD, Caro
July 25 REMC 6 - Bay Arenac ISD, Bay City
July 26 REMC 12E - Calhoun ISD, Marshall
July 30 REMC 5 - Clare Gladwin ISD, Clare
August 1 REMC 22 - Eastern UP ISD, Sault St. Marie
August 6 REMC 4 - Muskegon Area ISD, Muskegon
August 8 REMC 7- Ottawa ISD, Holland
August 2013 August 13 Ed Tech Academy, Zeeland Public Schools November 2013 November 4-5
miGoogle Conference, Brighton
November 14-15
Michigan Digital Learning Conference, Clinton Twp, Macomb ISD
Use the online digital MACUL Journal www.macul.org/maculjournal/ Download the complete PDF, or, use the online digital journal. These formats give the reader direct access to live resource links in the articles.
E-mail address:
If using the online digital version, look for embedded icons to view the additional videos and PDFs that may be connected with articles and advertisements.
macul@macul.org Website:
www.macul.org
Share the links with your colleagues!
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MACUL OFFICERS
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP DIRECTORS
Steve Schiller, President Muskegon Heights Public Schools steve.schiller@macul.org
Pete Mantei, Treasurer Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools pmantei@eup.k12.mi.us
Bill Wiersma SIG Liaison MACUL bwiersma@macul.org
Pam Shoemaker, President Elect Walled Lake Consolidated Schools pamelashoemaker@wlcsd.org
Tammy Maginity, Secretary Pennfield Schools maginitt@pennfield.net
Pamela Moore SIGCS Eastern Michigan University sheltiepam@earthlink.net
Mike Oswalt, Past President Calhoun ISD oswaltm@calhounisd.org
John Phillips SIGEE Battle Creek Public Schools JPSousa@gmail.com
MACUL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin Clark Berrien RESA kevin.clark@berrienresa.org Laura Cummings Oakland Schools Laura.Cummings@oakland. k12.mi.us
Todd Neibauer Traverse City Area Public Schools neibauerto@tcaps.net
Tim Davis Charlevoix-Emmet ISD davist@charemisd.org
David Prindle Byron Center Public Schools david.prindle@macul.org
Terri Gustafson Michigan State University terrigus@msu.edu
Matinga Ragatz Grand Ledge Public Schools matingaragatz@gmail.com
Ron Houtman Kent ISD ronhoutman@kentisd.org
Mary Saffron Fraser Public Schools Mary.saffron@fraser.k12.org
Tim Kamps tkamps@gmail.com
Stacey Schuh Relevant Academy staceyschuh@gmail.com
Ron Madison Flint Community Schools rmadison1@flintschools.org
Carrie Wozniak Fraser Public Schools Carrie.Wozniak@fraserk12.org
Carolyn McCarthy Shiawassee RESD cjmccarthy56@gmail.com
Barbara Fardell MDE Liaison FardellB@michigan.gov
Julie Myrmel jdmyrmel@me.com
Sue Schwartz REMCAM Liaison sueschwartz@remc.org
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Melinda Waffle SIGMM Calhoun ISD waffle@calhounisd.org
Erik Drake
SIGMS Ingham ISD edrake@inghamisd.org Carol Isakson SIGOL Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
carol@isakson.org Gina Loveless SIGPL Calhoun ISD gina.loveless@macul.org Rose McKenzie SIGSPED Jackson ISD rose.mckenzie@jcisd.org Jeff Trudell SIGTC Wyandotte Public Schools jeff.trudell@wy.k12.mi.us Daryl Tilley SIGTECH dtilley@inghamisd.org Ingham ISD Ben Rimes SIGWEB Mattawan Schools ben@techsavvyed.net Go to www.macul.org > Special Interest Groups for complete listing of SIG Officers and SIG information. 5
From the President’s Desk By Steve Schiller
Did you miss that session everybody was talking about at the 2013 MACUL Conference? Maybe you had to miss a great session because you had to choose between two sessions that you wanted attend. Or, just maybe, and even worse, you couldn’t attend the 2013 MACUL Conference.
From the Executive Director By Ric Wiltse
A Look Back
Well fortunately, you now have a second chance to hear from this year’s best conference presenters as MACUL and the REMC Association of Michigan proudly present “The Best of MACUL”. Hatched by MACUL Executive Director Ric Wiltse, “The Best of MACUL” will feature top rated sessions from the MACUL Conference at sites around the state between July 22 and August 9. Headline presenters include Mary Phillips, Mark Dohn, Fred Sharpsteen, Anne Thorp, Andy Mann, Dave Tchozewski, and more. This summer’s venues will be:
Allow me to get nostalgic. In preparing this column I realized that I have now been writing for the MACUL Journal for 25 years in three different capacities.
All in all this will be a “must attend” event that you won’t want to miss. Visit www.macul.org/otherevents/ best-of-macul/ for more information. Many thanks to our partner, the REMC Association of Michigan, and to their Executive Director Sue Schwartz, for their support of this great endeavor.
July 22 REMC 17 Oakland Schools, Waterford
On a personal note, this will be my last article as your President. I would like to thank our Executive Director Ric Wiltse, the MACUL office staff, the MACUL Board, the members of our Special Interest Groups, and all of our members, for your help, ideas, hard work, and participation that you have provided to the organization over the past year. Meeting and working with all of you was an experience that I will never forget. Together we all have helped make MACUL “The Best”!
July 24 REMC 10 Tuscola ISD, Caro July 25 REMC 6 Bay Arenac ISD, Bay City July 26 REMC 12E Calhoun ISD, Marshall July 30 REMC 5 Clare Gladwin ISD, Clare August 1 REMC 22 Eastern UP ISD, Sault St. Marie August 6 REMC 4 Muskegon Area ISD, Muskegon
Steve Schiller, the 2012-2013 MACUL Board President, is currently working for Muskegon Heights Public Schools. He has been an educator since 1976, and a MACUL member since the mid-1980’s. He can be reached at steve.schiller@macul.org.
August 8 REMC 7 Ottawa ISD, Holland
My first column for the MACUL Newsletter (as it was called then) appeared in the November/ December 1988 issue. The column was titled Microcomputers and the Media Center until it was changed in 1993 to Technology in the Media Center. I credit Burton Brooks, Newsletter Editor, for inviting me to author a column for media specialists. I’m glad that my valued friend and colleague Tim Staal is continuing the column for media specialists, even though he lives in Mumbai, India. The column ended in the fall of 1997 when I wrote From the MACUL President during my term. For a brief time, I returned to the Technology in the Media Center until I became MACUL Executive Director and started my regular column in 1999 and have authored 67 columns over 15 years in every issue of the MACUL Journal. All that totals to close to 130 columns over a quarter century. Technology has changed a lot since then. My early columns centered on the need for technology, access, funding and professional development. Today, technology in schools is a given. As a member of an organization of over 10,000 educators that recognize the importance of 21st Century technology, I find it amazing how many students MACUL members collectively impact.
A LOOK BACK continued on page 28 6
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FederalTradeCommission updates COPPA:
Will your district be ready for the 2013-14 school year? Are you aware of the new revisions to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)? The changes will become effective on July 1, 2013, so schools need to begin making plans now to ensure that they are in full compliance of the law for the 2013-2014 school year.
