Lord Folland of Albion

Let them eat cake.

2010-09-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

This is not a blog about politics of technology. Just a collection of images of cakes my wife has made. Nom Nom.

130+ Wedding Cupcakes

Jaffa Cupcakes

Fairy Cake

Simple Wedding Cake

Chocolate Sponge

Ladybird Cake, this won a church baking contest

Family First, Environment Last.

2010-08-09T04:13:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying I am socially conservative. I believe that the best place to raise children is in a committed relationship where there are both male and female role models, lets call it a marriage. I think that prostitution should not be a legal industry and I think that the lives of unborn children and our old are important.

That said in-order to put my family first this federal election I will not be voting for one of the conservative parties.

For over 15 years I have been concerned about the environmental impact of our pollution. Freely available government data show that the temperatures in southern Australia have been increasing over the past 20 years. Last Saturday John Lamb on ABC radio stated that stone fruits are budding up to two weeks earlier than when he started in the industry. So in short I believe we are influencing our climate with our high carbon dioxide (and methane) emissions, and need to do something to reduce them.

As you should be aware the Liberal Leader Tony Abbot has stated he does not believe in climate change and so I was hoping that Family First would give a conservative view on politics with a responsible position on climate.

As I normally do I was looking at the Senate Group Voting tickets from the AEC website. It was there that I discovered that Family First were giving their preferences to "The Climate Sceptics" in 3rd position.

I thought I would ask their lead Senate candidate Bob Day (my local Liberal candidate in the last federal election) what his views on the topic of climate change were.

Bellow is our email conversation.

From: David Folland
Sent: Sunday, 1 August 2010 2:38 PM
To: xxxx@sa.familyfirst.org.au
Subject: Environment

Dear Mr Day, I was just looking at the allocation of preferences at the next federal election and noticed that you put the climate
sceptics third. Does that mean that despite the research of thousands of climate scientists you do not believe that human pollution is causing damage to our environment and so chancing the climate?
David Folland
Redwood Park

On 02/08/2010, at 10:04 PM, "Bob Day"
wrote:

Dear David

Regarding climate change, Family First believes the government should:

1. Tell us what it is going to cost to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ie the impact on the average family in terms of electricity
cost rises, fuel costs, and housing costs. Reports are that an ETS or Carbon Tax will substantially increase the cost of living for the average family.

2. Hold a Royal Commission to investigate why so many reputable scientists do not accept that human activity is causing climate change.
These scientists point to evidence that the earth was much warmer many hundreds of years ago (before CO2 emissions started to rise) than it is today.
Claims that 'there is a scientific consensus' and 'the science is settled' are clearly not accurate.

3. Delay introducing any legislation until the rest of the world agrees to do the same. China and India have made it abundantly clear that they will not scale down their huge program of electrification which will be based on coal-fired power stations. The CO2 emissions from these two countries alone will exceed the rest of the world put together.
Australia represents only about 1% of the world's emissions. It is pointless Australia acting alone.

Accordingly, Family First opposes the introduction of a Carbon Tax or Emissions Trading Tax on Australian families until these questions are answered.

David, I am not an expert on climate change but I do have a science background and can attest that the primary or underlining principle of scientific research is not to prove something to be true but to prove something to be false. In other words, science is, by definition, fundamentally sceptical.

I trust this is of assistance.

Thank you again for your email

Bob Day
Family First
www.sa-familyfirst.org.au

From: David Folland
Sent: Monday, 2 August 2010 11:13 PM
To: Bob Day
Subject: Re: Environment

Dear Mr Day,

1. Do you believe that a decade long drought brought about by climate change could substantially increase the cost of living for the average family? What is the value of an environment?
Have you heard of insurance? It involves a small cost now to prevent a huge expense latter.

2. There are many issues of debate about climate science however the general consensus of Climate Scientists is that humans have influenced our atmospheric chemistry in such a way as to warm the planet and so change the climate. The BOM data for Australian temperature records suggest that southern Australia is warmer in the past decade than when records started. Many of the people who are arguing against human induced climate change have not studied climate science. The IPCC a
group of thousands of distinguished climate scientists have stated that the evidence supports the theory that we are warming the planet and altering the climate.

3. India has introduced a coal tax, we would not be acting alone, New Zealand and many European countries are putting a price on carbon. Why can Australia not be world leaders on this issue?

I am also not a climate scientist but I am a high school science teacher who has been reading about this issue in scientific papers for over 15 years and the general pattern of temperature rise over the last 30 years is what has been warned about by climate scientists.

I would have thought that protecting our environment was a way of putting our Family First.

