I just finished listening to the “Multimedia” episode of the Web EdTech Podcast. At one point in the conversation, John Rappold and company were discussing web filtering in the schools. They struggled with the question of what types of content should be blocked by the web filter, and who should be making those decisions. In most school districts, when teachers disagree with the filtering decisions, … Continue reading Making Filtering Decisions

The Recording Industry Association of America considers you a criminal. They sue people for sharing music online, sometimes using questionable legal tactics. They also consider it illegal for you to copy music from a legally-acquired CD to a computer or MP3 player. If you run a radio station, you have to pay licensing fees to play commercial music on the air. That’s a 180-degree change … Continue reading Eschew the RIAA

I’m not a bleeding edge kind of guy. I don’t generally install new software right away. I wait for the bugs to be worked out. I let a couple minor revisions go by. Then, I upgrade, but only if there’s something that the new version has that I need. So why am I so frustrated with WordPress? After all, it was less than a year … Continue reading Waiting for WordPress

It’s been a while since we have had a high-profile news story about stolen laptops. You know the story. Some company or government agency or organization had some laptops that contained social security numbers or financial records or credit card numbers or confidential medical information. These laptops were stolen or misplaced or they mysteriously disappeared. The organization notified the affected people whose data might be … Continue reading Securing Mobile Data

Monday was “Read Across America Day.” Pro-reading events took place all over the country. I participated by reading a story to a group of children in North Carolina. My children are attending a big event at Kent State tomorrow, where they’ll listen to stories, make bookmarks and other crafts, and have their pictures taken with the Cat in the Hat. Tuesday was “National Grammar Day.” … Continue reading Every Dog

In order for a technology to be successful, it has to have a killer application. There has to be something that it does that people want so badly they’re willing to go out and buy the technology just to do it. In the days of the Apple II, it was Visicalc. This concept of an electronic spreadsheet was so powerful, and it saved so much … Continue reading The Killer App

The waters are getting muddier for the little laptops as more and more companies start getting into the business. We’re still evaluating the Asus eeePC here in the district, and hope to have some decisions made about them within the next month or two. In the meantime, the competition is starting to heat up. Here’s a quick roundup. I should preface these remarks by saying … Continue reading Little Laptops

I know you’re all very busy with final preparations for the big holiday, but I wanted to take a few moments to wish you all a happy Ohio Day. For those who have forgotten, Ohio Day is the annual celebration of Ohio’s statehood, which retroactively took place March 1, 1803. Remember, the Ohio flag is supposed to ceremonially replace the Stars and Stripes at dawn … Continue reading Happy Ohio Day