Recently, a hacker was sentenced to 41 months in jail for illegally using hundreds of a company's computers as part of a money-making botnet. The punishment is about the same for auto theft, despite the hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages caused in addition to the thousands of dollars the scheme netted the criminal. Viruses, denial of service attacks and other malware continue to disrupt businesses and cause damages that are difficult to estimate.
Many experts claim that the punishment for cybercrime often is out of proportion with the damages caused by the crime. Some legal experts claim that lax security on the part of Internet users is to blame, and perhaps those who practice lax security should be punished as well. Others claim that many organizations provide exorbitant estimates of true damages that cybercriminals cause and that these alleged damages provoke an emotional overreaction to the crimes.
Keep in mind what we heard and saw in class in the video Hackers.
1. Should the government create new laws specifically aimed at punishing cybercriminals? Why or why not?
2. Should cybercriminals be punished in proportion to the alleged damages that they cause? Why or why not?
3. Who should decide the extent of the true damages caused by a cybercrime? Why?
from Discovering Computers by Shelly & Vermaat
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The Blogging Experience
Start your Web browser and visit blogger.com. Click the 'Take a quick tour' link and go through all the screens that explain about a blog.
1. What did you learn that you did not know?
2. What type of blog do you find most compelling - a group or an individual blog? Why?
1. What did you learn that you did not know?
2. What type of blog do you find most compelling - a group or an individual blog? Why?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Should You Surrender Privacy for Convenience, Security, Money, or Social Connections?
The chief executive officer of a large computer software company once declared, "Privacy is dead, deal with it." While a vast majority of people demand increased privacy, many of those same people do not hesitate to surrender personal information in exchange for some short-term benefit. In a recent study, one-third of Internet users admitted to making detailed personal information available on the Internet. Personal information has become similar to a currency that people give up in order to obtain a benefit. Benefits might be in the form of increased convenience, increased security, money savings, or social connections online. For example, increased convenience may be in the form of an automated toll collection device that also can track the user's location and speed, and allow the government to maintain a rec4rod of the user's whereabouts. Insistence on safety or security may mean tolerating video cameras in many public and private places. The use of a grocery store loyalty card saves a few dollars but also allows the store to track an individuals buyer's every purchase. ----- Should people limit the amount of personal information they exchange? Why or why not? What are the dangers and disadvantages of giving up some amount of privacy in exchange for a short-term benefit? What are some possible alternatives to exchanging privacy for a perceived benefit? Should companies or government organizations be required to purge your personal information if you request so? Why or why not?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Random Thoughts on Web Page Design
My period 4/5 Web Page Design class wants to post their random thoughts and needed a post start to be able to comment. Keep your comments school appropriate. Two of the girls LOVE horses and want to pursue their care as post-graduate careers so I expect to see some posts about that. We also have many "shocking" experiences in class.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Social Media Savvy: The new digital divide?
October 27th, 2011
Those without strong online social networks will be left out of the digital conversation, educator and consultant Angela Maiers argues
Readers' advice to students: Think about the digital footprint you want to leave.
The inclusion of social media data in the algorithms that search engines now use to help people find relevant information online could create a “new digital divide,” educator and consultant Angela Maiers believes—“those with a powerful network and those without.”
She also proposed a “new rule” that sums up the importance of managing one’s online profile carefully: “You are what you share.”
In a wide-ranging Twitter chat with eSchool News readers Oct. 19, Maiers discussed the implications of the decision by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and other internet gatekeepers to build social media data into their web-search formulas.
The discussion touched on what this new trend toward “social search” means for society, why it’s important for educators to teach social media skills to their students, and how to make parents more comfortable with their children using social media in the classroom and at home, among other topics. Maiers was joined on the chat by Daniel Newman, an entrepreneur and business professor, as well as dozens of eSchool News readers.
When web surfers use Google, Yahoo!, or Bing to look for information about a topic, the search results they now see at the top of the page might differ from those of their neighbor. That’s because all the major search engines have revised their formulas to include social media data—such as how frequently we’ve visited a particular website before, or how many of our online friends and acquaintances have endorsed it—as key indicators of a website’s importance.
“Until now, [a website’s] data rank was untouched by social elements,” Maiers wrote. “Today, there is no separation—social engagement impacts [the] rank [and] value of data.”
This subtle but powerful shift, which Maiers defines as “social search,” has come about as the web has evolved “to meet our need for personal, relevant, and customized info,” she explained. “We want our search engines to be find engines. In order for that to happen, the web needs to know us.”
Major search engines “recognize that data from those we engage with socially will be more likely to be seen as ‘trusted,’” she added.
