Lack of Trust Making You Itchy?

The U.N. will receive an anti-spying resolution spear-headed by European and Latin American diplomats in collaboration with other countries in the next week in an effort to protect and expand online confidentiality. In my opinion the anti-spying resolution is more than data protection. It is a contractual boundary promoting transparency indicative of unspoken trust that must be at the forefront of negotiations and collaboration to meet basic shared needs of all countries.

In a time of unprecedented connectivity we must believe in the inherent good of nations. We need our governing representatives to forge relationships built on trust in the idea that many more people want to see a decline in the amount of violence in the world and want to collaborate among nations to improve resource allocation and the rights and health of people and planet.

 I remember a particular incidence where my trust was ripped from me as my face grew flush and my stomach contracted with the visceral reaction of betrayal. In a moment I knew my privacy had been violated. This may very well be the same gut response German Counselor Angela Merkel had when she furiously spoke out against spying upon learning the U.S. allegedly monitored her cell phone through NSA activities.

 Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff is outraged over purported U.S. surveillance tactics, which she is likening to espionage activity. As covered by an article in the Huffington Post, monitoring of citizen’s data is protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which went into force in 1976. One of the reasons countries are drafting a U.N. resolution to expand these rights.

 In response to concerns about surveillance the U.S. has justified unnecessary policing activities as a measure to counter terrorism. This is an odd strategy to say the least along with the confusing unspoken messages it sends to citizens in the U.S. and other countries. As a nation we are policing the activities of countries with whom we have good relations. Data scrubbing is a betrayal of trust, or indicates the lack thereof, which I believe is at the heart of the outrage. The theory that if you do not have anything to hide you will not be concerned about being monitored is a fallacy. Nations are outraged because being monitored for an ongoing basis sends the message that in reality we are not ready to collaborate with other countries because at our core we do not trust them. The U.S. will need to genuinely respond to the breach of trust and  growing frustration of other countries or risk polarizing them with unwarranted investigations for potential threats and our lack of shared beliefs in transparency.

Trust is the motivator of you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. If one person is afraid to scratch the other’s back in fear of not having the favor returned everybody ends up itchy. Right now all this monitoring is making us all a bit itchy.

Read further here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/26/un-anti-spying-resolution_n_4165470.html?utm_hp_ref=world 

Innovation Please

Sir Ken Robinson

 

I am not a believer in homework before high school, and even then it should be engaging and worthwhile. If my child knows exactly what homework will be done each night I am not certain she is really learning anything outside predictability.

Today I spent forty minutes with my six-year old supporting her with homework. She was cutting out little rectangles of paper with words on them, which she then sorted into “starting sound” categories or prefixes of words. I cannot speak to the effectiveness of this method to teach bound morphemes, though I do know we are bound to this activity every Monday for the rest of the school year.

I approach this time with attentiveness and a positive attitude while my daughter performs her learning task, which consequently is performed only slightly different four out of the five school days. Admittedly it is my least favorite of her assignments. I can hardly wait to stuff the little scraps of paper into their accompanying bag. We have the homework memorized, now please engage us.

 As an Interactive Producer I have helped produce interactive games, videos and web casts, which I am sure could be implemented in a way that supports the natural development of the child while integrating technology and multimedia learning into a classroom.

For a six-year-old and a sixteen year old, multimedia could be used in class although it would look very different. It is not conducive to a six-year-old child’s development to sit too long or stare at a screen as it goes against their innate desire to move. An example of an innovative and engaging way to use technology in music would be to have children watch a few short You Tube videos of other children playing the instrument they are learning, or Conferencing children from other schools learning the instrument to talk about how they feel when they play it. Let’s use a ukulele music lesson as our example to hypothesize what the use of new and old learning modalities can accomplish when used cohesively and age appropriately in a classroom.

Students could be introduced to the instrument through a Skype or conference call with an artist in Hawaii that plays the ukulele.  After the call the classroom teacher could continue her lesson practicing what the guest Skype teacher covered. A week later the children could learn a small dance that is typically performed to the ukulele song and learn about the history of ukulele.  Shortly thereafter children could Skype with the Hawaiian teacher one last time to make sure the short piece is being played correctly. A final effort could be a concert with students performing the dance and music pieces. Students could film the performance on video while learning another communication form through basic cinematic elements to create a DVD to mail the guest Skype teacher. Students could also send hand written thank you letters with their final video project along with thoughts on what they liked most about the experience. Old and new teaching modalities need to be melded into a class environment that supports the idea of technology introduction guided by child developmental phases in a cohesive manner. Now that’s innovation.

GPS shoes to money roll counters

 

 After researching accessibility issues for technology, I was inspired to learn about apps for people with vision impairments. Since apps are visually rich I was curious about adaptations. What follows is my Tech Tester feedback for some of the latest and greatest apps I could find.

