Digital Identity
Last 6th grade tech of the year :(
Jun 4th
The last tech class of the year ended as we began – out of the lab in a group discussion.
We started by using emoticons to share our feelings about our tech journey coming to an end. Some students felt 
and others 
or 
Students shared their favorite technology experiences this year:
- writing and executing programs with post-it notes
- independent projects
- visiting technologists
- revolution vs. evolution
They also offered suggestions for improvements next year, ranging from school-provided laptops to more time in the lab.
Finally, our conversation turned to summer plans. We talked about healthy screen time, concerns over cell phone over-usage and non-tech related summer activities. The 6th grade is planning on an amazing summer outdoors – some activities they’ll be engaged in include:
- parkour summer camp
- dog walking
- swimming
- playing checkers and other board games
- tennis
- ultimate frisbee camp
- writing letters
- learning a new language
- basketball
- cooking
Thanks everyone for a great year, 7th grade will be even more amazing!
Video game reflection
May 23rd
For the last month, 6th grade students have been chatting with professionals who use technology on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ve heard some stories about Michael’s (Google engineer) dog-friendly workplace or Emily’s (Cheezburger Network) love of music and reading when in middle school. If not, please ask your student, or visit the tech blog to get an overview (http://www.billingsmiddleschool.org/beta).
Our final guest speaker visited Friday and we had a presentation about how video games have shifted from text-based stories all the way to photo-realistic interactive movies. As always, students asked relevant questions and offered ideas for future products.
Towards the end of the class period our speaker showed off some amazing footage of their current video games. Part of these clips were graphically violent and may be on students’ minds. Some t-shirts and other give-aways were handed out, some of which depict these ads. Here are a few questions you might consider engaging your student with:
What makes video games so much fun to play?
Do you think video games can affect your mood?
Does your body and mind react differently to violence in a video game rather than in a movie?
Does your body and mind react differently to violence in a video game rather than in the real world?
How do you know if you’ve been looking at a computer or tv screen too long?
Our speaker also talked about the need for families to have clear rules about how much game-play is appropriate. His teen has a “1 hour per day” policy, but duration might be dependent on age, personality, exercise, school performance, chore completion, etc.
Does your family have guidelines about gaming systems?
Do you understand the video game rating system ( http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp)?
Are you familiar with signs of video game addiction ( http://www.video-game-addiction.org/symptoms-computer-addiction-teens.html)?
Do your gaming systems use the internet to connect players to others around the world?
Is gaming a social or private activity at your house? Where is the console or computer located?
Do you have a clear plan for this summer (camps, sleepovers, trips) that creates a balanced environment beyond gaming and/or computing?
Tech in the News updates
May 23rd
7th grade is focused on technology in the news. The last few weeks we’ve been following the upcoming iPhone, Facebook privacy updates, and a lawsuit against Google for Street View information.
iPhone updates:
iPod touch with camera shows up in Vietnam
Apple loses a second 4th gen iPhone, new insights discovered
iPhone Finder Regrets His ‘Mistake’
Police Raid Gizmodo Editor’s House, Confiscate Computers
Facebook updates:
Facebook Users Plan to Quit the Service on May 31
Senators’ letter to Facebook
Facebook and Others Caught Sending User Data to Advertisers
Google Street View troubles:
Google faces U.S., German probes on data collection
Important Facebook privacy changes
Apr 23rd
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled plans to connect Facebook accounts with other companies all over the internet, from CNN to Levi’s and further. The changes to how other companies can use YOUR Facebook information are a big deal – please take a few minutes to follow this step-by-step guide to protecting your digital identity.
- Who: Facebook and advertising partners
- What: changes to how Facebook shares their information about you (photos, videos and information)
- When: now & forever (unless courts or public advocacy shuts it down)
- Where: not just on Facebook but on the websites of anyone that wants to use Facebook’s info
- Why: benefit to Facebook and partners: money, supposed benefit to you: personalized experience. It’s easier for Levi’s to sell you a pair of jeans if they have a list of 5 of your best friends that have already purchased them. Levi’s can even tell you how much your friends spent and what size they bought!
- How: Facebook partners can store your information and share it with your network. There are currently no limits on how long they can keep the info or where they can use it.