COPPA governs how data is collected and then used for children under the age of 13. The Federal Trade Commission updated the 1998 law to strengthen children’s privacy and make sure that parents are informed and involved in their children’s online activities. The law requires web sites and online services to obtain parental approval in order for minors under the age of 13 to use them. The list of personal information that cannot be captured without parental consent includes geo-location information, photographs, audio files, and videos that contain a child’s image or voice, along with IP addresses and mobile device IDs. Written parental consent must be obtained for the use of all online sites and services such as Google Apps for Education, Edmodo, Animoto, and Glogster. The amendment requires online sites and services to take reasonable steps to make sure that children’s personal information is released only to service providers and third parties that are capable of maintaining the confidentiality, security, and integrity of such information, and who assure that they will do so. The amendment also requires operators to retain children’s personal information for only as long as is reasonably necessary, and to protect against unauthorized access or use while the information is being disposed of. The law protects children from having their personal information tracked and shared by online sites. Educating children about how to safely navigate the Internet is as important as knowing the details of the law and its amendments. The FTC and other organizations offer MACUL journal
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guidelines for teachers and parents to effectively teach kids about Internet safety. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has a Children’s Online Privacy guideline which includes tips about privacy rights, parental consent, how to look for the privacy “seal of approval”, and a guideline for setting family rules about Internet use. The FTC’s Site Seeing on the Internet web page has a template for a parentchild or school-child contract as a means for establishing rules for Internet usage, including giving out personal information without parental consent, password protection, and sharing pictures or other identifiable media. OnGuardOnline.gov is a Federal Trade Commision resource for free information about online scams, computer security, protecting kids online, and includes a page just for K-12 educators and IT professionals. Links: See the legislation in its entirety at: www.ftc.gov/os/2012/12/121219copparulefrn.pdf MACUL Advocacy Blog: http://maculadvocacy.wordpress.com/ Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs21-children.htm Site Seeing on the Internet: www.bbb.org/us/article/ftc--site-seeing-on-the-internet-4596 On Guard Online: www.onguardonline.gov/ Pam Shoemaker, ED.S. is the MACUL President Elect. She serves as the Technology Instructional Coach for the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Contact her at pam. shoemaker@macul.org. Follow her on Twitter @shoemap. Terri Gustafson, M.A., is a member of the MACUL Board of Directors. She is the Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching and Technology in the College of Education at Michigan State University. Contact her at terrigus@msu. edu. Follow her on Twitter at @tgustafson.
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CYBER SAFETY By Jamey Fitzpatrick
Imagine you’re trying to decide where to go on vacation. You go to Google or Bing or GraphSearch and click through page after page of possibilities – most of them not what you’re looking for at all, many full of misinformation, and some offensive. Because you are a teacher, you know how to sort through the options and find what you can use; but you are also very aware of how difficult it is for students to evaluate a source’s legitimacy and what a disaster it is when students stumbles into an inappropriate site.
architects behind the search tool. “It has evolved into a walled playground of resources identified by educators. You can turn students loose within the walls with tremendous peace of mind. Teachers know – and can guarantee parents and administrators – that students can search to their hearts’ content, and they won’t find anything dangerous. NetTrekker doesn’t confine a student to a playground; it guarantees students access to the best possible playground equipment.”
What to do . . . Whether they’re using unreliable sources or finding websites not designed for students, keeping young people safe from inappropriate content is a responsibility parents, faculty and school administrators share. School administrators have to filter websites to keep students from finding their way to unsuitable sites; but steering students to valid sources of information is largely up to teachers. Both issues can be addressed through netTrekker.
Why netTrekker? Some may be leery that “picking the playground equipment” prevents students from developing important search strategies and becoming independent consumers of web information, but netTrekker includes a variety of digital literacy and cyber safety resources for teaching students to be wise, safe consumers. Depending on the desired learning outcomes and age of the students, teachers can integrate instruction about how to evaluate sources with and without netTrekker and encourage critical thinking, too.
netTrekker, available through Michigan LearnPort® (a division of Michigan Virtual University®), is a search tool that has elements that both protect and inform students. It also provides teachers with organizational support and professional development. No matter what your teaching style is, you can find what you need to plan and develop your lessons. No matter what your students’ learning styles are, you can find what you need to improve their access to the material. You identify, collect and share the links your students can use safely and effectively. “netTrekker started as a search directory years ago when finding content was a struggle,” says Dawn Crawford, one of the learning
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When you use netTrekker, you have over 300,000 teacher approved resources available at the click of your mouse. All the websites and digital materials have been vetted by educators and specific content experts. Content is grouped by elementary, middle and high school, so there’s valuable information for education professionals from all grade levels and all content areas. You can start by choosing to focus on images, key words, subjects, famous people, or a dynamic timeline. Then you can use a refining tool to narrow your search according to five categories:
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Multimedia Languages (English, Spanish and Arabic) Learning Aids (from assessments to quotations) Readability ranges Featured Content (from one of the numerous content providers like NASA, PBS Teacher Resources and BrainPOP)
Sort options make finding what you are looking for quicker and easier, and you can sort results by teacher or student recommendation, title or reading level. You know the resources are safe One netTrekker team has the sole purpose of maintaining the reliability and security of sources. Specialists in digital content who have worked with content publishers, curriculum groups, and certified educators monitor the website. They look at material
Michigan LearnPort is the statewide professional development portal for teachers, so netTrekker’s webinars, courses and workshops are fitting companions. netTrekker offers Tutorials – real crowd pleasers – that teach people how to use the new interface and make the best out of the new features, including access to learning and curriculum management systems. The social community, netTrekker Village, is available for teachers to connect with others who are using the tool and share ideas. You can save resources and develop your own portfolio within your account. An integrated system allows you to connect your planning, instruction, and assessment. Finally, netTrekker invites user feedback, from a thumb up or down review to the Report a Problem feature that allows you to report concerns about resources that may, for example, have inappropriate content, be slow or unresponsive, or produce excessive pop-ups. When all is said and done Parents, administrators and colleagues expect educators to have an expansive understanding of technology and how to use it. Some believe if teachers are not technologically savvy, they are doing a disservice to their students. At a minimum, teachers are expected to use technology intelligently. But a lot of educators aren’t so certain about how the cyber world works. They need guidance and practice, too. Once they are familiar with the tools and know how to use them, they can model effective Internet skills. And there’s an added bonus: Actually seeing teachers using new resources can have a motivating effect on students. Who doesn’t want to hear their students say, “That’s cool! Where did you find it? Can I use that, too?” There’s only so much teachers can control, but they can feel a lot more confident if they know what tools are available and how to use them wisely and well. Finding the right resource can be a challenge, as can knowing when it’s really the right resource.
through several lenses to see how it fits into a larger taxonomy for curriculum and applies to and aligns with state standards, common core and course objectives. A teacher can start with the common core or a state standard and find resources and activities to meet those requirements. When new material is added to netTrekker, members of the team cultivate and monitor it, checking quality and relevancy and noting how quickly content meets user need. netTrekker also has a full time dead link checker. netTrekker will work with your school’s filter Institutions’ restrictive Internet filters block offensive or inappropriate websites. They also prevent access to valid, valuable, and age-appropriate web resources. netTrekker allows websites to come through that would be inaccessible otherwise. Another layer of protection from disturbing or inappropriate language and information is the controversial material setting. The district or administrator can filter out content deemed inappropriate by school decision-makers while still allowing teachers to direct students to acceptable content.
The support you find at Michigan LearnPort and netTrekker can put your mind at ease. You can go to www.learnport.org and register on Michigan LearnPort free of charge. Once you’ve registered, netTrekker is available to you at no cost. About MVU MVU® is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established in 1998 by the State of Michigan to serve as a champion for online learning. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual School® and Michigan LearnPort®, an online learning portal that delivers professional development opportunities and more to the Michigan education community. To learn more, visit www. mivu.org. Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of MVU, has served as a catalyst for change and a champion of innovation in public education. Fitzpatrick serves on the Board of Trustees for Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan, as well as the Michigan 4-H Foundation Board.
And there’s more . . .
