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The Teachable Moment - SULFNBK - Is it a hoax or virus?

by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education

PROBLEM:
On December 5, 2001, I submitted an article to the world wide web entitled "Convince Him/Her to Always Investigate Need (Chain)". In this "Bits and Bytes" article, I shared "strategies to validate and verify that the claims are legitimate before one passes along the e-mail to friends and colleagues".

Two weeks later, just before the Christmas break, I spent all one afternoon trying to educate many,  well-intentioned, educators who were forwarding e-mailing warnings about the SULFNBK.EXE "virus" to everyone in their respective electronic address book. Although SULFNBK.EXE IS A HOAX, like all clever hoaxes that rely on the fear or good-will of well-intentioned users to forward such chain letters, the e-mail message below does appear and sound legitimate.

Rather than automatically forwarding this message (as suggested) to all e-mail addresses in one's address book, I would have hoped that educator's in our Division would have simply entered the term "SULFNBK" into any web-based search engine. The resulting "hits" would have indicated, quite definitively, that such e-mail warning messages were indeed a hoax and as such should not be forwarded. Unfortunately this validation process is still an area upon which we all need to focus. 

Thankfully some educators contacted our office to gain more information about this warning and it was then that we began to see just how rampant the e-mail distribution process had become. In an attempt to stop this e-mail "forwarding frenzy", I asked one recipient, who telephoned our office for more information about this potential virus/hoax, to e-mail me the original e-mail warning message that they had received. It was my hope that I could simply send off an e-mail about the SULFNBK HOAX to the more than 200 e-mail recipients asking that they NOT continue to forward this hoax. Unfortunately, I was unable to intervene because the e-mail recipient list included a number of "nicknames". If one recalls, "nicknames" allow the user to send messages to a nickname such as "John Dough" without having to remember if John's actual e-mail address is "jdough@wsd1.org" or "johndough@hotmail.com" or "jkdough@mts.net", for example. Regrettably, such "nicknames" and real e-mail addresses are only linked within the originating e-mail software's address book so any attempt that I made to send an e-mail message from my computer to "John Dough" failed. Not only did John fail to receive my message to halt the propagation of this hoax but so more than 200 individuals or e-mail addresses which were part of the original distribution list.  All I could do was send an e-mail message to the originator indicating that SULFNBK WAS A HOAX and ask that individual if they would once again send out my message to all the individuals that they had originally contacted in an attempt to head off the exponential distribution of this hoax. 

After such a frustrating experience I had a much better appreciation of how I'm sure forest fire fighters must feel when they attempt to contain a out-of-control, runaway forest fire. Unfortunately this "brush-fire" hoax was out of control! Even though the originator was quite apologetic and attempted to alert all original contacts within the hour, we still had other educators in our Division who checked their e-mail less frequently and three days later would "fan the flames", ignite the fire again and send out the hoax to an entire new set of address book recipients.

SOLUTION:
After Christmas when the fire died out in our Division, I started to give some thought as to how we might help educators validate hoaxes and viruses. True, one can always do a search for the product through a search engine but I though it might help educators if they could go to a location to assist them to validate claims in e-mail be it hoaxes or viruses before forwarding the information. To help educators, I created a "Hoax & Virus Information" web page on our Winnipeg School Division web server. One can access it as follows:

1. Point your browser to The Winnipeg School Division No.1 web page at: http://www.wsd1.org

2. Select the link "Teacher Resources".

3. From the left-hand blue menu, select the "Hoax & Virus Info" link to arrive at the following:

Hoax & Virus Information

Before passing along e-mail messages to several others, one
should validate the claim. Visit the web sites below to determine
whether you are perpetuating a hoax.

Hoax Information Sites

• F-Secure - Hoax Warnings
• McAfee - Virus Hoaxes
• Symantec Security Response - Hoax Page

Virus Information Sites

• F-Secure - Virus Descriptions
• McAfee - Virus Information Library
• Symantec - Virus Search

• Hoaxbusters
• E-Mail Abuse, Internet Chain Letters, Hoaxes and Spam
• NerdHerd - Virus hoaxes & chain letters

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Food for Thought: "Who's packing your parachute?" 

forwarded by Lynda Metcalfe - School nurse at John M. King School

Situation:
Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience. 

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" 

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. 

The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." 

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." 

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know. 

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. 

Interpretation:
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. 

As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute. I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute !!! And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! 

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word, maybe this could explain: 

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do - --you forward jokes.

And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get ? --- A forwarded joke. 

So my friend, next time if you get a joke, don't think that been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile. 

[Editor's Interpretation: In searching the Internet, to learn more about Charles Plumb and his interesting perspective on life, I came across a much more detailed, on-line article by Charles Plumb, class of '64, entitled "Packing Parachutes" on the "Homeport: The United States Naval Academy Alumni Online Community" web site at: http://homeport.usnaweb.org/parachute.html

As educators we may forget that we are indeed packing the parachutes of the students with whom we come in contact. How are we preparing them to go forward into the 21st century? As educators one can pack parachutes by:

• being a good listener
• providing motivation
• instilling a sense of self-worth
• helping students to problem solve
• challenging students to be risk takers

As Charles Plumb states "When you get older and look back on your life, you don't count the dollars, you count the parachutes you packed." As educators, this is a legacy that we will leave behind.]

