LIFE INOVATION

Source: Cybercrime Review (detail)

If you’re like us, the term “social engineering” may not have entered your tool kit for teaching digital citizenship. According to Wikipedia, it is the psychological manipulation to get people to divulge confidential information by building a sense of trust. In the current digital environment, it is used for the purpose of gathering information or access to data via the Internet.

We’ve heard of phishing, hacking, or just looking over someone’s shoulder, but this approach is much more, as illustrated in the infographic Hacking the Mind from Veracode. Social engineering affects everyone. Perhaps a good way to describe it is human hacking.

Security Search describes it as away to trick people into breaking normal security procedures by gaining the confidence of the user. Our learners are particular vulnerable to this, because social engineering is designed to exploit the natural trust children have of others, to take advantage of their naïveté, or to prey on their weaknesses from not being fully informed.

While we constantly talk to our students to remind them how to protect themselves online, we have never used the term social engineering. For that reason, we began showing them the following Social Engineering motion graphic to help them build an understanding of what it is and to become familiar with the term.



As we’ve mentioned many times before, we find that visualizations help to seal the deal and make the message better understood. Our young learners have a lot to think about in the digital world. Anytime we can give them one more view of how to protect themselves from online scams, the better.

Source: #Edchat Radio

With the overwhelming number of new technologies, web tools, apps, and curricular demands, it almost seems impossible to keep up with everything. One solution we’ve never looked back on was adding Twitter to our PLN and following the #edchat hashtag.

If you are one of those educators who says, “I don’t have time to tweet,” fret not; there are other ways to follow up on the weekly #edchat conversations. The associated wiki page archives the transcripts from each chat. It’s fairly easy, therefore, to go back and review the exchanges that took place. They won’t disappoint.

Still feeling inundated with not enough time to read the weekly banter? Then check out the #Edchat Radio broadcasts on The Bam! Radio Network. Tom Whitby, co-founder of #edchat, hosts the show with Nancy Blair, an education consultant. The 12-15 minute interviews with educators in the trenches coincide with the topics covered in the weekly chats on Twitter. The casual, roundtable discussions are open, frank, and refreshing. The podcasts are also available as free downloads from the Apple iTunes store.

Source: Bam! Radio

Over the past two years, we have written posts about the importance of Twitter for professional development, and we still stand by that mantra. There are many targeted chats by grade level, discipline, and theme to truly inspire and engage teacher-learners willing to take the plunge. Whether you lurk, participate, read, or listen, take advantage of the free exchange of ideas on social media.

#Edchat takes place every Tuesday at 12:00 noon and 7:00 p.m. (EST). Join the movement! Check out this video produced by co-founder Shelly Terrell.



Other resources about #edchat:

• What is #edchat?
• #Edchat: Join the conversation

As we embark on another year as educators, we have a lot to think about with regard to designing new tasks made possibly by technology. We’ve heard and read countless times about how we are educating kids for jobs we don’t know will exist, resulting from technological advances happening at lightening speed, to the point where it seems overwhelming to keep up. And it is not likely to abate any time soon. We are no longer in a world that is changing a certain amount every year. The luxury of a slow, linear, arithmetic approach is gone. Instead, our learners are operating in a world that is changing exponentially.

We recently came across the motion graphic "Trillions," produced by Maya Design for the book Trillions: Thriving In the Emerging Information Ecology by Peter Lucas, Joe Ballay, and Mickey McManus. The video gives an overview of how we arrived where we are in computing today using a time line based on seconds. The authors make the point that designing for trillions is a huge challenge, bigger than any we have ever faced.


Trillions from MAYAnMAYA on Vimeo.


It was the line in the video that “computing is an ecology” and that it is all around us – “not information in the computers, but people in the information” – that made us think: What do we mean by ecology? The standard definition for the word didn’t seem to help, and we wanted a way for our students to get a better grasp of how ecology relates to computing.

This is how we came up with the term e-cology and the subsequent definition: the branch of sociology that deals with the transmission, creation, and design of digital content and its interrelationship with society and the environment.

If we want our learners to have a stake in the developing digital world, we need to consider how we educate them in this new e-cology. We rapidly see the changing face of jobs now, let alone 12 years from now when out current kindergarten students will graduate from high school. New positions for social media, digital asset management, and data visualization are just a few of the employment opportunities that were in their infancy just five years ago.

Startups are also on the rise in many fields, including education. We see the extent of new types of opportunities for educators, and we don’t just mean companies trying to market material for the Common Core. The challenges do seem enormous for our students, but the risk of not facing the need for changing education in our schools is far greater. We need a paradigm shift in curricula now to accommodate the changing e-cology or we will fall further behind as a society of innovators.