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By Marilyn Western
Using Technology in the Elementary Classroom Using Avatars to Keep Them Safe Kids often think about using technology as fun (unless they’re trying to learn to keyboard). Creating avatars is always an awesome project and by saving them to use in a variety of ways, both online and off, you’ve added an educational twist – specifically, using an avatar to protect their personal identity. Avatars are a fun and safe way to represent yourself and there are quite a few free, easy, and g-rated web sites to aim your students at. So why not start out the school year with this fun way to introduce the concept of concealing personal information – in this instance, your image. Step One: Define an avatar Define an avatar (and many students think of avatars as big blue people with cool tails that live on another planet while others have no idea what you are talking about), and describe how they can give non-personal information about yourself, from your favorite colors, to some of your interests, to a drawing that represents you. Move on to WHY you are having them make avatars and how they can help protect you online. Step Two: Show some examples Best way to do this is to create a few avatars for yourself. You’ll end up with some interesting samples (of course you’ll make some wonderful avatars that represent the Real You, but also make a few that don’t – just for discussion purposes!), plus you’ll be able to guide students in the making and saving of their own avatars at a variety of sites. Step Three: Make an avatar a day At the beginning of the school year, I take three 30-minute lab periods to have each student make and save 3 different avatars. They get to pick one of the three for a variety of projects throughout the year. Some projects work better with just a ‘head shot’ avatar, while others benefit from a ‘whole-body’ image. Some are full of color, and others are black and white. This way, students are able to choose the ‘just right’ avatar for any project. Step Four: Save that avatar! Some sites will allow you to download your finished avatar. Others allow you to right click and save the little guy. And for a few, you’ll have to teach your kiddoes to take a Screen Shot, which has a few more steps, but isn’t all that difficult: 10
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On a PC: Find the Snipping Tool. Choose New Snip > rectangular snip Drag your cursor (now a crosshair) diagonally across your avatar image. Let go. Click Save Snip. On a Mac: Press Apple [Command] + Shift + 4 at the same time Drag your cursor (now a crosshair) diagonally across your avatar image. Let go. You’ll hear a snapshot sound. Your avatar now appears on the desktop named picture1.png. Kid friendly avatar web sites I use (most of these get through our district filter, a few I have to request) doppel me, www.doppelme.com/: save by I’m done button > right click The Mini-Mizer, www.reasonablyclever.com/mini-mizers/ classic-kid-safe-mini-mizer: save by print screen Simpsons Avatar, www.simpsonsmovie.com/ride: save by print screen Wimp Yourself, www.wimpyourself.com: save by Save + Share button > Export > right click Build Your Wild Self, www.buildyourwildself.com: save by right click Bless this Chick, www.blessthischick.com/btcmachine/index. php: save by print screen Clay Yourself, www.clayyourself.com: save by download > right click Osoq Make Your Avatar, www.osoq.com/edit-pictures-online/ make-your-avatar.asp: save by download PicassoHead, www.picassohead.com: save by print screen Sonic the Hedgehog, http://devbook.com/charactercreators/ sonic: save by print screen Create a Dragon, http://kcoyote.deviantart.com/art/Create-ADragon-78055600: save by print screen
Using Avatars continued on page 28
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The Youngest Digital Citizens: Teaching K-5 Students How to Be Safe Online By John Phillips and Mary Phillips Kids as young as age 2 are beginning to understand how computers work and how to find the activities that they like. It’s no wonder that those of us in the elementary classroom are finding that students are coming to us prepared to find Disney and Nickelodeon with no trouble. While this is a useful bit of knowledge to have, these same students have very little understanding of how vast the Internet truly is, and the implications of their actions online. It’s our job as educators to help them understand the “rules of the road” in order to help protect them. As Technology and Media Literacy teachers, we are given the unique opportunity to provide students with dedicated instruction on how to stay safe online. The tricky part of teaching this topic is balancing teaching safety skills, while still making the content real for students. In elementary school this can be difficult. We encourage you to reach out to parents and let them know that you are going to explore the topic and offer them tips that they can use at home to support the new ideas. A major component of teaching this information is finding strong tools to help you teach the content. One of the best tools that we have encountered recently was created by Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) called Digital Passport (digitalpassport. org). Digital Passport is a tool that provides a set of 5 lessons that teach students about internet safety, mobile technologies, cyberbullying, internet search skills, and copyright. The games that are associated with each section are incredibly entertaining and educational. Digital Passport also offers lesson plans for teachers, and the ability to track student progress throughout the sessions. We recommend this for grades 3-5. For younger students, we have found that Router’s Birthday Surprise (www.netsmartzkids.org/RoutersBirthdaySurprise/Adventure) by MACUL journal
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NetSmartzKids (www.Netsmartzkids.org) works incredibly well at conveying internet safety tips. This site approaches the subject matter through an interactive cartoon featuring Router. Each section focuses on a different tip, and has a quick form of assessment at the end. The songs and the method of presentation make this site very popular with students in grades K-2. If you are finding that you are lacking the time to work with these tools, we highly recommend the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (www.bit.ly/micsi) offered by the Attorney General. The Attorney General representatives will come to your school and put on free presentations to students and parents on how to stay safe online. The tools that they offer are extremely valuable and make a lasting impact on students and parents. The resources for teaching internet safety are coming online every day. We have created a section on our website (http://dudleystem. weebly.com/digital-citizenship.html) that we are continually updating with the new resources that we find. If you question the need for time to be spent on this topic, ask your elementary students how many of them have Facebook accounts. Every hand that goes up is an opportunity for you to change their lives and keep them safe. John Phillips is the Director of the Special Interest Group for Elementary Education for MACUL. He teaches for Battle Creek Public Schools, and can be reached online on Twitter at @bcgeek and @sigeemacul. Mary Phillips is the Technology Coordinator for Dudley STEM School in Battle Creek Public Schools. She was recently awarded the title “Best of MACUL” and will be presenting at Calhoun ISD on July 27th.
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Michigan CSI – Nearly One Million Strong!
Attorney General Bill Schuette’s Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (Michigan CSI) continues to receive rave reviews after reaching the milestone of presenting the program to nearly one million students and adults across the State of Michigan. We have been able to present to many schools and organizations across Michigan because educators appreciate how the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative empowers students to stay safe online. Our presentations are designed to entertain while they educate. A recent update to the program includes featuring recording artist and anti-bullying advocate Keenan West’s “Never Ever” music video in 6th through 8th grade seminars. The video is a tribute to students who find the courage to comfort and defend victims of bullying. Attorney General Schuette recently appeared with Keenan West to kick-off 2013 in Flint and Southfield where he challenged students to lead by example alongside Keenan West’s live performances of “Never Ever.” In addition, A.G. Schuette and Keenan West presented to the Michigan Bullying Prevention Summit hosted by the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association in Lansing. Michigan CSI Seminars Provide Valuable Programming
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We teach our children to avoid strangers and look both ways before crossing the street, but do we take time to teach them the basics of online safety? Although they might be at home while surfing the web, children are one click away from venturing into the digital equivalent of the darkest, most dangerous part of town without knowing how to return to safety. Likewise, we teach our children manners - don’t eat with your fingers, say “please” and “thank you,” don’t bully your little sister or the kid next door. We assess our effectiveness as teachers by observing our child’s behavior. Unfortunately, we cannot always easily observe our children’s activities online. Moreover, our children often fail to see the larger impact of their cyber communications and may also remain unaware of unintended consequences. It is our duty to provide our children with sufficient training on how to use the Internet and cyber communications responsibly and respectfully.
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This growing need for cyber safety education for children drives Attorney General Bill Schuette’s devotion to protect public safety by educating children about cyber security and the importance of responsible and respectful online behavior. Michigan CSI programing is free of charge to all K-8 public and private schools throughout Michigan and features presentations tailored to grades K-1 (20-25 minutes); 2-3 (25-30 minutes); 4-5 (40-45 minutes); and 6-8 (50-55 minutes). In addition, there is a Community Seminar (60 minutes) for parents and guardians and a program overview (60 minutes) for educators. We encourage your school to become a leader in cyber safety education and join the nearly one million and counting who have benefited from our presentations. Please contact the Michigan Department of Attorney General at www.michigan.gov/csi to register for these free seminars. We are accepting registrations for the 2013-2014 school year. If you have questions, call the Attorney General’s Consumer Programs Team toll-free at 877-765-8388.
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Our duty is even more important when we appreciate the growing prominence of the Internet and cyber communications in the lives of our children. According to the Family Online Safety Institute, social media has become so pervasive in the lives of American teens that having a social media presence and going online are most often one in the same. Fully 95% of all teens ages 12-17 are now online and 80% of those online teens are users of social media sites.
Michigan educators reacted
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“The presentation was at my student’s level. Right on!” “It wasn’t just a lecture … the videos helped keep the kids attention.” “I think it’s important that kids have an opportunity to hear all of this. Students need to understand the cruel things they say (online and offline) can have a devastating impact on their peers.”
Adults who participate in the Community Seminar commented:
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“Very good, well-presented information. Cyber safety is a moving target so it is important to be informed.” “I loved all the parent resource information. Very impressive presentation.” “Eye opening facts and tips.”