David Folland
Redwood Park

P.s. You didn't answer my question. Do you believe that human pollution can influence our environment and so cause climate change?

On 03/08/2010, at 9:33 AM, "Bob Day" wrote:

David, I'm receiving over 100 emails a day. I like to reply to all of them. I've given 2 long and considered answers to your questions (IT, Climate Change). I'll try and get to your latest one if I can. Bob Day

This response has still not come. I believe this shows that If we want to have a stable environment for our children to grow up in, that we CAN NOT vote for either Liberals or Family First. With the Labour party being less committed to doing something at this election than the last I think that even though I disagree with some of their "Progressive policies" I may have to put Greens first, at least in the Senate to ensure that something gets done about our environment. If only we had a party that was socially conservative and environmentally responsible, not reprehensible.
David Folland

Politics and Computers

2010-03-19T14:59:00.001-07:00

Well, the results are in, not of the election but of my survey of candidates. Three of the four main candidates for Newland responded to my questions. In my view none of them is a perfect fit for my views on computers and their use. All of them have a lot to learn. The fact that the Labor member, Tom Kenyon, opposes an R18+ rating of games disappoints me, however he appears to at least know what a browser is, and he uses a mac. As was suspected the Greens candidate, Holden Ward, has the least conservative views. The Family First candidate, Dale Clegg, was surprisingly open to the concept of R18+ gaming. Most disappointing was the lack of response from the Liberals candidate Trish Draper. If she doesn't answer emails when trying to be elected, will she answer them when she is my representative.

So in conclusion I don't think that of the three responses there is a definitive winner, but on this basis Trish Draper will not be my first preference.

Use your vote wisely.
David

Labor in Newland

2010-03-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

The sitting member for Newland, Tom Kenyon of the Labor party has shared his thoughts, and his parties policies on the technology issue with us as well.

1. What web browser do you use?
Safari at home, Explorer at work

2. What is your day to day computer (PC, Apple, Laptop) etc?
Mac at home, Laptop at work (dell)

3. What social networking sites do you or your staff use (Facebook, Twitter, Others) and where can we find you on those sites?
I use Facebook and Twitter. I use them privately to keep up with friends and rellies.

4. Do you have a blog and if so what is the address
No blog. No time to keep it current.

5. In your opinion, what is the role of the internet in the South Australian political process?
Once we work out a good way of using emails, we will probaly use them. Collecting addresses is hard. high profile people (Premier and others) seem to use twitter to get a quick message out.

6. What role should government play in regulating the internet?
Mostly the same as any other medium. Really a federal issue.

7.What are your thoughts on how to address objectionable content on the internet? What role should government play in this process?
I don't have the technical knowledge to answer this properly but also a fed issue. Again Should be regulated like other media.

8. Do you support an R18+ classification for computer games?
No. (When asked for clarification on this point Mr Kenyon explained like this) I have played quite a few "bang, bang, shoot 'em up" games (for want of a better term) in my time and always had fun but now having children I am a lot more wary. As they get older I won't mind if they play those types of games (Medal of Honour and others for example) but it's a more cartoon type of violence. What worries me is the graphic and realistic violence that is involved in other games. I believe it has an (negative) effect on everyone but especially children. It is almost inevitable that children would be exposed to those games. I might add that my reservations about that sort of content are not limited just to this form of media.

9.Tell us about the policies that your party has that would influence the use of technology if elected.
The Rann Labor Government has, as its platform in the area of technology use, the Information Economy Agenda 2009-2014: Delivering our digital future.
The three pillars to South Australia’s Information Economy Agenda are:
Connectivity – Affordable Broadband – the infrastructure of innovation – any time, any place
Capability – A skilled workforce and empowered business and communities. Learning, living and working online
Content – Valuable information and applications, creating reasons to be connected
The Rann Government established the $7m Broadband Development Fund in 2003 to enhance the State’s connectivity to fast broadband services, for both regional and metropolitan areas.
Many regional centres throughout South Australia have been instigated through this fund, including the Yorke Peninsula, Murray-Mallee, Mt Gambier, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Kangaroo Island, and the Coorong. Around $3m of the BDF has been spent on these projects.
The State Government has, in partnership with the Federal Government and Adam Internet, funded the metropolitan broadband blackspots project to eliminate broadband blackspots throughout Adelaide. Around 9% of Adelaide premises, 55,000 in total, were located in ADSL blackspot areas. The State Government contributed $3m from the BDF toward the Metropolitan Broadband Blackspots project.
The Rann Government has also made it a priority to engage with the Rudd Government during the planning phase of the National Broadband Network. South Australia will host one of the five initial mainland sites for the NBN, with Willunga being chosen as a rural test-bed.

