"Bits and Bytes" - Vol. 22 No. 1

Introduction:
James Gray, Elementary Language Arts Consultant and Brian Metcalfe, Educational Technology Consultant are teaming up to provide an opportunity to engage 16 Grade 4-6 teachers in a special "Digital Storytelling" initiative beginning in January, 2006.

This initiative will introduce participants to a powerful educational process known as "Digital Storytelling". Educators will require access to a digital camera to capture images and/or art work to support the telling of their story. Participants will explore the "seven elements of digital storytelling", learn tips about using digital cameras and utilize the Microsoft "Photo Story 3" freeware to create their digital story. During the "hands on" workshop, each participant will create a 2-3 minute video that blends digital photos, artwork, objects, music, and the writer's own voice to create a powerful learning and teaching resource.

Requirements:
Four teachers from each of the four districts will be selected to participate in this initiative. In order to be considered for this initiative, each participating teacher must:
     ■ gain access to a digital camera
     ■   gain access to Windows XP computers(s) (on which Microsoft's "Photo Story 3" freeware
           must be installed)
     ■   identify a school team of four Grade 4 - 6 gifted & talented students
     ■   be prepared to attend a series of "digital storytelling" workshops spanning 2.5 days

Substitutes for each of 16 teachers to attend the three half-days and one full-day workshop will be paid from Divisional Gifted and Talented funds. All workshops will be conducted in the Educational Training lab (Room 125) in Administration Building #2 at 1180 Notre Dame Ave. After the sixteen teachers learn and practice the rudiments of digital storytelling on the first two half-day workshops, each teacher is invited to bring four Grade 4 - 6 students for a single full-day workshop in early March where the students will create their own "digital stories". Since our lab can only accommodate 16 users, the 16 successful teachers with their 64 students will be organized into four teams and a workshop day will be selected so that we might best schedule teachers and students. To help us better schedule our lab resources, please indicate on the registration form ALL possible dates that you and your students could attend this full-day workshop in early March.

Workshop #1 Morning (Teachers Only) - Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 9:00 - 12:00 noon
     ■   Explore the components of a good digital story
     ■   Compare and contrast both teacher and student-created digital stories
     ■   Investigate digital storytelling on-line resources

Workshop #2 Morning (Teachers Only) - Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 9:00 - 12:00 noon
     ■   Each teacher return with 5-6 digital photos to use in a personal digital story
     ■   Teachers create their own "digital story" using Photo Story 3
     ■   Sharing, discussion and strategies

Workshop #3 All Day (Teachers & Students) - Actual day to be determined based on scheduling.
In order to accommodate each teacher, with up to four students, in our lab, it will be necessary to repeat this ALL DAY session on the following four different dates. Successful registrants will be advised as to which day the teacher and four Grade 4-6 students will attend to create student "digital stories". Please help us schedule by indicating availability on the registration form below.
     ■   Team #1: - Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
     ■   Team #2: - Friday, March 3, 2006 - 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
     ■   Team #3: - Monday, March 6, 2006 - 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
     ■   Team #4: - Wednesday, March 8, 2006 - 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Workshop #4 Morning (Teachers Only) - Thursday, March 16, 2006- 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
■ Sharing celebration & reflecting on the process
■ Possible next steps & feedback

On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, our Division hosted a very successful all-day Internet Safety workshop. We were fortunate to have representatives from Cybertip!ca and the Integrated Child Exploitation (I.C.E.) Unit (jointly staffed by members of the Winnipeg Police Service and the R.C.M.P.) speak to participants in the morning. The afternoon included a role-playing CHAT scenario with examination of the "Kids in the Know" curriculum resource that has been shared with all K - 8 schools, a presentation on the status of picture phones, and how to secure a wireless network.