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MILITA FRIEND SCHOO
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MILITA FRIEND SCHOO
G.I. Job
Cyber Safety at the MiLearns Online Portal By Mike Souden
Our networked digital media links us like never before. This linking redefines what it means to be “Safe” because it is a world that is difficult to actually touch. The REMC Association of Michigan’s Michigan Learns Online Portal (www.MiLearnsOnline.org) provides access to three free online courses that address being safe while online. Each of the three free courses covers Cyber Safety issues such as texting, sexting, bullying, online scams, phishing, citizenship and predators. Each free course uses multiple mediums to help students build an understanding of what it means to by safe in the cyber world. To access the three courses go to www.MiLearnsOnline.org, click on Search the MiLearns Online Portal, scroll down and select Technology Instruction in the Subject box. You will find three free courses that address Cyber Safety: 21Things4Students from the REMC Association of Michigan, prepares students to be technology literate and is aligned to Michigan Educational Technology Standards and has a significant section addressing Cyber Safety. Designed for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students the 21Things4Students Cyber Safety lesson addresses the topic by having students complete three missions that help them understand the “digital world” and how decisions made in the digital world affect them in the “real” world for both the long and short term, impacting their ability to get a job, enter college and other life long prospects. Topics addressed include the 9 themes of Digital Citizenship, 10 Core Rules of Netiquette, and 10 Online Safety tips. 21Things4Students is also web-based and available at www.21things4students.net. CyberSafety 2010, by Paul Nelson of the Northwest Regional ESD in Oregon, is designed for students ages 11-18. It provides common sense tips for staying safe while using a wide range of network-based tools. This course is divided into 5 topic areas 14
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titled Predators, CyberBullying, Email Safety, Social Networking, and Cell Phone use. The resources are from news interviews, case histories, YouTube, the PEW Internet and American Life research studies and the NetSmartz Kids website, and are for both students and their parents. Digital Citizenship, by Julie Harris of the Rochester Community Schools, Rochester, Michigan is designed for high school students. Digital Citizenship addresses Cyber Safety by placing it in the context of the 9 themes of Digital Citizenship. Each Digital Citizenship theme is its own topic. Digital Citizenship is about the 9 themes of Digital Citizenship so each topic begins by defining the theme and addresses Cyber Safety in the context of that theme. For example, the theme of Digital Etiquette includes CyberBullying and uses videos to cover the topic and follows it with two quizzes; one covering CyberBullying specifically and the other on Digital Etiquette generally. All of these free courses have a Creative Commons Share Alike License. The teacher can freely download and use the entire course, some of what the course has to offer, or use parts of the different courses to make their own. The only constraint is that they site the sources of the material they are using (Digital Citizen Theme # 7 - Rights and Responsibilities). Teachers wanting to use these free Cyber Safety courses will want to contact their school district, ISD or REMC technology person for assistance in setting up the course. And they are free. Mike Souden, Project Manager for the MiLearns Online Portal, is a retired educational Technology Consultant and REMC Director from Oakland Schools. He is a MACUL and REMC Association of Michigan Past-President and can be reached at mksouden@gmail.com.
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The 2013 MACUL CONFERENCE IN PICTURES • We look forward to seeing you next year
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MACUL Honors 2013 MACUL Award Recipients
Awardees received wonderful technology gifts from MACUL, MVU, REMC, Adobe, AirServer and TechSmith: iPad 2 or iPad mini, Adobe Software, TechSmith Camtasia package and Coaches Eye App, AirServer License for use with iPad and laptop. The MACUL President’s Award was given to TechSmith for contributions to the field of educational technology and their support of MACUL.
MACUL offers awards to honor members who demonstrate outstanding achievement in the use of technology to improve education. Each award winner receives gifts, complimentary registration and hotel accommodations to the MACUL Conference. All award winners have the opportunity to enter the 2013 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) award competition.
2012 MACUL Award Recipients
Two Making It Happen Awards (ISTE) were given to: Marie Zuk (left) and Sue Hardin (right).
(Shown left to right) Outstanding Technology-Using Pre-K-12 Teacher: Nicholas Provenzano, Grosse Pointe South High School Outstanding Technology-Using Pre-K-12 Teacher Runner Up: Jacqueline Leiker, Kingsford High School, Breitung Township School District
Visit www.macul.org for more information about these MACUL Awards.
Technology Coordinator of the Year: Kris Young, Fraser Public Schools Frank Miracola 21 Things Educational Excellence Award: Sylvia Tillman, Samuel Gompers Elementary Middle School in Detroit Outstanding Technology-Using Educator: Melissa White, Director of Instructional Technology and REMC 13 Outstanding Technology-Using Educator Runner Up: Dan Spencer, Jackson County Intermediate School District
MACUL 10,000th member! Robin Pegg of Eaton ISD won a 2014 MACUL conference registration and many MACUL logo items.
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Early conference registration drawing winner: Andrea Trutzl of the Diocese of Lansing won an iPod.
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Displaying an iPad on a Projector or TV
Quick Keys and Tips
By Andy Mann There are three strategies for sharing the image and sound from an iPad to a projector or flat panel TV. Each solution presents its own benefits and issues. I hope this article will help you select the best solution for your needs. Simple: use a document camera. Many classrooms already own a document camera such as an Elmo or Aver document camera. Most cameras connect to a projector or TV using a VGA cable. Most document cameras have the option to record whatever is being displayed using software on the computer, allowing for easy creation of iPad tutorials. There are two advantages of using a document camera: first, it’s easy to switch between users displaying their device by simply putting a different iPad under the camera. Second, the document camera shows the presenter’s finger, allowing viewers to see where the presenter is tapping. Disadvantage: they have a difficult time providing a precise focus; often ceiling lights create “hotspots” on the image. If you want to also share the audio, the iPad must be plugged into a speaker or the classroom audio system. Products to consider: ● Elmo TT-12, $529 (REMC $AVE Bid price) ● Qomo QD3200, $500 (REMC $AVE Bid price) ● Aver 300 AF+, $441 (REMC $AVE Bid price) ● Recordex SC5i+, $189 (REMC $AVE Bid price) ● IPEVO Point 2 View camera, $69 Intermediate: connect the iPad to a projector or TV using an adapter cable. These can be purchased directly from Apple or through a reseller. The iPad 2 and iPad 3rd generation use a 30 pin connector. The iPad 4th generation uses a connector called a Lightning Connector that requires a different type of adapter. Note: the VGA adapter carries only video and does not carry audio. The Digital AV Adapter carries both video and audio. An advantage of the VGA adapter - the displayed image is larger than the image when connecting using a Digital AV adapter or connecting wirelessly. A disadvantage of an adapter is that they easily get unplugged and the instructor is always tethered to a cable. They also do not display where a presenter is tapping on the screen. Note: most new projectors support HDMI input.
● Lightning Digital AV Adapter, $49 from Apple ● Lightning to VGA Adapter, $49 from Apple (now allows iPad to be plugged in) ● 30 Pin to Digital AV Adapter, $39 from Apple ● 30 Pin to VGA Adapter, $29 from Apple MACUL journal
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Advanced: there are currently two methods for connecting the iPad to a projector or TV wirelessly using the iPad’s built-in AirPlay mirror option, a hardware solution – the Apple TV and a software solution - Reflector. The Reflector software runs on a computer and the computer is connected to the projector or TV. With either solution, the iPad is connected over the wireless network using its built-in AirPlay mirroring to mirror and display the iPad display and audio. The big advantage of these two solutions is they allow a presenter to be mobile. It’s also easy to share a connection, allowing a student or co-presenter to take over the presentation and share their iPad display. However, there can be some challenges as well as disadvantages. These solutions do not display where a presenter is tapping on the screen. The Apple TV or computer running Reflections must be on the same wireless network. Because students can also use AirPlay to mirror their iPad, many teachers password protect the connection so students can only share their display if they know the password. Because of network traffic, on a busy wireless network the image being mirrored from the iPad may just stop working. In addition, the Apple TV currently does not support browser based network authentication – which is required for some wireless networks. There can also be issues if multiple Apple TVs are all connected to the same network - the iPads sees them all. The last Apple TV issue is only an issue if you are using an older projector. The Apple TV outputs the display and audio over an HDMI cable. If a projector only supports VGA input, a HDMI to VGA converter and cables are required. The Reflector software has its own configuration issues as specific network ports must be opened, requiring involvement and approval from the tech department. The great advantage of the inexpensive Reflector software solution is the iPad’s image and audio is displayed on the computer screen, allowing easy creation of tutorials using screencasting software and sharing in a webinar using products such as Adobe Connect. ● Apple TV, $99 from Apple ● Kanex ATV Pro, non powered HDMI to VGA Adapter, $59.95 ● Reflector, $12.99 single license, $54.99 for a 5 user license (Windows or Mac) ● Cables, assorted prices depending on the type and length; a 3’ HDMI cable is $2.50 Note: Access live links for the products in this article in the digital or PDF versions of this journal issue found at www.macul.org/maculjournal/. Andy Mann is the REMC 4 Director and Instructional Technology Consultant for Muskegon Area ISD.
