Learning in a digital world

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/new-from-google-the-body-browser/.

Do you know what happens if one of the files you copy in Windows is corrupt, open, can’t be found, or has a too long file name? The copying gives an error message and then stops! It would have been so much nicer if it copied the files it could copy and then list the files it could not at the end.

In steps the free utility Teracopy found here.

In my last copying job 28 files were not copied because their paths were too long. Now I can change the path and copy them individually.

(I thought I had written about Windows Copy some time ago, but did not remember where. Google cam to my rescue. Here is what I wrote in my diary one year ago.)

Imagine your school got some press in a newspaper online and you would like to showcase it on your web page.

One option is to provide a link to the web page. Here is an example from http://sites.google.com/a/gardenrayong.com/gis-athletics/home. On the left side you’ll find this link: June 25 – July 1, 2004.

Click on the link and you are brought to the article in the newspaper. But what if/when the newspaper moves or deletes the page? Then you are toast!

It is a good idea to use PrintScreen and IrfanView’s Create Panoramic Image option to make an image of the article before it disappears.

Here is the article saved as an image. Click it to see it in full size.

Wave is a Google service that may well replace email over time. This video explains why in ten minutes.

In the old days, i.e. last week, you needed an invite to get a Wave account. Not any longer. Just go here and sign up.

What is even more, if you have Google Apps running for free at your school, you can now get Wave accounts for all your users here!

Wave has evolved a lot since it saw the day of light and will continue to do so. Improvements are posted on the Google Wave blog.

Here are videos to suggest how Wave can be used in different settings.

Waves can be embedded in web pages. Here is an example:

In the past I have used http://youtubeloader.com or the program Live Downloader to download videos from YouTube. However, due to some changes to the YouTube site, they don’t work any more.

This morning I asked Google’s social search service Aardvark for help. I posted my question as a Gmail chat:

Later, I got a second answer. Download the program YouTubeDownloader.

I find the aardvark service superior to e.g. Yahoo Answers as you get answers almost immediately and you can have a dialogue with the one who answers.

I have been wondering how these web site recommendations could be saved and made available to anyone interested (teachers, students, parents, …).

One possibility is to use the free Internet service diigo.com.

Diigo is about better ways to research, share and collaborate on information.

Please have a look at my diigo as an example: http://www.diigo.com/user/jannordgreen.

The My Library tab lets you see links posted. Links can be added to lists. Links can be found by tags or by various searching techniques.

The My Network tab shows what others say about the links I have and allows me to see the links of those who share a link of mine. It also gives a link to the people I follow and who follows me.

The My Groups tab shows the groups I follow and description of them. At the moment I have four groups. Diigo in Education is one of them.

I am wondering if the school librarian could be in charge of this service for the school. People could continue to email suggestions of educational links and the librarian could add them to the school’s diigo site. The difficult task is to decide on tags and lists for easy location of links. Who could do this better than a librarian?!

A link can be assigned tags and that way I can give a link to students of my classes showing just the relevant links for that class. http://www.diigo.com/user/jannordgreen/itgs news gives my links for my ITGS class.

Diigo has other features, but this is a beginning. Personally I have a free educational account and can add students to it. My first thought was to to use delicious.com for this, but the Yahoo ID requirement they just launched put me off.
http://support.delicious.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=3499

I have put all the data I currently use on an 8GB USB stick.

The other data has been archived on an external hard drive with copy on another external hard drive.

My main reason for putting all the data on a USB stick was for it to be portable. Regardless if I am at home, at school, or travelling I will always have the data available.

The data is backuped regularly to my laptop’s hard drive using the free and easy to use backup and synchronisation program EZBack-it-up.

Now, what can go wrong with this setup? Quite a few things, actually.

I may forget the USB stick in a computer
For this not to happen I put the USB cap near the keyboard to remind me that the USB stick is not in my pocket. Other people attach the USB to their key chain, so when they try to get into their car or house they suddenly remember that they have left the USB stick behind. Others tie it to a string that goes around their ancle. And so on, and so on.

Somebody wrote a little program that reminds the user that a USB stick is in the drive when they shut off the computer. The sad thing is that the script does not work with Windows XP Home Edition. A more serious objection is that I want the script to run when I log off, not when I turn off the machine. I have searched high and low for such a program, but without any luck.

Rename the USB stick

Students and teachers rather often leave their USB drive behind. To find who the owner is I normally have to open some of the files (break of privacy) to get a clue. A few knowledgeable users have named their USB stick. When I open it in My Computer (Windows Explorer) I immediately see who the owner is. In the illustration above, two USB sticks are connected to the computer. One has been renamed (drive E) while the other (drive G) still has the name of the USB brand. To rename the USB stick, just right-click it and choose Rename.

Adding a text file called ‘Contact information for the owner of this USB stick’ in the root folder is another good idea.

If you find this USB stick please call 123-456789 or send an email to elvispresley@gmail.com.

Kind regards,

Elvis Presley

I may lose the USB stick or it may be stolen
To avod this, you may carry the USB in a string around your neck or keep it in a pocket or compartment with a zipper.

If the worst comes to worst
Some of the data on your USB stick may be personal or confidential. If that is the case, you should password protect and encrypt the files. Who would carry in their pocket confidential information that is easily lost or forgotten? The sad truth is that we almost all do!

Password protect and encrypt your files
When you save a document in Open Office Writer you may add a password on the file:

When the file is saved it is also automatically encrypted so it can not be read by another program.

A more expensive option to keep all the data private is to use USB sticks that are unlocked using a finger scan.

The Eee PC 1000HA allows users to take to the streets with stable and reliable computing on-the-go; 7 hours* of battery life, and exclusive 10GB Eee Storage makes it the ideal traveling companion for outdoor activities. The large 10.1″ display provides comfortable viewing, and a keyboard that’s 92%* sized of generic notebooks make for easier typing and relaxing usage. – Read more

I just bought the above mentioned netbook for USD 310. It has 1GB Ram, 160GB hard disk, and after testing it for a month: I am in love!

Imagine a school where every student has one. Whenever there is a need the student picks it from his bag and connects to the Internet, the school’s network, or uses programs installed on the netbook.

RM Asus miniBook is a simpler notebook priced at USD 277. Click here to try the demo.

Today I was made aware of another option for schools: thin clients or thin client laptops. The latter is used at one of my previous schools.

HP 6720t Mobile Thin Client – Intel Celeron M 423, 1GB SDRAM, 1GB Flash Memory, 15.4″ WXGA TFT Flat Panel, 802.11 a/b/g Wireless, Windows XP Embedded, 1yr Depot Warranty.

What is the better solution? Here is an article and comments with arguments for and against these, and other, options.

Some people dismiss netbooks as personal playthings; others see them as potential desktop replacements. Could they be vehicles for desktop virtualization, too? – Read more