     ■   Do not have a computer with Internet access in a child's bedroom
     ■   Do not allow children unsupervised access to a web cam
     ■   Do not allow children to enter into chat rooms or forums
     ■   Do not purchase a cellular phone, with picture taking capabilities,
           for younger teenagers

Patrick Logan and I demonstrated through role-playing just how easily youngsters, who engage in chatting, can be identified and possibly be abducted if they (or their parents) do not take precautions. Participants at the Internet Safety workshop felt that it was important that parents, who may not be that familiar with the chat process, learn how to help protect their children who are engaged in on-line chatting. At school, our Division using a blocking procedure to attempt to block chatting during school hours because there are many chat web sites and forums where the contents are inappropriate for school-aged children. Although our students cannot gain access to on-line chatting while at school, many do engage in this communication process whenever they find themselves in front of an Internet-connected computer at home. Whereas their parents, as teenagers, fought to get access to the family phone, many of today's students, if given the chance, would probably prefer to chat with their friends as opposed to calling them on the telephone. In fact the rural "party-line", where several families could "listen in" to one conversation is so appealing to youngsters today who mutt-task and seem to have a variety of chat dialogues going on simultaneously. However like any new tool or technology, one should investigate all aspects to determine how to use it safely. The purpose of this article is to help parents establish safeguards for their children who use the chat function at home so that our youth can be better protected. For the purpose of this article, we will investigate how parents, working with their children, can set up MSN Messenger to be more secure.

MSN Messenger - Registration Procedure
Internet users can acquire the free MSN Messenger software by visiting Microsoft's web site at: http://messenger.msn.com However, in order gain access to this chat software, the user is asked to complete an on-line registration form whereby one either applies for a free Microsoft Hotmail e-mail account or registers using the Microsoft Passport process. Parents should help their children through this process in order that youngsters do not volunteer too much personal information.

The changes that are recommended throughout the remainder of this article can only be carried out by users who have logged on and supplied a correct password to MSN Messenger. Parents will need to work closely with their children to make the following changes to better protect their child and protect their privacy. For example, when Cindy downloads MSN Messenger she will be asked to apply to get a Hotmail account. As one who wants to protect one's privacy, I recommend that users volunteer as little information about themselves when completing on-line forms. If the on-line field is optional, then do not volunteer any information. For example, one may wonder why one's birthday is requested. This is to prevent young children from applying on-line for services that might require a parent or guardian's permission. However, I would once again caution about supplying personal information and make certain that children do not complete an on-line profile. This voluntary procedure only provides more information to those who might wish to prey on youngsters so I recommend leaving it blank where possible.

Once MSN Messenger begins, Cindy is immediately prompted to add a "Contact" with whom she wants to chat. MSN Messenger, if used properly, can safeguard youth from chatting with others that they do not know. One of the reasons that this product is popular is that individuals must share their e-mail addresses before they can establish contact with one another. For example, Cindy who plays on a girl's indoor soccer team wants to start chatting with some of her team-mates. One of her friends, Sarah, tells Cindy that her e-mail address is "dribblingdemon@hotmail.com". Cindy can add this "contact" to her list by entering her friend's e-mail address in the MSN Messenger's "Add a Contact" mechanism. An e-mail message is generated and sent from Cindy's computer to Sarah's asking Sarah if she wants to add Cindy as a chat contact. In the illustration below, we notice that another soccer team-mate (Brittany Medcalf) has initiated contact with Cindy hoping to establish a chat contact. When Cindy receives such a message she should check out BOTH the "handle" or "nickname" (SC8R) and the e-mail address bmedcalf@hotmail.com to determine if the individual is indeed someone she knows and if so, she can add Brittany (or SC8R) to her "contact list". If, however, the "handle" or the e-mail address is unfamiliar, make certain the contact is blocked as it may be an individual who is lurking. Parents need to remind children that they must be VERY DILIGENT when they add "contacts" to their lists. If they do not know the individual's e-mail address or "handle", they should block such invitations and only permit those friends that they have personally talked to outside the chat mechanism.