10. What are your thoughts on the funding of computers for schools?
I think sometimes we overestimate what computers in schools can deliver in terms of helping kids learn. Especially in primary schools. Having said that, they're a part of life now and children need access to them along with good internet access. Here is a brief outline of the ALP's policy initiative:
All State high schools will have wireless classrooms by the end of 2011, allowing students and teachers to use laptops and hand-held internet devices anywhere in the school.
The Rudd Government’s $94 million Digital Education Revolution investment, in partnership with the State Government, will fund the rollout of wireless internet to 165 high schools.
The networks will be installed at 20 schools each school term during 2010 and 2011 – with the first installations started week begining 28th December 2009 – to service 34,500 extra school computers by the end of 2011.
The new wireless technology and computers will be backed with even faster internet access, under a new contract to improve bandwidth.

Greens in Newland

2010-02-28T01:45:00.000-08:00

The second candidate to provide me with all of the answers to the questions asked is the Greens candidate Holden Ward. Here is a very slightly edited version of his responses. (Which has been approved by him). Holden has shown a willingness to communicate with me about the issues involved.

As promised, here are my responses to your questions:

1. What web browser do you use?
Google

2. What is your day to day computer (PC, Apple, Laptop) etc?
PC at home, and PC or lap-top at my work locations

3. What social networking sites do you or your staff use (Facebook, Twitter, Others) and where can we find you on those sites?
I don't use any social networking sites. I can appreciate their appeal for people travelling overseas and keeping in touch with friends and family at home, or other situations when it is not practical to send several personalised messages. However, I do feel that the popularity of sites such as Facebook has brought with it a risk of us becoming socially lazy as a society. I can see a parallel with e-mail being an effective and easy communication tool, yet it sometimes replaces face-to-face communication in the work place. There is something quite strange about being asked to be someone's Facebook "friend", especially when that person lives about 20 minutes away from you.

4. Do you have a blog and if so what is the address
No, I don't have a blog.

5. In your opinion, what is the role of the internet in the South Australian political process?
I think that the internet has an important role to play in the political process as it is a vital vehicle for freedom of speech. However, in South Australia it would seem that this role is still emerging.

6. What role should government play in regulating the internet?
None. As adults in a civilised society, we should be able to determine what internet content we do and don't access. In relation to children, parents and others involved in the care and education of children have the ultimate responsibility to ensure there is no access to inappropriate content. Any regulation of the internet should be independent of the government.

7. What are your thoughts on how to address objectionable content on the internet? What role should government play in this process?
I would refer your readers to the Greens Policy on Media and Communications, via www.sa.greens.org.au/policies

8. Do you support an R18+ classification for computer games?
Yes.

9. Tell us about the policies that your party has that would influence the use of technology if elected.
I would encourage your readers to browse our relevant policies at www.sa.greens.org.au/policies. The main points are that the Greens would support: independent regulation of the internet, increased funding for IT and communication technology to enhance the viability of rural and remote communities, and prioritised funding for environmental technologies (renewable energy etc) as these are a powerful engine for the creation of jobs and national wealth.

10. What are your thoughts on the funding of computers for schools?
I think any initiative which provides necessary resources for our schools is a good one, and computers are vital tools in our children's education. However, I think that government funding for schools should be sustainable, with due consideration of social disadvantage and other barriers to quality education. It would appear that the Rudd government's computers for schools initiative has not been fully delivered according to its original projections.

Warm regards,

Holden Ward
Greens Candidate for Newland

Family First in Newland

2010-02-22T01:17:00.000-08:00

The first candidate to provide me with all of the answers to the questions asked is the Family First candidate Dale Clegg. Here is a very slightly edited version of his responses. (Which has been approved by him). I greatly appreciate his honesty.

I am going to take the opportunity of responding to your questionnaire. Generally I am reluctant to do so as it is sometimes difficult to determine context in a cyber environment, trusting that doesn't get you off side straight away. (lol - I think that means Laugh Out Loud - I am in my 50s after all) .

The reason I am answering is because I find the concept of proposing questions in this way interesting and I would not like you to think I was being rude by not responding. In that sense, I trust you take my responses in the well meaning manner they are offered.

1. What web browser do you use?
Well, I'm a pretty regular person. Using Internet Explorer, I generally use Google although I have also used Bing to do some searching.

2. What is your day to day computer (PC, Apple, Laptop) etc?
PC and Laptops (x2 in the house as my 13 year old son has one for home work etc.)