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Cyber Security and Us by Maryly Skallos Cyberspace touches nearly every part of our daily lives. It is the broadband networks beneath us. It is the wireless signals around us. It is the local networks in our schools, hospitals, and businesses. It is the massive grids that power our nation. It is the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe. It is the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history (White House, 2010). It is the reason why cyber security is more important today than ever.
His agenda includes gathering information that improves student learning, teacher performance, and college and career readiness through enhanced data systems. For these systems to function properly, they must be secure. Cyber security is much more than technological solutions to technical problems. It is also highly dependent on educated users who are aware of and routinely employ sound practices when dealing with cyberspace (National Institute for Cybersecurity Education, 2010).
Did you know that cybercrime costs the world significantly more than the global black market in marijuana, cocaine, and heroine combined? With 556 million people per year becoming victims of cybercrime, 1.5 million per hour, 18 people per second, cybercrime costs about $110 billion per year. Securing cyberspace means that we need to develop a technologically skilled workforce, a cyber-savvy public, and an effective pipeline of future employees (NICCS, 2010).
The President believes that providing a high-quality education for all children is critical to America’s economic future. He believes that teachers are the single most important resource to a child’s learning. He has begun a campaign of looking at community colleges to provide an educational opportunity to equip a greater share of young people and adults with high-demand skills and education for emerging industries. These are all components of the stated guiding principles of the President’s agenda as expressed in Chapter 11, Building Capacity for a Digital Nation within his Cyberspace Policy Review (National Institute for Cybersecurity Education, 2010). Did you know that our national government has begun a coordinated effort focused on cyber security awareness education, training, and professional development? The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) was established to address the issues to train our future cyber security professionals in various areas. The mission of NICE is “to enhance the overall cyber security
Even President Obama has voiced his opinion on this threat to our nation. He has declared that the “cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation” and that “America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber security” (White House, 2010). With the President’s agenda on education, especially with the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus, cyber security can be viewed as part of STEM and as an enabler. 20
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Secure Your Computer: The internet gives you access to countless things such as products, services, and information. At the same time, it can leave you open to scammers, hackers, and identity thieves. Want a resource where you get expert tips for how to protect your information and your computer while online? Check out OnGuardOnline.gov Secure Your Computer (www. onguardonline.gov/topics/secure-your-computer). There is a plethora of tips on topics such a computer security, malware, securing your wireless network, P2P File-sharing risks, laptop security, laptop security bookmark, and much more.
posture of the United States by accelerating the availability of educational and training resources to improve cyber behavior, skill, and knowledge of every segment of the population – enabling a safer cyberspace for all” (NICCS, 2010). In 2010, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) was created as a repository of cyber security materials. These materials are made available as a national resource for government, industry, academia, and the general public. This repository helps everyone with opportunities to learn more about cyber security awareness, education, careers, and workforce development opportunities. One of their visions is to affect a change in the American public to adopt a culture of cyberspace security and to build a competent cyber security workforce (NICCS, 2010).
Did you know that our national government has begun a coordinated effort Stay Safe Online: This site is a valuable for teaching online safety. Many focused on cyber security resource educators have used the resources from site to each online safety within awareness education, this their classrooms but there are additional for business techniques to stay training, and professional resources safe online. There are also links to national programs such as Stop. Think. Connect., development? National Cyber Security Awareness Month
In 2011, a national contest was conducted looking for innovative and original videos encouraging fellow citizens to be safe and secure online. This contest was in conjunction with the NICE program as a way to inform citizens of the dangers of cybercrimes and other activities that can jeopardize the safety of our personal information. The Stop.Think.Connect campaign is an opportunity to get viewers to think before they act online. They cover topics such as communicating over an unsecured wireless access point, cyberbullying, and a direct connection to Stop.Think.Connect. These videos are 30 to 60 seconds in length. The short, straight to the point films provide a starting point for continued discussion and awareness for students, parents, and the community alike. (See PSA Video reference below to view the videos.)
A variety of new resources are now available for the general public to use to self-educate as well as to share with students, school administrators, parents, and community leaders. Below are a number of resources readily available for personal education. Resources Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business (interactive tutorial): Safeguarding sensitive data is just plain good sense whether you are a business or not. Are you taking appropriate steps to protect your personal information? This 20-minute interactive tutorial provides ways in which you can implement these principles in your business (www.business.ftc. gov/multimedia/videos/protecting-personal-information).
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Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA): This program is committed to serving the needs of the higher education academic community in the areas of curriculum, faculty development, cyber skills competitions and underrepresented outreach. (http://www.cssia.org/) References: National Insitute for Cybersecurity Education (2010, April 19). National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/cybersecurity_ niceeducation.pdf NICCS. (2010). NICCS – helping you enhance your cybersecurity knowledge. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved from http:// niccs.us-cert.gov//niccs%E2%80%94helping-you-enhance-yourcybersecurity-knowledge PSA Video. (2010). Announcing the Stop.Think.Connect PSA Challenge. Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/27/announcingstopthinkconnect-psa-challenge-winners.
Make Data Security Part of Your Routine: Did you know that January 28, 2013 was Data Privacy Day? Even though it is just one day a year, it is something that we need to keep in the forefront of our mind every day of the year. In other words, it needs to be part of our regular routine. By adding data privacy habits to our routine, we can take steps to protect our personal information. Want to learn more about identity theft, check out the video on identity theft at OnGuardOnline.gov (www.onguardonline.gov/ blog/make-data-security-part-your-routine). MACUL journal
(NCSAM), Data Privacy Day (DPD), and National Cyber Security Education Council (NCEC). There is a blog that is continuously updated with current topics such as How to Maintain a Safe Facebook Profile after the Introduction of Facebook Graph Search (Feb. 4, 2013) and 10 Ways to Protect Your Privacy and Identity on a Windows Computer (Jan 31, 2013), www.staysafeonline.org.
White House. (2010). Cybersecurity: The White House. Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov/cybersecurity. Maryly Skallos is an Instructional Designer for ellucian, Inc/Muskegon Community College. She has a master’s degree in Information Technology with a concentration in Internet Security and is currently pursuing a PhD in Information Technology with a focus on mobile technology in higher education. Her email address is maryly.skallos@muskegoncc.edu.