Once a contact is established and chat is underway, there are still a few features that parents should recommend that their children practice while using MSN Messenger. Insist that the following points are adopted:

     ■   Always use a "handle" or "nickname" that does not include your name
     ■   Do not display a picture of yourself
     ■   Do not provide additional information about yourself through the "Public Profile"
     ■   Do not use a web cam while chatting

MSN Messenger Settings: Tools/Options/Personal
It is strongly recommended that Cindy, who owns a dirt-bike, changes both her "handle" and her picture that are displayed to chat contacts. To change these features to help protect Cindy's identity, she should click on the MSN Messenger "Tools/Options/Personal" menu items. When Cindy registered for a Hotmail account, MSN Messenger automatically took Cindy's first name and inserted it as her "handle". However, to help keep Cindy's sex and information more secretive, she should change the "My Display Name" to "Biker" or some other "handle" that is non-sexist. Likewise, if Cindy has included an image of her riding her dirt-bike, she should change "My Display Picture" to an image that does not reveal anything about the individual. True, users may wish to share "Display Pictures" that indicate a special interest but one can still chat using the various default pictures included with MSN Messenger such as an "Orange Daisy", "Soccer Ball", "Chess Pieces", or "Rubber Ducky" without revealing too much information about the individual.

On the "Personal" page, one should avoid providing any information regarding one's "Public Profile". Youngsters tend to be rather naive and see little problem providing information regarding one's "Real First Name", "Real Last Name", City" and "Province", "Date of Birth", "Gender", "A Little About Me", "Favourite Things", "Hobbies and Interests" and "Favourite Quote". However on-line lurkers and predators would love to gain access to such information to help in befriending and "grooming" innocent youngsters.

Even though one may use a web cam, when the family chats, for example, with the grandparents in Australia, it is recommended that parents lock away this device when they are not present. Police officers and representatives from Cybertip!ca indicated that so many problems could have been avoided if youngsters were not allowed to use web cams in an unsupervised environment. In fact, the caption on the web cam poster from Child Find Manitoba and Cybertip!ca states it best when it says "One web cam, countless Peeping Toms. Who's Watching Your Kids?" To protect Cindy and other youngsters, it is strongly recommended that the checkmark beside "Allow others to see that I have a webcam" be removed so that the box below "My Webcam" is left blank as shown.

MSN Messenger Settings: Tools/Options/Messages
Although chatting can be popular for today's youth, some individuals may start bullying on-line or using inappropriate language during chat sessions. To protect individuals and to maintain a record of the dialogue that has taken place during a chat session, one can save "chat conversations" in a folder on the computer. For example, I used "My Computer" or "Explore" to create a new folder entitled "MSN CHAT History" on my C: drive of my home computer. Once I logon to MSN Messenger and navigate to the "Tools/Options/Messages" menu items, I make certain that a check mark is clicked in the box to the left of "Automatically keep a history of my conversations". Next I click the "Change" button and navigate to the previously-created folder located at: "C:\MSN Chat History". Now each chat dialogue on this computer is recorded. It is recommended that parents make certain that this conversation record is maintained to protect your child from lurkers and that parents review such dialogues on a regular basis with their children to ensure that they are chatting. True, your son or daughter can remove the check mark from the "Automatically keep a history of my conversations" and no dialogue record will be kept. However, as a parent I would suggest to my children that if this check mark is removed, it simply means they are guilty by omission. The process for reading this history will be addressed later in this article.

MSN Messenger Settings: Tools/Options/Privacy
Youngsters using MSN Messenger should be very diligent and careful as they add contacts. In the example below, when Cindy logs into MSN Messenger an automatic notification is sent out to "All Star", "mybestfriendismydog@hotmail.com" and "SK8R" indicating that Cindy is now on-line in case any of her contacts wish to chat with her. Unfortunately some teenagers will move a friend from the "Allow list" to the "Block list" on a whim and feelings can be easily hurt by such flippant actions. However, if a youngster has added someone to his/her contract list and later questions the identity of the individual, one can simply click on the "handle" or email address in the left column and click on the "Block>>" button to move the individual over to the right column where any action from that person is blocked. From time to time parents should click on the "Contact Lists" "View" button with their children present to "see who has added you to their contract list". Parents and children can them go through the list of contacts to ensure that youngsters do indeed know with whom they are chatting.