Source: PBS

We’ve only been in school one week, and our students have already been probing about the situation in Syria. It’s dominated their Twitter feeds and topped the news rundown on their carpool radios. We ended up scrapping our lesson on Friday to explore the facts of the Syrian conflict with the students on iPads.

It can be challenging to explain the cultural and revolutionary dynamics in Syria without getting pinned into a “should we or shouldn’t we” intervention choice. At the same time, we found it disconcerting that three different kids in three different classes asked whether the President’s actions toward Syria would lead to World War Three. After a bit of questioning, it turned out they were all responding to a misquoting of remarks by the Syrian deputy foreign minister that had been hyped by cable news.


The syrian conflict, in 5 minutes from BOMBILLO AMARILLO ® on Vimeo.

Luckily, a host of trustworthy visual resources exist to help kids learn about Syria. These can fit into any course subject, from a social history of the tension to the science behind chemical weapons. Students can then make up their own minds regarding U.S. involvement.

The animated video above is the perfect place to start in letting students learn about the history of the conflict. Created by Wilson Liévano and designed by Bombillo Amarillo in association with Animated Press, the motion graphic is informative and age-appropriate. It offers a complete cultural timeline and an explanation of Bashar al-Assad's reactions to rebel resistance.

Source: The New York Times

For lesson plans and teacher tools, PBS lives up to its reputation for objective reporting with a "cheat sheet" of regional facts and a "What Would You Do?" simulation. The news site is an invaluable repository of classroom resources.

Source: Al Jazeera

The New York Times also presents an interactive feature on the "Evolution Of Syria's Conflict." It dates from last year, but it lays out some strong background details on the roots of the war. For infographics about possible partners in a military intervention, Visual.ly has gathered a helpful library of images, including the one above from Al Jazeera.

Source: PBS Newshour

Chemical weapons are bound to come up in conversations with students, because the President drew his "red line" at their use. Kids also worry about their gruesome effects. One approach to this discussion is via science. The diagram above from PBS Newshour outlines technology to survive possible exposure. Richard Johnson at the National Post also offers a detailed graphic that explains the different types of chemical agents that Syria might employ.

Source: National Post (full image)

Finally, refugees fleeing the Syria devastation are perhaps the most critical but least reported story. The video below from Simon Rawles, entitled "Syria's Lost Generation," is a good one to share with students, because it highlights the displacement and suffering of children their own ages and younger.


Syria's Lost Generation? from Simon Rawles on Vimeo.

For many, Labor Day is a sign of the end of summer, the return to school, a three-day weekend, and lots of store sales. For our students, as with many other holidays, it is a day off with no classes. We often wonder how many truly understand the meaning of labor, especially when they complain of too much homework and studying. By definition, labor is hard physical work. It is also the reason we plan this week on showing them this TED-Ed animation, "Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?" by Kenneth C. Davis.


As with all TED-Ed animations, educators can use the thinking and discussion questions that are provided to deepen the learning. This particular video not only provides an excellent overview about the holiday, but it also opens up connections to child labor today. Many of our students are sheltered from the idea that this is a major and growing problem around the world. They are also almost a century away from a time period in American history when children had to labor long hours in factories and not attend school. They can't image life any other way than what they know now.

Source: LIN@R

We've also gathered some recently published infographics for additional resource materials on the topic. The first is United States Labor Day 2013. The simple and clear layout of this design makes it easy to use with any age group. Some of the details include median earnings of males and females and the top occupations. We bet most kids today would not even think that farmers made up the largest occupation in 1910 compared to retail salespersons in 2012.

Source: Infographiclist

The other infographic Say Goodbye To Summer - Labor Day 2013 is how most kids think of the holiday. While it provides no history of the day, it does give an overview of how far families travel to celebrate, what they will spend on back-to-school items, and what we have to look forward to in the fall.

For other resources on the topic of labor see:

• Look At Labor Day Visually With Infographics
• United States Department of Labor homepage
• History of Labor Day from the U.S. Department of Labor
• Labor History Timeline from the AFL-CIO

Source: The Forest

Even though we don't teach science, we find ourselves returning again and again to motion graphics that tell stories about the natural world. Maybe it's because our students' curiosity unfailingly becomes piqued by issues of earth fairness.

Children are the first to recycle and the first to insist on preserving the environment. They feel close to the outdoors, the grass, and the innocence of animals. They haven't yet been converted to the germaphobic paranoia of Purell. For kids, taking care of the earth is not a progressive versus conservative debate. It's a natural reaction to seeing litter in the garden or oil on the pond.

We've collected below a few of the best educational videos about world studies and environmental science. These infographics attest to the power of animation and computer models, as well as the need for coding and design training in our schools. More than anything, they speak to the effectiveness of visual communication over aural or literal.

Earth science courses could obviously make great hay of these clips. But any homeroom or social studies class could show them as Monday morning waker-uppers. They highlight urgent current events and speak to the role of the United States in the global community.