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Ads on Google and Facebook:
Master ful Illusions By Zenia C. Bahorski and Konnie G. Kustron MACUL SIGCS When we browse online, there’s the belief that if we “like” an Internet company, we are more likely to buy from them. We trust that these companies will protect our data and information, or otherwise we wouldn’t do business with them. However, services that are attractive come at a price. Let’s Begin with Google: Ask anyone and they would say that Google is the largest search site. They wouldn’t be wrong! According to StatCounter, in January 2013 Google attracted 90.47% of the searches that were made globally, and 83.6% of those searches were made in North America (StatCounter, 2013). Yet, Google doesn’t make its money with its search engine! Google sells ads on its search pages, online apps, and on its Gmail accounts. They are ingenious at targeting ads. Whenever you visit any one of Google’s sites, one of its servers will record your information in a Google server log. This information will include your IP address, the date and time, the URL that you visit, your browser information, your operating system and a cookie with other information that Google keeps about you such as your user preferences or other log in information (Google, n.d.). For example, if you search for flowers on your laptop, Google will display ads for flower-related items in your geographical area (based
on where your IP address originates). If you check your Gmail account and read an email that includes the word photography or have included it as a search word in the past, Google will display photography ads on the page. If the user designates that the email was spam, then these ads will not be displayed (Google, 2013). Google has an opt-out option, but the emails will still produce ads based on words scanned within the email text. The only way to truly opt out is by viewing the emails in “basic HTML view, or POP, or IMAP” (Google, 2013, para. 8). Facebook’s Success Story: Facebook, as does Google, operates on a click-through system where it generates money each time a person clicks on a sponsor’s link. One of the ways Facebook gets our attention is to display ads related to things that we designate as our “likes”. Even if these favorites drop off our list, they are not off their radar. They keep our favorites list indefinitely. Facebook had 152 million unique users who logged in with a PC browser last year, which was a decrease of 4% from the same time in 2011 (Nielsen, 2012, p.8). Although the PC users declined in 2012, the number of unique users who logged in using a mobile app went up to 78 million, an increase of 88%, and those logging in using a mobile web browser increased to 74 million users, up by 85% (p. 8). With this shift in method of access to mobile devices, Facebook had to think of a new way to entice its users to click on ads. Recently, Facebook added a new marketing tactic that they call Sponsored Stories. Once one of your “friends” has “liked” a company or clicked on an RSVP link on their mobile device, you may get a sponsored story by the company seemingly from your friend. This has increased Facebook’s ad revenue by 14% since the middle of last year, earning them $139 million. Currently, this new service is earning them over three million dollars per day (Fiegerman, 2012). Even Facebook states that people will more likely follow through and click on the link if it comes from a friend (Facebook, 2013).
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How Many Click-Through? With the number of people clicking on ads, just how many of those buy something? These companies and organizations that deal with social sites have had great success at marketing their products online. According to Nielsen (2013), 15% of those who clicked on an ad on a social site shared it with others, 26% “liked” the ads, and 14% purchased products. This high visibility of ads also entices people to purchase from the advertiser. Nielsen states that purchases do not always take place online. Of those making purchases, 10% made the purchase online for the advertised product, 8% purchased the product from the store, and 18% subsequently purchased or used a coupon at a daily deal or retailer site (p.18). How Much Money is to be Made? Google “controls 56% of the mobile ad market and 96% of its search ad segment” (Cohan, 2012, para. 3). So that means Google makes most of its money with ads. And, they make a lot of it! Wolfram Alpha lists Google’s last reported worth as of the fourth
quarter of 2012 as $255.7 billion, making $10.74 billion dollars in the last 12 months alone (2013). The cost per thousand clicks for ads on a computer is $3.50 as compared to those on a mobile device of $.75 per thousand (Cohan). If Google makes 96% of its money from ads, imagine the number of ad links that need to be followed to make the company $10.74 billion dollars. Facebook’s latest reported worth as of the fourth quarter 2012 is $64.41 billion, making $291 million in the past 12 months (Wolfram Alpha, 2013). Facebook has two ways to charge for ads, CPC and CPM. CPC stands for Cost Per Click. CPM stands for Cost Per Mille (mille is the international metric word for thousand). So, the advertiser can choose to pay per click (click through), or pay for each one thousand times that the ad is displayed. Also, Facebook lets the advertiser set the price, as if bidding for the ad space. The advertiser that sets the highest price gets the space. Again, there is money to be made by Facebook. And, what’s on the horizon for Facebook? They recently announced that they are adding Facebook search. With the popularity of Facebook, this will certainly go viral in no time. Privacy Concerns:
A fortune is yet to be made online. In order to do so, these advertisers need to know something about us. This is where our privacy concerns lie. Google may gather information such as credit card information, name, email address, and telephone number. They can also collect specific information about our computers, “such as your hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information including phone number” (Google, 2012, para. 7). In addition to our devices, they retain data in server logs on such information as search queries, IP address, date and time information, and cookies (para. 8). If you have GPS set up on your mobile device, then Google can use your location as part of their data collection. And, if you have an account with them, they retain your profile information, including your picture (para. 5). Google says that they gather information about us to provide us with better service (para. 4). Unfortunately, there are some unintended consequences to this storage of information. At this time, our government can’t collect information like this about us, but they can request it of services such as Google. In a report released January 23, 2013, Google stated that they received over “21,000 requests for data on over 33,000 users” worldwide. Of these 14,791 user requests were from the United States. This was a 33% increase from the previous year (EFF, 2013, para. 2). What Can We Do? Our online culture has changed the way we do business and live our daily lives. Social network sites and search companies can now gather information on where we live (GPS, IP address, Google searches, Social network profiles), what we do (LinkedIn, profiles), what we like (Amazon, Google searches, Socials like Facebook & Pinterest), where we go (Google searches, Socials like Facebook and Twitter, GPS), what we read (Google searches, Amazon, Socials like Facebook, Twitter), what we wear (Google searches, Socials like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), and what we look like
(profile pictures and tagged pictures). This is a frightening amount of information. We need to be more diligent of limiting the amount of information that we share with others. Social networking and searching online is engrained in our culture. It is still increasing at an alarming rate. Because these sites wish to make money, the
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g n i t c e n Con y r t e o P h t wi via KidBlog By Elizabeth Hazle
When we first walk in, the computer lab is dark, but not for long. Twenty-five chattering bodies nudge past each other, toes on heals, eager to bust out of the not so straight line and stake out a machine. The lab is warm and within minutes the room is glowing with the white light of twenty-five computers woken up from sleep. Students pull out their writer’s notebooks in search of the thin, crinkled strip of paper containing their blog login I.D. and password. I watch one student. He opens a Firefox browser, highlights the web default web address, and types in www.google.com. He searches “KidBlog” and clicks the first hit, leading him to the home page for the blog site that our class will be using as a venue for writing and discussion throughout the course of our poetry unit. My plan for our eight-week poetry unit was to create a class blog where students have an authentic experience with publishing their work and having a virtual discussion with their classmates. The stu-
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dents would craft poems in the classroom in their writer’s notebook and publish their final drafts on the class poetry blog. Publishing poems to a class blog was a venue for ongoing discussion and feedback between the students and myself. The blog can be a fantastic vehicle for rich student driven discussion, for students to feel a sense of agency over their work through the act of publishing, and for students to use a popular and contemporary technology to enhance their academic experience. For me, the initial experience creating and using a classroom blog was a learning one. Several aspects of planning and execution gave me important insights into the kinds of instruction around technology that students need in order to feel successful. Planning and setting up the blog before the students ever interfaced with it was a critical piece of my unit. In order to make sure that I knew what was going on, I had to choose a blog that I could feel
