Table of Contents - Vol. 16 No. 5 - Mar. 2000
- Pearls of URLs
This monthly item will highlight Internet web sites which are considered
"gems" by educators.
- Notes and Quotes
This regular column provides information on a potpourri of technological
"tidbits".
- H.E.L.P. - Hoax Education for Lay People
Brian Metcalfe, Technology Education Consultant, reviews three different
chain letter e-mail messages. One describes how, with the click of your mouse, one can
help save a child dying from cancer. The second describes how by forwarding the e-mail
message to all your friends, Microsoft will test their beta version of their e-mail
tracking software and pay you handsomely for your trouble. The third e-mail describes a
virus that has been found in a popular electronic greeting cards. Unfortunately all three
of the messages are hoaxes. This article provides strategies to help responsible e-mail
users corroborate or refute e-mail claims so that they can be better Internet users and
help educate others who inadvertently propagate hoaxes through e-mail.
- M.O.T.I.V.A.T.E. your students with acrostics
Allison Miller has compiled a series of educational motivating phrases for
all letters of the alphabet. Check out this Teachnet.com web site when you wish to develop
motivating acrostics for your classroom.
- Generations CanConnect - Linking seniors and youth to learn
new technology skills
Norm Lee, Coordinator for MindSet, forwarded this opportunity to me. Students in Grade 5 -
12 are invited to interview seniors and write up a 150-200 word profile about a treasured
object or memorable event in the lives of seniors. When 25 profiles are linked together on
a school web page, the school will qualify for a $300 grant.
- Food for Thought: "I Am A Teacher"
In today's world, educators are continually challenged. Read this
motivational message to understand better how we influence the future through the students
we teach.
- GrassRoots School Web Site Pilot Project
Do you realize that your school can qualify for $600? Such funding is
available for K-12 French, English and Immersion schools for new or existing school web
sites developed by students, teachers and community members working collaboratively. Check
out this GrassRoots project off the M.E.R.L.I.N. (Manitoba Education, Research and
Learning Information Networks) web site or contact Colette Lafond-D'Heilly for more
details.
Pearls of URLs
 Assessment Rubrics for the WWW
at: http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html
"Bits and Bytes" is an educational publication for the
students and staff of The Winnipeg School Division No. 1
Brian Metcalfe - Editor - E-mail: bitsandbytes@wsd1.org
Copyright © 2000 (ISSN 1195-5864)
Last revision date: Mar. 15, 2000
Information has been shared with 
Notes and Quotes
by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education
Link up with Manitoba Education and Training
Consider subscribing to the Manitoba Education and
Training's mailing list subscription page at: http://207.161.85.21/metks4/updates/subscribe.html
The mailing list subscription provides email notification to teachers of "what's
new" on the web site, including curriculum updates, project updates, professional
development activities, the latest bulk mailing lists, and so on.
Understanding eBay
eBay at http://www.ebay.com/ is the
world's first, biggest and best person-to-person online trading community. eBay is your
place to find the stuff you want, to sell the stuff you have and to make a few friends
while you're at it!
Think of eBay as a giant marketplace, right at your fingertips. Looking for a vintage
Barbie® or a faster modem? How about a leather jacket—and a Harley® to go with it?
Whatever you need, odds are you'll find it at eBay: there are over 2,000 categories and
more than 2.5 million auctions a day.
However, The Freeware Hall of Fame
at http://www.freewarehof.org/ presents "eBay's Structure and Business Model May Be The
Best on the Internet - Understanding eBay". Business Education teachers may find
this 13 page document a great educational resource.
Are you missing phone calls while you're online?
Check out Pagoo at http://www.pagoo.com/ Pagoo
takes voice messages and instantly plays them for you on your computer - all while you're
still on the Internet. Check out the 30 day free trial.
