ISD77 Tech Tip Notebook 2006-7 #2

January 4, 2007 – Happy New Year!

Getting more spam but enjoying it less?
According to Postini, our spam-filtering agent, “Overall spam volumes on the Internet have increased by 60% in the last eight weeks alone.  Our Postini email security service blocks nearly all of these spam messages. However, with spammers sending far greater numbers of messages, you may see a few spam messages in your inbox during these periods of increased attacks.”  One teacher who I am sure represents many here in ISD77 asks, “I receive almost daily Viagra or something related to religion on my email. What can we do to stop it?”

Unfortunately, not a lot, but here are some things you can try:

• Increase the settings on your Postini filter (Go to https://login.postini.com/) Do note that the higher the settings, the more likely it is that something you want will be trapped.
• Add the email domains from which you received spam (and nothing else) to your blocked senders list in Postini. (You can also allow inappropriately blocked senders email to get through by adding the e-mail address to the Approved Senders list.)
• Use the spam filter built into the Entourage/Outlook email program.
• Use a Yahoo or Gmail account for non-school related business, especially online shopping.
• NEVER, NEVER, NEVER reply to a spammer. Even the really good deals from those Nigerians.

In the survey we gave last November, this how the staff rated the effectiveness of Postini:
 Very Good 133  
 Good 140  
 Poor 13  
 Worthless 6  
 N/A 5  
 Total: 297

Spammers are pernicious and always seem to stay one step ahead of even the most effective spam blocker. Remember that we get the same sort of thing in other media as well with telemarketers and mail order catalogs.

Happy with Macs or switch to PCs?
The November survey also asked whether the district should switch to PCs or stay with the Macintosh platform. The respondents were pretty evenly divided:
 Yes 143  
 No 130  
 N/A 24  
 Total: 297

This will be a tough issue. Here are two typical comments from the survey:
    (Yes) Most of the world uses a PC platform, and it would simplify things for students.
    (No) I much prefer working with Macs.  They're more intuitive.  The changeover process could be very inconvenient and time consuming for everyone.

If the Intel chip Mac proves to be workable for most software applications, this may be a moot question since the new Macs will run both platforms.

Can you suggest a book just like...
LibraryThing produces great suggestions at “Suggester” <http://www.librarything.com/suggester>. Ask for a book just like ___________, and you will get back a list of titles that you might also enjoy. Pretty cool.

Now’s the time to switch from AppleWorks to Office.
I’ve used AppleWorks since 1984 when it first appeared for the Apple II operating system. So it is with great sadness that I have to report that AppleWorks is no longer being developed or supported by Apple. Our department is recommending that you start getting accustomed to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint programs in the Microsoft Office suite.  

TeachingBooks resource
"Eye-on-the-Web" customized e-mails give you quick access to resources recently added to the TeachingBooks database that match your chosen grade levels and subject areas of interest.  Click the following link to explore and use these new materials: http://www.teachingbooks.net/ and then choose My Profile menu at the top of the screen. At the bottom of the My Profile screen, you can indicate your areas of interest and sign up for Eyes-on-the-Web.

Some of these 777 new items, relevant to your interests, include:
Author Program with Graeme Base
Book Guide for Case of the Puzzling Possum, The (High-Rise Private Eyes Series)
Book Reading of Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever  

Websites of Note: ITM and Google for Educators
The free website for K-12 educators the Infinite Thinking Machine (ITM) is a blog and Internet TV shows that give the average classroom teacher a “bazillion practical ideas” for turning the infinite universe of information into knowledge.  Although Google sponsors the ITM, it focuses on curriculum and instruction, not technology.  It uses plain English to help the average classroom teacher get the most from today’s innovative tools. Check it out at http://www.infinitethinking.org.

While you’re surfing around, you may want to check out the Google Education website at http://www.google.com/educators. You can sign up there for a Google newsletter for educators as well.

Tips when Using a Laptop
The Center for Disease Control’s “Computer Workstation Ergonomics”  recommends if you use a laptop to:

• Take mini-breaks every 20 to 30 minutes to break up repetition and static postures.
• Maintain a comfortable viewing distance from your screen; about 18-30 inches.
• Keep your head and neck in a neutral posture; avoid excessive neck flexion or rotation.   Notice if after a few minutes you bring your head forward in an unnatural position and pull back to the neutral position.
• Angle the screen so that it is perpendicular to your line of sight, if lighting permits. Laptop stands can angle the screen correctly.
• Position the keyboard at elbow height, and keep your wrists straight while keying.
• Experiment with table height, chair height and keyboard angle to maintain neutral wrist postures.
• If you raise your chair, use a footrest to support your feet. When you are seated your hips should be slightly higher than your knees.
• If you are seated in a side chair or couch, use a pillow to support your arms while keying. This will help you maintain neutral arm, wrist, and hand postures.
• Attach an external mouse instead of using the small constricted touchpad or trackball.
• Clean the screen regularly using appropriate antistatic cleaning materials.
• The hands and wrists should be kept in a straight wrist posture when typing and should not be resting on a palm rest, table, or lap while typing. Wrist and palm rests are designed to provide support during breaks from typing.

More workplace ergonomic tips are available at http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/Ergonomics/compergo.htm  

Book of Note:
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. This highly readable book traces how three typical meals get to your table, and in doing so, reveals some interesting facts about nutrition, agriculture, organic farming, and fast food. You will never look at a Chicken McNugget the same way again.


Quote of note:
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. - Leo Tolstoy

Top 10 Silliest (but real) Reasons to Ban a Book
1. “Encourages  children to break dishes so they won’t have to dry them.” (A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein)
2. “It caused a wave of rapes.” (Arabian Nights, or Thousand and One Nights, anonymous)
3. “If there is a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?” (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown)
4. “Tarzan was ‘living in sin’ with Jane.” (Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
5. “It is a real downer.” (Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank)
6. “The basket carried by Little Red Riding Hood contained a bottle of wine, which condones the use of alcohol.” (Little Red Riding Hood, by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm K. Grimm)
7. “One bunny is white and the other is black and this ‘brainwashes’ readers into accepting miscegenation.” (The Rabbit’s Wedding, by Garth Williams)
8. “It is a religious book and public funds should not be used to purchase religious books.” (Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, by Walter A. Elwell, ed.)
9. “A female dog is called a bitch.” (My Friend Flicka, by Mary O’Hara)
10. “An unofficial version of the story of Noah’s Ark will confuse children.” (Many Waters, by Madeleine C. L’Engle)
                    * From The 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle (via the SMILE newsletter)

The Tech Tip Notebook is Mankato Area Public Schools' an informational bulletin about library media and educational technology issues in the district designed to alert you to new resources and services, handy "how-to" suggestions, and answer questions about media and educational technology use. If there are topics you would like to see covered in the TTN, please let Sue Rosenow, your building media specialist or me know. Back issues can be found at:  <http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/district/media/techtips/techtips.html>  Thanks - Doug Johnson <djohns1 (at) isd77.k12.mn.us>.

Comments

[Christopher Harris]

Umm...stay with Macs but run BootCamp and/or Parallels. Best of both worlds!