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The Computer as a Middle Years Research Tool 

by Steve Broda-Milian - Montrose & Weston Schools

A computer - with CD ROM encyclopedia(s), the world wide web, desktop publishing software - a match made in heaven for writing research papers! That is, until you unleash your students. Assuming that having all of the above at hand will guarantee quality research papers is akin to providing someone with all the necessary tools to mine for gold and assuming they’ll find it. In other words, it’s the application of proper tools that produce an appropriate result. This article describes a process by which students can gather information and "massage" it into a report/essay.

The process begins with creating a vessel to hold any and all information gathered. WordPad, a word processor that comes with the Windows operating system, works well. Students are directed to create a WordPad file and save it in a rich text format ("rtf") format. The " rtf" format is chosen because it is easily readable by all other word processing software. It also allows students to use the same file at home or at school, no matter what kind of word processing software is available to them. The only limitation is file size, which is dictated by the capacity of the diskette used to transport the "rtf" file to and from school. If a file gets too large, a second file can be created to be saved onto another diskette, etc. Read/write CD’s are an option but are not a truly common alternative as yet.

Once the "rtf" file is located the information gathering can begin. But before fact one is recorded, students should be directed to note the name of the source they are getting information from. For example, a student researching pH might consult a CD ROM encyclopedia. Therefore, at the beginning of the "rtf" file s/he would type the name of the encyclopedia as well as the name of the article. Now the information gathering truly begins... Any important fact, picture, diagram, etc. can be copied and then pasted into the "rtf" file.

The same process is used for web sites. First, the student pastes the URL into the "rtf" file, then pastes significant information. In terms of books, magazines, etc. students can keyboard facts and utilize a scanner for images. One should not overlook having students create their own renditions of images in a Paint program and pasting those into the "rtf" file. Copying significant information and pasting it into the "rtf" file serves several purposes. The versatility of the "rtf" format has been mentioned. In addition, this process facilitates students choosing what information is significant and only pasting that into the "rtf" file. This addresses the "other" process of, "I see something important in the article/website, I’ll print it all out and keep it for later." 

An outline, especially for novice researchers, is a good idea. Also, information credibility must be addressed. Certain standards apply to say, encyclopedia articles that do not necessarily apply to all websites. 

After the significant information is gathered, it is time to write the report/essay. Students can use the same "rtf" file or another desktop publishing application. Transforming the gathered information into a report/essay is not an easy task - especially for novices. The whole notion of "using one’s own words" and having ideas "flow" properly are not insignificant skills.

Students can spend much time choosing that perfect font and size for their report/essay. Teachers may want to forbid changing the font and size until the report/essay is fully completed - including all editing and revision. The report/essay provides an opportunity for students to learn about headers and footers as well.

The beauty of this model is that students are not printing and photocopying reams of information - most of which may not ultimately be useful. They (are taught to) pick and choose what is significant and then only work with the significant information. Also, it is possible to have most everything at hand. For example, while writing the report/essay, a student may realize that s/he needs to go back to a primary source for more information. This may involve using a CD ROM encyclopedia or returning to a particular website.

The bibliography for the report/essay is easily created, as long as the teacher is not too fussy about the actual format. Students can be directed to, on a separate page, under the title, "Bibliography," paste the sources from the "rtf" file. Creating a title page for the report/essay is another aspect that may be considered.

While certainly not the only way to use the computer as a research tool, this model does provide one doable scenario. For clarification of any of this information, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. The address is: sbrodamilian@wsd1.org

[Editor: This article first appeared in the Manitoba Association for Computing Educators' "ManACE Journal" - Vol. 20 No.2 - Winter 2001- pages 6-7 and is re-printed with kind permission.]

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New Survivor Show - Teacher Version 

from the Wilkinson Family Home Site at http://www.wilk4.com/humor/humorm225.htmt

Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show?

Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary classroom for 6 weeks. Each business person will be provided with a copy of their school district's curriculum, and a class of 28 students. Each class will have 5 learning-disabled children, 3 with ADHD, 1 gifted child, and 2 who speak limited English. Three will be labeled as severe behavior problems.

Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach the students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also supervise recess and detention and monitor the hallways and restrooms. In addition they will complete drills for fires, tornadoes, or shooting attacks and assist with fundraisers.

They must attend workshops, weekly faculty meetings, school improvement sessions; and curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the SOL and SAT-9 tests. If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show. Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times.

The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends after all teaching and preparation tasks are completed, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and the lunch hour will be limited to 30 minutes while supervising students.

On days when they do not have recess duty, the business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom during the 15 minutes that another survival candidate is supervising their students. They will also be provided with two 40-minute planning periods per week while their students are having music or art class in the classroom and one 40-minute planning period while their students are having physical education in the gym. If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at that time.

The business people must continually advance their education on their own time, preferably during the summer months, and pay for this advanced training themselves. This can be accomplished either by moonlighting at a second job or marrying someone with a lot of money.

The winner will be allowed to return to his or her corporate job.

Pass this along to your friends who think that teaching is easy and to the ones who know it is hard. They will both benefit.