It’s time to do things a better way. By exploring. By collaborating with friends. By charting your own course. Follow your curiosity into a more engaging experience. Inkling isn’t just a book on a screen. It’s an entirely new way to learn.

Inkling allows you to highlight, create and share notes, see term definitions, and more.

Inkling books include everything from the textbook, plus integrated videos and quizzes, interactive features such as highlighting, note taking, sharing of notes, bookmarking, and advanced searching capabilities. So far, the books available from Inkling, such as Raven Biology (9th edition) are less expensive than the printed versions, and can be even cheaper if you don’t need the entire book by allowing you to purchase individual chapters.

For now Inkling only supports higher education books, with a small number available right now and more on the way. It’s only a matter of time before someone does the same for K-12 textbooks.

If you have an iPad, download the free Inkling app. You’ll get a free book (Elements of Style) to help teach you the features plus you can download one free chapter from each of the textbooks they offer.

If you don’t have an iPad, you can view several short videos on the Inkling website. Have a look. Is this the future of textbooks?

Additional screenshots

Each book has an easy to use chapter list that allows you to jump directly to the chapter or section you want.

With Inkling you can take notes at any point in the text and even share your notes with other students, your teacher, etc.

Inkling includes quizzes throughout each textbook, with instant feedback of right/wrong answers.

Navigation is easy using the Places menu. From Places you can jump to a specific page, your list of bookmarks, notes created by you or your contacts, highlights, or the glossary.

Some chapters include reviews questions at the end, with the correct answer just a click away.

After a long break away from the blog, I’m back with a new installment of the Monday Morning Roundup. Here are a few of the educational and educational technology articles I’ve been reading:

• Information Literacy

  In my opinion, information literacy is one of the most important skills we should be teaching our students. There are many (similar) definitions of information literacy, but put simply information literacy is the ability to effectively use information resources, regardless of format. In other words – how to do an effective Google search, how to differentiate good information sources from poor sources, etc. Information literacy will help students while they are in school, and will be necessary in life beyond school no matter what they choose to do. In this article, Andrew Marcinek asks:

  How many times have you encountered this response: I typed it into Google, and really couldn’t find anything.

  WHAT!

  How is this possible?

  The ability to quickly and effectively search for information on the Internet, and narrow down the results to find the best information, is a crucial skill – one that should be taught early and often, beginning in elementary school. Andrew uses Google Timeline as an example of filtering search results to a particular time period.

  This filter allowed my students to trace a specific time period – Soviet occupation of Afghanistan – and filter down credible news articles during this particular period (1979-1989). Students could filter even further and find weekly and daily news articles from various news outlets during this time period. Once students had their articles in hand they could begin reading them or even print them out. Students were now engaged with a historical time period and able to take credible news and information that relates directly to their research question and compare it directly to the reading.

  As often happens with good blog posts, the discussion continued in the comments section. Here’s one such comment:

  I have found that teachers and adults in general assume that students/kids are born with “computer skills”, but this is not so. They have to learn the skills just as adults do…

• We Need More Tech Skeptics

  Tim Stahmer wrote a short piece about teaching tech “skepticism” instead of “literacy”. It’s an interesting idea.

  I’ve never liked the whole “digital native/digital immigrant” meme, and an administrator at the University of Kansas seems to agree we need to look at how people understand “technology” in new ways.

  She says that many of those digital natives we call students, in both K12 schools and colleges, are actually technologically illiterate, at least under what she says should be an updated definition of “tech literacy”.

  I agree with both Tim and the University of Kansas administrator – we need to stop assuming all kids are computer literate (“digital natives”) and automatically know how to properly use the available technology.

• Technologically Illiterate Students

  This is the article referenced by Tim Stahmer in the previous article, and it makes some excellent points about digital literacy.

  The new technological landscape — particularly the trappings of Web 2.0 — demands that a new line of distinction be drawn, Zvacek told the audience; a line between computer users who can handle only basic programs such as word processors and search engines, and those who understand the structures and concepts that underlie modern technology, and how to think critically within them.

  Understanding the structures and concepts that underline modern technology, and how to think critically within them, is key to being technologically literate and should be required of students and teachers alike.