Coins for Classes
Keith Benson, North District computer support person, resized the following Canadian coin
images for use in your Paint or HyperStudio activities. Click on either of these two links
to view and download the images for your use. (COINS.BMP or COINS.JPG) Please note that MaryLouise Lisi, Technology Education
support facilitator, has checked on the legal issues surrounding the use of these images.
"Pierre Morin from Ottawa (1-613-993-9999) indicated that it is okay to use the
images of coins but absolutely NOT OKAY to use images of paper money. The images of coins
are available from the Royal Canadian Mint web site at www.rcmint.ca.
Go to the Site Map and find Circulation."
Quote of the Month
"It said, "Insert disk #3," but only two will fit!" - E-mail
tagline
[Table of Contents]
H.E.L.P. - Hoax Education for Lay People
by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education
During the past few months I have received unique
"chain-letter" e-mail from two caring individuals in our school division. One
educator thought that I should be made aware of an extremely worthwhile endeavour in which
e-mail recipients could muster their forces to help a young child dying from cancer. The
other e-mail was sent to me with the hope that the individual could realize a large sum of
money (and in turn, help me acquire cash as well) for helping out Bill Gates field test
some new e-mail tracking software. The first of these chain letters was motivated by
compassion and caring while the second was motivated by greed. Unfortunately both of these
two e-mail messages were indeed hoaxes.
The purpose of this article is to help new Internet
e-mail users become more adept at separating fact from fiction and to provide some
strategies to help them determine if an e-mail message, "which seems too good to be
true", is indeed a hoax. Teachers, who are well informed, can analyze "chain
letter" e-mail and rather than propagate hoaxes can, in turn, help educate the
sender(s) of the original message.
Let us begin by examining an e-mail message (shown in the
yellow or shaded area below) which was sent to me.
Fw: Fw: DAVE MATTHEWS THIS IS SO SAD
> > > >>
>> > Date: Thursday, December 23, 1999 11:24 AM
> > > >>
>> > Subject: Dave Matthews... this is so sad.. :(
> >
> >> >> > please scroll.
> > > >> >> > I hate forwards but when I got this I was literally
> > > >> >> > in tears for this poor little girl! Please send this
> > > >> >> > on she needs your help...
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > HI! This is Dave Matthews from The Dave
> > > >> >> > Matthews Band. I got America Online just a
> > > >> >> > little while ago and my screenname will be sent
> > > >> >> > to you if you pass this on. I get a list
of the people
> > > >> >> > who send this to at least another 5 people online
> > > >> >> > and my secretary will send all of you my
> > > >> >> > screenname. I go online at least once a
week.
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > The reason I am doing this is because this little
girl
> > > >> >> > needs our help and I thought that I could use my
> > > >> >> > fame to help out this sick little girl.
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > Ok Listen I Just Spent 13 hours Getting Screen
> > > >> >> > Names Just So that I Could Help a Little Girl.
> > > >> >> > So read the bottom. This isn't a chain letter.
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > Ok you guys..... This isn't a chain letter, but a
> > > >> >> > chance for all of us to save a little girl that's
> > > >> >> > dying of a serious and fatal form of cancer.
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > Please send this to everyone you know...or don't
> > > >> >> > know at that. This little girl has 6 months left
> > > >> >> > to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send
> > > >> >> > a chain letter telling everyone to live their life
> > > >> >> > to the fullest, since she never will. She'll never
> > > >> >> > make it to prom, graduate from high
school,
> > > >> >> > or get married and have a family of her own.
> > > >> >> > But by you sending this to as many people as
> > > >> >> > possible, you can give her and her family a
> > > >> >> > little hope, because with every name that this
> > > >> >> > is sent to, the American Cancer society will
> > > >> >> > donate 3 cents per name to her treatment and
> > > >> >> > recovery plan.
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > One guy sent this to 500 people!!!!
> > > >> >> > So, I know that we can send it to at least 5 or 6.
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > Come on you guys....