To review the chat conversation history
Parents and children who have invoked the "Message History", can use "My Computer" or "Explore" to navigate to the folder that has been created to store the chat conversations. In the above case, one has navigated to the folder "C:\MSN CHAT History" where my home computer stores each chat conversation. One can then review conversations by individual "handle" or e-mail address and by date. If one double-clicks on any .XML file, one can see the individual comments made by both sender and receiver during a particular chat session as shown below.

I trust this information will help parents and their children use CHAT in a safe manner. Educators and parents are also encouraged to visit and explore the wealth of resource that have been identified on our Divisional "Internet Safety" web site at: http://www.wsd1.org/internetsafety/

This month's "Target Home Zone" article will focus on a rather new problem that may occur when some individuals try to install software on their home computer. I first came across this concern when one of our teachers phoned me complaining that s/he could not install the Divisional Elementary Report Card software on their home computer. When we found out that s/he had recently upgraded from Windows 98 to the Windows XP operating system, we asked if s/he was installing the software "as an Administrator"? The rather lengthy pause, over the telephone, indicated the user was unaware that an "Administrator" account existed on his/her home computer.

What many users do not realize is that computers running Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional can be set up with different logon accounts. Each system comes with a default "Administrator" account but a knowledgeable person, with the appropriate permissions or rights, can assign this "Administrative" capability to the logon name of any user. Many educators in our Division realize that if one logs on to a school computer as a "Student", s/he will have more limitations than if the person logged on as a "Teacher". This differentiation of capabilities was not as evident on older operating systems like Windows 95 or 98 since the user simply turned on the computer and was not asked to logon formally. Now with home networks and the need for security, one can assign a variety of rights to the respective logon name or account of an individual using a Windows XP computer. In such an environment, a person who logs on with "Administrator" access can install software, connect to printers, share folders and all the many tasks that individuals could do on older Windows 95 and 98 computers. On the other hand, a person whose logon account name as "Limited" rights cannot successfully install software or even adjust the computer's internal clock.

In some families the Windows XP computer is set up so that children and other family members are provided with "Limited" accounts while one individual maintains full access with the standard "Administrator" account or their personal account to which they have assigned "Administrative" rights.

To help readers identify potential problems that might occur when one attempts to install software programs on home computers running the Windows XP operating system, let me describe the following scenario.

Our fictional family of four consists of Sandra (Mom), Barry (Dad), Roger (a 16 year old) and Samantha (a 13 year old). They all share a family computer connected to the Internet running either the Windows XP Home or XP Professional operating system. Sandra seems to be the more technically savvy person in the house (other than the children, of course(:-)). In an attempt to restrict or eliminate certain computer functions from her two teenagers, Sandra (as an "Administrator") sets up the XP operating system with individual logon accounts of "Roger" and "Samantha". However she makes certain that her two children's respective logon names are set up as "Limited" accounts. As such, these accounts are restricted so that the respective users cannot install software. Sandra has heard a great deal about downloading pirated software and peer-to-peer sharing of music and wants to ensure that her two teenagers, if they are ever tempted, cannot install such programs on the family computer.

Sandra also notes that her husband Barry often deletes files and icons inadvertently. He seems to struggle with the intricacies of filing data on the hard drive as he saves everything in a folder on the hard drive called "MINE". The mother, in this fictional family, decides to configure her "Sandra" logon as the only account with "Administrator" rights (other than the default "Administrator" account to which she assigns a cryptic password and keeps private) so as to maintain full access. She believes that by providing her husband with a "Limited" logon, she is doing him a favour in that he won't be able to inflict too much damage on the family computer because he, like the children, has restrictive rights. Sandra thinks that whenever her husband or teenagers require a more sophisticated procedure, she can always logon with her "Sandra" account and re-configure, install software or add additional resources.

