In2books: Become an ePal

Part of being digitally smart is knowing about the dangers of the digital world, part is being savvy about what's new and different, but my favorite part is knowing when technology makes a positive difference and here's a program that does just that you can take part in. In2books teams students with adult pen pals, who read the same books and discuss them through email. The adults serve as "intellectual mentors and friends, giving their students insights into how adults think about books, express ideas, and have successful careers and relationships." Books used in the program are selected by a committee of children's literature experts, which looks for books that can be read independently, stimulate discussion, increase cultural sensitivity, provide role models, teach problem-solving skills, etc. A video about the program describes why In2books works. This e-mentoring program sponsored by ePals is free for Grades 3-5 Title I classrooms and you can make a positive difference using technology as an ePal. Think about doing it today. This is a great way to be a volunteer and yet never having to leave home.

Better Digital Pictures

We'd all like to take better digital pictures with our point-and-shoot cameras but who has time to read a manual or a long article on the subject? Well -think you could handle five simple tips, that if nothing else, will point you in the right direction of how to get more out of your camera? Take a gander at C/Net's Tips for better odigital phtos while traveling. Short, sweet and helpful.

Staying Safe in the Land of E-Commerce

Some people swear by online shopping, others wouldn't be caught dead making that seemingly fateful click-to-purchase online. Making purchases in both realms has its pluses and drawbacks. The truth is that in both realities the middle guy may be the biggest threat. Out in the real world, for example, the wait staff or clerk has possession of your credit card out of sight just as when you make an online purchase you have to trust that your credit card info is going to the right people who will send you what you are looking for. Always pour over your monthly credit card bill to make sure you haven't been scammed by the middleman. For more tips, see Staying Safe in the E-Commerce Jungle.

The Feds Stalking Your Cell Phone?

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation  filed suit recently urging a federal court to order the Department of Justice to turn over records related to the government's use of people's cell phones as tracking devices. While in an emergency all would agree that being able to pinpoint a person's location is a great feature, it is a little disconcerting to thinking that signing up for cell phone service opens one up to being spied on by the government, especially since media reports have indicated that some government officials claim not to need probable cause to obtain real-time tracking information from people's cell phones. That should give your kids something to think about - maybe being tracked by parents is the least of their worries, eh?

Digital Divide On the Home Front

An interesting new survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project points out a that there is a digital divide of massive proportions on the home front and it shows little chance of changing in the near future. The new study shows the majority of Americans are still on dial-up Internet access and keeping the slow connection by choice. In fact a whopping 62 percent of dial-up users reported no interest in switching over to broadband. About a third cited price as the deciding factor, but 19 percent indicated they wouldn't make the change regardless of rates or anything else. Just over a quarter of Americans are not even getting online at all -- and the vast majority of these people also say they're simply not interested, find it too difficult or expensive, or just see it as a waste of time. Most of these users are older -- a median age of 61 -- and many are also lower-income families. In fact, the Pew study indicates non-Internet users are more than twice as likely to live in low-income homes, compared to those who are net-savvy.

You have to wonder how the over 25% of Americans who are not online at all are getting along. We have a couple of older members of our family who are in that boat and they complain about calling for information and, if they should get a human being on the other end of the phone, being told that the information is only available online. What do your kids think of this? Hard to build compassion for a generation so out of touch with their own online- focused world. The digital divide has enormous connotations for the future it seems on many levels.

Al Queda Online

If you asked your kids who is the best at communicating online, they probably would say teens or big corporations.  Maybe not. Taking advantage of new technology and mistakes by its adversaries, al-Qaeda's core leadership has built an increasingly prolific propaganda operation, enabling it to communicate constantly, securely and in numerous languages with loyalists and potential recruits worldwide. Every three or four days, on average, a new video or audio from one of al-Qaeda's commanders is released online by as-Sahab, the terrorist network's in-house propaganda studio.

"Even as its masters dodge a global manhunt, as-Sahab produces documentary-quality films, iPod files and cellphone videos. Last year it released 97 original videos, a sixfold increase from 2005." says a recent article article in the Washington Post entitled "Al-Qaeda's Growing Online Offensive." And it seems their online security is pretty much bulletproof at this point, so the US and its allies have little success at shutting down these kinds of communications.

To my mind this is an interesting talking point with teens about the power of what is communicated online and the blind faith people put into information they get off the Internet. How can people figure out what online information is truthful or factual versus unsubstantiated accusation or propaganda? How can we as a country reach out to other people in the world with a message of peace and hope versus the way Americans are often portrayed in these kinds of generalized communications? How are we, as a nation who seems to do nothing but communicate these days, being outcommunicated? (This entry is linked an article in the Washington Post but you can read for free if you register.)

Welcome to the Age of Distraction

Can't focus? Feel like you never get to finish anything? You are not alone. In a recent column in the New York Times entitled "Fighting a War Against Distraction" some major research and observations on the subject are cited and you may find they ring amazingly true. Of course the biggest casualty of this divided focus is the attention (or lack, thereof) we pay our work and our family. As the author of this article points out, this is not a new development and it isn't time to ban the Blackberry (although there are times at my house I'd like to throw my husband's out the window), but rather to institute a "renaissance of attention - a revaluing and cultivating of the art of attention, to help us achieve depth of thought and relations in this complex, high-tech time."

You've probably been thinking about this yourself, or at least it might have been nibbling at the fringes of your consciousness - if so, give this article a read and let us know what you think. Attention - given, received, missing and yearned for- certainly has enormous parenting and educational implications in the digital age.

Will Better Technology Add Up To More Olympic Gold?

Will better technology add up to more Olympic gold? The answer to that question seems to be a definite yes according to Sports Technologist Peter Vint who works for the U.S. Olympic Training Center's performance technology division. He and his team have influenced the diets of lugers and beach volleyball players, tweaked the flip turns of swimmers, persuaded track athletes to wear weight vests and even helped to increase the flexibility of men involved in mixed pairs figure skating all after analyzing very specialized data. Of course you have to wonder about the mere sports mortal... will they ever be able to keep up with an analyzed athlete?

Digital Dream House Now Open at Disney

The Innoventions Dream Home, a joint project involving Microsoft, HP and Disney, is now open to Disneyland visitors in California. The house in the park's Tomorrowland section features existing or pending technologies that use touchscreens, personal recognition and wireless networking, among other cutting edge accommodations. Of course, it wouldn't be Disney if a fictional family complete with faithful dog didn't lead you around the house to see the digital array. This time computers greet each family member, including the faithful hound as they walk through the front door and other technology advances are shown off in every room.

Access Still Difficult for Blind and Deaf Technology Users

Your would think that technology would only make the lives of people with various physical disabilities easier and easier, but it seems that many companies don't take into account the needs of these users even though the cost can sometimes be negligible. A recent article in the Washington Post called Access Denied points out just how hit or miss digital assistance for the blind and deaf is by pointing out that something as simple as those emergency ticker-style messages that scroll across the bottom of your television screen are not narrated for those who can't see and rarely do local stations break into transmissions to warm viewers verbally. Take a look at the article to understand more about what it is like to be a disabled person in the digital age. (This entry is linked to the Washington Post and can be accessed for free but you need to register.)