Number 10   December 13, 1999

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Inside Edunotes
Teaching Y2K
Eduwords
Beyond Y2K

Web Site Reviews
Internet Information Reliable?

Educyber Site Guide
Business Users
Computer Users
Educators

Edunotes Newsletter
This newsletter is created by Brian and Maki DeLaet and Nick Lee at Educyber, Inc.
Subscriptions in the U.S. are free. Subscribe online at www.educyber.com or call (303) 268-2245.
Educyber is based at:
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NOTE: Links and Web sites change frequently. All links and web sites were accurate at the time of publication.

Teaching Y2K

What discussions have you had with your students about Y2K? It presents a wonderful opportunity to teach critical thinking skills. Why, for example, are we celebrating the beginning of a new millennium one year early? (1-1000, 1001- 2000, 2001- 3000) Or why didn't people plan ahead a bit further? Sure we can forgive those early programmers in the 60's who never imagined that there programs might survive but what about those programmers in the early to mid 90's who should have known better? What about debating how to prepare for Y2K? What should you prepare (or should you prepare at all)? Should you take your money out of the bank? What repercussions might that have if everyone else does the same?

Though it might be getting too late to embark on a detailed lesson, why not have your students evaluate what your own district is doing to prepare for Y2K. Recently many people, including U.S. President Bill Clinton, have voiced concerns that schools are the most under prepared for Y2K. Students could form a "task force" to see what has been done, what is being done, and what has yet to be done. Perhaps they could even become involved in completing preparations.

Then of course there is the history lesson. What happened at Y1K? What about Y1900? How exciting it can be to talk to some who was actually alive in the 1800's. Perhaps there is a centenarian in your area who could visit the classroom. It might very eye-opening for your students to realize that even 10 years from now those who come after them will be impressed that they lived in a different century, a different millennium.

Older students could discuss and debate the various preparations for Y2K from the standpoint of whether they are actually necessary or not. How important is it that your VCR or toaster or word processing program be Y2K compliant?

Probably the most important thing any student can learn from Y2K is how our actions and decisions today affect the future in ways we may not even consider.

Edu Words (a glossary for computer users)

Memory:  Internal storage areas in the computer. The term memory identifies data storage that comes in the form of chips.
SIMM: Acryonym for Single Inline Memory Module. It is a small circuit board that holds Random Access Memory (RAM) chips. SIMMs can be plugged into sockets on the computer's motherboard to add memory to the computer. Depending on the computer, SIMMs may need to be installed in multiples of two or four. Typically, SIMMs hold eight (on Macintoshes) or nine (on PCs) RAM chips.
DIMM: Acryonym for Dual Inline Memory Module. It is a small circuit board that holds Random Access Memory (RAM) chips. One DIMM is equal to two SIMM's.
ECC: memory Short for Error-Correcting Code memory, a type of memory that includes special circuitry for testing the accuracy of data as it passes in and out of memory.

Internet Information Reliable?
by Judy Musick

Yes, computers are amazing. I am constantly surprised at the feats my PC can accomplish balancing my checkbook, sending letters to everyone on my mailing list, even suggesting better ways to invest my money. Need the time, the weather forecast, the phone number of Aunt Jolene in Alaska? Never fear the Internet is here. I start to feel rather foolish and inept in comparison to this powerful, electronic genius. Many people do. We have the tendency to believe that technology is smarter than we are, and if we receive information from a multi-thousand dollar piece of equipment, we are even more apt to give credence to it.
Recently my son requested a book from the library. His electronic record showed that he had already checked the book out, but of course he had not. When he explained his situation to the librarian, her immediate answer was, "Let's see what the computer has to say." There it was on the screen a book checked out last Wednesday on his card. The librarian proceeded under the assumption that the computer was right and my son was mistaken. After all, he is only seven years old and the computer is the electronic genius. She suggested that perhaps he should double check at home, look under his bed or wherever he might have misplaced it. I know my son and computer mishaps better than that. Books are serious business to my son. He does not "forget" he has checked out a book he has been anxiously awaiting. The situation is not resolved yet, but my bet is with the seven-year-old.
The fact of the matter is that computers are machines, but the people who operate them are human. Information from the computer is subject to the errors and flaws of the human condition. A delayed release on the number key and my husband's salary shoots from $100 to $1000. Anyone who accesses that information assumes the computer is right, until the bounced checks start rolling in. Even worse than human error, however, is human lies and greed. When using the Internet for research one must always remember that anyone with a computer and an Internet account can dispense information as truth. Myth becomes reality in the blink of a screen saver.
So whom do you trust?
1.Consider the source. Is it an individual's home page, a business site, a university or government source? The ending of the web address or URL is a clue.
Businesses end in "com.", universities end in "edu.", government sites end in "gov.", and organizations end in "org." Every source has an agenda, and knowing that agenda will help you when considering reliability.
Businesses desire to make money. They will present information that is beneficial to their goal of making money. They are likely to omit or screen information that would work against their goal of making money. The larger the business the more likely that their information is accurate, but don't expect to get both sides of the story from a business URL.
Universities desire to have an impact on society's thinking. They desire to enlighten and inform, and some of the best research data comes from university-sponsored sites. They tend to be thorough and professional in their presentation. Factual data, for the most part, can be trusted. One caution, however. There is fact and there is opinion, and the defining line between the two can become cloudy. Gather the facts, but draw your own conclusions.
Government desires to influence public policy. Government sites will be politically correct, probably in line with the direction of the current administration. If you are looking for controversial data that "rocks the boat", you are not likely to find it here. Government sites are good for statistics, surveys, and overall trends happening in society.
Organizations can be good, but biases are more inherent. You should be able to discern the organization's stance on certain issues and take that into consideration when evaluating information from their sites. For example, if you are looking for information on abortions in the United States, you can be sure that the factual picture painted by Planned Parenthood will look quite different than that of a Pro-Life group's site.