But this shift also has enormous implications for students and society.
For one thing, it gives more weight or credibility to information that is widely shared through online social media. So, those with larger social networks now have an advantage when it comes to exerting an influence on the web
As a result, “we need to emphasize and teach explicitly … how to share, how to engage [and] collaborate, [and] how to network [online],” Maiers wrote. “It matters!”
It’s no longer just what content you contribute that is important, she added, but “who you are—your character, your intention, your motivation that becomes important. … If you contribute content to the web, but don’t act socially responsible—if you’re not nice in the sandbox—your content won’t spread.”
That observation led Maiers to propose a new rule that every student should learn: “YOU ARE WHAT YOU SHARE!”
Educators should spend time helping students build their “SQ,” or social intelligence quotient, she said, because “social intelligence impacts how data is moved, organized, [and] ranked. … Your content, no matter how good you think it is, will be judged by [the online] community—[and] the velocity it spreads [and the] impact it has depends on SQ.”
That means students must learn not only how to post content online, but also how to engage others politely in two-way conversations about their content. “Content without reciprocal conversation will not spread,” Maiers said, adding: “Success on the social web is a choice. You choose irrelevancy when you don’t participate, play nice, [or] honor your community.”
Newman noted that “everything that you do online is the same … as in the real world. Think about the footprints you want to leave.”
“Very well said!” chimed in participant James Gubbins. “I have a seven-second rule before I click the ‘post’ button on any network.”
“My advice: Be careful with comments on blogs as well,” wrote Jure Klepic, who goes by the Twitter handle “jkcallas.” In response to a reader’s question about what to do when others attack you online, he said: “Kindness and politeness always kills … arrogance and rudeness! Send them love and they will go away.”
Reader Melissa Shur, who goes by the Twitter handle “uwlalum,” asked chat participants at what age they thought students should learn these important lessons. “Parents get nervous when they hear ‘social networking’ used in class,” she noted.
“I think we need to embrace teaching proper social citizenship early,” Newman wrote. “Knowledge is power, right?”
“I think, since some kids have a digital footprint before they are born, it should be as early as possible,” agreed reader Shari Sentlowitz.
“It starts with learning to be a good human being,” Newman added. “Take that online and you will succeed.”
Shur noted that, while students are very comfortable online, many parents are not. “How do we help parents become comfortable with [social media] and with students using it?” she asked.
“We have hands-on workshops for parents and show them how it should be used for educational purposes and digital citizenship,” wrote Jerry Blumengarten, whose Twitter handle is “cybraryman1.”
“Schools can offer open school nights for parents,” wrote Nancy Rubin. “Have students teach about technology (win-win for everyone).”
“I like this idea!” Shur tweeted in response. “This puts the students in the driver’s seat! Parents could learn a lot.”
“We must understand that the fear we feel about these new challenges is nothing like the fear we experience by being irrelevant,” Maiers concluded.
To continue the conversation online, you can use the hashtag #amedchat.
Article printed from eSchool News: http://www.eschoolnews.com
URL to article: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/10/27/social-media-savvy-the-new-digital-divide/
URL in this post:
[2] have revised their formulas: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/08/10/new-web-search-formulas-have-huge-implications-for-students-and-society/
Those without strong online social networks will be left out of the digital conversation, educator and consultant Angela Maiers argues
Readers' advice to students: Think about the digital footprint you want to leave.
The inclusion of social media data in the algorithms that search engines now use to help people find relevant information online could create a “new digital divide,” educator and consultant Angela Maiers believes—“those with a powerful network and those without.”
She also proposed a “new rule” that sums up the importance of managing one’s online profile carefully: “You are what you share.”
In a wide-ranging Twitter chat with eSchool News readers Oct. 19, Maiers discussed the implications of the decision by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and other internet gatekeepers to build social media data into their web-search formulas.
The discussion touched on what this new trend toward “social search” means for society, why it’s important for educators to teach social media skills to their students, and how to make parents more comfortable with their children using social media in the classroom and at home, among other topics. Maiers was joined on the chat by Daniel Newman, an entrepreneur and business professor, as well as dozens of eSchool News readers.
When web surfers use Google, Yahoo!, or Bing to look for information about a topic, the search results they now see at the top of the page might differ from those of their neighbor. That’s because all the major search engines have revised their formulas to include social media data—such as how frequently we’ve visited a particular website before, or how many of our online friends and acquaintances have endorsed it—as key indicators of a website’s importance.
“Until now, [a website’s] data rank was untouched by social elements,” Maiers wrote. “Today, there is no separation—social engagement impacts [the] rank [and] value of data.”