 

Top on my list of cool is the Le Chal app used with a special shoe and accompanying app. It was designed by a Hewlett Packard researcher Anirudh Sharma, and uses proximity sensors, small circuitry for vibration guidance and runs via a blue tooth between the shoe and Google Maps on an Android Phone. Sorry for the Apple fans, but the app does not work for the iPhone yet. This is the closest to go-go gadget shoes that I am aware of! The person enters their destination in Google maps then starts walking, while the proximity sensor in the shoe detects objects in the walking path. If there is an obstacle a signal is sent to the circuit board, which triggers vibrations on either the left or right side of the shoe. Vibrations will continue until the person is clear of the obstacle or has turned the direction needed based on directions programmed into Google Maps.

 

The only down side I could see to this app would be that although you are being alerted to something in front of you, you don’t know what it is you are trying to avoid.  I would personally use it with a cane until the technology gets more sophisticated. What would be cool is if a small camera could be installed next to the motion sensor.  The camera could relay the signal to the phone to identify the word for the object the person is trying to avoid using photo recognition technology. Simple words like person, dog, tree, car, would all be useful for the person in determining a possible size and radius for the object they are trying to avoid.

 

Next on my list is SayText, similar to Dragon Dictation, which I have used often except the person uses the app to scan text instead of speaking it. This app is useful for everyday forms like fliers or restaurant menus. The person presses the app, scans the document and the app beeps when the information is collected. Swipe the phone screen to the right and voila, it speaks the text out loud!

 

LookTel is another cool app that uses recognition technology to identify US currency for $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 bills, and even Franklins if you roll with a lot of those in your wallet! The person holds the phone camera up to the money and the app uses voice response to tell her what denomination she is holding. I went to purchase it for fun, but at $9.99 I decided to pass. Talking Calculator is another app that is functional in the math/money category. The app reads the numbers, signs and buttons out loud as you slide your finger over them. Double tap a key to enter numbers and signs into equations and the app will read the answer out loud. The developer made a scientific calculator version as well and both are under $2 dollars.

 

Learning Ally app is the largest library of audio books for K-12 and college text. Books can be downloaded and played on all iOS devices. For a price of $19.99 this app is quite affordable for the quantity of learning materials available.

 

I love Pandora, and the coolest app I could find similar for blind and visually impaired people was iBlink radio. The app is more advanced than Pandora as it provides access to web radio stations in a multitude of genres and it gives the listener access to community focused web stations and pod casts as well. The app also offers a reading service for numerous publications.

 

 

Learn about the Le Chal Haptic Shoe App: http://www.healio.com/ophthalmology/neurosciences/news/print/ocular-surgery-news-europe-edition/%7B8bbadef6-a081-4609-963c-afc8071e4fdc%7D/haptic-shoe-provides-gps-directions-for-independent-motion-of-blind-visually-impaired

 

 

 

Internet Accesibilty for Blind and Visually Impaired

Original Image by: Jack Schofield for The Guardian


Keeping up with technology is similar to building a sand castle at low tide. There is always a wave of new information that will have you starting over again. I embrace this fact and I am challenged by it striving to keep current on technological developments. This is the reason I have recently found at least a dozen tools, apps and social media platforms I did not even know existed. Or, if I had heard of them thought they had a different purpose. I am amazed and in awe of the plethora of technologies to support business, health care and education. Technology has made it possible for me to work from home and attend university remotely. I am engaging with top-notch instructors and curriculum without setting foot on campus.

As I was thinking about the rich media presentations I am often given in my courses and I was reminded of a recent Human Rights Watch video about the need for teachers fluent in sign language to teach deaf children. I began to think about the challenges people that are deaf, blind or visually impaired may have participating in our virtually expanding world, let alone just connecting to the Internet. I was inspired to understand more about accessibility issues and was pleased to learn the FCC is aiming to improve access to what is deemed “Advanced Communication Services,” like those provided on a cell phone, tablet or laptop to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Schools and universities have specific laws under the Americans With Disabilities Act defining reasonable accommodations for students with hearing or vision impairments. To the contrary the FCC has made several mandates to implement the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 without much guidance for companies on how to become compliant. The bill addresses accessibility on mobile devices for all persons with disabilities but emphasizes Internet browsers and Internet browsers on mobile phones for blind and visually impaired people. The law was effective as of October 8, 2013 however the FCC will need to make language modifications to ensure accessibility interfaces are mandated in cell phones. The law is a leap forward in communications access and will improve independence in the daily, work and educational life of those with vision or hearing disabilities.

