Caller: Hi our printer is not working.
Customer Service: What is wrong with it?
Caller: Mouse is jammed!
Customer Service: Mouse??? Printers don't have a mouse!
Caller: Mmmmm??... Oh really??... I'll send a picture!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Teens Can Get Advice On Safe Texting
Lauren La Rose
Canadian Press
TORONTO
(Jan 22, 2010)
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is launching a website targeting texting teens to teach safe use of the popular technology amid growing concerns about young people sending sexual messages and nude photos via text.
The charitable organization is partnering with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association on textED.ca. The site will provide educational information on the risks of text messaging, as well as safety strategies and guidelines to follow when using technology.
Signy Arnason is director of the centre's Cybertip.ca, a national tipline for reporting kids being sexually exploited on the Internet.
She said they had been getting a lot of anecdotal information from schools and law enforcement agencies of a "mass increase" in cases of youth texting and mobile-phone use that often bordered on the illegal.
Arnason said the goal is to educate teens that their decisions have both short-term costs and long-term ramifications.
"From many of the reports we either get or law enforcement have to deal with, you've got these kids making spur of the moment decisions, which may include maybe disseminating nude photographs," she said from Winnipeg.
"We talk about what are the components of treating someone well and what does a good relationship look like, so hopefully they can avoid those situations."
A poll conducted last fall by The Associated Press and MTV found that more than one-quarter of young people in the U.S. are "sexting" -- sharing nude photos, videos and chat by cellphone or online.
An example of luring by texting provided by Cybertip.ca highlights the potential dangers of using the technology. Last January, a 14-year-old Ontario girl engaged in text-message exchanges with someone claiming to be a 15-year-old boy, who was attempting to lure the girl to meet him in Kingston.
As it turned out, the man was 20, and had just been released from custody after being convicted of physically assaulting another girl he met online. He has also been wanted in three provinces on charges that include sexual assault and threats against a girl he met online and moved in with.
Bernard Lord, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, said it's important to make sure young people are aware of how to deal with texts that may be inappropriate and to encourage them to seek help.
"This is not an overwhelming problem. We just want to make sure that we've covered the bases before we have a major crisis," he said.The website, launched yesterday, will roll out its pilot phase with 100 Grade 7 classrooms across Canada. The full site is slated to launch in September.
Canadian Press
TORONTO
(Jan 22, 2010)
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is launching a website targeting texting teens to teach safe use of the popular technology amid growing concerns about young people sending sexual messages and nude photos via text.
The charitable organization is partnering with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association on textED.ca. The site will provide educational information on the risks of text messaging, as well as safety strategies and guidelines to follow when using technology.
Signy Arnason is director of the centre's Cybertip.ca, a national tipline for reporting kids being sexually exploited on the Internet.
She said they had been getting a lot of anecdotal information from schools and law enforcement agencies of a "mass increase" in cases of youth texting and mobile-phone use that often bordered on the illegal.
Arnason said the goal is to educate teens that their decisions have both short-term costs and long-term ramifications.
"From many of the reports we either get or law enforcement have to deal with, you've got these kids making spur of the moment decisions, which may include maybe disseminating nude photographs," she said from Winnipeg.
"We talk about what are the components of treating someone well and what does a good relationship look like, so hopefully they can avoid those situations."
A poll conducted last fall by The Associated Press and MTV found that more than one-quarter of young people in the U.S. are "sexting" -- sharing nude photos, videos and chat by cellphone or online.
An example of luring by texting provided by Cybertip.ca highlights the potential dangers of using the technology. Last January, a 14-year-old Ontario girl engaged in text-message exchanges with someone claiming to be a 15-year-old boy, who was attempting to lure the girl to meet him in Kingston.
As it turned out, the man was 20, and had just been released from custody after being convicted of physically assaulting another girl he met online. He has also been wanted in three provinces on charges that include sexual assault and threats against a girl he met online and moved in with.
Bernard Lord, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, said it's important to make sure young people are aware of how to deal with texts that may be inappropriate and to encourage them to seek help.
"This is not an overwhelming problem. We just want to make sure that we've covered the bases before we have a major crisis," he said.The website, launched yesterday, will roll out its pilot phase with 100 Grade 7 classrooms across Canada. The full site is slated to launch in September.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Caribou Contest
Just wanted to say that I was very impressed with the effort that all of the students put into the Caribou Contest today! We should see some great results at 4:30 today! And a thank-you to Mr. Restoule-General/OMSK/ECG/Jamieson, for including me today.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Frames 4 Is In!
