Hi all,

I will not be able to attend your lesson on Friday so here is what you need to do - I discussed with both Youngtroopz and Fats about the depth and structure of your research on the different IT Systems on the wiki.

So it is important you check each of the following is placed on each wiki page:-

1) Description of IT System - using the Input - Process - Output - Storage Model.

2) Simple defiition - something that is perfect for you to remember for the define questions that will come up.

3) Videos embedded  -thats specifically describe the IT system well and also how it is used in real contexts and within Online Businesses

4) Real articles / links to examples of how the technology is linked to the Case Study

5) Problems/Challenges/ and Solutions to how IT system is used.

6) Must have a minimum of 5 sources - please quote if you have used text from another source

7) Use quotes - line numbers from the Case Study so you can refer back

Make sure that you structure the wiki page in small sections that are under headings, easy to read and understand

9) Make sure your descriptions are in your own words so that you can fully describe systems within the actual examination

I will be looking at the beginning of next week at each of your pages so please make sure they are up to standard and will be useful. First lesson next week we will have a definitions test related to each of the IT Systems.

Please use your time wisely in this lesson as there is a lot to do.

P.S. Zowt please send me electronic versions of your Portfolios.

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This is a much longer term assignment than the other one you are undertaking at the moment - and involves reading a book. Yes you did not here me incorrectly yes you will need to read a book - Yikes. During the coming lesson I will present you with a choice of books that all have ITGS related content and discussion but are in much more depth than anything you have read before. You will need to choose one (will tell you how that will work) and then over a period of weeks read it regularly. You will then need to publish a blog post every two weeks summarising the content and what the author is discussing and your points of view of the issues and IT systems described. The post should be specific especially in terms of describing IT systems involved.

The end game of the assignment- will involve a final presentation.

Here is the basics of what you will need to do for the final presentation What do you need to show? Well read on below for full information:-

1. The final presentation will give everyone an overview in detail of the book you have read - with main chapter summaries, a review of the IT systems involved and the social and ethical issues.
2. The presentation should stand alone to review the book - giving both the authors points of view and specific examples of their discussions.
3. The presentation should conclude from a variety of stakeholders points of view the issues, and link this with your own thoughts.
4. If your ideas and thoughts have changed during reading the book then please explain this transition.
5. The presentations will be due on the TO BE DETERMINED - e.g. first Thursday after Easter.
6. The presentations must be able to be viewed upon the web (note it is not a video presentation but a slide based presentation) - example tools you might use are:- Slideshare (good for adding vocal overtop?), Empressr, Prezi (this one is supercool), authorstream, Zoho, Google Docs, Voicethread and many more. It is your choice to choose the best Web 2.0 tool to present your work. The work should be embedded on a weblog post, with a short explanation.
7. You will also present this in front of the class - a rubric of assessment will be available from the preceeding week but will look at many areas including: quality of presentation, quality of arguments, quality of reviews, use of tool, understanding of issues, understanding and explanation of IT systems involved, simplicity of explanation, use of specific relevant examples...

BOOK Decisions - after much deliberation and cogitation here are the decisions based or maybe not based on your choices for book to read. Note Dr Tech's decision is final and is based on a rigorous and thoughtful process of skills based analysis linked with your choice/interest: -

• Laurence Lessig - Remix - Fats Million
• Jack Goldsmith - Who Controls the Internet - Bob Saget
• Secrets and Lies - Bruce Schneier - Nabsuh
• Pirates Dilemma - Matt Mason - Young Troopz

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So you have watched that wonderful BBC series "A Virtual Revolution" and the four interesting episodes, so how much of that information has sunk in? What are your views on what was said, do you disagree or agree with the values and systems the series spoke about?