3. What social networking sites do you or your staff use (Facebook, Twitter, Others) and where can we find you on those sites?
Me: Facebook although I don't use it for campaigning as much as keeping in touch with people. Really for me it is just an interest and I don't spend too much time on it. Full time work as a Fingerprint Investigator with SAPOL on rolling shifts, plus Council duties, plus engaging with my two kids generally consumes my time. There appears to be a number of people I know however who spend quite a bit of time on Facebook. Of course, they, like yourself, started having kids earlier in life and now have much more free time to explore this technology. My Staff: That would be nice. It would certainly make campaigning much easier!

4. Do you have a blog and if so what is the address
No Blog unfortunately, except Joe who lives around the corner although I think he spells it with a double G. (lol - there I go again)

5. In your opinion, what is the role of the internet in the South Australian political process?
I don't believe there is currently a significant role being played by the Internet in the South Australian political process due to many mainstream voters not routinely looking to the internet for political guidance. I think at the moment, those that actually have an interest in who governs us, still rely significantly on traditional media such as the papers and TV. These are very much in our faces, all day, every day. I don't believe this will always be the way of things as people who have grown up with the technology such as yourself, clearly form a greater reliance on the Internet for exchange of information and ideas. I imagine it would certainly sit well with the younger voters. It will be interesting to see the outcome of positive, or negative, twittering etc that results from my responses.

6. What role should government play in regulating the internet?
I would encourage you to go to the Family First (National) Website where all party policies are listed. You will see their greatest concern is that of Pornography and ease of access through the Internet for kids. While kids have always been at risk of coming into contact with pornography, clearly the Internet makes this easier. While end user products like Net Nanny are available, I have found this difficult to set up and it will knock out some site that aren't specifically related to porn. As far as routine regulation of the Internet, as was attempted by Michael Atkinson, I believe this to be wrong. It may be frustrating to some politicians as it has been suggested to me that many who communicate anonymously may be from a production line of letter writers from within a Party's Membership. Should there be other forms of regulation? To answer this it would be necessary to assess the nature of the content or business and make decisions based on community concerns accordingly.

7. What are your thoughts on how to address objectionable content on the internet? What role should government play in this process?
I have probably addressed this in the above however there may be some issues around some of the messengering sites such as MSN. My son uses this as a means of keeping in touch with his friends and I have no issues with it as few of his friends live nearby. I'm sure if they did, they would be around our house, or he at theirs. Also, many of his friends that he attended Primary School with don't go to his High School so I think this is a good way to keep in touch as these friendships may be the ones he retains through life. We do restrict his time however as we believe it needs to be balanced. He accepts this and understands that if we don't keep tabs on it, he becomes absorbed by it at the expense of everything else. I do know some fathers who have greater problems with their daughters. The fathers I know who have 13-14 year olds girls believe they see significant changes in their girls moods if they are on messenger for lengthy periods of times. It would be interesting to see the extent of this but beyond parental guidance, I am not convinced Government should become involved at this stage.

8. Do you support an R18+ classification for computer games?
We have such classifications on movies and magazines already so it would be consistent. At the end of the day the classifications provide a guide. I know my son and daughter see this as a guide and accept it as they do not to drink alcohol etc. Really though, it is up to parents to parent. If they can't do that then kids will look at and play what ever they want regardless of the rating as it comes down to access rather than ratings.

9. Tell us about the policies that your party has that would influence the use of technology if elected.
Again I can only direct you to the National Web Site. As can be seen the issues I have mentioned above are about it. The extent to which such Family First would try and influence the use of Technology would, I think, be minimal. As a group, most within the Party embrace technology and what it provides as a communication tool.

10. What are your thoughts on the funding of computers for schools?
This is an interesting question. For me, computers are simply another resource found in the education system. Like all educational resources, if used wisely, can contribute to the education of our kids. The funding issue should be considered in that context. There has been considerable talk about government funding of computers in school and while this has merit, most schools that my kids have attended have had pretty good access to this technology already. If my own experience is anything to go by, one of the biggest issues in funding large numbers of computers into the school system is who will continue funding to enable upgrading as required. Technology moves at a fairly quick pace and the question is, on a large scale, could the system keep up with that rapid changing environment. Whilst it may be a cost impost for some families, I would like to see a system where parents provide small notebooks for their kids and this in turn be supported by government through special tax incentives, not unlike those that businesses enjoy. That way, families take on the responsibility of providing and upgrading. Just an idea, but that I think could work well, although this is something that needs to be initiated at Federal level as it involves the ATO.