The new Frames 4 software from OSAPAC is now in thanks to Mr. Restoule-General. If you would like the software in your classroom, please don't hesitate to give me a call! There are many uses for the software which include:
Cel Animation
Communicating visually is an essential 21st-century skill. With Frames integrated drawing tools, students can illustrate their own animated diagrams, graphs, procedures, and more, helping them understand concepts that are difficult to explain using text alone.
Clay Animation
Nothing engages students more than creating clay animation! Use Frames to transform your classroom into an active learning environment and begin having your student develop exciting cross-curricular group projects that incorporate writing and technology skills.
Digital Storytelling
Digital storytelling is an effective way to engage students in their learning. Creating digital stories with Frames develops students’ ability to interpret events beyond their immediate experience and builds planning, organizational, and time management skills.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Hello, Welcome Back and Happy New Year!!
Today I was invited to attend an in-service on the Premier Software, at Hagersville Elementary School, with thanks to Robin Staats and Michelle Black. The software we looked is available to all students in the Grand Erie Board. Here is some basic information into this technology if you would like to check out the website:
http://www.readingmadeeasy.ca/education/
Premier In-School Program Breaking Down Barriers to Assistive Technology
Bridging the gap between budgets and needs
The In-School Program, by Premier, is an educational solution designed to bridge the gap between educational budgets and the need for school districts to serve the literacy needs of ALL the students within the board. The Premier In-School Program takes a multi-sensory approach to literacy — offering auditory accessibility as a companion to printed and digital materials.
A comprehensive collection of literacy tools and a unique approach to licensing allow Premier to offer options and opportunities that do not exist anywhere in the literacy software arena. With the Premier In-School Program, it is now within the reach of school boards to provide literacy solutions to each and every student within your district. Universal Design has never been so attainable...so affordable...so available.
In-School Program Literacy Tools
Robust and easy-to-use tools
The Premier In-School Program capitalizes on the Accessibility Suite of literacy tools. The Suite contains robust and easy-to-use tools that will improve reading, writing, comprehension and learning by providing multiple channels for acquiring and retaining information. Each user can adjust software options based on their own individualized learning style. The Premier In-School Program supports the development of active study strategies and encourages student achievement for success in school and in life.
Licensing
An unlimited board-wide license
The Premier In-School Program is based on an unlimited board-wide license of our Accessibility Suite software. Quite simply, any computer that the Board owns, leases or purchases within the license period is fully covered under the Premier In-School Program. Licenses are granted for a one-year period and include access to unlimited Technical Support. Upgrades within the year are provided at no additional cost.
You also benefit from the Suite’s flexible deployment options. Depending on the preferences of the Board, the software can be deployed on your server using our Network Edition, pushed out to all workstations through the use of an image, installed on individual workstations using a CD or via any combination of these options.
Today I was invited to attend an in-service on the Premier Software, at Hagersville Elementary School, with thanks to Robin Staats and Michelle Black. The software we looked is available to all students in the Grand Erie Board. Here is some basic information into this technology if you would like to check out the website:
http://www.readingmadeeasy.ca/education/
Premier In-School Program Breaking Down Barriers to Assistive Technology
Bridging the gap between budgets and needs
The In-School Program, by Premier, is an educational solution designed to bridge the gap between educational budgets and the need for school districts to serve the literacy needs of ALL the students within the board. The Premier In-School Program takes a multi-sensory approach to literacy — offering auditory accessibility as a companion to printed and digital materials.
A comprehensive collection of literacy tools and a unique approach to licensing allow Premier to offer options and opportunities that do not exist anywhere in the literacy software arena. With the Premier In-School Program, it is now within the reach of school boards to provide literacy solutions to each and every student within your district. Universal Design has never been so attainable...so affordable...so available.
In-School Program Literacy Tools
Robust and easy-to-use tools
The Premier In-School Program capitalizes on the Accessibility Suite of literacy tools. The Suite contains robust and easy-to-use tools that will improve reading, writing, comprehension and learning by providing multiple channels for acquiring and retaining information. Each user can adjust software options based on their own individualized learning style. The Premier In-School Program supports the development of active study strategies and encourages student achievement for success in school and in life.