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comfortable navigating as an administrator. I had used KidBlog in an education course I was taking at the University of Michigan and felt that it was a quality, user-friendly classroom resource, specifically designed with young students’ privacy in mind. As an administrator I could control who had access to the blog. I chose to make our blog accessible only to the students in the class—each with their own unique login name and password. This way students could access the blog from home or show their parents the blog, but only if they were logged in. The next thing was considering how to introduce the students to the blog. Before the first lesson, I made a spreadsheet with each student’s unique login and password. Each student’s information was printed on an index card along with the name of one other student whose poem they would comment on before commenting on other poems. In the introductory lesson the students all stapled their card into the poetry section of their writer’s notebook. This way I could have a master copy of the student information, but would also know where each student had his or her own information card. Before introducing the blog I also considered how it looked. It needed to look fun and inviting, but clean so that there wasn’t too much distraction around the kids’ writing. I chose a nature theme, as the first poem we would be writing was a traditional haiku and the students’ poems were all inspired by a moment in nature. The background was white with a simple graphic of a bird in a tree. On the homepage all of the student names were visible as well as the blog title: “The Poets of Ms. Kimmey’s Class.” During the introductory lesson my goals focused on two main things: how the students would navigate the blog or the actual skills involved in generating posts and what implications publishing poems and having an online discussion had for the students as writers. The first lesson included concise steps for how students would log on, post and comment as well as what it looked like to be a respectful, thoughtful poet/blogger. The students engaged in a discussion where we listed all of the pros and cons of posting something we wrote on the internet. Students shared their ideas about what it means to publish something and their background knowledge and experience about blogs. We also discussed how commenting on the internet was like having a silent discussion and students shared ideas about what a thoughtful and respectful comment looked like. I modeled for the students how I might talk about another person’s poem—being specific about their writing and lending constructive feedback if I was confused or puzzled about something they wrote. After our discussion, I handed a printed list of directions for navigating the blog and modeled for the students how they could find the blog, log in, post and comment. I also had students staple these directions into their writer’s notebook to encourage independent trouble shooting if they forgot one of the steps. One particularly helpful piece of my instructions was assigning each student one other student whose poem they could comment on before they commented on other poems. Not only was I able to think about my pairings and who the students were as thinkers and writers, but this also ensured that all students would receive some feedback on
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their poem. Additionally, I set up the blog so that all of the students’ comments had to be approved by myself to make sure that the comments were appropriate and respectful. Once the introductory lesson had been taught, students took the haiku that they had already written in their writer’s notebook and headed to the lab. I used a laptop to approve comments while still monitoring what was happening in the lab. Being an active administrator was crucial to the posting process. This way I could see the kinds of comments that students were making and immediately dialogue with them about how they could make their feedback more meaningful or clear to the writer. This was an advantage to using the blog. Students could receive immediate feedback from myself as well as other students. This step also allowed me to keep the writing content at the center of the lesson. Overall the blog can be a powerful tool in the classroom. I think that it provides students with a lot of agency and responsibility for their work. As writers, the blog also allows the kids to engage in some real experience publishing a piece of writing in the way that many contemporary writers do. The key take-aways were the following: 1. The students’ writing and the content of what they are doing must always remain at the center of the lesson. This means if students are using a blogging, they focus always on their writing—developing, style, technique and learning to engage with other poets through the written word. 2. Students must understand the implications and seriousness of using the Internet. They must also have discussed the amazing potential it has as a tool and vehicle for academic work and discussion. Ultimately the students should feel safe and supported while blogging. 3. Students must have the tools necessary in order to navigate the blog. This must be explicitly taught and supported both before and during the use of the blog. 4. Finally, there must be consistency in the use of the class blog or the experience ultimately feels inauthentic. My final take-away point was the one major flaw in my own lesson. The blog was not consistent enough throughout the eight-week unit. My class needed to feel like they could have some ownership over the blog in order to see it as a useful and rich writing tool. The blog lost some of its power as a place where the students could really showcase their work due to the few times that we were actually able to post on it. A class blog should be something that students feel is a place for them to write and interact with their peers through their writing. It is a place where they can show and hone their creative skill, but that authenticity is lost if there are not opportunities to really use the blog in a consistent and meaningful way. Elizabeth Hazle is completing her M.A. at the University of Michigan and is currently teaching fifth grade language arts at Carbondale Middle School in Carbondale, CO. She can be reached at elihazle@gmail.com.
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Hack Your Students’ Textbooks By Anthony DiLaura
There is a lot of talk these days about iPads disrupting the learning environment. The gist of the conversation usually involves both positive and negative effects on learning, inevitably begging the question, “When will iPads replace textbooks?” The way I see it, there are three camps you can subscribe to when it comes to answering this question. The first camp is of the mindset that ‘textbooks’ are a thing of the past. With access to the internet, there is no need to package and deliver prescribed content to your students. To a certain degree, this is true. However, at the end of the day, teachers need efficient ways for students to access knowledge and consistent, valid ways to check for learners’ understanding. The second camp is of the mindset that digital textbooks from the publishing companies are our only option. While these ebooks have come a long way since their first appearance as static PDF pages of the textbook, most of these ebooks are not viable and sustainable solutions. They are too costly, too large in size, not personalized, and would most likely still require teachers to tailor content to their classroom needs. The third camp is one I like to call the ‘hackcamp.’ This is a group of innovative educators who are taking textbook creation into their own hands and hacking together quality, interactive content tailored for their students and owned by their community. Dream with me for a moment and imagine your students’ ebook supporting multiple modes of learning—from student friendly text and high quality images, to interactive widgets built for the kinesthetic learner to explore concepts. Imagine your students’ ebook containing their own teacher–featured videos that are viewable offline to support anytime, anywhere learning. Imagine it containing a live RSS feed to your class blog or class Twitter hashtag for real-time updates. Imagine it featuring images of students themselves, video story problems from the business down the road, links to web resources, and online assessments that give teachers immediate feedback on student comprehension. Now imagine if you had access to all these resources and could update your ebook anytime, remix the content, and easily distribute them to your classes. 26
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This is exactly the goal of this summer’s project, affectionately named “iBookAuthor Hackathon.” What started off as an idea by myself and Steve Dickie, Divine Child High School science teacher, has now turned into two 2-day events taking place this summer, sponsored by MACUL. ‘Hacking’ ebooks is not as geeky as it sounds. With the advent of iBooks Author, creating a smashing interactive book is almost as easy as creating a slide show presentation. Hackathon events are meant for anyone who desires to join a passionate group of educators, eager to innovate the teaching and learning experience by collaborating to create and share high-quality, interactive content files. We’d love to have you join this effort. We are certain that you and your students will greatly benefit from your time at the Hackathon; then you’ll be able to officially call yourself a “hacker”! For more information visit the hackathon website at http://bit.ly/ibahack. Anthony DiLaura is a high school math teacher and technology integration specialist for Zeeland Public Schools. Recently selected to the class of 2013 Apple Distinguished Educators, Tony has presented at MACUL and the national Flipped Conference. Currently he is making efforts to bring teachers together to create and share high quality interactive digital textbooks.
iBookAuthor Hackathon Event Details June 11, 12: Kent ISD, Grand Rapids June 18, 19: Wayne State University, Detroit More information and registration at www.macul. org/milearning/ibooks/ and http://bit.ly/ibahack SCECHs will be offered for participating educators. Sponsored by MACUL
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Preparing Digital Citizens By Sue Schwartz
The MiLearns Online (www.milearnsonline.org) and the 21things4students (www.21things4students.net) projects of the REMC Association of Michigan both provide resources educators can use to prepare students to be safe and make connections between the “real” world and the “digital” world. Although the Internet has revolutionized communication and provided powerful new educational tools for student learning, it has also created risks and raised ethical issues for students of all grades, as it has created many opportunities for illegal, inappropriate and unsafe behavior among all participants. Increasingly, K12 educators are seeing the need to not only utilize the Internet in instruction, but also to teach students the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to be safe and responsible digital citizens both inside and outside of school. Some districts are accomplishing this by incorporating lessons on Internet safety and security into their existing curricula to prepare students at all grade levels to use the Internet in a safe and responsible way, protecting both reputation and personal information.
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Through MiLearns Online teachers can access Moodle based courses including CyberSafety 2010, by Paul Nelson of the Northwest Regional ESD in Oregon and Digital Citizenship, by Julie Harris of the Rochester Community Schools, Rochester, Michigan. 21things4students from the REMC Association is available in a Moodle version from MiLearns Online and as a web-based course at www.21things4students.net. These resources are highlighted in an article in this issue of the MACUL Journal. If you have any questions about the REMC Association or its free, statewide Projects, please contact me at sueschwartz@remc.org. Sue Schwartz is the Executive Director for the REMC Association of Michigan.