Well David, I trust that give you some idea of where I am as a person, and the Policies provide an outline of what the Family First Party is about. I would like to say though that I fully support your comments about downloading and other pirate activities. This goes on far too much and will ultimately affect our entertainment industries to the point where there may be nothing produced to pirate.

Well, its late and I must away, but first, just how influential do you think this Internet technology is in SA Politics? Perhaps, if you think I'm worth while, you could put it to the test and see just who steps up to the plate. I'd certainly be curious to see.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Dale Clegg

Technology and the South Australian state election

2010-02-18T04:37:00.000-08:00

Last week Peter Kelley posted a blog about technology and the state election. In it he outlined a few questions that it would be good to ask candidates for the upcoming state election (March 20 2010). I have volunteered to do my electorate Newland. So I have emailed the questions to the Labor Member, and Family First, Greens and Liberal candidates. The questions are listed below. As I get responses I will post them on my blog for all to see. If any more candidates nominate I will try to find them and ask the same questions.
David

1. What web browser do you use?
2. What is your day to day computer (PC, Apple, Laptop) etc?
3. What social networking sites do you or your staff use (Facebook, Twitter, Others) and where can we find you on those sites?
4. Do you have a blog and if so what is the address
5. In your opinion, what is the role of the internet in the South Australian political process?
6. What role should government play in regulating the internet?
7. What are your thoughts on how to address objectionable content on the internet? What role should government play in this process?
8. Do you support an R18+ classification for computer games?
9. Tell us about the policies that your party has that would influence the use of technology if elected.
10. What are your thoughts on the funding of computers for schools?

High School Students and Copyright

2009-04-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

In my time as an IT teacher I have seen many examples of students (and staff) infringing copyright. These infringements fall into three main groups. Piracy (software, movies or music), stealing ideas (in written work), stealing media (for Powerpoints etc.). I some ideas that I have been trying with students to help combat this, not sure if it is having a widespread impact but a few students have listened and changed their behaviour so it is working a little bit.

Piracy
1) make students and staff aware that they are doing the wrong thing. Some students do not realise that getting copies of their favourite songs from a torrent site or their friends computer is actually against the law. When they are aware of this some of them change their behaviour.
2) set a good example. Many student have trouble believing that I don't use torrents for my music, however some are encouraged that it is possible to obey the law and have a good music collection. This also applies for software. If we use pirate software in our school computers how can we expect honesty from our students.
3) promote open source. By using and encouraging the use of open source software (eg open office, audacity, gimp) we are allowing students the opportunity to get software they want without braking the law.

Stealing Ideas
1) acknowledge all your sources. Teachers are permitted to copy and use a portion of a text etc. for educational purposes. By siting the source of this material we show students the habit of referencing. As part of a copyright audit in a school it must be done, so why not do it all the time.
2) teach an information literacy system eg PLUS Model or ISP form the NSW Department of Education and Training
3) don't write copy and paste assignments, If the students are required to think about a deep question, or are asked to create a non text artefact for their assignment then they will have to analyse the content and create their own meaning.

Stealing Media
1) Insist on Attribution, always reference the sources of your images in presentations is important not only so you can discourage copyright infringement but also so you can find the images again.
2) Set a good example, if you are making a presentation use only material that you have permission to use.
3) Use Creative Commons resources. These are resources that are available for the world to share, provided they attribute the author. I have published photos on Flickr with CC and one of them is now on a tourist website. Creative commons are a way for students to use images that they have permission to use. For more details see Smartcopying Australia

Well that is what I do, if you have any further ideas please post them in the comments for all to see.
David

Safety on the internet

2009-01-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Dr danah boyd has posted a blog about her involvement in writing a report for Internet Safety Technical Task Force. One of the points that she raises is that "The kids who are in trouble offline are more likely to be in trouble online and offline psychosocial factors contribute to online risks". My observations of teen behaviour with my students reflect this, the students who have the most "inappropriate" material on their myspace pages are most likely to be the ones who are seeking assistance from school counsellors about troubles or fronting the administration over poor in school behaviour. This leads to the question what are we as the community, and more particularly parents and teachers to do?
My first thought is we must listen. Often risky behaviour is a cry for attention, so we need to be listening to our children and students before they get to this stage. During the last six years there have been a number of students whom I have wanted to go to the parents and tell them this. I have suggested that my principal write a newsletter article about this but he suggests newsletters are for positive things. Secondly once we as teachers and parents are listening we need to be honest and open in our talking with young people, explain why we are asking that they do/do-not do things, admit we don't have all the answers.
For many years I have been reading about "middle-schooling" a concept that blends the relationship development of primary school with the broad and deep understanding of high school by putting students in-front of only a few specialist teachers, even sharing some subject areas. I personally think that this could lead to a better social and learning environment and have volunteered to be involved in this at my school, however the way that time-tabling is done at my school it is not something that I have been able to do yet. Perhaps next year.
In the mean time I will do my best to listen to the students I have and talk openly with them, especially my year nine IT class where online issues are a major theme.
David

Is this a job that will have a long-term effect?