> > > >> >> > And if you're too damn selfish to waste 10-15
> > > >> >> > minutes scrolling this and forwarding it to
> > > >> >> > EVERYONE, (more than one person):
> > > >> >> > you're one sick puppy, and two: just think
> > > >> >> > it could be you one day....and it's not even
> > > >> >> > your $money$, just your time. I know
> > > >> >> > that ya'll will impress me !!!! I love ya'll!!!!!
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > Another that I am putting money towards is:
> > > >> >> > Tamara Martin and she has severe lung cancer
> > > >> >> > due to second hand smoke. This chain was a
> > > >> >> > final attempt to get her healthy again.
> > > >> >> > Every letter sent gets 6 cents from me.
> > > >> >> > Please send this to 10 people. (by the way for
> > > >> >> > those who take 2 minutes to send this,
> > > >> >> > what comes around goes around.)
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > I am putting a lot of money towards this
> > > >> >> > and thanks to all my fans- I love ya'll!!
> > > >> >> >
> > > >> >> > Love,
> > > >> >> > Dave Matthews |
When I
first skimmed the message at the left, I noticed the number of greater than signs (>)
that preceded each line of text. Each time a message is replied to, or forwarded, a new
(>) sign is added. Although the eight (>) signs indicated that this message had been
forwarded at least eight times, the number of potential recipients is much more
exponential (particularly if one of those individuals did indeed send the message out to
"500 people"). Although
I was initially touched by the plight of the young girl suffering from cancer, I was
suspect of this message that asked the recipient to spend 10-15 minutes and forward it to
"EVERYONE" while at the same time claiming "This isn't a chain
letter."
Upon receiving e-mail like this, it
is very important to validate the contents before one shares such messages with
others. The process I used involved using a search engine, for example
"AltaVista", and entering distinct phrases from the message to see if there was
additional information to support or refute this claim on the web. I entered +"Dave
Matthews" and +"American Cancer Society" in the search criteria field. The
plus sign preceding the two strings ensured that only web pages which contained both of
the two strings would be identified. The first "hit" using this search criteria
brought up "'Slow Dance' - Urban
Legends and Folklore - 02/25/99". This web page listed the "Dave Matthews
dying child" chain letter under their "Hoax-O-Rama" index. In addition, it
went into great detail about how such chain letters (which ask you to save dying children
with the click of your mouse) have evolved. Some might say that such a chain letter
doesn't do any harm other than wasting Internet band width. However, it was a link off
this page that took me to the web site entitled "American Cancer Society 3˘ Hoax"
which I found most informative. |
This web site indicated how limited resources of the
American Cancer Society are being taxed answering phones and e-mail about this fictitious
child while "the families of real dying seven-year olds end up getting the short end
of the stick".
Next, let us peruse another variation of the chain letter which proposes to make the
recipient rich.
>>-----Original Message-----
>>Date: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 10:16 AM
>>
>>I don't know if I trust this, but I hate to break
>>the chain just in case. See what you think.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>London wrote:
>>
>>For your attention!
>>Timothy Wilson
>>Chairman and CEO
>>1200 Peel Street, Suite 700
>>Montreal, Quebec
>>Canada, H3Z2A5
>>Phone 514-844-8656 ext.502
>>Private Fax 514-244-2054
>>
>>I am forwarding this because the person who sent
>>it to me is a very professional business person and
>>a good friend and does not send me junk.
>>Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet
>>company and an effort to make sure that Internet
>>Explorer remains the most widely used program,
>>Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.
>>When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft
>>can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows
>>user) for a two week time period.
>>For every person that you forward this e-mail to,
>>Microsoft will pay you $245.00, for every person
>>that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will
>>pay you $243.00 and for every third person that
>>receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two
>>weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address
>>and then send you a check.
>>I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after
>>receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on, Microsoft
>>contacted me for my e-mail and within days, I
>>received a check for $24,800.00.
>>You need to respond before the beta testing is over.
>>If anyone can afford this Bill Gates is the man.
