BFTP: So how cold is it?

A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post February 5, 2007. While it's not that cold here in Minnesota this morning (20 above), we did get enough snow last night to have to plow the driveway. I am mostly repeating this silly post as an excuse to look at the photos of my grandsons from about five years ago.

-15 this Monday morning here in southern Minnesota. But balmy compared to some parts of the state. Here is a old chestnut:

COLD ENOUGH FOR YOU? (Author unknown.)
 60 above zero

Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Minnesota plant gardens. 

50 above zero

Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Duluth sunbathe.

40 above zero

Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Minnesota drive with the windows down.

20 above zero

Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt.

15 above zero

New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Minnesota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero

People in Miami all die.
Minnesotans close the windows.

10 below zero

Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Minnesota get out their winter coats.

25 below zero

Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Minnesota are selling cookies door to door.

40 below zero

Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Minnesota let the dogs sleep indoors.

100 below zero

Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Minnesotans get upset because they can't start the minivan.

460 below zero (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale)

ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Minnesota start saying, "Cold 'nuff fer ya?" 

500 below zero

Hell freezes over.
Vikings win the SuperBowl. Minnesota public schools will open 2 hours late.

A little Minnesota advice for keeping warm...

Even if it makes your hips look fat, dress for the weather.

Find things to do to take your mind off the cold.

 

Store up food.

Make reading a group activity.

Stay warm! - Doug

CIPA and personal connections

If a K-12 school allows students to use their cell phones in school and a student uses their smartphone browser to access pornography on school grounds, is the school in violation of CIPA?

The question above came in yesterday's e-mail and I don't think I've read a good answer to this question. This is last I've read from the FCC that seems even marginally related:

 

4. Clarification on filtering for student-owned devices is still to come

As BYOD programs become increasingly common, questions about requirements for filtering student-owned devices when used on campus continue to arise. The FCC has said it will clarify appropriate policies for filtering student-owned devices at another time.

“Some E-rate recipients have sought guidance regarding the potential application of CIPA requirements to the use of portable devices owned by students and library patrons, such as laptops and cellular telephones, when those devices are used in a school or library to obtain Internet access that has been funded by E-rate…. We believe it may be helpful to clarify the appropriate policies in this area, and intend to seek public comment in a separate proceeding.”  http://blog.lightspeedsystems.com/products/category/web-filter-for-schools/web-filter-schools/

But this is addressing personal devices using the school provided Internet connections (to obtain Internet access that has been funded by E-rate), not personal connections. We can and will filter student access to the Internet via WiFi or other connectivity to the school network. But what about the kid with 3G or other EVDO connectivity that completely doesn't use our network at all?

 

Personally, I don't see how schools (or the FCC) can regulate personal Internet connections and what kids access on them anymore that they can regulate what books or magazines that kids buy outside of school - nor should they.

 

I certainly think one can enforce a rule in schools that says students may not access materials that violate school policies or are distracting/hostile to others. School could even (misguidedly, IMHO) ban the use of personally purchased networks within a school.

 

But I don't see any concern over CIPA or e-rate funding if they don't.

 

Does anyone else know of rulings or guidelines on this issue? Inquiring minds want to know.

Advice on buying technology for students

Is your district releasing a similar letter?  Kids to Santa: We Want an iPad for Christmas

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

As the holiday season nears, gift buying will move into high gear for many of us. I am sure that some sort of technology device is on many of your children's wish list. New products like the Amazon Fire and Nook Color tablet along with low-cost netbooks, iPod Touchs, and tablets are adding a lot choices (and confusion) to the low-cost computing scene. Smartphones (iPhones or Androids) are popular and powerful.

I thought it might be helpful if I outlined some specifications of any device you might buy students if you'd like them to use it to complete school work (as well as play Angry Birds and send text messages.)

While I won't recommend specific models or even kinds of devices, I would encourage you to buy a piece of equipment that meets these requirements if it is to be used for most school work. Your child's device should have:

• an 802.11x wireless networking capbability (the district provides filtered wireless access in all buildings to students)
• a virus protection program (if running a Windows or Macintosh operating system)
• a color screen
• an onscreen or external keyboard or other means of entering text
• an audio port for earbuds or headphones
• a minimum 4 hours of use from one battery charge
• a full functioning, recent web browser (Firefox, Explorer, Chrome, Safari) that will allow it to access GoogleApps for Education tools and documents, our student information system student portal, Moodle 2.0, the state's content databases, and the library catalog along with other e-resources the district provides

You may wish to consider getting a device that has

• either internal or external data storage capabilities (USB port for flash drive or an internal storage)
• ability to run Flash (this is to view some online videos and animations until all sites convert to HTML5)
• machine-based productivity software (Office, Open Office, iWork) for use when an Internet connection is not available
• the capacity to run graphing calculator software or apps

Smartphones with about any OS, netbooks, iPods/iPads, e-books, or a full-sized laptop (new or used), should do the job. At the current time, we do not provide e-books for dedicated e-book readers (like Amazon Kindles or Barnes & Noble Nooks) since these devices both only read books that are purchased for the specific device. 

We do not have district-wide rules related to the use of student-owned technologies, but individual buildings and classroom teachers will have guidelines for their use. You might wish to check your child's teacher or principal for specific rules.

Whether it is writing a paper, solving a math problem, researching a topic or collaborating with fellow students, technology can help your child do his or her school work and develop good technology skills along the way. 

And hopefully also play Angry Birds when the studying is done.

Happy holidays,

Your technology director