  “The digital divide used to be about the hardware haves and have-nots,” she said. “What we’re seeing now is that it’s less about who has hardware, but who has access to information; who has those problem-solving skills. And that’s going to be the digital divide that we’re going to see in the future … the ability to deal with information.”

  Critical thinking and problem solving are key to not only tech literacy, but to life.

  “It is our job to equip students with the critical thinking skills that enable them to use various technologies wisely … because people who know ‘what’ and ‘how’ will always work for people who know ‘why.’ ”

  “I want my students to be the ones people are working for,” added Zvacek.

  I agree completely. When I do technology professional development sessions, I don’t give handouts or “step-by-steps”. I want my students (who are teachers) to learn “why”, not simply how to follow a set of step-by-step instructions.

Ning announced they will be offering three versions: Ning Pro, Ning Plus, and Ning Mini. What we had for free in the past was closest to Ning Plus, but with the ability to upload videos (something now reserved for Ning Pro). Ning Plus is $199.95 per year, per Ning. Ning Pro is $499.95 per year, and Ning Mini is $19.95 per year.

Ning also announced that Ning would continue to be free for education – sort of:

We’ve also heard from many Network Creators who use Ning in the classroom as an integral part of their curriculum. I am particularly excited to announce that a major education company will be sponsoring Ning Mini Networks for educators in primary and secondary education. Ning will remain free for K-12 educators and their students. We’ll have details on this program soon!

I see two huge problems with the so-called free Ning for education:

1. Ning Mini is free, not Ning Plus or Ning Pro. Ning Mini is nowhere near what educators have been using, and is nearly unusable: only 1GB of storage, no video uploads, no audio uploads, no groups, no events, no notes and pages, etc. So, in other words, all the things that made Ning useful for education are no longer part of the free service.
2. Even if you could get by with the free Ning Mini for education, it’s only free because a “major education company” is sponsoring the service. What happens if that major education company decides it’s no longer prudent to do so? What happens if Ning decides $19.95 per year isn’t enough to sustain their business model?

There was a very interesting discussion about the Ning announcement on #edchat today. Some felt a sense of entitlement: everything should be free, all the time, for educators. This sense of entitlement is wrong. Nobody is entitled to anything they want, free of charge, no matter how noble their use or intentions.

This is a perfect opportunity to move existing Nings to free and open source tools, hosted on district servers. Having worked in IT at the district level, I know there’s often pushback on new initiatives. However, this is a golden opportunity to get some great tools like BuddyPress or Elgg installed at the district level. (I’m leaning towards recommending BuddyPress installed on top of WordPress MU.) There is financial incentive to do so, and district IT departments are often worried about information hosted outside of their control – use this to your advantage. Help them see the value of hosting services at the district level.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup, and this one will be shorter than most. Here are just a few of the articles I found interesting over the past few weeks.

• NJ Principal Asks Parents To Ban Social Networking

  A New Jersey middle school principal sends a letter to parents asking them to ban text messaging, facebook, and other social media tools. Typical short-sighted overreaction. Sigh.

  Let me repeat that – there is absolutely, positively no reason for any middle school student to be a part of a social networking site! None.

  Sorry Mr. Orsini, but you are wrong.

• Confusing Parents

  Excellent response by Jeff Utecht to the previous article about a NJ principal asking parents to ban social networking.

  So basically I take two things away from this video:

  1. Parents are the problem and need to be told by the school how to raise their children.
  2. That because “2% of kids are going to say something” we want you to ban all social-networking sites.

  That’s funny because I’m sure that:

  2% of kids have bullied on the playground yet we’ve never banned recess.
  2% of kids have bullied on the bus….yet we haven’t banned buses.
  2% of kids have bullied at the bus stop….yet we haven’t banned bus stops.

  Do I need to continue?

• Ten Big Ideas Of School Leadership

  Excellent article by Mike McCarthy, a principal who’s been an educator for over 30 years. Pass this along to every school administrator you – Mike hits the nail on the head.

  1) Your School Must Be For All Kids 100 Percent of the Time

  If you start making decisions based on avoiding conflict, the students lose.

  All too often, school leaders make decisions based on avoiding conflict rather than making decisions based on what is the right thing to do. This needs to stop.

  8) Have a Bias for Yes

  The only progress you will ever make involves risk: Ideas that teachers have may seem a little unsafe and crazy. Try to think, “How can I make this request into a yes?”