To protect yourself from this new system, follow the screenshots below:
1. Login to your account. From the dropdown list under “Account” (top right corner), click on “Account Settings.” (screenshot below)
2. There are a number of tabs at the center top of the screen (settings, networks, notifications, etc). Select Facebook ads. On the next screen, change “allow ads of platform pages…” to “No One” and hit “Save Changes”. (screenshot below)
3. Back to “Account” in the top right corner of the page, click on “Privacy Settings.” You’ll end up on a page that looks like the screenshot below.
4. Click on “Applications and Websites.” On the next screen (screenshot below) you’ll see “Instant Personalization” at the bottom of the list.
5. Click on “Instant Personalization” on the next page, look for and UNCHECK the tiny check box at the bottom that says “Allow selected partners to instantly personalize their features with my public information when I first arrive on their websites.” (screenshot below)
6. You’ll get a pop-up that tries to convince you not to uncheck this box. Click “Confirm.” (screenshot below)
7. Head back to “Accounts>Privacy Settings” (step 3 above). Click on “Applications and Websites”. From the screen, choose “What your friends can share about you” and uncheck everything. Click “Save Changes.”
The above steps will help you stay in control of your information. As always, the best way to keep data safe is to not post it online in the first place. For more information about how to configure your Facebook settings, please reference our previous post.
7th Grade in Central Washington
Mar 31st
This week students will be rafting, rock-climbing, hiking, meeting with union workers and immigrant farmers, cooking and learning about the history of Washington state.
Just because 7th graders are in the field doesn’t mean they aren’t experiencing technology. Students are using cameras to document their experience, and we used a map to plot out our week-long journey. Click on an icon to learn more about each location:
Also, a few photos have been sent home via MMS (cell phone multi-media messaging service):
The girls at their Tuesday campsite.
Passover Seder meal.
Computer Engineer Barbie
Mar 4th
Barbie has been around for 51 years and there are 126 different versions of the doll! While popular around the world, there are many people who don’t like this toy because they say her body is unrealistic, she perpetuates a stereotype and she doesn’t represent real women.
Mattel, the company that makes Barbie, is trying to improve her image by creating dolls that give girls a positive role model – mainly by creating versions that have jobs. There newest doll is the Computer Engineer Barbie, a coding woman with matching pink laptop, glasses and accessories.
Students – feel free to respond to this story and answer one of the questions below using the blog “comments” field.
Do you think that Barbie is a role model (good or bad) for young girls?
Do you think this Barbie is dressed for work? Why or why not?
Is this new doll inspiring, insulting, or something else entirely?
OK GO followup
Mar 2nd
On Monday, the 7th grade talked about the band OK GO and their inability to post embeddable videos due to the record contract they have in place. State Farm Insurance stepped in and gave the band money to make a new video that falls beyond the EMI agreement. Enjoy this massive Rube Goldberg machine:
OK GO coming to Washington state
Mar 1st
7th grade time in the lab is split between two lessons today – bridged by digital identity:
1. OK GO is a band that became popular through some awesome YouTube videos. Instead of signing a recording contract and spending millions on advertising, they made a couple of low-budget, hilarious films and posted them online. The videos were so popular that they got signed by EMI. You can see the famous “treadmill” video (more than 49 million views) at YouTube because embedding has been disabled at the request of the record label.
The band recently made a new video and posted it on their website for all their fans, but EMI (the record label) was not happy and made them remove it. This is bizarre because the internet made them famous but now their bosses asked them not to use this tool to connect with fans. To watch this video, you have to go to YouTube so that EMI can get paid by the advertisers.
OK GO has a great online presence, using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and their own website to promote their brand (band). We took a look at their Facebook page and found out that they are performing at the Sasquatch! music festival in Washington in May. That took us to the second part of our class…
2. We opened Google Earth and searched for the The Columbia Gorge, where the music festival takes place every year. From there, we prepped for the upcoming Washington State History quiz on notable locations around the state. We used Google Earth to locate the Coulee Dam (pictured below), Adams and other mountains, major freeways, lakes, tribes and more.
2010 digital identity survey results – cell phones
Feb 20th
The 8th grade Community class has been analyzing the results of their 2010 Digital Identity Survey. 88 students (out of 103) completed the request for information. There is a lot of information to work through – from social networking accounts to gaming consoles to parent perceptions of tech use. Below is a small sample: student cell phone ownership and texting trends.