>>It's all only a marketing expense to him. Do Well!!! |
There's no doubt about it, this chain letter e-mail takes a
much different approach than the previous one. Rather than tear at the heart-strings of
those who would do anything to help a dying child, this one focuses on getting something
for nothing. Although it appears that it has passed through the mailbox of a "well
respected" CEO (whose name and address I have changed to protect his/her naivete), it
still should be investigated before it is forwarded to others in case it is a hoax.
In this case, I selected the "InfoSeek" search engine and entered the two
strings +"Bill Gates" and +"e-mail beta test" to see if there was any
supporting information on the web. The first two "hits" were entitled "This
is a hoax" and "Scam of the Month!!" Further investigation of each of these
web sites verified that the e-mail message was indeed a hoax.
Many sites even dissect such messages to point out the flaws. For example, "This
message has been forwarded all over the Internet by people who should know better that, if
anything appeals to human nature more strongly than altruism, it's outright greed.
If I did not get any hits on the initial search, I would try another search engine
and/or search on other terms from the e-mail letter such as +Microsoft +AOL +"Bill
Gates". |
Remember the (+) sign preceding any term or string indicates that only those web pages
containing all the (+)-marked terms, will be presented.
This next example of a chain letter e-mail has potentially more damaging ramifications,
if the contents are true, because they warn about viruses. In the January '98 issue of
"Bits and Bytes", Brian Metcalfe wrote an article entitled "E-mail: Tips,
Tricks and Traps". It was the third portion of the article entitled "TRAP - How can I avoid getting viruses through
e-mail?" which dealt with how viruses are transmitted through e-mail as well as
how to determine if a virus warning is indeed a hoax. It might be advisable to review this
January '98 article at this time.
However there are rumours circulating on the Internet that the very popular electronic
greeting cards from Blue Mountain at:
http://www.bbluemountain.com contain a virus. A variation of the e-mail
warning message might appear as follows in the yellow/shaded area below:
"Just received a call from family. A
friend of theirs
opened a card from Blue Mountain Cards and
system crashed. Do not open Blue Mountain Cards
until further notice. Virus has infiltrated their
system..pass it on....." |
The rumours circulating that Blue Mountain electronic greeting cards
contain a virus is a hoax. It is a sham, meant only to panic new or
inexperienced computer users. |
If you were to receive such a message, it would be wise to verify the information by
searching the world wide web. For example, if one uses the Lycos search engine and enters
+"Blue Mountain" +hoax into the search field you force the search engine to
retrieve any articles in which the terms "Blue Mountain" and "hoax"
both appear. The first web site selected was the Symantec SARC Virus
Database at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/bluemtn.html where
Vincent Weafer describes the "Blue Mountain" greeting card virus as a hoax as
follows:
There are now several variations of this message circulating on the Internet. There is
no way that bluemountain.com can spread a virus. The Blue Mountain electronic greeting
cards are merely web pages with graphical images that are viewed with your browser; as
anti-virus researchers have known for years, computer viruses cannot be distributed in
graphical images.
Furthermore, when a user receives a Blue Mountain greeting notification in e-mail,
there is also no way the user can get a virus; these e-mail messages contain strictly text
messages and cannot contain a virus. When you send or receive cards from this site, you do
not actually download to your computer any files that may contain a virus.
Please ignore any messages regarding this "hoax" and do not pass on any
messages regarding it. Passing on messages about this hoax serves only to further
propagate it.
Note that in this previous example the term
"hoax" was included in the search criteria to see if the terms "Blue
Mountain" and "hoax" would appear in the same web page. If they did not, it
would be wise to search for +"Blue Mountain" and +virus and if necessary use
another search engine to determine the authenticity of the original e-mail chain letter.
In summary, if you receive a chain letter e-mail, you must
act responsible before you pass it on.
- Search the web for any information that would corroborate
or refute the claim.