Well here is your time to explain. You must choose an essay title from below and using the information from the program and other sources, write a balanced 1000 word essay outlining with specific examples the different sides of the arguments. The essay should think closely about the social and ethical issues surrounding the argument and a variety of stakeholders. The essay should I will repeat be BALANCED in argument - although you should conclude with your thoughts and ideas in a conclusion section with analysis. Please use specific examples to illustrate any arguments for or against. As with any essay please use correct referencing: -

1. Is the Internet helping peoples freedoms and rights to express opinion or is it helping states, governments and small groups control and monitor people more easily? (Bob_Saget)
   
2. Is the Internet harming us as intellectual human beings leading to addiction, laziness and lack of concentration, or it it opening and strengthening the human races ability to communicate and learn? (Nabsuh)
   
3. Is the social and moral cost of receiving content for free a long term benefit or is it a price worth paying even if people lose employment and we sacrifice our own personal information? (FatsMillion)
   
4. Will the Internet survive as an idealistic technology that aims to give power to individuals rather than authorities, or has that already disappeared? (Youngtroopz)

A Rubric will be published shortly, for grading purposes.

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Before reading the introduction, I decided to have a look into the preface, to my surprise, it started off with a sentence that I would have never expected to read before starting a book.

"I have written this book partly to correct a mistake."

From there, it goes into how his first book "Applied Cryptology" didn't direct people in the direction he wanted. Instead, it lead to "lesser" security systems around the world. More importantly however, he immediately states three points about the novel I am going to read about:

"This book is about those security problems, the limitations of technology and the solutions"

"Read this book, from beginning to end"

"Many technical books are meant to skim, bounce around in,  and use as a reference. This book isn't. It has a plot."

In several senses, I was taken back, but lets just get straight to the point, shall we?

The introduction to the book first logs a number of security events during March 2000, whether they were defacing websites, security breaches, bugs or errors with software. This continues on for a bit before it his point becomes abundantly clear, that there are a multitude of problems and vulnerabilities in the software that is supposedly meant to be "secure". He discusses in detail why and what can be done about the problem at hand, being the primary subject of his book.

Thus far, its been a fascinating book to read, and it really adds perception to the security in our world. It looks into detail about the underlying systems that go into creating the 'security' in our world, and how it seemingly may seem less secure then before.

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Using the skills that you will garner during the next week or so with creating tutorial/example based Excel Spreadsheets (yes for once we will use a normal application rather than some Web 2.0 based shenanigins), you must then choose a realistic project from one of your other subjects to design and create a spreadsheet for. Subjects that would probably be very sensible to choose might be Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, Design Technology, Drama etc... What productive function the spreadsheet does is up to you? It might create a test, it might plot a specific experiment and show results, it might be a booking sheet for a theatre or it might be a break even chart analysis? YOU decide.

You must however use a minimum of ten of  the following skills (that you will practice this next week or so) within your spreadsheet to make the design and so its workings as efficient and automatic as possible. You must also be able to discuss what each of these functions does and why you would use it:-

1. Vlookup
2. If Statement / Countif Statement
3. Dynamic / Static Cell Referencing
4. Charts
5. Advanced Filters
6. Basic Mathematical Formulas - Aveage, Sum, Max, Min,
7. Macros (you will need to use Office 2004 on the Mac - Why?)
8. Conditional Formatting
9. Spinners
10. Date/Time Functions
11. Formatting, Titles and Buttons
12. Validation/Verification
13. Password Protection

Along with this, the spreadsheet should be well designed and user friendly with suitable instructions for a new user to be able to follow and understand what they are doing when it comes to inputting data and processing an output. The spreadsheet should have multiple sheets, and include a title page. Dr Tech will show you some examples of existing spreadsheets that fulfill the above purpose.

Make sure you test your spreadsheet models, as the assessment will be based on an unknown user/client attempting to use your spreadsheet without instruction from yourself.

To help you learn, I will provide a series of spreadsheet worksheets - but also you can find your own if you would like or use something like Atomic Learning - see around the room for login details. Deadline for your spreadsheet is on the Monday after the mid winter break so you do not have long - so use your time well this week to learn any new skills.