This subtle but powerful shift, which Maiers defines as “social search,” has come about as the web has evolved “to meet our need for personal, relevant, and customized info,” she explained. “We want our search engines to be find engines. In order for that to happen, the web needs to know us.”
Major search engines “recognize that data from those we engage with socially will be more likely to be seen as ‘trusted,’” she added.
But this shift also has enormous implications for students and society.
For one thing, it gives more weight or credibility to information that is widely shared through online social media. So, those with larger social networks now have an advantage when it comes to exerting an influence on the web
As a result, “we need to emphasize and teach explicitly … how to share, how to engage [and] collaborate, [and] how to network [online],” Maiers wrote. “It matters!”
It’s no longer just what content you contribute that is important, she added, but “who you are—your character, your intention, your motivation that becomes important. … If you contribute content to the web, but don’t act socially responsible—if you’re not nice in the sandbox—your content won’t spread.”
That observation led Maiers to propose a new rule that every student should learn: “YOU ARE WHAT YOU SHARE!”
Educators should spend time helping students build their “SQ,” or social intelligence quotient, she said, because “social intelligence impacts how data is moved, organized, [and] ranked. … Your content, no matter how good you think it is, will be judged by [the online] community—[and] the velocity it spreads [and the] impact it has depends on SQ.”
That means students must learn not only how to post content online, but also how to engage others politely in two-way conversations about their content. “Content without reciprocal conversation will not spread,” Maiers said, adding: “Success on the social web is a choice. You choose irrelevancy when you don’t participate, play nice, [or] honor your community.”
Newman noted that “everything that you do online is the same … as in the real world. Think about the footprints you want to leave.”
“Very well said!” chimed in participant James Gubbins. “I have a seven-second rule before I click the ‘post’ button on any network.”
“My advice: Be careful with comments on blogs as well,” wrote Jure Klepic, who goes by the Twitter handle “jkcallas.” In response to a reader’s question about what to do when others attack you online, he said: “Kindness and politeness always kills … arrogance and rudeness! Send them love and they will go away.”
Reader Melissa Shur, who goes by the Twitter handle “uwlalum,” asked chat participants at what age they thought students should learn these important lessons. “Parents get nervous when they hear ‘social networking’ used in class,” she noted.
“I think we need to embrace teaching proper social citizenship early,” Newman wrote. “Knowledge is power, right?”
“I think, since some kids have a digital footprint before they are born, it should be as early as possible,” agreed reader Shari Sentlowitz.
“It starts with learning to be a good human being,” Newman added. “Take that online and you will succeed.”
Shur noted that, while students are very comfortable online, many parents are not. “How do we help parents become comfortable with [social media] and with students using it?” she asked.
“We have hands-on workshops for parents and show them how it should be used for educational purposes and digital citizenship,” wrote Jerry Blumengarten, whose Twitter handle is “cybraryman1.”
“Schools can offer open school nights for parents,” wrote Nancy Rubin. “Have students teach about technology (win-win for everyone).”
“I like this idea!” Shur tweeted in response. “This puts the students in the driver’s seat! Parents could learn a lot.”
“We must understand that the fear we feel about these new challenges is nothing like the fear we experience by being irrelevant,” Maiers concluded.
To continue the conversation online, you can use the hashtag #amedchat.
Article printed from eSchool News: http://www.eschoolnews.com
URL to article: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/10/27/social-media-savvy-the-new-digital-divide/
URL in this post:
[2] have revised their formulas: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/08/10/new-web-search-formulas-have-huge-implications-for-students-and-society/
How Employers Use Social Media to Hire and Fire
Click here for the full article
Infographic: How Employers Use Social Media to Hire and Fire
Have you ever Googled yourself? You should do it, but not to make yourself feel good about all of the references you can find to your person and/or your work, but to find out how much digital dirt you've left all over the Internet. That is, incriminating photographs or angry status updates posted after a late night out. Clean up as much as you can -- most of it will probably be self-produced and live on one or more of your social networking profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) -- because digital dirt is listed at one of five ways to ensure that you'll never get hired in this new infographic from Mindflash.
link to full size infographic
Infographic: How Employers Use Social Media to Hire and Fire
Have you ever Googled yourself? You should do it, but not to make yourself feel good about all of the references you can find to your person and/or your work, but to find out how much digital dirt you've left all over the Internet. That is, incriminating photographs or angry status updates posted after a late night out. Clean up as much as you can -- most of it will probably be self-produced and live on one or more of your social networking profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) -- because digital dirt is listed at one of five ways to ensure that you'll never get hired in this new infographic from Mindflash.
link to full size infographic
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