  Since going to work in education almost 9 years ago, I’ve noticed the overwhelming reaction to new ideas is “no”. Often, someone within the organization will notice a problem or inefficiency, and propose a solution. Instead of looking at the possible solution and deciding if it will work, the initial reaction is to think up every possible reason why the solution won’t work, no matter how far-fetched. Wouldn’t it be more productive to find ways to implement a solution so that it will be successful?

9) Consensus is Overrated

Twenty percent of people will be against anything. When you realize this, you avoid compromising what really should be done because you stop watering things down. If you always try to reach consensus, you are being led by the 20 percent.

This is my favorite part of the article. I’ve seen it time and time again – good ideas sunk because the organization doesn’t want to move forward without 100% consensus. Education today seems to be more about the lowest common denominator than doing what’s best for the largest majority of students and dealing with the edge cases separately.

Ning has many features. Which features do you use most, and in what way are you using them? Specific examples will be helpful. Which features do you rarely use, and why? Please sound off in the comments or on Twitter. Once I have a better understanding how people are using Ning, I can come up with some alternatives that make sense.

A warning about hosted services

We all use hosted services: Blogger, EduBlogs, Ning, Google Apps, etc. What happens, though, when the service either shuts down or switches to a fee-based model? In the case of Ning, many users will be left stranded – losing large amounts of information, files, articles, etc. It’s a risk we take in exchange for free hosted applications like Ning.

While there are other services that replicate some (or most) of the functionality provided by Ning, it may not be the best option to simply switch to another free hosted service. If at all possible, it would be better to find an open source alternative that can be installed on your school (or district) servers. I realize this might not be possible for everyone, depending on your IT department, but if you help IT (and the administrators) understand why it’s important to host the software on your own servers you may convince them.

A short list of possible alternatives

While it will be best to get some responses about how you’re using Ning before making recommendations, I thought I’d throw out a couple now, for those who can’t wait. These may or may not meet your needs. Your mileage may vary.

• BuddyPress – BuddyPress is a free and open source social networking platform built upon the powerful WordPress platform (the same platform that powers EduBlogs). It looks to have all the features that made Ning great. They’ve also built a Ning to BuddyPress User Importer, and have a blog dedicated to help Ning users make the switch.
• elgg – elgg is a free open source social networking platform similar to Ning. You can download and install it on your own server for free, or have them host it for a small fee.
• Mahara – Mahara calls itself an open source e-portfolio system, but it has blogging and social networking systems built-in. Have a look and see if it fits your needs. Hosting does not appear to be available, so you’ll need to install it on your own server.

That’s all for now. Be sure to sound off in the comments or on Twitter with examples of how you’re using Ning, and if you’ve heard of other potential alternatives.

Update

A Google Doc has been started listing both hosted and non-hosted alternatives to Ning. You can find it here.

The good

Educational technology is about advancing student learning. Various tools can be used to advance learning, but it’s the learning, not the specific tools, that is the focus. Good educators understand this, and are finding creative ways to engage students and enhance learning. Some of these good educators attend the CUE conference, but it’s painfully obvious they are the minority.

The good news is there are a large number of educators who attend conferences like CUE with an open mind, hoping to learn how to affectively use technology to advance learning. The bad news (more on that later) is it’s a crap-shoot trying to figure out which sessions will be presented by the “good” educators, and which will be a waste of time. Most of the sessions I attended were a waste a time. Luckily, the couple that were worthwhile made up for the rest.

Getting teachers to adopt technology

One of my favorite sessions was “Getting Teachers to Adopt Technology” by Rushton Hurley. In his session, Rushton gave tips and examples for getting reluctant teachers to start using technology to engage students. Real-world solutions to real-world problems – this is the type of session that makes attending CUE worthwhile. I won’t go over the entire presentation, but here are a few nuggets that resonated with me:

• Don’t have teachers require themselves to be technology experts. (I’ve been saying this for years – you don’t have to be a technology expert to use technology with your students. In fact, your students will likely teach you a thing or two about the technology, which can be very powerful for the students. For example, say you give an assignment to create a video based on whatever topic you’re currently covering. Tell your students they have 4 weeks (for example) to finish the project. The students will not receive technical help from you. Students may work with up to 2 other students if they want, and they may opt to create a poster instead of a video. In his experience, Rushton has never had a student opt for the poster, even if they didn’t have a computer at home. The students will find a way to get it done. Every time. You don’t need to know how to make a video, only how to evaluate the videos that are submitted.)
• Do remind teachers of their expertise. (You have the subject matter expertise and shouldn’t let your lack of technology expertise keep your students from utilizing the many great tools available.)
• Don’t blanket the school with expensive hardware. (Get the technology for the teachers that want to use it, and don’t worry about the rest. It’s not about equity. Why would you try to appease those who don’t want to use the technology anyway?)

