Searching for privacy – to Track or not

 

© Sodahead

One of the major search companies (the most popular one, you may guess from the image above) is to introduce a “Do Not Track” policy to streamline consumer privacy on the Web, and plans to support the initiative in its Chrome Web browser and Android mobile OS. This will tell websites not to track them across the web, particularly referring to the use of ‘cookie’ files left on the users’ machine. This is important to the search giants as the online ad market stands to lose money from not being able to track users and target them with online ads. Do you find targeted ads annoying or useful? have you EVER clicked on an ad link displayed using your online email account or online document tool? No, me neither but someone must be hence the companies dominion and riches.  According to the E-Week security website:

Cookies will not be used to build targeted ads, or those tailored to users based on users’ past surfing and other online behavior. Do Not Track supporters may not use that cookie-tracking data to divine information about users’ employment, credit, health treatment or insurance eligibility, or for sensitive data about children.

That infers that unless you opt out (the process is not automatic, you have to select Do Not Track), all this information IS used by targeted marketeers. This is particularly a concern in schools that may use online email, video tube and docs tools. We wouldn’t accept ads for pizza or burgers in our classrooms, why would as part of our search results? No, the ads aren’t as crass as this example but we shouldn’t have to put up with them at all for the sake of a so-called ‘personalized’ (sic) surfing experience. Do Not Track is not so easy to find for Chrome browser either – you have to find it in the Chrome Web Store (Keep My Opt-Outs). Where is the solution for Android phones? This should be a priority as many under 16s use Android-based smartphones. Don’t believe the hype that some search companies ‘Do No Evil’, they are merely there to make money and occasionally get caught out. See the Wall Street Journal:

Google’s privacy practices are under intense scrutiny. Last year, as part of a far-reaching legal settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission the company pledged not to “misrepresent” its privacy practices to consumers. The fine for violating the agreement is $16,000 per violation, per day. The FTC declined to comment on the findings.

This report based on unauthorised tracking of (rival) Apple’s Safari browser across the web on mobile as well as standard web browsing. Yes, fined $16k per violation.

Sources:

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Congressmen-Query-Google-Over-Apple-Safari-Cookie-Tracking-393575/

http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/24/google-tests-the-do-not-track-waters-with-a-chrome-extension/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204880404577225380456599176.html

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Google-Chrome-to-Support-Do-Not-Track-Privacy-Policy-875431/

 

REALLY using Google Apps at school

There’s been a lot of twitter-chatter amongst the edu-twitterers about specific application of the Google Apps or Google Doc suite. There is even a Google Wave regarding the finer points of a Google Apps only TeachMeet like event or even an unofficial Google Teacher Academy. For my part, I want to see the best use of the free stuff and specifically the Google Docs as that is what I have been using since I don’t have direct access to a VLE and many of my learners come from across different schools.

Google Apps can be used as a perfectly good learning platform (can’t recall where I got this diagram from – sorry). Pedagogically, there is lots of educational theory to structure distance style learning in the contexts of HE. What about schools? What’s the best way for schools to add structures that work and REALLY use Google Apps as a teaching tool?

After giving this a bit of thought, I have looked at Gilly Salmon’s Five Stage Model for e-activities. This is supposed to be for HE of course but recognises the stages needed to get into the process and input required from staff. It’s not an instant thing being able to transpose how you relate teacher-student and student-teacher! Salmon says there are five stages that end with collaboration (stage 4) and peer supported networking (stage 5).

Although widely used and tested in HE, theres not enough teacher input for this model alone to be the structure for schools’ use of Google Apps. I would propose integrating this model with the framework for communicative media developed by Diana Laurillard. The Conversational Framework model emphasises the necessity to have dialogue at the centre of learning. This diagram shows the process as a cycle or flow:

The benefit of the Google Apps suite is that gmail or the IM feature can be used to support the dialogue process, whilst the collaborative toolset (Docs, Presentation etc) help the learner to progress through the stages of interactive collaboration and peer support. Ideally, a social and ‘fun’ learning aspect could also be part of this – although not yet part of the suite. Any recommendations? Bejewelled/tetris?!

Next year’s Twitter

When did you start thinking Twitter was sooo 2008? Maybe you did a harvest of your twitter followers and got rid of the 20% of people you follow who never seem to say anything of interest. Are you still looking for ways to use the Twitter tech with students? For me, I like the short responses given live during a learning session – do I trust kids to do it? No not really – the shy ones still won’t tweet. Despite backupmytweets.com what can you do with a tweeting stream afterwards? Suggest some ideas and I’ll include here.

So what about next year’s Twitter?

