14- year old invents email!

I’ve written about the history of technology a number of times – from keyboards to the internet itself. One of the more interesting bits of information here is the invention of e-mail. It was invented by a 14-year old. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai was enrolled in a programming course as a young teenager. Shortly after he finished, a coworker of his mother’s – Les Michelson - asked if he would like a job at the University of Medicine and Dentistry. Of course he agreed. For the next several days, Michaelson had Shiva observe the mail system in place and then told him to go forth and recreate it in electronic form.

Another interesting thing is how little email has changed since the summer Shiva began working on it. He was replicating a system that used to, from, cc, bcc, subject, date, and body on a campus-wide scale. Today’s email still uses the same fields. What Shiva created was entirely adequate, and it’s stability since the late 70s is indicative of his great success.

Facebook Celebrates National Cyber Security Month

 

October was national cyber security month.  In honor of that, Facebook has announced some upcoming security updates.

Trusted Friends
Trusted Friends is a feature that helps you get back into your account if you are ever locked out for any reason.  You just select three to five friends that you trust (this is where the name comes in), and they are your fall back.  If you are locked out, Facebook will send them codes. You then get at least three of the codes from your trusted friends, and use the codes to login to your account and reset your password.

App Passwords
Facebook is also introducing app-specific passwords.  These are automatically generated passwords that will be necessary for logging into certain apps, which could otherwise be security risks.

You can view an infographic about Facebook security on Scribd.  (Why they used a third party image service rather than posting it on Facebook, I have no idea.)

The scary part here is in the stats they released on this infographic.  Four percent of the content on Facebook is spam.  When compared to email, this is low.  That being said, that is still almost one item in twenty.  Additionally only 0.06% of accounts are compromised daily.  Unfortunately, that 0.06% is of over one billion, adding up to over 600,000 accounts compromised every day.

Other than Facebook's latest attempts to make their site secure, there are some basic steps you can take to protect all of your accounts.

1.  Don't reuse passwords.
2.  Don’t use a common password, like your birthday.  Try a secure password generator, instead.
3.  Never share your login information.
4.  Change your passwords regularly, and anytime you think an account might be compromised.

Common sense can often save you quite a bit of trouble when it comes to internet security.

Jobs Brought Computers to the Classroom

Steve Jobs died last week.  Articles about this man's life and death have been written by the score across all forms of media.  Steve Jobs was a man who influenced history.  He designed and marketed one of the first successful personal computers.

Part of Apple's early marketing effort includes introducing the personal computer to the classroom.

Since the sixties, public and private schools have been utilizing computers.  However, for a long time, this usage was confined to universities.  What's more, they were not computers as we know them, but rather mainframes.  A mainframe at that time was a very large and powerful (for its time) computer that mostly did very basic computations with paper punch input still common even in the mid- to late-sixties.  Even when computers moved into K-12 level schools, they were rarely found in the actual classrooms.

When Apple began producing computers for individual use, they also had to create a market.  Jobs and Apple began donating computers to schools for instructional use by teachers in the mid seventies.  At that point, mainframe usage began to lose dominance in education.  Although there were stumbling blocks, computer usage is common in almost every classroom across America today.  Today, Microsoft machines have become predominate in most of the country's school districts due to their comparative affordability.   That being said, the market and even idea of computers in elementary and high school classrooms was not considered realistic until Jobs created the market.  No one thought that children were capable of using computers until then.

In large part, we have Jobs to thank not just for Apple computers, but also for the prevalence of computers in learning.

School Shopping!

It's almost that time again.  You know what I mean.

School.

Families everywhere are scrambling to prepare.  On their first day back, most parents want their students to have all of the important things:

• New gym sneakers
• Number-two pencils
• Notebooks
• Crayons, markers, glue
• A calculator for the older students
• An iPad?

Although I am of the so-called digital generation, that seems a bit strange, even to me.  Though I understand the benefits of browsing on the go, it is still hard for me to see the iPad as an educational-must have.  It is and will probably continue to be more of a convenience or toy to me.  Don't get me wrong, I like that I can check my email, the news, play Angry Birds...  But I will never be able to research and write an essay on a tablet.  There's no keyboard!  I can't open side by side windows.  While it's true they have word processing packages, they are not free, and you have to load them.

At this point, I have to inject: if you are going to buy your student something as expensive as a tablet, consider another route.  Get a notebook.  They are of a comparable price, nearly as portable (depending upon the model), and come with both a keyboard and more functionality.

The Chester Classmate, for example, comes with everything a student could need, including colored keys for typing prowess, internet capability, and a swivel touch screen which can also function as a tablet.  All this, plus the Classmate features ultra-rugged construction designed to withstand anything your student puts it through.

Web 2.0

You have probably heard the phrase "Web 2.0" thrown around a lot.  Its used frequently by the tech-savvy to describe a trend in technology that has grown ever more prominent since the rise of the internet - particularly in the last five years or so.


Wikipedia defines Web 2.0 as:

A term associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. 