Teaching Internet literacy as a genre

Another great session was “Teaching Internet Literacy as a Genre” by Heather Wolpert-Gawron. Heather shared specific lessons and activities for teaching Internet literacy, including: reading a website, writing, socializing, collaborating, networking, researching reliably, and netiquette. Internet literacy should be taught in every school and incorporated into as much of the curriculum as possible. Knowing how to judge a good website (source) from a bad one is a critical skill. Knowing how to do a proper web search is absolutely necessary. Knowing the basic rules of netiquette, how to comment on a blog, and online ethics cannot be overlooked.

Each of my co-workers who attended the conference attended a few good/great sessions as well, so collectively we got the value we were looking for from the conference.

The bad

Educational technology is about advancing student learning. Various tools can be used to advance learning, but it’s the learning, not the specific tools, that is the focus. Bad educators don’t understand this, and focus almost entirely on the tools. Some otherwise good educators mistakenly believe that converting existing (old) practices to new tools, without updating the practices, equates to effective use of educational technology.

I’m not going to call out any specific sessions or presenters, but I will never understand the value of an hour-long presentation that does little more than rattle off a list of “cool tools” without any specific strategies or examples of how to utilize those tools in education. Sadly, there’s no shortage of “cool tools” sessions at CUE. Some sessions narrowed the focus down to a single tool, but spent the entire hour showing the nuts-and-bolts of how to use the tool, without giving any indication how the tool might be used to enhance learning.

Other sessions seemed promising on the surface, but the presenters were either disorganized or unable to control the flow of the session, allowing themselves to be easily hijacked by those in the audience. I walked out of more than one session after realizing I wasn’t going to learn anything, which was disappointing given how carefully I had chosen which sessions to attend.

The ugly

Here’s where I get to really vent. As I walked around the conference, or sat in a session waiting for it to begin, I would overhear conversations that made me cringe.

For example, I heard one person telling another that he’s a “technology trainer” at his school, and when asked for some examples of the technology he’s teaching, he replied that he recently taught his teachers how to use “Text Effects” in Microsoft Word, so they could make their text look like marching ants or Las Vegas lights. I almost lost my lunch. Ridiculous text effects is not educational technology, and does nothing to enhance learning. File that overheard conversation under “missing the point entirely.”

In another session, a woman was seated in the front row and kept asking the presenter questions from the very start of the session. When the presenter put up his welcome slide that included his name, contact information, and his degrees, this woman asked where he got his EdTech degree, how did he like the program, what learning management system did they use, etc. I wanted to tell her to shut the hell up and stop wasting our time. We paid good money to attend this conference in the hope of learning something, and we don’t need our time wasted by a single person trying to pick a masters program. She hijacked the presentation several more times, interjecting her own experiences that added nothing of value to the topic.

Overall, the good at CUE 2010 outweighed the bad. Hopefully, as we move forward, more and more educators will realize that it’s not the technology that matters, but how we use the technology to enhance learning.

It’s not supposed to be a netbook (or a laptop)

Most of the criticisms I’ve read center on the fact the iPad isn’t a netbook or a Macbook in tablet form. Those critics are correct – but miss the point entirely. The iPad isn’t supposed to be a netbook or full-blown laptop in tablet form. Tablet computers have existed for many years, yet none have gained much traction due mostly to the fact the interfaces have been after-thoughts – a set of poorly executed tools bolted on to a desktop operating system. Here’s an excerpt from a review of a current tablet PC running Windows 7:

Windows just doesn’t seem at home when squeezed into this 1.8-pound slab, with a touch-sensitive screen that is 8.9 inches on the diagonal. It’s sluggish, and the controls aren’t adapted to the size of the screen or the fact that there’s no real keyboard or mouse.