For now the smart money’s on Google Wave. This will also be an IM meets SMS meets Email but with room for lengthier comments and other features.

These features make a truly educational rather than banal use for Wave over Twitter.

The social APIs include embedded video, photos and games as seen above. let’s hope they include a bit.ly like URL shortener as automatic when you paste in an URL. If Google docs integrate too (why not?) it will be a great business tool too.

Google Apps in Education – join GTAUK

Google Teacher Academy UK (#GTAUK) pressure group here – sign up to add your voice! (http://bit.ly/GTAUK)

In the US, around 50 innovative educators are selected to attend each GTA based on the merits of their online application. Potential applicants include classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, technology specialists, librarians, administrators, professional trainers, and other education professionals who actively serve K-12 teachers and students.

Participants are selected based on their professional experience, their passion for teaching and learning, and their successful use of technology in K-12 settings. Since the program relies on a “train-the-trainers” model, we are particularly interested in educators who actively provide technology-related mentoring or training for classroom teachers.

The Google Teacher Academy is a FREE professional development experience designed to help K-12 educators get the most from innovative technologies. Each Academy is an intensive, one-day event where participants get hands-on experience with Google’s free products and other technologies, learn about innovative instructional strategies, receive resources to share with colleagues, and immerse themselves in an innovative corporate environment. Upon completion, Academy participants become Google Certified Teachers who share what they learn with other K-12 educators in their local region.

Wolfram Alpha uber-geek search engine

Now live and on a screen near you – the Wolfram Alpha search engine that can answer nearly every question…

some answers may not be exactly what you would expect! Such as the answer to What is the meaning of life? (42)

Yes, maths can be cool.

Online collaboration

I have been giving some thought to online collaboration tools. I have used Skype for a while as a communication tool and have shared documents between small groups in Google docs. Working with Colin at Uni, we wanted an integrated approach.

So Colin and I agreed to work online collaboratively every Wednesday evening from 8 to 9 pm. We initially started using Skype (tested during Day 1), however, audio can be a bit hit and miss at times depending on the network and your physical site of your computer. Colin, I believe was in a public library! Consequently, he set up and sent me the link today to his Groundwork trust ning social site… this worked really well and we were able to share our progress, ideas, resource files and even slides. Read through our Forum commentary here. Suitably impressed by Colin’s ning site, I have created one for my work colleagues, although it may be difficult to tear them away from Facebook.
Explore Colin’s ning social site at: http://groundworklearners.ning.com/

Interesting that others’ sites were done in pbwiki and wetpaint. Room for some more discovery research here.

Google Sketchup

Here is a particular good motivator for male students who are obsessed with 3d games. Although it has been out for a while, the interface is getting simpler – students will / may have already created 3d worlds using the “Doom” or “Half Life” game engines. Some, like the student who created this model of our school, will find it easy. Well done, Billy. Next stage is to add photo texture maps to the walls – a lot more time consuming!

Google gargle gurgle

As mentioned in earlier blogs – Google is creating a techno-empire (allegedly – ahem!).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5132806.stm

Not just a search engine anymore – maybe something good can come out of globalisation *sic*? I predict one day that Google will sell products, software and even OSes in it’s own name and Open Source will be a thing of the past.

Information / Internet Literacy when validating web info

Ok, I know this is familiar territory.
It is worth doing as a reminder — How to read a web address? Domain name comes after the www bit; is it a name you know and/or trust? Is it a personal page? if /users/ or a tilde (~) or random percentage mark appear it probably is personal opinion rather than real facts. What does the extension mean? This is the .gov.uk or .com or .org bit. There are some unusual extensions which can easily be looked into closer by google searching them. The .edu sites should be US universities and .ac.uk for UK universities but still look out for personal web pages when validating a site.

Google to inherit world, possibly

Here’s a little brain teaser…

Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.
Robin Morgan

And one more thing…

The medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium – that is, of any extension of ourselves – result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.

The more the data banks record about each one of us, the less we exist.
Marshall Mcluhan

Alright, you’re thinking whats this gotta do with G**gle? Well read on dear reader…

The New York Times asks the question, is G**gle moving towards world domination? “In a few years you’ll be driving your G**gle to the G**gle to buy some G**gle for your G**gle,” read one posting on Slashdot.

Read more on G**gle’s world take-over plans athttp://www.politicalgateway.com/main/columns/read.html?col=247

This isn’t just conspiracy theory stuff look at this BBC news report at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4662280.stm

G**gle to take the Micr*S*ft crown within 8 years??? Search system, Email catalogue, Photo storage, Outlook spamming, TV, whats next an OS? A dummy-machine?

We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.
Marshall McLuhan