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"The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era"

Vernor Vinge writes, in his article 'The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era', about the concept of the Singularity in terms of time and what effects entail. The Singularity is the process of technology to exceed human intelligence. Vinge goes on to say that this may occur "in the next thirty years." (From when the paper was written in 1993)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a speculated technology that would allow the production of superhuman or ultraintelligent entities and transhuman devices. These applications of artificial intelligence exist on the assumption that the technology is feasible. It is a given that "if the technological Singularity can happen, it will," but it is questioned whether a biological entity can be emulated in a non-biological entity using a series of algorithms. Neurotransmitters are the basis of human processing power found in the brain alike the transistors in computer processing chips. Both use electric stimuli but neurotransmitters have greater capability than the 'on-off' transistors.

Vinge progresses the article with the assumption that the Singularity will happen and goes on to question by which means. The most likely measure offered in the article is by the continuation of Moore's Law with processing capabilities doubling every 18 months.

The article is brought to a close offering some suggestions for "what next?" My favourite is the depiction of humans as overpowered owners of god-like, superhuman slaves. It shows that there are more possibilities that them simply ending human existence.

"Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?"

Nick Bostrom's article "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?" has a more TOK feel to it. A simulation is an artificial construction of a realistic situation that can observed virtually. The simulation Bostrom discusses is a metaphysical system controlled by our ancestors. This concept does incur that a machine is capable of emulating human life but lacks depth as to why it would be synthesized this way. The technological approach of this article is similar to Vinges's. Overall, quite an extraneous read.

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Grade 11's now your Video assignment is over as announced it is time to begin your first Internal Assessment portfolio. The essential element of any good portfolio is the choice of the article - and the best wasy to choose an article is to read and organise as many as possible so that you make the right choice. There are a number of ways to organise individually as you find articles - but it is much better if we share and organise as a group using a social bookmarking tool.

The best tool that I have found is called Diigo - so first of all you will need to do the following:-

1. Go to the website and join Diigo.
2. I would recommend using Firefox as you can also install their Diigo toolbar which makes things really easy to use - if not you can install a bookmarklet for Safari.
3. Watch the video below or go to these tutorials to find out how to use Diigo.
4. Make sure you join the ITGSonline group.

Okay once you are familiar with Diigo then here is what you have to do to share suitable articles for your Business and Employment portfolios: -

1. Search and find at least 5 articles that fulfill the ITGS portfolio criteria.
2. For each one you find - you must Diigo bookmark it including a snapshot.
3. For each bookmark - you must make sure you save it to the following group ITGSonline and make sure you tag it correctly using the correct social and ethical issue - along with your own tags that are relevant.
4. For each bookmarked page - you must then annotate the following points - IT System, social and ethical issue, solution, statistics and whether you believe this the perfect portfolio article or not-  and other relevant factors.
5. Finally check out other students bookmarks and add your own comments.

You thought it was all over - but not quite - finally by  23rd from the articles bookmarked choose one you consider the most interesting and then write a full blogpost using the ITGS triangle to analyse the article - with links and most importantly a description of the IT System.

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 YouTube: Play Now | Play in Popup | Direct Link

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Well deadline is now set for Monday 9th November for showing of the videos  - so alot of work ahead of you over the next two weeks.

As always for any presentation/video assignment you will be graded according to the aims of the project (see last blog post) and also through the use of a marking rubric you can download from here - PeerAssessmentVideoLabRats

So Labrats enjoy...

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During the Grade 12 Field Trip last Friday, I embarked on a mission to find out all the interesting information about the security features in our network infrastructure.

Protocols running through the network at ACS are authenticated through a central server running Filemaker Pro. Users on the server are segregated into certain categories (e.g. student, teacher, administrator) as predetermined in the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Database. The LDAP grants user-specific access and permissions. Also, the individual accounts on the server are password protected to prevent unauthorized interference between user accounts.

Internet access is controlled by an external 'Smart Pass' database for Windows computers and a content filter proxy server for Macs. The proxy server, nicknamed the 'Bloxx' system, is administered directly by the IT department. The content filter system works by internet protocols being assessed by the proxy and authenticated or blocked depending on predefined, prohibited patterns like keywords or phrases.