Licensing
An unlimited board-wide license
The Premier In-School Program is based on an unlimited board-wide license of our Accessibility Suite software. Quite simply, any computer that the Board owns, leases or purchases within the license period is fully covered under the Premier In-School Program. Licenses are granted for a one-year period and include access to unlimited Technical Support. Upgrades within the year are provided at no additional cost.
You also benefit from the Suite’s flexible deployment options. Depending on the preferences of the Board, the software can be deployed on your server using our Network Edition, pushed out to all workstations through the use of an image, installed on individual workstations using a CD or via any combination of these options.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Textbook-Free Classroom
It's a brave new world of high-tech learning
October 24, 2009
ASHLEY SURDIN
WASHINGTON POST
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (Oct 24, 2009)
The dread of high school algebra is lost here amid the blue glow of computer screens and the clickety-clack of keyboards.
A fanfare plays from a speaker as a student passes a chapter test. Nearby, a classmate watches a video lecture on ratios. Another works out an equation in her notebook before clicking on a multiple-choice answer on her screen.
Their teacher at Agoura High School, Russell Stephans, sits at the back of the room, watching as scores pop up in real time on his computer grade sheet. One student has passed a level, the data shows; another is retaking a quiz.
"Whoever thought this up makes life so much easier," Stephans says with a chuckle.
This textbook-free classroom is by no means the norm, but it may be soon. Slowly, and in increasing numbers, grade schools are supplementing or substituting the heavy, expensive and indelible hardbound book with its lighter, cheaper and changeable cousin: the digital textbook.
Also known as a flexbook because of its adaptability, a digital textbook can be downloaded, projected and printed, and can range from simple text to a Web-based curriculum embedded with multimedia and links to Internet content. Some versions must be purchased; others are "open source" -- free and available online to anyone.
Some praise the technology as a way to save schools money, replace outdated books and better engage tech-savvy students. Others say most schools don't have the resources to join the digital drift, or they question the quality of open-source content.
Hardbound books still dominate the $7-billion U.S. textbook market, with digital textbooks making up less than 5 per cent, according to analyst Kathy Mickey of Simba Information, a market research group.
But that is changing, as K-12 schools follow the lead of universities and schools in other countries, including South Korea and Turkey. In Florida's Broward County, students and teachers log online to access digital versions of their Spanish, math and reading books.
In Arizona, classes at one high school are conducted entirely with laptops instead of textbooks. In Virginia this year, state officials and educators unveiled a free physics flexbook to complement textbooks.
California made the largest embrace of digital textbooks this summer when it approved 10 free high school math and science titles developed by college professors and the CK-12 Foundation, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit aimed at lowering the cost of educational materials.
Some dispute the idea that digital textbooks -- even open-source versions -- will be cheaper, at least right away, or improve education quality.
"Keep in mind that with open-source materials, you have to ask, 'Where are they coming from?'" said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division. "Is it a trusted source? Is it aligned to state standards? Is it based on real research?"
Diskey said traditional textbooks offer a comprehensive curriculum, while some open-source texts provide only bits and pieces. "There can be quite a difference of content and accuracy," he said. "In many cases, you get what you pay for."
Textbook publishers face losing business as free Internet content expands. But Diskey blames the recession, not free digital books, for any fiscal hardships facing the industry.
"We don't think budgets are being cut because of open-source materials," he said.
Schools using digital texts say it's too soon to tell how much money they may be saving. As critics point out, long-term fiscal benefits require upfront resources that many schools lack: money, teacher training, bandwidth to support Internet multimedia and, most critically, computers.
The majority of households have personal computers and Internet access, according to a 2005 report from the Census Bureau, but access declines with income. U.S. schools on average have roughly one computer for every four students, according to 2005 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
"It's going to be a bit of a challenge for schools throughout the country to implement this new technology," said David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association. "How do you guarantee all children have access to that kind of textbook?"
Glen Thomas, California's education secretary, questions whether digital textbooks require a computer for every child. "This initiative is not about hardware," he said. "I visited a classroom where there were a couple kids using laptops, several had textbooks, some had a couple of chapters printed out, and the lesson was displayed on a screen in front of the class."
For now, it appears that digital textbooks are largely a school-by-school, teacher-by-teacher choice. But converts such as Stephans of are quick to encourage more.
"If there was a list of math teachers who would have signed up for this, I would have been at the bottom," said Stephans, who hesitantly agreed to pilot the textbook-free class this year. To educators considering the digital possibilities, he now says: "What are you waiting for?"