Web 1.0, therefore, represents a time when websites were generally used to throw information out there, to be retrieved by anyone who wanted it.  Today, users and creators are one and the same.  It no longer takes a tech or an IT department to create a website, build a blog, or publish a video.  As users became creators, the line between the two has blurred such that most current websites are interactive.  Sites have surveys, forms, games, etc. that allow users to both receive and send information, interacting with a dynamic webpage.  At the very least, a good many of the companies with a grounded web presence offer links to social networking sites like Facebook or LinkedIn in an effort to engage users.  Engaged users are not only more likely to keep coming back, but they can help you to continually adapt the site to bring in more users.


This give and take of information and ideas is key in the world of online business, building a web presence, and even politics.  Social media and Web 2.0 have molded our world in ways subtle and obvious.  It was not terribly long ago that Twitter helped civilians coordinate a revolution in Egypt, after all, and though some claim Web 2.0 is a fad, this seems to me to be more of an evolution.

Thunderbolt!

Thunderbolt (originally codenamed Light Peak) is an interface for connecting peripheral devices to a computer via an expansion bus.  (Wikipedia)

Thunderbolt was explained to me as being the replacement for the USB.  It is a technology that allows super high speed transfer of data, which can also be daisy-chained between multiple devices.

With the 10 Gbps performance of Thunderbolt products you can (Per Intel)

• Transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds
• Backup 1 year of continuous MP3 playback in just over 10 minutes

This technology was developed by Intel, and brought to market through collaboration with Apple.  This technology allows transfer of nearly all types of data.  You can daisy chain up to six devices by connecting them one to the other, and connecting to devices of various levels of performance will not slow the performance of any of the faster devices.

Check out the following links for more info:

Downsides to Thunderbolt

Make Tech Easier

Most Wanted: ReaderBoard, Alias: BoomerBoard

Chester Creek is best known for its Children's mice and its large-key keyboards.

Our VisionBoard and VisionBoard 2 feature huge, bold, easy-to-read lettering on a key that is a full inch across.  This keyboard is perfect for individuals who suffer from vision and/or motor impairments.  You can see below how easy it is to read the legend.  Notice also that the keys are sufficiently large and spaced so that even users with arthritis or impairments that cause shaking can use these keyboards. We now offer our VisionBoards in a wireless model, to make them even more portable, adaptable, and usable.  For users who have an especially difficult time hitting the correct key or hitting only one key at a time, we also offer the KeyGuard, making every key stroke a bullseye.

What many of our consumers don't realize is that our VisionBoard has a younger brother, the ReaderBoard.   The ReaderBoard is the perfect solution for individuals who work in low light or suffer from slight to moderate vision  impairment.  The ReaderBoard has the same layout and key size as a standard keyboard, making a switch absolutely seamless.  What sets it apart from standard keyboards (apart from that stylish design, of course) is that the ReaderBoard features a legend 250% the size of a standard keyboard.  I'd like you to take a moment now to look at the keyboard you're using now.  See the letters, numbers, and commands?  How much of the key do they take up?  I'm guessing about one quarter - maybe they're in the top left corner of the key, like my laptop.  The ReaderBoard's labels fill the entire key with bold white lettering, so you can read it whether you're working late in low light, getting a jump start before the sun is shining in the window, or even when you just don't feel like grabbing your reading glasses.

That's the beauty of the ReaderBoard.  For many individuals, standard keyboards can be hard to read.  This doesn't mean those users need or want to transition to a large-key keyboard.  Chester Creek has created a middle ground.  With thousands of Boomers reaching the "mature-but-not-old-yet" stage, the ReaderBoard, or the BoomerBoard as we like to call it, is the perfect solution.  There's no reason you need to wear reading glasses just to use a computer or transition to a large-key keyboard just because the tiny letter on a standard board strain your eyes in certain light.  As always, you can rely on Chester Creek to be working on bringing you exactly what you need for every stage of your life  From toddling to school to work and to retirement, we're there for you.

(Don't forget to check out our Wireless Mice to match the Vision Boards and our super-comfortable ReaderMouse to match the ReaderBoard.)

Effects of Computer Use on Students

As technology is becoming more and more prevalent in both our society and our school systems, students and teachers are integrating computer use into most every aspect of learning.  Since the advent of affordable computers for individuals, there have been studies focusing on the impact these resources have on the students.

• In 1994, Jame Kulik found that students who used computer-based instruction scores at the 64th percentile, compared to students in control conditions without computers, who scored in the 50th percentile.
• He also found that students learn more when instruction incorporates technology, and students have a more positive attitude when classes include computer-based learning.
• In 1998, Jay Sivin-Kachala found that students saw a positive impact on all major subject areas when in technology rich environments.  This increased achievement occurred from pre-school to high school and in both regular and special ed classrooms, though the depth of impact depended upon many factors.
• He, like Kulik, noted that student's attitudes improved when computers were used for instruction.
• Dale Mann conducted a study of the West Virginia Basic Skills/ Computer Education initiative in 199, and found that participation in computer eduction raised students' scores on standard tests.    The largest improvement was seen in low-achievement students.
• He also found that girls and boys benefited equally from computer access.  
• Moreover, Mann found that computer education was more cost effective than reducing class size, increasing instructional time, and cross age tutoring programs.
• Findings by Harold Wenglinsky in 1998 are supportive of the above findings, as they relate to fourth- and eighth-grade students.  His study was controlled for socioeconomics, class sizes, and teacher characteristics to ensure accuracy and significance of the findings pertaining to technology.
• These references are from an article, "The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement" by John Schacter.