These films also reinforce the tools of graphicacy. They combine statistical data with arresting visual facts. They employ geography, too, in their representations of oceans, continents, and countries.

"The Forest," by Sasha Milic, reveals the impact of deforestation in Indonesia. The clip is stunning in its beauty and its narrative quality. It's a captivating feat of animation and storytelling. On the surface, it highlights a critical issue in a specific country, but more deeply, it offers an invitation to use eye-catching motion graphics in sharing revelations about science and the environment.


The Forest from Sasha Milic on Vimeo.

If teachers want students to create their own animated movies, we like the Easy Studio iPad app for producing quick, cute videos. It's not free, but it offers a host of features and shapes to generate surprisingly fluid clips. Check out this video for a preview of its functions.

If you're skeptical about the nonverbal communication power of graphics, check out the Water Saving Campaign clip posted on YouTube and Video Infographics. The narration is entirely in Arabic, but a viewer of any language can easily understand its message.

Take a look at these other masterful animations about the environment, all available from YouTube, Vimeo, or Video Infographics. They are as much works of art as works of science:

Ending Overfishing


Ending Overfishing from OCEAN2012 on Vimeo.


Bill McKibben's Thought Bubble: The Fight Of Our Time


Bill McKibben's Thought Bubble: The Fight of Our Time from Thought Café on Vimeo.


Let's Talk About Soil


Let's Talk About Soil - English from IASS Vimeo Channel on Vimeo.

(This is Part Two in a two-part series about the expectations of learning relationships. Please check our previous post in Part One: "5 Things Students Expect From Their Teachers.")

More and more in recent years, we've started referring to the kids in our classes as "learners" rather than "students." It began unintentionally but became more and more frequent. We gradually realized that the relationship between learner and educator is not always the same as between student and teacher. As we explored earlier in the "5 Things Students Expect From Their Teachers," we are shaping our goals for new school year, and we're trying to consider an even more nuanced connection between any learner and his or her guide.

A learner is someone who seeks knowledge, who solicits professional development, who values links from a Twitter PLN, or who watches YouTube videos to hone a skill. Employees and entrepreneurs, welders and poets all further themselves by seeking insights from a trusted specialist. Any interaction that results in greater understanding or proficiency forges a learner/educator bond.

The word "learner" suggests an open-mindedness and a self-initiation. The word "student," however, implies a hierarchy. It defines a status, where one is the instructor and the other is the pupil. This difference is akin to actively enrolling in a class versus being at the mercy of a class. It is the difference between training and tutelage, between aficionado and authority.

We’ve all experienced the letdown of learning, whether at disappointing conferences or half-hearted meetings. As both educators and life-long learners, therefore, we want to make every effort to cultivate scholarship by aligning realistic expectations.

What do learners expect from their educators?

Expertise

Any learner who willingly admits that they do not know something is relying on the expertise of the person at the podium or the webcam. A genuine educator needs a reflexive, virtuoso mastery of the content, so they can then focus on the complicated business of information delivery. Their prowess should be evident and even taken for granted, so the learners can feel safe. Novices can know they won't be led astray or put to the mercy of someone bluffing through sessions in exchange for a paycheck.

Clearly Delineated Goals

To march hand-in-hand with a coach means that there should be targeted, mutually agreed upon goals. Physical therapists and personal trainers know this, but sometimes traditional classrooms or webinars avoid this crisp delineation in favor of generalized discussion. Jointly designed benchmarks and precise assessments can ensure that every moment matters. For both adult learners and middle schoolers, a specific end is critical to seeing a process through with motivation.

Mentorship

Hesitation and insecurity are natural byproducts of learning. Coming to grips with a difficult skill often requires asking for help. In this confession, the apprentice hopes for a mentor's empathy. Mentorship means partnership. A mentor's role is one part confidante and another part older sibling. It involves the sharing of wisdom and the patience of listening. Even in a crowded classroom, a teacher can try to remember this counseling, advising mindset that lets every learner feel heard.

Feedback

Feedback is perhaps the most difficult thing to give and, therefore, the rarest dynamic in learning. Authentic feedback takes time. It requires a bias-free, assumption-free language to offer constructive advice. Knee-jerk criticism and empty praise are not feedback. In fact, they do more harm than good. Feedback is one-to-one, honest, actionable input about what went well, what didn't, and what steps can be taken to go forward.

Deftness With Necessary Tools

A valued educator needs a fluency with the most apt resources for his or her field. Even a talented professional will draw skepticism if he can't nimbly negotiate the tools of his trade. A chef with a sophisticated palate will still be circumspect if she can't effectively wield her knives. An architect with a revolutionary design will still invite worry if he couldn't safely construct his home. This agility refers both to the latest instruments and the time-honored implements. We can't force children to use typewriters just because we did when we were their age.