Daylight Saving Time Glitch

Congress decided in 2005 to extend the period of daylight-saving time by three weeks in spring and one in the fall, reasoning that providing more daylight in the early evening would reduce energy use. However, the shift could cause trouble with software and gadgets set to automatically advance their clocks by an hour on the old date, the first Sunday in April, and not on the new date, the second Sunday in March - March 11. If you are curious about what gadgets might have trouble and what software downloads are available to stem the problems check out the gallery on the C/Net site.

Podcasts and Homework

So what are your students listening to on those ever-present headphones? Is it music or could it just be their homework? USA Today reports that textbook and other related educational materials companies are beginning to include podcasts with their supplementary materials. It started with foreign language instruction and is now expanding to the whole curriculum. For more on podcasts, see the article archives of our Teaching with Technology and Parenting with Technology columns.

Online Porn

It's common, says a study at completed at the University of New Hampshire, for kids to see X-rated material online. Most of the 1500 kids, ages 10-17, who were surveyed said they didn't go out looking for porn. However the content came to their screen through pop-up windows and by going to X-rated sites by mistake. While 42% of the children and teens said they encountered online porn in the past year, one in seven received "unwanted sexual solicitations or approaches in the past year." About one-third of the older boys in the survey admitted they sought out some of the sites, as did 8 percent of the older girls.

Need a Practical and Up-to-Date Guide to Classroom Tech Integration?

Jim and Kathy Lengel's latest book, Integrating Technology: A Practical Guide is a must-have for teachers. The Lengels obviously know technology and how it can be used in schools. For example, instead of agreeing that schools should prohibit use of iPods, MP3 players, cell phones, etc., in their classrooms, the Lengels suggest that teachers put all those digital gadgets that kids love to work for learning. The book is filled with how-tos on just about everything a teacher needs to know and also includes an online resource that complements the book's content. It's a great reference, too.

Girls Get IT

Interested in getting your girls going with IT (Internet Technologies)? The Florida Distance Learning Consortium has some great resources to help you. The Consortium has compiled lists of  resources, games and activities, and parent and teacher, and student materials on the topic. Are the girls in your school interested in careers in math, science, engineering or technology? Well-paying careers in these fields are usually dominated by men. It's time to give the girls a push to help them prepare for the future.

Trips to Anywhere

Fifth graders at Worcester Prep on Maryland's eastern shore went home and told their parents they traveled to the White Cliffs of Dover that afternoon. Their trip took them to visit the children at St. Mary's School where they learned not only about the famous cliffs but also about the books, movies, and music their British friends enjoyed.  Virtual field trips like those the Marylanders take to England are great ways for students to learn about other countries and cultures. Students interacting through video conferencing get to know each other and enjoy chatting about school subjects and leisure time activities. Although some video conferencing equipment can cost thousands of dollars, the Maryland school uses inexpensive Apple iSight cameras (about $120) to connect to their friends through the Internet. New Apple computers have the cameras already built in. While some many virtual field trips such as those set up between schools or those hosted by companies such as Tandberg, Colonial Williamsburg, National Geographic, and many museums and zoos are free, some providers charge for the field trip experience.

Free Subscription to Teacher Magazine

To apply for a free subscription to Teacher Magazine, you'll need to complete a short form with some basic information about your job as an educator. Teacher Magazine features information you can put to use right away in your classroom, ideas for professional development, and discounts on a variety of educational products. Stephanie Hemmingson, Director of Audience Development for the magazine, invites educators to "Continue to lead, learn, innovate and inspire with Teacher for free."

Educating Cybercops

The U.S. Department of Justice is offering a new 137-page manual (click for PDF) to police departments that may not have full time cybercops trained to investigate Internet and other digitally related crimes.  The manual covers everything from cyberstalking to spam and illegal hacking. How to track suspects through an Internet Relay Chat network or target copyright thieves on peer-to-peer networks is also covered. The release of this manual is a good reminder for students that whatever you do online – or what others do to you, in the case of cyberbullying, for example - can be tracked so keep it private, keep it legal and keep it nice.

Dancing Video Game Helps Kids Lose Weight

If you want to get the young couch potato video game players in your classroom up and moving, you'll be interested in a new study by the state of West Virginia. The state is planning to put the popular video game Konami's Dance Dance Revolution in every school after a study showed that children who played the game for at least 30 minutes five days per week maintained their weight and saw a reduction in some risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. This move follows a number of other schools that have also adopted the game nationwide as well as some gyms in large urban areas, which focus on using video games and other digital diversions to attract tweens and teens to exercise.

Are Digital Devices Promoting Bad Manners?

Have you heard of Happy Slapping? It's where an unsuspecting victim is slapped and someone films the slapping and the reaction. The video is then posted on the Internet or sent out through cell phones, email, etc. As you can imagine, some of the 'slapping' incidents have resulted in serious problems for both the victim and the slappers. Those engaging in this behavior are bullies/cyberbullies. The trend is similar to kids' filming or photographing others in locker rooms and sending the copy out to the Internet or through digital communication. But is Happy Slapping a trend or a product of the media? Whatever it is, helping our students learn to empathize with others is what is needed for an awakening here. Maybe physical and digital assaults seem funny to the instigators, but would they feel the same way if they were the victims?