October 24, 2009
ASHLEY SURDIN
WASHINGTON POST
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (Oct 24, 2009)
The dread of high school algebra is lost here amid the blue glow of computer screens and the clickety-clack of keyboards.
A fanfare plays from a speaker as a student passes a chapter test. Nearby, a classmate watches a video lecture on ratios. Another works out an equation in her notebook before clicking on a multiple-choice answer on her screen.
Their teacher at Agoura High School, Russell Stephans, sits at the back of the room, watching as scores pop up in real time on his computer grade sheet. One student has passed a level, the data shows; another is retaking a quiz.
"Whoever thought this up makes life so much easier," Stephans says with a chuckle.
This textbook-free classroom is by no means the norm, but it may be soon. Slowly, and in increasing numbers, grade schools are supplementing or substituting the heavy, expensive and indelible hardbound book with its lighter, cheaper and changeable cousin: the digital textbook.
Also known as a flexbook because of its adaptability, a digital textbook can be downloaded, projected and printed, and can range from simple text to a Web-based curriculum embedded with multimedia and links to Internet content. Some versions must be purchased; others are "open source" -- free and available online to anyone.
Some praise the technology as a way to save schools money, replace outdated books and better engage tech-savvy students. Others say most schools don't have the resources to join the digital drift, or they question the quality of open-source content.
Hardbound books still dominate the $7-billion U.S. textbook market, with digital textbooks making up less than 5 per cent, according to analyst Kathy Mickey of Simba Information, a market research group.
But that is changing, as K-12 schools follow the lead of universities and schools in other countries, including South Korea and Turkey. In Florida's Broward County, students and teachers log online to access digital versions of their Spanish, math and reading books.
In Arizona, classes at one high school are conducted entirely with laptops instead of textbooks. In Virginia this year, state officials and educators unveiled a free physics flexbook to complement textbooks.
California made the largest embrace of digital textbooks this summer when it approved 10 free high school math and science titles developed by college professors and the CK-12 Foundation, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit aimed at lowering the cost of educational materials.
Some dispute the idea that digital textbooks -- even open-source versions -- will be cheaper, at least right away, or improve education quality.
"Keep in mind that with open-source materials, you have to ask, 'Where are they coming from?'" said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division. "Is it a trusted source? Is it aligned to state standards? Is it based on real research?"
Diskey said traditional textbooks offer a comprehensive curriculum, while some open-source texts provide only bits and pieces. "There can be quite a difference of content and accuracy," he said. "In many cases, you get what you pay for."
Textbook publishers face losing business as free Internet content expands. But Diskey blames the recession, not free digital books, for any fiscal hardships facing the industry.
"We don't think budgets are being cut because of open-source materials," he said.
Schools using digital texts say it's too soon to tell how much money they may be saving. As critics point out, long-term fiscal benefits require upfront resources that many schools lack: money, teacher training, bandwidth to support Internet multimedia and, most critically, computers.
The majority of households have personal computers and Internet access, according to a 2005 report from the Census Bureau, but access declines with income. U.S. schools on average have roughly one computer for every four students, according to 2005 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
"It's going to be a bit of a challenge for schools throughout the country to implement this new technology," said David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association. "How do you guarantee all children have access to that kind of textbook?"
Glen Thomas, California's education secretary, questions whether digital textbooks require a computer for every child. "This initiative is not about hardware," he said. "I visited a classroom where there were a couple kids using laptops, several had textbooks, some had a couple of chapters printed out, and the lesson was displayed on a screen in front of the class."
For now, it appears that digital textbooks are largely a school-by-school, teacher-by-teacher choice. But converts such as Stephans of are quick to encourage more.
"If there was a list of math teachers who would have signed up for this, I would have been at the bottom," said Stephans, who hesitantly agreed to pilot the textbook-free class this year. To educators considering the digital possibilities, he now says: "What are you waiting for?"
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Aroga Open House
Aroga is happy to announce our Toronto office's first Open House! Come by and see our new office space, check out new product demonstrations, view a wide range of product displays and enjoy free food and drinks! Come by anytime between 10 AM and 7 PM on Thursday October 29. Please RSVP nicole@aroga.com if you are planning to attend.
Aroga Toronto 101-12 Concorde Place, Toronto Ontario 1-877-551-6222
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