On-screen keyboards kept popping up in the wrong places, blocking the fields where I wanted to enter text and the buttons I wanted to push. I struggled to hit the little “x” in the corner of the window to close it, so I had to fall back on guiding the mouse cursor with a small touch pad that’s built into the tablet’s frame.

The poor current state of tablet computers is exactly why Apple didn’t release a Macbook in tablet form, instead opting for a larger enhanced version of the iPhone/iPod Touch user interface. The old way of doing things doesn’t translate well to a touchscreen tablet.

The computer as an appliance – a paradigm shift

Long-time computer geeks are throwing fits and dismissing the iPad because it’s not a general purpose computer that can do whatever they want. Many of these same people slammed Tivo (and other DVRs) because, while they are essentially a full-blown computer, they do only a couple very specialized tasks. The geeks of the world wanted the ability to make their Tivo run ANY program. They wanted a full-blown computer and the operating system to go with it. The rest of the world, however, (including THIS geek) just wanted something that works. I love my Tivo. I never have to worry about it. It does a few very specific tasks, and it does them well. That’s exactly the experience Apple is aiming for with the iPad.

The iPad is intended to be a web browsing, email, and e-book reader, with the ability to add a wide variety of functionality through the App Store. The main difference between this model and a full-blown laptop (or netbook) is that the entire process is simple and requires no technical knowledge whatsoever. You don’t need to know where your downloaded file went, double-click it, then jump through a series of hoops to get it installed. Tap the install button and you’re done. When you want to run an app, just tap its icon.

Mike Monteiro of Mule Design Studio put it this way:

The iPad isn’t the future of computing; it’s a replacement for computing.

It’s the payoff to all the work done by multiple industries over the last 20–30 years. It’s the subtraction of 20lbs of textbooks in my son’s backpack, and the device I finally feel comfortable buying my parents.

Joel Johnson has this to say:

Nerds! You’re not smarter or better than the people who just want to use your creations for their own purpose. You want it both ways: to be able to complain about the incompetency of your family when you’re asked to help them work on their computers, but to swing around the half-understood ideas of dead authors when a company actually decides to build a computer that doesn’t crumble to dust as a matter of course.

Finally, Steven F says:

And to that dramatically greater number of people, what do you think is more important? An easy-to-use, crash-proof device? Or a massively complex tangle of toolbars, menus, and windows because that’s what props up an entrenched software oligarchy?

Fellow Old Worlders, I hate to tell you this: we are a minority. The question is not “will the desktop metaphor go away?” The question is “why has it taken this long for the desktop metaphor to go away?”

Great for e-books (the e-ink myth)

The iPad’s large full color screen makes it an ideal e-book reader, particularly for chart and diagram filled textbooks, magazines, and newspapers. No other e-reader display comes close when it comes to displaying graphics. Competitors, like the Kindle DX, use a technology known as e-ink, which is said to be much easier on the eyes. I don’t doubt that claim, but I very  much doubt how many people will notice a difference in real-world use. If you’re the type to read 3-4 full length novels a month, perhaps a dedicated e-ink reader like the Kindle is your best bet. For the rest of us, a display like that of the iPad is great.

I keep hearing about potential eye strain with the iPad because it uses an LCD screen. I stare at my LCD screen all day long at work and I’m able to read long documents (and websites) without issue. The majority of people using an iPad should have similar success. While e-ink may be easier to read for long periods, I don’t think an LCD screen is unusable by any means. For me, the ability to display crisp graphics and full color far outweigh the loss of e-ink. (Color e-ink prototypes were shown recently at the Consumer Electronics Show, and in each case they underwhelmed.)

The potential of the iPad for the education market is huge. Teachers are already finding innovative ways to incorporate the iPod Touch (and iPhone) into the classroom, and developers have provided a host of educational apps. The iPad opens things up even more, particularly when it comes to digital textbooks.

Untapped potential for apps

The added screen real-estate of the iPad gives iPhone/iPod Touch developers the ability to take their apps to new heights. No longer constrained by a small screen and comparatively slow processor, developers are now free to make the apps they’ve no-doubt wanted to all along.