2.Don't trust people. Conversation strings in chat rooms, testimonials on individuals', home page, and e-mail scare stories featuring directives to "forwards this to every one you know" are highly suspect. Any information coming from a person must be carefully evaluated. Do I know this person? Do they have credentials in the area they are presenting? What is their agenda in presenting the information? Can the information be verified from secondary sources?

3.Look for signs of credibility. Is the site reviewed or managed by some sort of editorial board? Some of the best sites are run like a professional journal with peer review or an editorial board checking credentials and the content of contributors. Has the site been reviewed by another credible source?

4.Verify from other sources. Is the information consistent with other information available? Test the information against what is written elsewhere. Check other sites, books, journals, and professionals in the field. "Getting a second opinion" is just as wise in Internet research as it is in personal health.

5.Check the English. Are there typing or grammatical errors? Technical sloppiness may signal sloppy facts or sloppy thinking.

6.Check the update date on the site. Can you tell when the site was last updated? Quality sites are updated often and show that information.

So can you trust me?
I don't personally know enough to give you complete accurate information on the Internet. Some of the content for my article was taken from a local newspaper piece written by Cynthia Fauser. She doesn't personally know enough to give you complete accurate information either, which again highlights point #2 don't trust people. The Internet is hands-on learning, and experience is the best teacher. Find out for yourself what is real and what only has the illusion of reality. Explore with discernment and a healthy dose of wariness. After all, when it comes to catching things on the Web you want to be the spider, not the fly.

Beyond Y2K

Just a few more weeks and, hopefully, we can put all this Y2K stuff behind us. Until then though, we can expect the hype to just keep growing and the media to just keep getting shriller.

From here the greatest danger with Y2K appears to be all the charlatans and cheats out to make some quick money off of the event. If someone offers to verify that your credit card is Y2K compliant, beware. Likewise, watch out for unsolicited offers to make your computer Y2K compliant. Be especially wary if you are a Mac owner as Mac hardware has never not been Y2K ready. There may be software issues (and PC owners may have hardware issues) but your best bet is to check with the maker or seller.

One of the most common computer-related Y2K hoaxes (though no one can make any money off of it) is the Windows 95/98/NT hoax. It tells you the short date display on your computer MUST be set to display the long date or programs that get date information from Windows will go haywire. Several people who are normally quite skeptical of the "Send this message to all your friends" type email have forwarded the above hoax to me "as a precaution."

Hackers might have a ball during Y2K without even being recognized as hacking. Your computer or company's computer system experiences glitches and you naturally assume it was due to Y2K. If you have had someone check out your system, it wouldn't hurt to call them back again. It will be comforting to find them still in business and you can verify their credentials.

If you work in a large organization, you should also be careful when you go back to work after the first of the year. Think how plausible it sounds if someone calls you with the line, "Hi, I'm from your IT department and I need to check your account to make sure it made it past Y2K o.k. I'll need your password and user i.d." Who wouldn't want to be reassured that they made it through safely? But don't leave your common sense behind when you return to the workplace. If you don't know the caller, don't give out the information without checking to ensure that the caller is who they say they are.

Until next year . . .
Web Site Reviews

Game Central Station

http//www.gamecentralstation.com/

Here is a site dedicated to Physical Educators, recreation specialists, parents or anyone working with children. There are over 250 games for preschoolers through 12th graders in the database and more are being added all the time. You can search the database by using game name, grade level, specific skills, related sports, and location. Kids can have fun with a variety of cross-curricular games and holiday games, too. There are a number of lesson plan links, P.E.and game links, a mailing list, message board, and you can also submit your favorite game.

Schoolpop

http//www.schoolpop.com

This site offers a program called Adopt-a-School, which gives companies and individuals a way of supporting the school of your choice by shopping online. Parents and others can participate in a fundraising program for their school without a lot of effort. You simply go to their site and enter the name of the school of your choice then start shopping. They will donate up to 20% of the price of the item you purchased to the selected schools with no extra cost to you. Some of the participating retailers, for example, are; ToysRus, LandsEnd, Dell, L.L. Bean, Barnes & Noble, JCPenney and the Disney Store. This is a good way to do Christmas shopping and help your school at the same time.

This Newsletter is published by Educyber. For more information, or to subscribe, call (303) 268-2245 or Email edunotes@educyber.com ©1999 Educyber,Inc.

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