However, everything works fine until Barry, who is a teacher in our Division, is advised to install a new version of the Elementary Report Card software at home. He goes home, logs on as "Barry", points his browser to our "Report Support" web site and downloads the new version of the report card to his desktop where he attempts to install it. Since he does not know that Sandra is the only user with "Administrative" rights on their home computer, he proceeds with the installation. If the family computer is running Windows XP Professional, he might see the "warning" screen, at right, suggesting that "Some programs will not install correctly if you do not have administrative privileges ...". On the other hand, if the family is using the Windows XP Home version and a "Limited" account user, like Barry, tries to install software, s/he may not get any feedback like this screen indicating that software may not install or work properly. Since Barry doesn't know the password for the "Administrator" and no one else is home, he clicks the upper radio button to "Run the program" on the FAMILY computer as the user "Barry" and proceeds with the installation. Unfortunately like others who have tried to install the Elementary Report Card software (without "Administrative rights") on home computers running Windows XP, the installation may be rather unstable. Some of the indicators to look for are the lack of an "Elementary Report Card" icon on the desktop, the absence of an "Elementary Report Card" menu being created under the "Start/Programs" display or problems saving classroom data to a floppy diskette. Thankfully Barry returns to school the next day and calls us at Educational Technology and describes the problem that he cannot launch the Elementary Report Card software at home as there is no icon on the desktop like there is at school. We question him and ask "What operating system are you running on the family computer?" When he replies "Windows XP", our next question is "Do you logon with "Administrative" rights. When Barry indicates, like many users of Windows XP, that he doesn't know what rights he has ... he just clicks on his name and starts using the computer, I began to explore how we could assist home users to determine if they had "Administrative" privileges when they logon to a Windows XP equipped home computer.

Thankfully Kenn Olson in our AV & Computer Repair Services came to my rescue. I asked him if there was a relatively simple way that home computers users could determine if they had "Administrative" rights when hoping to install or configure a home computer running Windows XP. Kenn wrote a small software utility called "AmIadmin.exe" which I have placed on our Divisional web site to help home computer users answer the following questions:

     ■   "Am I an Administrator?"
     ■   "Do I have Administrative rights when I am logged on to my home computer?"
     ■   "If I do not have administrative rights, what user accounts do have those rights?

If one hopes to install software on a home computer running Windows 2000, Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional, one should follow the steps listed below to help determine if the logged on user has "Administrative" rights:

2. Start one's browser, enter the following URL address to and press the <Enter> key:

3. Depending on one's operating system (Windows 2000, Windows XP Home or XP Professional), one may see a "Security Warning" asking if one wishes to "Run" or "Save" the utility. Click the "Run" button and if prompted that "The publisher could not be verified" because the "file does not have a valid digital signature", click the "Run" button again to proceed.

4. If the individual logon name has "Administrative rights and privileges", one will see this "Administrator" display and one should be able to install software as this user.

5. However, if the "AmIadmin.exe" software determines that the individual is logged on as a user without "Administrator" rights, the following "Not an administrator" message is displayed indicating that "Software installation is not recommended". However, thanks to Kenn's ingenuity, the "AmIadmin.exe" utility detects what accounts on this computer do have "Administrative" rights and lists them. In our fictional family, when Barry logs on to his home computer and runs the "AmIadmin.exe" utility, he would see the following display indicating that he should try to log on as either the "Administrator" (which he, unfortunately, does not know the password) or speak to his wife Sandra as she also has "Administrative" rights. Sandra may or may not know the "Administrator" password but she can definitely logon as Sandra and install the Elementary Report Card software for her husband. Once any software has been installed by logging on with an "Administrative" account, the software name will appear in the "Start/Program" menu items.