Another security feature of the ACS network is the ability to directly administer users. The IT department uses Remote Desktop to perform check-ups and maintenance remotely or directly observe a user activity in real time. They also have the ability to use a technique called curtaining that allows the observation of user activity without notice of the user being watched. Curtaining is avoided, however, because ACS policy states that IT administration is to be open at all times.

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Well Grade 11 - You have started to study into the nuts and bolts of how a computer works, and know how confusing it is! Understanding your RAM, from your EEPROM, your BIOS from your PCI, your OMR from your OCR, your serial from your parallel processing, your mainframes from your PDA's, your binary from your denary, your ...okay enough enough ENOUGH already.

So your challenge / problem is to make your own .....in Labrats like video to show and explain the hardware differences between a laptop and desktop. You need to be creative in how you show the taking apart/ and explaining of how both these devices actually work. These are the following stipulation's for your video: -

1. You will be given one laptop and one desktop computer which you are allowed to take part and use in whatever way you would like.
2. You will need to research, identify and understand the main parts of each machine including such areas as the RAM, PCI slots, buses etc
3. Must explain the main items that make your computers function -  including their definitions (use CC) and how they are integral to the system.
4. Must be 4 minutes in length and no more.
5. Must have  narration explaining the hardware (remember to use your aliases.)
6. Must use software available in school - e.g. Adobe Premiere Pro or iMovie your choice...
7. Thats all I can think of for now.... ~ Note the ITGS 2 group will judge which is the best video!

For next lesson you must in your group produce and decide the following:-

• Produce a storyboard outline (download Storyboard template here.)
• Write a script outlining your explanation to go with the video as narration
• Produce an ideas sheet of graphics and overall STYLE (you might need to check other tutorial type videos to give you inspiration)

Remember you are meant to be making something complex simple to understand - here is another example just using words to make something complex simple - Explaining DRM to your dad! Be honest and we can see how much time and explanation you will need to produce your video.

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You have briefly looked into how networks work in general now you must prepare to interview and discuss with the school network manager, and then present these findings together about how the network functions in our school in five weblog posts:-

Areas you will need to look at are:-

1. Software for Network Management including Remote Access software and how it works - you must be able to describe and document the main applications( and their functions) on the server that the network administrator uses?
2. Hardware used for the network - the network topology and overall structure of the network as a diagram - you must be able to produce an overall diagram of the network naming the servers and main clusters?
3. Internet and Wireless Systems - Proxy servers, Filters and how ACS-Egham connects to the internet - you must be able to describe the systems setup for Internet access and controls on those systems to stop issues including viruses, trojans and other attacks on the network?
4. Network Security - User access and permissions/Active directory or OSX equivalent - you must be able to explain how users and their rights of access are administered on the network, and how this enables the network to remain secure for different users?
5. The overall role of a network administrator at our school, what jobs are done how are they organised. How does the network administrator support all the staff and students. What are the difficulties and problems associated - are they really just like the IT Crowd?

You must throughout the interview, be able to write down notes, take photos and sketch any diagrams so that you can describe the network fully. Each of you must choose one area to focus on from the above list, produce a series of questions that you will ask during the tour and then obviously write your informative weblog post with photos and screenshots?

 YouTube: Play Now | Play in Popup | Direct Link

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Pecha Kucha time is nearly hear - so it was about time I shared the Assessment rubruc with you that you will all be graded against -Peer Assessment Rubric Digital Divide.

It would be a good idea to download it and check if you are going to be able to fulfill all the criteria?

Have a good long weekend,

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Hmm interesting question this - so though I would open this up as my first little Grade 11/ 12 competition this year. You must answer in the comments to this post, but your answer must not be general and must include facts and links that back up your argument.

You will obviously need to find the following:-

• How quick can the fastest computer think at the moment?
• How do computers actually think?
• How quick do humans think - in a way that is comparable with the above?
• Which is quickest?

Not as easy as you think - best description and analysis wins a Perky Prize!

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