- Review web sites like Symantec's AntiVirus Research Center &
Virus Hoaxes at: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/ and
Search for viruses and hoaxes using McAfee's
Virus Information Library at:
http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp
- If it is a hoax, use this "teachable moment" to
send a message back to the originator informing him or her that the message is indeed a
hoax and providing the URL of the web page which substantiates your claim.
- If you wish, recommend that the originator read this
article entitled "H.E.L.P. - Hoax
Education for Lay People" and provide them with this article's URL at: http://www.wsd1.org/bitsbytes/9900/bbmar00/default.htm#STORY1
and ask them to pass it on to help educate others who have inadvertently propagated the
hoax.
[Table of Contents]
M.O.T.I.V.A.T.E. your students with acrostics
by Allison Miller - Teachnet.com web site
Are you looking for "catchy phrases" that you
and your students can use in motivational exercises and displays? Challenge your students
to come up with acrostics for their own school name, teacher's name or even individual
student's names. For example, the following acrostic is created using some of the phrases
that have been compiled by Allison Miller on the Teachnet.com web site
at: http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/acrostics071399.html Check out this
educational resource.
|
I |
Imagination takes you places |
|
N |
Notice the positives about your classmates |
|
T |
Teach someone something new |
|
E |
Erase negative thinking |
|
R |
Responsible students complete assignments on
time |
|
N |
Never settle for less than your best |
|
E |
Enjoy learning |
|
T |
Treat yourself and others with respect |
[Table of Contents]
Generations CanConnect:
Linking seniors and youth to learn new technology skills
forwarded by Norm Lee - Coordinator, MindSet
Generations CanConnect,
a new Connecting Canadians initiative, introduces a new and exciting way of linking
seniors with youth across Canada, one on one, in a dialogue that allows seniors to share
their stories and experiences. Through this partnership youth will explore, record and
celebrate senior's contributions to their country and their communities using the power of
the Information Highway.
 Under the supervision of
a project leader, youth will interview seniors and will write 150-200 word profiles about
a treasured object or a memorable event in the lives of seniors. Thereafter, youth will
produce a website incorporating these stories with images, which will become a searchable
digital archive of the seniors' memories, personal treasures and experiences accessible to
all through the Generations
CanConnect website at: http://generations-canconnect.ic.gc.ca These
fascinating stories covering seniors' experiences from coast to coast will form a vast
digitized record of the memories and experiences of many Canadians.
Generations CanConnect
responds to the United Nations 1999 International Year of the Older Persons. As the
population of Canadian seniors continues to increase in the new millennium, it is
important to foster intergenerational communication. This is what Generations
CanConnect seeks to accomplish! We will embrace the art of intergenerational
story telling through the creative exploitation of information technology. Generations
CanConnect will help Canadian seniors to be models and mentors to young
Canadians while developing their own knowledge and skills in using the Information
Highway. This initiative rewards
both youth and seniors with the opportunity to develop technical skills. Moreover, it will
help youth to contribute to their communities' well being and to increase their employment
prospects. This initiative introduces a variety of curriculum-based activities and sets
the stage for a genuine learning experience within the context of the community. Take
advantage of the numerous benefits offered by Generations CanConnect and
let's all get connected to the Information Highway!
For further information, contact:
Telephone: 1-800-575-9200
E-mail: generations.canconnect@ic.gc.ca
Website: http://generations-canconnect.ic.gc.ca
[Table
of Contents]
Food for Thought: "I Am A
Teacher"
by John W. Schlatter
I am a Teacher. I was born the first moment that a question leaped from the mouth of a
child.
I have been many people in many places. I am Socrates exciting the youth of Athens to
discover new ideas through the use of questions. I am Anne Sullivan tapping out the
secrets of the universe into the outstretched hand of Helen Keller. I am Aesop and Hans
Christian Andersen revealing truth through countless stories. I am Marva Collins fighting
for every child's right to an education. I am Mary McCleod Bethune building a great
college for my people, using orange crates for desks. And I am Bel Kaufman struggling to
go Up The Down Staircase.