If Barry was using Windows XP Professional at home, it would be possible for him to navigate to "Start/Settings/ Control Panel" menu items and double-click on the "User Accounts" name. I'm sure if this last image was displayed, Barry would have a much better indicator as to why his account (and those of his two teenagers) lacked certain capabilities.

Thanks Kenn for providing this mechanism that individuals can use to determine if they have "Administrator privileges" when installing software on home computers.

In kindergarten your idea of a good friend was the person who lets you have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

In first grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to the bathroom with you and held your hand as you walked through the scary halls.

In second grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you stand up to the class bully.

In third grade your idea of a good friend was the person who shared their lunch with you when you forgot yours on the bus.

In fourth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who was willing to switch square dancing partners in gym so you wouldn't have to be stuck do-si-do-ing with Nasty Nicky or Smelly Susan.

In fifth grade your idea of a friend was the person who saved a seat on the back of the bus for you.

In sixth grade your idea of a friend was the person who went up to Nick or Susan, your new crush, and asked them to dance with you, so that if they said no you wouldn't have to be embarrassed.

In seventh grade your idea of a friend was the person who let you copy the social studies homework from the night before that you had forgotten.

In eighth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pack up your stuffed animals and old baseball cards so that your room would be a "high schooler's" room, but didn't laugh at you when you finished and broke out into tears.

In ninth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to that "cool" party thrown by a senior so you wouldn't wind up being the only freshman there.

In tenth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who changed their schedule so you would have someone to sit with at lunch.

In eleventh grade your idea of a good friend was the person who gave you rides in their new car, convinced your parents that you shouldn't be grounded, consoled you when you broke up with Nick or Susan, and found you a date to the prom.

In twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pick out a college, assured you that you would get into that college, helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting to the idea of letting you go.

At graduation your idea of a good friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulated you.

Now, your idea of a good friend is still the person who: gives you the better of the two choices;

     ■   holds your hand when you're scared;
     ■   helps you fight off those who try to take advantage of you;
     ■   thinks of you at times when you are not there;
     ■   reminds you of what you have forgotten;
     ■   helps you put the past behind you
           but understands when you need to hold on to it a little longer;
     ■   stays with you so that you have confidence;
     ■   goes out of their way to make time for you; helps you clear up your mistakes;
     ■   helps you deal with pressure from others;
     ■   smiles for you when they are sad;
     ■   helps you become a better person;
     ■   And, most importantly, loves you!

Pass on to those friends of the past, and those of the future...and those you have met along the way. Let it make a difference in your day and theirs.

The difference between expressing love and having regrets is that the regrets may stay around forever.

Thank you for being a friend. No matter where we go or who we become, never forget who helped us get there.

There's never a wrong time to pick up a phone or send a message telling your friends how much you miss them or how much you love them. So send this to all your friends and maybe those who aren't but just watch and see who sends it back
~Author Unknown~

The following "freebies" are shared with our readers. One is encouraged to download the resources to your own computer in one of two ways. In most cases, one simply needs to click on the link and the browser will ask if one wishes to "Open" the file and view its contents or "Save" the file to the local hard drive. The "Save" option allows users to download the "freebie" and store it in a particular folder on one's local hard drive for later use. An alternative way of downloading "freebie" files is to navigate to the "Freebie Favourites" page with one's browser and if clicking on the link, as noted above, does not prompt one to save the file to one's own computer, one can right-click on the "freebie" link. When one right-clicks to download a file, the browser will prompt one to "Save Target/Link As". Left-clicking this option will allow one to navigate to an appropriate folder on one's hard drive and save the filename specified for later use.

Table of Contents - Vol. 22 No. 1 - October 2005

Pearls of URLs

"Digital Storytelling" -
A Gifted & Talented Enrichment Initiative for Grade 4-6 Teachers and Students

Internet Safety - Protecting our children in CHAT mode

"Why can't I install software on my Windows XP computer?"

Food for Thought: "A Good Friend"