2009-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Holidays are a good time for reflecting on what we do. Over the past week I have been doing a bit of contemplating education and Doug Johnson's question in his blog about time really got me thinking.
Do I as a teacher have a long term effect on my students? It is obvious from reading biographies and histories that teachers can have an influence on their pupils eg Helen Keller. In my own life there were three key teachers who enthused me, Thanks Mrs Seaman, Mr Shepherd and Mr Lovell. Talking to other teachers at a training day from Julia Atkin many teachers sited a good teacher as one of the reasons they got into teaching.
Having only taught for six years it is hard to determine the long term influence of what I have done but a number of my students who i have stayed in contact with on mySpace have said that I have assisted them. One in-particular (when I was having a week teaching despair last year) has sited my continual encouragement in year eleven and twelve chemistry as the reason she was able to get into and do the university course she has just completed. Come to think of it perhaps the fact that I am a mySpace "Friend" to over 100 current and ex students shows that I have an influence over them. I think the key is to ensure that that influence is a positive one that encourages exploration of knowledge, creativity and safe behaviour.
David

A Child-p0rn Problem

2008-12-08T02:12:00.000-08:00

The Australia Federal Government has in it's wisdom decided to implement an internet filtering system to "protect our children" and stop the transfer of child p0rn. Being both a parent and a teacher I think that measurers to combat the sexual exploitation of children and teenagers is a good thing. However I feel that the way that the government is implementing it is crazy. Child p0rn on the internet is not a problem in schools, child p0rn on mobiles is.

Imagine this situation (it is unfortunately based on real facts)
1. Young girl (13-14) is going out with an older boy (16-17).
2. The girl wants her boyfriend to declare his undying love for her, as she has done for him.
3. The boy suggests that he will do so if she poses in explicit pictures for him.
4. The girl reluctantly agrees and takes some explicit photos with her camera phone (which mommy and daddy brought to help keep her safe).
5. The girl transfers the images to her boyfriend via mms or bluetooth.
6. The relationship goes sour.
7. The boy who has explicit photos of his ex girlfriend bluetooths the images to his mates at school, who send it to their mates.
8. Soon the girl learns of this situation, leading to a nervous breakdown and to more work for the schools overworked councillors.

Now Senator Conroy please explain how your internet filter will help this problem. To my understanding all it will do is slow our access to useful teaching resources about cyber bullies, relationship safety, self worth and other important educational concepts.

Lord Folland

Distributed Computing

2008-02-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

There are many problems in the world that universities and non profit organisations are tying to solve. Solutions to some of these problems can be worked towards by the use of massive server farms to calculate complex relationships such as the folding of proteins. Most universities do not have access to this sort of system, so a system has been set up to do these calculations with the unused computers in homes and offices. This is known as distributed computing. I have joined my home computer to the World Community Grid as part of team Userfriendly (See my previous post for more info on Userfriendly). If you want to join up you can follow the link on my blog page. David

Feeds for Fun

2008-01-27T01:03:00.000-08:00

There are three main Fun Feeds that I read/view.

1. Unshelved a comic strip about a public library. Some of the jokes are best enjoyed by librarians, others can be enjoyed by anyone who has ever worked with the public.

2. 365 Tomorrows a sci fi schort story for every day of the year, most are onlt a few hundred words, so only take about a minute to read.

3. Userfriendly an online comic about technology, from Canada. Set in an ISP stars Dust Puppy, a sentient ball of dust.

What do you like to read for fun, post your suggestions here.

What I read

2007-12-02T01:02:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a list of my favourite blogs/rss feeds with my reader/s.

For Educational Enlightenment I read
The Education.au blog, a collection of varied blogs by the staff at Education.au for an Australian prospective.

The Blue Skunk Blog by Doug Johnson, an American expert on technology and the internet (he wrote a number of the articles my uni lecturer suggested we read on technology)

HeyJude a blog by Australian technologist Judy O'Connell

One of my Uni Lectures James Herring has a blog about libraries and collaboration.

The Hub is a site about advocacy for school libraries and teacher librarians in Australia

While he is focussing on Libraries, what Stephen Abram writes in his Stephen's Lighthouse can be of interest to teachers too. I had the opportunity to meet Stephen at the ASLA XX conference in Adelaide in October to thank him for some of the tips he has given in his blog.

