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Kinda frightening a little

An insight into the issues in intrdoucing IT classrooms when there is a lack of qualified teachers

I really like this article. Amazing what Chile have achieved - but also a wake-up call to those who believe computers alone are the solution.

"The computer systems used to control modern cars are very vulnerable to attack, say experts. An investigation by security researchers found the systems to be "fragile" and easily subverted. The researchers showed how to kill a car engine remotely, turn off the brakes so the car would not stop and make instruments give false readings. "

A Dutch schoolteacher with no formal training in astronomy, Ms. van Arkel had joined tens of thousands of other Web volunteers to help classify photographs taken by deep-space telescopes. Stumped by the unusual image on her computer screen, she e-mailed the project staff for guidance. Staff members were stumped, too. And thus was christened the celestial body now known to astronomers worldwide as Hanny's Voorwerp (Dutch for "object"). Stories like Ms. van Arkel's are becoming more common, as the Internet opens up new opportunities for so-called citizen scientists. And as millions of people get involved in these participatory projects, scientists are grappling with how best to harness the amateurs' enthusiasm.

Students have always faced distractions and time-wasters. But computers and cellphones, and the constant stream of stimuli they offer, pose a profound new challenge to focusing and learning. Researchers say the lure of these technologies, while it affects adults too, is particularly powerful for young people. The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks - and less able to sustain attention.

By combining advances in educational technology with improved understanding of young children's cognitive development, the Evolution Readiness project is producing an empirically validated curriculum for introducing evolution in the elementary grades. We are using computer-based, manipulable models of interacting organisms and their environments to help fourth grade students learn Darwin's model of natural selection as the process primarily responsible for evolution.

A good overview of how the use of IT has affected the practice of medicine. Theses:  This computer record creates what I call an "iPatient" - and this iPatient threatens to become the real focus of our attention, while the real patient in the bed often feels neglected, a mere placeholder for the virtual record.

concerns have developed about invasions of privacy, for the most complete records on the travelers may be the ones they are carrying: their laptop computers full of professional and personal e-mail messages, photographs, diaries, legal documents, tax returns, browsing histories and other windows into their lives far beyond anything that could be, or would be, stuffed into a suitcase for a trip abroad. Those revealing digital portraits can be immensely useful to inspectors, who now hunt for criminal activity and security threats by searching and copying people's hard drives, cellphones and other electronic devices, which are sometimes held for weeks of analysis

"AN ANGRY red dot flashes at the top of your computer screen. As your mouse creeps over it, a message appears: ''Twitter use has exceeded the department average of 58.6 minutes per day - please self-regulate.'' A quick click and a display appears mapping your internet use, including a graph devoted to the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. It may be Orwellian, but this scene, or some variation, is coming to a workplace near you."

Grid computing for humanity

Grid Computing

Outstanding show, explains a lot about worms vs viruses as well as botnets. It's an interview with the author so it also illustrates how to ask good questions. (useful for the project) The gigantic networked system created by the Conficker worm is what's known as a "botnet." The Conficker botnet is powerful enough to take over computer networks that control banking, telephones, security systems, air traffic control and even the Internet itself, says Bowden. His new book, Worm: The First Digital World War, details how Conficker was discovered, how it works, and the ongoing programming battle to bring down the Conficker worm, which he says could have widespread consequences if used nefariously.

"Dr Val Curtis, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, shows the BBC around her "smart house". She shows how the toilet, sink, soap and toothpaste in her bathroom are wired up to a central computer so that she can monitor her family's hygiene habits. The system is part of a research project to track our daily behaviour."

Short clip but shows some sensors and may provoke a discussion on privacy for family members & also data collection for research.