Welcome to CED0510 Class 4 November 9, 2010

Grading is… almost up to date… I will have the assignments that were due today graded by the end of the week. I like to grade them all at once. I’m sending you a pdf of the rubric. Questions, errors, please call me out on these. Send me an email and I’ll look at it again. Want a do-over? No problem, please let me know if you want to do something over… I’d like to talk about it.

Questions? If you think it just relates to you, please email me.

Anyone Seen Social Networking Might be a nice follow up to our movie series showing how powerful the technology can be Sean Parker, the inventor of Napster, turned the music industry on its ear. As he points out, can you find a “Tower Records” or any record store for that matter.

Facebook was a totally new idea There was nothing like facebook before it came along. It is big and popular but didn’t mangle a whole industry like Napster. Shopping will never be the same because of the internet. Neither will be academic research.

Books?? Is the Kindle obsolete (even before I had a chance to buy one?) What is the future of book sales. Most big book retailers are in financial trouble… little store bit the dust a few years ago. Magazines, newspapers, wedding invitations… Where does it stop. BTW: When Apple released the first laser printer, pundits said it was the end of the printing industry. Since then Kinko’s was invented.

Triumph of the Nerds… Looking at the past allows one a chance to look at the future Computing has been filled with changes that were unforeseen. The internet, for example, required computing power and network connectivity that was not in existence Developers worked toward the next generation of hardware and software assuming it would be there when it was needed

They were correct! People were willing to pay for hardware that was needed.

Connectivity Just a few years ago dialup was big business Now the biggest corporations in the country are vying for consumer accounts in broadband Cable companies are talking about fiber to the home. (could take home networks from 100megabits to 1000megabits overnight) New computers have ethernet that is 10 times faster than their existing connections. What’s next…

Community Wireless? A National Wireless Net? Is Broadband a right? (Life, liberty and the pursuit of google docs?)

State Testing… Now it is paper and pencil testing that has to be shipped, graded and reported mostly by hand. Could a computer generated, graded and reported test save millions of dollars even if the state had to supply the computers? The answer is yes. Are we ready. Look at NWEA http://nwea.org/support/

NWEA (http://www.nwea.org ) Online testing and reporting Test analysis for the teacher that aids instruction Norm sets that are far superior to current state tests in almost all states. Standards based and state specific for Wisconsin, and lots of other states Immediate results Pricey

Most school are fully connected, Why not use it for testing?

Pictures and Music When asked what they don’t want to lose from their computers they say pictures. Put the pictures on PicassaWeb and the music on a hard drive. Is there a service that will store and catalog your music? Yes What happens to an ipod when your computer crashes…. A real mess. (Search copy from Ipod)

Backup It looks like you all have embraced cloud storage or at least regularly backup to a hard drive. Don’t forget to store the backup in a safe place. I keep them in my mom’s extra closet in the bottom of an old dresser. I rotate them once or twice a month. How much can you live without?

On to components… & Perfect Computers

Synthesis You might want to spend some time looking at the component research. Question you might ask is this: Should I build, have it built or buy it off the shelf? This is truly a case of taking what others have learned and helping yourself to it. Great Artists Steal!

Please Let Me Know When You Are Done With Your Perfect Computer. I would like to look at them right away. Just send me an email.

Blog #4 How does this course, and its content connect to you? Is it useful information that will help you in the future? If so how? If not how might it be improved? Due – (Start of week 6)

Next Week’s Class is same time, same place. I will email you the URL as usual. Got questions, need advice. I am available to help.