Joe Hewitt had quite a bit to say on this topic. Joe was one of the earliest developers of the Firefox web browser and is probably best known for creating the Facebook for iPhone app. Here are a few of his thoughts on the iPad:

While the rumor mill was churning with all kinds of crazy possibilities for the Apple tablet, I mostly rolled my eyes, because I felt strongly that all Apple needed to do to revolutionize computing was simply to make an iPhone with a large screen. Anyone who feels underwhelmed by that doesn’t understand how much of the iPhone OS’s potential is still untapped.

…

So, in the end, what it comes down to is that iPad offers new metaphors that will let users engage with their computers with dramatically less friction. That gives me, as a developer, a sense of power and potency and creativity like no other. It makes the software market feel wide open again, like no one’s hegemony is safe. How anyone can feel underwhelmed by that is beyond me.

Final thoughts

I believe the iPad has the potential to be the device that finally breaks down the wall between those who understand technology and those who don’t. The iPad will be embraced by those in my parents generation, as well as Gen-Xers who want a lightweight email and web browsing device that’s not as cramped as a smart phone. It’ll supplement full-blown laptops and desktops for many, and can be a primary computing device for others. It’ll evolve over time, perhaps adding a camera for video conferencing (although I’m not sure I’d want people staring up my nostrils when I’m talking to them, which seems inevitable given how you’re likely to hold the device), and will become a specialized computing appliance for the rest of us. You won’t pry my Macbook Pro from me any time soon, but when given a choice what to bring on vacation or down to the corner coffee shop, I’ll take an iPad every time.

Here’s a telling quote from the Education Week article:

Such a carefully designed rollout, featuring extensive professional development and ongoing support services, does not always occur when districts decide to put the whiteboards in classrooms, critics say. There has been criticism that in too many classrooms, they are nothing more than fancy, expensive chalkboards, especially when their interactive features are ignored by teachers who don’t know how or refuse to use them.

The critics have hit the nail on the head, but are too often misinterpreting their own findings. The problem isn’t the technology, it’s the implementation. In every technology initiative I’ve researched, including a 1-to-1 laptop pilot my school will be rolling out next year, there has been one constant: those schools or districts that took the time to properly research, plan, and train had successful initiatives with positive results. Lack of planning and/or training is sure to doom any technology initiative.

When used properly, with adequate training and curriculum that’s been adapted to take advantage of the technology, IWBs (and laptops, iPods, etc.) can and are improving teaching and learning. All the technology in the world, though, isn’t going to turn a poor teacher into a good one – but may make a good teacher even better.

What is Phishing?

Mozilla defines phishing as follows:

Phishing is a form of identity theft that occurs when a malicious Web site impersonates a legitimate one in order to trick you into giving up sensitive information such as passwords, account details, social security number, or credit card numbers. Phishing attacks usually come from email messages that attempt to lure the recipient into updating their personal information on fake, but very real looking, Web sites. Phishing scams most often appear to come from companies such as banks, credit card companies, online payment services such as PayPal, or other popular sites such as eBay, Facebook, or MySpace.

Here’s an example of a phishing scam email:

Example of a fake PayPal email

Anatomy of a Phishing Email

According to NoPhishing.org, here are the typical steps involved in launching a
phishing attack via email:

• An email arrives in your inbox.
• The email pretends to be from a legitimate organization, business or government agency.
• The email will have a persuasive message designed to entice the recipient to respond.
• The email will convey a sense of urgency.
• The email will have a reassurance of security.
• The email will have a link to a website, pop‐up or web‐based form.
• Clicking on the link will lead to a bogus website where the Phishers are waiting to steal your information. You may be prompted to provide private information such as login credentials and/or account information, PIN, credit card information, etc. If you share this information, you are now officially a victim.

What to Look For in a Potentially Bogus Email

Although Phishers have become quite sophisticated, there are still some telltale
signs common in most Phishing emails:

• The email contains one or more spelling mistakes.
• The email address in the From: line isn’t a real address.
• The link to “verify” your account doesn’t point to the real website. (For example, in the PayPal email above, instead of going to www.paypal.com, it goes to an IP address. Sometimes the scammers will register a similar address, such as www.d.paypal.com, or www.paypal.com.fraud.com, etc., to make it appear legitimate.
• Many phishing emails will warn the user not to fall for phishing scams. (Ironic, isn’t it?)
• Many phishing emails will contain a few real links, such as links to the real company’s actual privacy policy, etc.
• Most phishing emails won’t use your actual name. They’ll refer to you as “valued customer” or something similar…or not include a greeting at all.
• Most phishing emails will try to instill a sense of urgency. For example, tell you that you must log in or something bad will happen…perhaps your account has been compromised, or will be deleted, etc.