Another Educational blogger I have had the opportunity to meet is Josh Nunn whose blogs NunnOne and Josh's Edublog are not just about education, but life in general. Thanks for your words of 'wisdom' Josh. Josh is also my only confirmed reader.

In the next issue, blogs/rss feeds for fun

David

How would you cope if you had no way to use the Internet for a week?

2007-11-11T23:04:00.000-08:00

David McMahon posted this question on his blog (http://david-mcmahon.blogspot.com/2007/11/weekend-wandering_11.html) and I thought I would do my best to answer it.

One week without the internet would lead me to change many of my habits. On my way to and from work I listen to podcasts downloaded to my iPod. When I arrive at work I go into the office and check my emails. During the day I will often get students to look up some information or undertake a task on the internet. There are so many resources on the internet that enables teachers to demonstrate concepts that they can not easily do in class settings. Most days after work I will spend half an hour or so reading my 20 RSS feeds and posting things of interest to del.icio.us. The internet is also where I get most music I purchase (iTunes store).

I suspect that without the internet I would have to do more demonstrations with my students. I would also most likely watch more dvds and exercise more to unwind. I may also read more newspapers instead of visiting the abc website. I would also have to listen to poor quality radio during my trip to and from work.

My wife however suggests that one week without the internet and I would die. I would rather say it would just be an addiction like withdrawal. :)

David

What I do

2007-11-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know me, or for those who do but were curious, I thought I would let you know a little more about where I come from educationally and professionally.

I finished High School in Adelaide in 1995.
From there I went to the University of South Australia to Study a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemistry and industrial Process Technology (1996-1999).
A year off from study followed which included time working as a laboratory assistant and getting married.
From there back to University to Study a Bachelor of Education in 01 and 02. My daughter was also born in 02.
Was offered permanency in the SA education department If I would be willing to work in the country, so I moved to the Yorke Peninsular to teach form 2003-2005.
In 2005 I returned to study (two years off and I already missed it) to undertake a Masters of Education Teacher Librarianship. This is being done while I teach full time one subject at a time.
2006 saw my move to the wonderful Adelaide hills to teach, while living only a few minutes from my childhood home.
2007 saw me take up Tae Kwon Do with my daughter, at the time of writing we are both 8th Gup having successfully completed two gradings.
2008 should see the completion of my Masters, including some exciting professional experience in non-school libraries. It will also see me continuing my work with the Youth Environment Militia that I helped the students to establish at my school.

So now you know. Any Questions?
David

In response to Josh's question in my last blog, I have not yet been able to convince the powers that be in my school to allow me to use myspace with my students, the paper was however only written three weeks ago and I have only had one chat with said powers.

MySpace, Teachers and Schools

2007-11-10T01:27:00.000-08:00

This is an extract from a paper I wrote for my ICT Experience Subject at CSU.

Teachers and MySpace
Teachers Joining MySpace
MySpace is, by their own definition, for anyone, so it is not difficult for teachers to join. One of the features that many students get involved in is the schools forums. When selecting schools the social nature of MySpace becomes obvious, as there is no option of listing schools where you have worked only where you have studied. (The author however put that he was attending the school where he works so that he could have contact with the students in their network). Before being able to use a tool effectively with students teachers need to familiarize themselves with that tool. (Green and Hannon 2007 p67).
MySpace as a Social Tool
Most students who use the MySpace network do so because they have offline friends that already use it (Boyd 2007 p9). This social dimension is one that teachers can support and encourage. As the National School Boards Association (2007 P7) states “Both schools and especially parents have strong expectations about the positive roles that social networking could play in students’ lives.”
Part of the process of using MySpace as a social tool in schools is teaching students appropriate online behaviors in relation to both bullying and ‘strangers’. This training can empower teens for their future technology use (Young Adult Library Services Association 2006 in Abram 2007 a), and can be an expansion of the successful work already done in relation to offline bullying (Abram 2007 b) and stranger danger. As Hupfer, Maxson and Williams (2007 p19) state “Just as a parent wouldn’t send a teenager to a shopping mall alone without preparing them to handle any bad situation they encounter, a parent shouldn’t let a teenager navigate MySpace without similar advice.”
MySpace as a Teaching Tool
Any use of MySpace, or any technology for that matter, in the classroom should first consider what learning goals are desired (Newhouse 2002 p5). One way that MySpace can be implemented into the school teaching is as a way of teaching design and web coding as Green and Hannon (2007 p37) explain
MySpace can also allow student a way to publish their work not just for the teacher but also for the wider community beyond the classroom walls (Raiti 2007 p9) in the form of blogs, audio files and videos. This will enable students to look at the way they bring information together to create knowledge in a critical manner. (Wilber 2007)
Schools and Myspace
In both Australia and the United States of America most schools have either stringent rules about the use of social networking (National School Boards Association 2007) or blocked them all together. The total blocking was the case for 13 out of 16 teachers that the author spoke to in relation to this issue, these teachers represented public schools in five states where state wide bans were enforced as well as a number of independent schools and districts. (Personal communication 10th-20th September 2007)
This policy of blocking is supported by some experts and leaders in schools who believe that MySpace is either a time waster (Ashmore 2006) or a danger to students in relation to stalkers or cyber bullying (Belperio 2007). However many other educators and commentators suggest that we should instead be teaching students how to use MySpace and other social networking tools wisely. (Abram 2007a, Broja 2006, Green and Hannon 2007) As Abram (2007b) says “Banning most internet and web applications and sites in schools is the equivalent of trying to teach road safety by banning roads, cars and trucks in school and then sending the kids into the streets to play”. As the American Library Association states “If people were better informed about social networking sites and knew and used the basic internet safety tips, the cloud of fear may decline.”
Stephen Abram (2007 b) suggests that Teacher Librarians, as trusted online guides, need to be talking to parents and administrators to identify the reason behind these blocks. Green and Hannon (2007 p32) found that these blanket bans are not effective, and that many students know ways around them. So it is important for school leaders to become informed about social network sites because the students are using them. (Thompson 2007)