The names of those who have practiced my profession ring like a hall of fame for
humanity ... Booker T. Washington, Buddha, Confucius, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Buscaglia,
Moses and Jesus. I am also those whose names and faces have long been forgotten but whose
lessons and character will always be remembered in the accomplishments of their students.
I have wept for joy at the weddings of former students, laughed with glee at the birth
of their children and stood with head bowed in grief and confusion by graves dug too soon
for bodies far too young. Throughout the course of a day I have been called upon to be an
actor, friend, nurse and doctor, coach, finder of lost articles, money lender, taxi
driver, psychologist, substitute parent, salesman, politician and a keeper of the faith.
Despite the maps, charts, formulas, verbs, stories and books, I have really had nothing
to teach, for my students really have only themselves to learn, and I know it takes the
whole world to tell you who you are.
I am a paradox. I speak loudest when I listen the most. My greatest gifts are in what I
am willing to appreciably receive from my students.
Material wealth is not one of my goals, but I am a full-time treasure seeker in my
quest for new opportunities for my students to use their talents, and in my constant
search for those talents that sometimes lie buried in self-defeat. I am the most fortunate
of all who labour.
A doctor is allowed to usher life into the world in one magic moment. I am allowed to
see that life is reborn each day with new questions, ideas and friendships. An architect
knows that if he builds with care, his structure may stand for centuries. A teacher knows
that if he builds with love and truth, what he builds will last forever.
I am a warrior, daily doing battle against peer pressure, negativity, fear, conformity,
prejudice, ignorance and apathy. But I have great allies: Intelligence, Curiosity,
Parental Support, Individuality, Creativity, Faith, Love and Laughter all rush to my
banner with indomitable support.
And who do I have to thank for this wonderful life I am so fortunate to experience, but
you the public, the parents. For you have done me the great honour to entrust to me your
greatest contribution to eternity, your children.
And so, I have a past that is rich in memories. I have a present that is challenging,
adventurous and fun because I am allowed to spend my days with the future. I am a
teacher... and I thank God for it every day.
[Source: http://www.edu.yorku.ca/InfoResources/edcetera/apr99.htm]
[Table of Contents]
GrassRoots School Web Site Pilot Project
by Colette Lafond-D'Heilly - Office/Marketing Manager for M.E.R.L.I.N.
On behalf of Industry Canada and the SchoolNet GrassRoots Program, MERLIN (Manitoba
Education, Research and Learning Information Networks), has been asked to manage a School
Web Site Pilot Project. Funding will be available for distribution to participating
schools whose Web site meet the criteria.
- This initiative will pay French, English and Immersion schools (K-12) $600 for new or
existing school Web sites developed by students, teachers and community members working
collaboratively.
- Web sites should showcase the school and reflect the community.
- Participation is limited to 1,000 approved project sites.
- Deadline is June 15, 2000
OBJECTIVES
- To foster the acquisition of academic, employability and Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) skills by Canadian youth
- To contribute to the building of Canadian content on the Internet
- To integrate ICT skills into learning
- To facilitate increased connectivity, usage and training opportunities
The project will assist the GrassRoots Program to meet its mandate of generating 20,000
interactive online projects, thus furthering the federal government's vision and plan of
making Canada the most connected country in the world.
CRITERIA
School Web sites must meet a set of criteria in the following
areas:
- Organization and Maintenance
- Content
- Interactivity
- Student Involvement
- ICT Skills
PROJECT EVALUATION
At the conclusion of the pilot project, an evaluation will be completed on whether this
initiative should be integrated into the 2000/01 GrassRoots Program Family.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Web Site: http://www.merlin.mb.ca/grassroots
Email: grassroots@merlin.mb.ca
Colette Lafond-D'Heilly
Office/Marketing Manager
M.E.R.L.I.N.
815-1661 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3J 3T7
(voice) 945-1228 or 800-430-6404
(fax) 948-2222
[Table of Contents] |