Willkommen to our German Distributors

Continuing the Parade of our international distributors are two lovely companies based in Germany.

CIB is a one man band hat helps seniors and not-so-seniors learn to use computer and internet technology. Karsten Hitze  is a Microsoft certified consultant who offers recommendations, training, support and maintenance to users who are unfamiliar with technology but who want to learn to use it.  Karsten make computer use easier than driving a car, as he puts it, and with less bumps for the novice.  Check out his site here.

Our second German distributor is Gett.  Gett is a larger company, with a very different focus.  Gett is a data input company, which means they direct their attention to the products and services that allow their customers to be more efficient with their data input.  With emphasis on products, technology, and support, Gett's goal is to offer their consumers the specific items they need and assistance to use them well.  Check Gett out here.

Speaking of criss-crossing the map...

Speaking of criss-crossing the map, Chester Creek is coming to Taipei! Next week, three of our diligent workers will be hopping on a much-too-long flight over a little water in order to attend the world's second largest  computer exhibition (second only to CeBit)!  In fact, the show takes up not one or two but five full conference halls!  Since it is not open to the public, that is a lot of tech professionals.

Computex Taipei is an annual show that sees tens of thousands of foreign buyers, including Chester Creek.  In addition to buyers, this conference also attracts hordes of journalists, analysts, observers, and others.  This show will also be the platform from which some of the most important and possibly revolutionizing products of the year are unveiled.  Many of these products will not be consumer ready for several months, however.  Check out some of the great new products on display at the conference here!

Look for our report on the conference in the weeks to come!

Practically World Famous!

Check us out on CNN!  Mario Armstrong discusses technology and seniors in a CNN Saturday segment entitled "Internet Savvy Seniors."  That is our VisionBoard2 White, ladies and gentlemen.  How cool are we? Practically world famous!

Show Season

It’s that time of the year again. Chester Creek gearing up for a flurry of trade shows this spring.  First on the list this year is the NSSEA.  This is the National School Supply and Equipment Association’s Ed Expo, down in San Antonio.  April 7-9, this show is running at us head on.  Meg, Kathy, and our newest colleague, Paul, will be attending. 

Ed Expo is the world's premier Back-to-School purchasing event, specifically geared toward helping the educational products/ parent-teacher retailer, cataloger and full-line distributor find the best teaching tools and resources for the classrooms of today, tomorrow and the future.

Providing an unsurpassed opportunity to see thousands of products and to comparison shop, Ed Expo is the ideal venue to exchange ideas with peers and keep a pulse on the market. In short, Ed Expo is vital for those who want to stay involved in our ever-changing industry.

Only at Ed Expo will you find the ultimate mix of networking, exhibits, and workshops all designed to help you and your business succeed.

Most of the attendees are the people who supply schools with their needs, rather than the schoosl themselves.  As such, we’ve got several meetings lined up with specific groups.  That said, there will always be someone at the booth to talk and answer any questions anyone has. 

We’re very excited about this expo – even more so than usual because this particular show encourages exhibitors to donate some of their show items to the Kids in Need foundation, rather than shipping them back home.  We are happy to say we will be donating several items to this charity foundation that works “to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need.”

Crazy New Tech

Technology as it is used by consumers is evolving at a break-neck pace these days.

Fancy new hard ware includes smartphones, touch screens, and tablets, among other, less mainstream, items.

More impressive is the boom in software and applciations that we are seeing right now.  Even in just the last week I have seen an explosion of articles about new versions and new products.

Google, for instance, is the creator of the Android operating system for smart phones.  One of the characteristics that sets Android apart on the market is that Google has a more open-source take on technology.  This means that they will let anyone create programs, change things, tinker, explore. Their new App Inventor allows users to create their own apps for the Android system.  They have a new maps program, too, which shows the landscape and buildings in three dimensions.  Google has also rolled out some beta devides running their new Chrome OS. Chrome is also the name of their internet browser, and the OS is very similar.  With Chrome, all of a user's files would be stored in the cloud and accesible on any device.  It boasts lightning quick boot times and ease of use.  Google is also working on or has recently unveiled a music locker, google books, video productions, and place search.

In the same vein, Mac is launching an App store in the next month, Facebook has unveiled a facial recognition technology, search engine Bing is incorporating all new features, browser Opera just realeased version 11, with stackable tabs and extension support, and private users are hacking the Kinect to do some amazing things including a self-directed hovercraft that uses Kinect technology to "see" the world around it.

What crazy new technology are you excited about?