So what do you think? Please Comment or Blog your answers, David

References
Abram, S 2007a, Justifying the social tools: Improving the conversation, Multimedia and Internet @ Schools, Jan/Feb 2007, online version, accessed August 15, 2007 at http://www.sirsidynix.com/Resources/Pdfs/Company/Abram/MMIS_16.pdf
Abram, S 2007b, Shooting themselves in the foot, Multimedia and Internet @ Schools, Mar/Apr 2007, online version, accessed August 15 2007 at http://www.sirsidynix.com/Resources/Pdfs/Company/Abram/MMIS_17.pdf
Ashmore, R, 2006, Blocking ‘MySpace’ From Your Space, School Administrator, Oct2006, Vol. 63 Issue 9 p7-7, 1p
Belperio, F 2007, Cyber bully warning, Leader Messenger, October 3 2007, p3
Borja, R, 2006, Social Networking Sites for Schools Promote Safety, Education Benefits. Education Week, 10/11/2006, Vol. 26 Issue 7, p7
Boyd, D, 2007, Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning, Identity Volume ed. David Buckingham MIT Press
Green, H and Hannon, C, 2007, Their Space: Education for a digital generation, online version, accessed September 4 2007, http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Their%20space%20-%20web.pdf
Hupfer, R, Maxson, M, Williams, R. 2007, MySpace For Dummies, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ
National School Boards Association, 2007, CREATING & CONNECTING, Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking, online version, accessed September 15, 2007. www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf
Newhouse, C. P. 2002. The impact of ICT on learning and teaching: A literature review. Online version, accessed June 25, 2007, from http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/cmis/eval/downloads/pd/impactreview.pdf
Raiti, J, 2007, A new frontier: Web 2.0 = School 2.0, in Hearts on Fire: Sharing the passion ASLA XX Biennial Conference Proceedings 2007, Australian School Library Association, Zillmere, QLD.
Thompson, J, 2007 Is Education 1.0 Ready for Web 2.0 Students? In Innovate, vol 3 issue 4. online version, accessed August 31, 2007 at http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=393
Wilber, D, 2007, MyLiteracies: Understanding the Net Generation through LiveJournals and Literacy Practices. Innovate, vol 3 issue 4, online version, accessed August 31, 2007 from http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=384

Some Thoughts on Web2.0

2007-11-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

Two images of interest in relation to web2.0

The first is an image I saw on Lenva Shearing's Blog Reaching Out (http://lenva. blogspot.com/)

The second is an Age editorial about the banning of Youtube in Victoria

Intro to my Blog

2007-11-05T00:47:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, my Blogger blog, open to the whole world wide web. I had a myspace blog, but I could only show it to my myspace friends and so It was a little limiting. At the moment I suspect that there will be three main areas I will be posting on. Web2.0, Teaching and Librarianship. I may also post on topics such as the environment, science and Christianity depending on what I am thinking at the time. Well that is it for now. If you have any questions post them as comments and I will try to blog my answers.

Lord_Folland