Phishing Websites

If a phishing email is successful in getting you to click a link, you’ll be taken to a bogus website made to look as much like the real website as possible. It’s here where they’ll ask you to log in and/or enter information to “verify” your identity. Once you enter that information, their scam is complete. They now have (at least) your login information, and possibly much more such as your social security number, ATM PIN number, etc.

A fake/spoofed PayPal website

The example above is made to look just like the real PayPal website. If you enter your account information, the scammers will now be able to log in to your PayPal account, where they can transfer funds, get banking information, etc.

What if you suspect a bogus website?

Most modern browsers such as Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and even the latest version of Internet Explorer have built‐in Phishing Protection, but sometimes very new fake sites will slip through the cracks. If you think you may have stumbled upon a fake site, try logging in with a FAKE PASSWORD. If the site appears to “log” you in after you’ve entered a fake password, then you KNOW it’s fake.

Firefox's Phishing Protection in action

You can test this yourself by pointing your browser at the following address: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/its‐a‐trap.html

If you’re brave, you can try out the Phishing protection on some real websites. You can find a list of recently submitted phishing sites here: http://www.phishtank.com/

Additional help and information

Lifehacker.com has an excellent article with additional tips to help keep you safe, including such gems as “Ignore Web Site Popups Saying You Have a Virus”.

If you’re still unclear about Phishing, you can watch the short video here: http://www.commoncraft.com/phishing

Bottom Line

Getting help with your computer

Today I came across a blog post at the WorkAwesome website titled “How to get IT to Solve Your Problem” that said a lot of what I’ve been thinking lately. Here are some highlights:

But you need to write down all the details of what you were doing while it is still fresh. Someone is going to ask these things. While you’re at it, write down what programs you’re running. No, just don’t say word processing. Get specific. Are you using Word? What browser are you running?

Don’t just note what program (Word, Excel, Firefox, Safari, etc.), but what version of that program. Mac users can usually find the version in the application menu. For example: Firefox–>About Mozilla Firefox will tell you what version of Firefox you’re using. Windows users can usually find the version in the help menu. For example: Help–>About Mozilla Firefox.

It’s also helpful to note what operating system (and version) you’re using. For example, are you using Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7? Or, are you using Mac OS 10.5, 10.6, etc.?

Hey, is everything plugged in correctly? Are all your cables securely connected? Is it possible to restart the computer?

Try all the easy fixes. Note everything you’re doing. It can help someone help you.

If you’re having an actual problem (as opposed to just wondering how to do something) always try these fixes first, especially restarting the computer. I’m going to have you do it anyway, so you might as well give it a shot before calling/emailing me.

If you have any kind of access, try the Internet. Enter some keywords like “[stupid program]freezing multiple documents open.” See if there is anything about your problem. It’s really unlikely that you’re the first to discover this glitch.

This is how I find answers to most tech questions, so I know it works. If you don’t find what you’re looking for on the first try, you’ll want to re-word your search and try again. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, then it’s time to call in the big guns – ask the IT person.

If you need help with searching, check out the “Google search basics: Basic search help” page.

Solving math problems on the computer

I debated making this a separate post, but laziness won the battle. I saw a post today about using the Wolfram|Alpha “computational knowledge engine” to solve complex math problems. The post, on the WolframAlpha Blog is titled “Step-by-Step Math“.

Have you ever given up working on a math problem because you couldn’t figure out the next step? Wolfram|Alpha can guide you step by step through the process of solving many mathematical problems, from solving a simple quadratic equation to taking the integral of a complex function.

When trying to find the roots of 3×2+x–7=4x, Wolfram|Alpha can break down the steps for you if you click the “Show steps” button in the Result pod.

Here’s a screenshot:

Other types of problems

The steps used to solve computer problems can be applied to just about anything. Having problems getting your DVR to record only new episodes of your favorite program? Try to figure out what model number you have, then get on the Internet and see if you can find the answer. You’ll be surprised how much information you can find by doing a simple search.