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Illusions continued from page 23 action of clicking on ads is a commodity. These actions are making companies like Google and Facebook a fortune. There is no way to curb this machine. What we need to do is to be careful with just how much information we give up freely. References: Cohan, P. (2012). Click-to-call: Google's key to 96% of mobile search ad market. in Forbes. Retrieved January 19, 2013 from http://www.forbes.com/ sites/petercohan/2012/10/29/click-to-call-googles-key-to-96-of-mobilesearch-ad-market/ Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). (2013). Google releases transparency report showing US surveillance requests up 33% in the last year. Retrieve from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/google-releasestransparency-report-showing-us-surveillance-requests-33-last-year?utm_ source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Facebook. (2013). How are sponsored stories different from Facebook ads? Retrieved January 19, 2013 from http://www.facebook.com/ help/150539925015259/ Fiegerman, S. (2012). This is how Facebook tried to make money off you. in Mashable. Retrieved January 19, 2013 from http://mashable. com/2012/12/21/facebook-makes-money-off-you/
Google. (2013). Ads in Gmail: How Gmail ads work. Retrieved from http:// support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6603&topic=16689 49&ctx=topic Google. (n.d.) Key terms. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/policies/ privacy/key-terms/ Google. (2012). Privacy policy. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/ policies/privacy/ Nielsen. (2012). [PDF] The social media report, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports-downloads/2012/state-ofthe-media-the-social-media-report-2012.html StatCounter. (2013). StatCounter global stats. http://gs.statcounter. com/#search_engine-na-monthly-201201-201301 Wolphram Alpha, LLC. (2013). Facebook vs Google. Retrieved from http:// www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=facebook+vs+google# Zenia C. Bahorski Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at Eastern Michigan University and is currently serving as the MACUL SIGCS Communications Officer. Konnie G. Kustron J.D. is a professor in the School of Technology Studies at Eastern Michigan University.
Using Avatars continued from page 10 What can you do with an avatar? • We use them on our All About the Author pages for stories in Word, & PowerPoint or Glogster projects •
Upload as ‘new identity’ in VoiceThread,
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Upload to Blabberize and record your voice
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Insert into a Word doc poster; add a word balloon for a variety of assignments e.g. All About Me or What I learned today
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Choose one to use as a profile picture for classroom blog or on student wiki page
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Upload to WallWisher or LinoIt instead of author name when posting a sticky
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Use anytime you need a student picture!
Marilyn Western is the 2008 MACUL Teacher of the Year, a former member of the MACUL Board of Directors, a Discovery Educator Network (DEN) scholar, and a Mt. Pleasant Public Schools 5th/6th grade computer lab teacher. Outside of the classroom, she has worked as the 1998-99 MDE Technology Using Educator on Loan, a MI Champions course designer and instructor, a technology trainer for Clare Gladwin RESD, Gratiot Isabella RESD and Bay Arenac ISD, a national presenter for the Bureau of Education & Research, and a district Tech Guru. She can be reached via mwestern@edzone.net.
A LOOK BACK continued from page 7 Thanks for all you do to stay current with the ever-evolving world of technology. A lot has changed in 25 years (see side bar), but the importance of technology in schools is here for at least the next 25 years and beyond. My thanks to Burton Brooks for tapping his column, “Looking Back at MACUL History.”
Technology in 1988
• Banquet speaker at the 1988 conference was astronaut Sonny Carter. • MACUL conference attendance was 1,827 • Forest Hills Public Schools in suburban Grand Rapids and Lake Shore Public Schools in St. Clair Shores are heavily visited Michigan Department of Education school demonstration sites. • MACUL’s savings account was $93,196. • MACUL, Macomb ISD, Oakland Schools, and Wayne RESA are joint sponsors of an Optical Media Day conference, attended by 150+ educators. Featured were the newest optical storage media including CD-ROM, videodisc, CD-I, CD-V and VDI.
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• The Apple-compatible Laser 128 computer is advertised for $649 including a monochrome monitor, Panasonic KXP-1080i printer and cables. • Microsoft begins shipping MS-DOS 4.01. • MACUL offers a public forum electronic bulletin board (MACUL FORUM) for teachers using the University of Michigan’s computer conferencing system, CONFER. • A Zenith computer with dual 3.5” 720K floppy disk drives was advertised for $1,299 and the 20MB Hard Drive model sold for $1,999.
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Ad Rates
Size Full Page 1/2 Page 1/4 Page Back Cover Inside Back Cover Inside Front Cover 2 Page Spread
1-Time Rate $1,025.00 $ 730.00 $ 365.00 N/A N/A N/A $1,800.00
4-Time Rate $ 950.00 $ 700.00 $ 350.00 $1,400.00 $1,040.00 $1,400.00 $1,600.00
Your advertisement will also appear in the MACUL Journal digital version with worldwide access. Additional information and flash files may be added to the digital advertisement. www.macul.org/maculjournal. Advertising Discounts: For MACUL sponsorship opportunities, call the MACUL office at 517.882.1403. Major sponsors receive 25% advertising discount. General sponsors receive 10% advertising discount.
Ad Due Dates
Space Reservation Due
Materials Due
Fall 2013
May 17, 2013
May 28, 2013
Winter 2014
Aug 21, 2013
Spring 2014 Summer 2014
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The MACUL Journal is sent to every school district in Michigan as well as to educators in nearly 40 states, and Canada. The Journal is an important source of information for teachers and administrators in elementary through college levels. The Journal is published four times a year, with a readership circulation of over 6,000. A digital version is also available online. Need help developing an ad? As a service to our advertisers, ad design and copy alterations are available for a fee. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising not in keeping with our standards Cancellations are not accepted after the ad reservation due date.
Mechanical Requirements Size
Live Area (w x h)
Finished Size (+ bleed)
8” x 10.25”
Sept 5, 2013
1/2 Page
8” x 5.125”
N/A
Nov 8, 2013
Nov 11, 2013
1/4 Page
3.9375” x 5.125”
Feb 5, 2014
Feb 14, 2014
Back Cover
N/A 8.5” x 10.75” (+ 1⁄4” full bleed) 8.5” x 10.75” (+ 1⁄4” full bleed) 8.5” x 10.75” (+ 1⁄4” full bleed)
For ad space reservation or more information, please contact:
Telephone: 231.342.4801 E-mail: jpaxton@macul.org MACUL journal
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Full Page
Judy Paxton Editor, MACUL Journal
Issue
Publisher’s Notes
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8” x 10.25”
Inside Back Cover Inside Front Cover
8” x 10.25” 8” x 10.25”
2 Page Spread
16.5” x 10.25”
N/A
N/A
The Editor accepts ads in the following formats: • High-resolution PDFs (300 dpi) – preferred • High-resolution TIFs (300 dpi) Email high-resolution PDFs or TIFs to… jpaxton@macul.org
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2013 MACUL Conference Sponsors & Donors
THANK-YOU to these companies and organizations for their sponsorship and gifts for the 2013 MACUL Conference! This sponsorship empowers educators to effectively use technology in education.
Major Sponsors:
Bretford Manufacturing • Data Image Systems • Dell • Discovery Education • Macprofessionals • Merit Network • Michigan Education Association • Michigan Virtual University • PowerIT • REMC $AVE • Ruckus Wireless • Sehi Computers
General Sponsors:
Aerohive • ALEKS • AT&T • Blackboard • ByteSpeed • C/D/H • Code 42 Software • Comcast Business Class • Data Director • Digital Age Technologies • eGear • eInstruction • eScan Anti-Virus • Filewave • Foxbright • Logisoft Computer Products • Maximize Technologies • Michigan Department of Education • Michigan Foundation for Ed Leadership • Plante & Moran • UM Flint • VSC
2013 MACUL Award Winner Gifts: Adobe • AirServer • MVU • REMC • TechSmith
2013 MACUL Conference & Grand Giveaway donations:
Academic Superstore • Atomic Learning • BrainPOP • ByteSpeed • BYU Independent Study • Data Image Systems, Inc. • Digital Age Technologies, Inc. • Epson America • eScan Anti-Virus - MicroWorld • Experience Grand Rapids • Gale, part of Cengage Learning • GovConnection, Inc. • Higher Ground Gear • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt • iDashboards • IntegraSource, Inc. • Lawrence Technological University • Learning.com • LEGO Education • Lenovo • Meru Networks • Michigan eLibrary/Library of Michigan • NBS • One Call Now • Prodigy Wireless • Scholastic • Scholastic Library Publishing • Sehi Computers • Spectrum Industries, Inc. • Stoneware, Inc. • Tech4Learning • The Professional Group • Western Michigan University Ed. Tech • Worth Ave Group • Variquest •
Thank-you to ALL exhibitors for other exciting gifts, donations and for helping attendees receive valuable information about technology best practices in education. 30
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Getting them there safely For over 50 years, Dean Transportation has been a proud partner to schools across Michigan, safely transporting nearly 20,000 students daily.
DeanSchoolBus.com
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DeanTrailways.com
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2014 MACUL Conference
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