Reproduced from: http://www.telecomlawmonitor.com/2013/05/articles/fcc/fcc-requires-mobile-phone-manufacturers-and-service-providers-to-make-internet-browsers-accessible-to-the-blind-and-visually-impaired-by-october-2013/

Human Rights Watch Video: Offer Deaf Children Education in Sign Language
Access here:
http://mm.hrw.org/content/offer-deaf-children-education-sign-language

Schools Can Sell Student Data- without parental consent

 

 

My children often use apps at school they rave about such as Raz-Kids and Google Apps for learning on the iPad. As they progress through the grades they will be using a host of other instructional software programs the school has licensed from private companies. I like that my kids move through the learning objectives at their own pace in a hands on interactive style which appears to engage them. I get concerned that maybe the overuse of the computer may keep my kids from developing penmanship and cursive, or that they may begin to rely on sorting out answers in a multiple choice format instead of using investigative and innovative problem solving. At the same time I realize they are also learning to use technology, something they will need to be adept at as older learners and into adulthood.

  As I consider all the pros and cons of interactive learning and how often it is used in schools, one thing that never crossed my mind was the privacy risk to my children and family by using learning apps. Maybe you didn't think about that either. I assumed the school protected my children’s confidential academic and personal information and that any information obtained about my children would be for helping them reach learning objectives, not for marketing to them or our family. Seems like a given right? Well that is what I thought until I read an article in the NY Times which informed me that due to a change in nationwide school policies in 2008, schools have the ability to share children’s information to third party companies not affiliated with the school as well as the companies providing the instructional programs—without parental consent.

 As an Interactive Producer I understand the power technology has to impart knowledge in a variety of ways to a learner, but it should not simultaneously impart marketing metrics to those technology providers outside of ways to provide tailored education to children. It is common practice to use metrics in other industries like healthcare to allow conversations with patients and physicians on things like dietary intake and exercise to see how those are impacting well-being and symptom reduction. This an example of a positive use of metrics as does using student learning data within applications to improve learning and cognition for individual students.

 Customizing health care and education with data can be powerful when used appropriately and privately. The use of data for any purpose other than improvements for health or learning in these sectors needs to be addressed. This article mentions how schools have the power of selling information on what students eat for lunch or how often they miss school. On Monday I'll be making a call to the superintendent of my children’s school district to see how schools in my state safeguard student information. If you are interested in seeing how safe your children's data is you can learn more about this topic by asking your school district what kind of data they collect on students and by researching The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.


FERPA: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html


Repurposed from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/technology/concerns-arise-over-privacy-of-schoolchildrens-data.html?ref=education&_r=0

World Treaty on Toxic Mercury

Are you thinking about having a child? If so you might have mixed feelings of joy and concern as you are considering all the ways your life will change. There a numerous conditions we hope our children do not inherit from cystic fibrosis to diabetes. For many people these are manageable conditions. One unmanageable disease you might not have heard of in your pre-pregnancy planning is Minamata Disease. Why? Because it is a disease that developed in people due to corporate pollution. It is a neurological condition that can be passed to a developing fetus as the result of mercury exposure to the mother leading to physical deformities at birth. A person with the disease can experience tremors, numbing of body parts, seizures, brain damage, blindness, and in many cases death. Unfortunately several thousand people developed this condition in Japan because a fertilizer turned petrochemical company dumped its mercury containing waste in the waterways of villages outside Tokyo. This occurred from the 1920's through the 1960's by the offender the Chisso Corporation and stands as the worst ongoing mercury poisoning of people in our time. You might ask yourself, "why is this important to me?" It is important to you because your child could be inadvertently exposed to mercury through products you purchase not only from Japan or China but in the United States as well. According to the Environmental Protection Agency there are several mercury containing product categories such as dental fillings, vaccine, hospital equipment, lamps, switches, thermostats, lighting, and light bulbs to name a few. Up until a short time ago mercury was added to toys and jewelry and let's not forget those novelty 25 cents toys in vending machines. Mercury is listed as one of the most dangerous chemicals by the EPA, yet all over the world its use is adversely affecting people often unsuspecting of its risks, such as the workers in this video using it in gold mining processes. All countries need to phase out mercury use in our products and production processes so that a disaster like the one in Minamata or the development of neurological conditions from ongoing exposure to mercury containing products do not befall another person. The treaty that is being discussed in Japan addresses only some aspects of mercury use. We need to speak up for citizens in other countries and lead by example as we demand our federal and states agencies pass laws to stop mercury use in our products and recall and recycle mercury through regulatory mechanisms in our hospitals, schools and other places that are supposed to stand for the health, well being and education of our citizens. Read the story here: http://phys.org/news/2013-10-minamata-mercury-treaty-conference-japan.html

Children 1/3 of global workforce

168 million is the number of child laborers we currently have in our global economies. It is an atrocity that we had 30% more child workers than this woeful number in 2010. Whether tactics include amendments to the constitution or boycotting of goods produced using child labor, reduction is failing.

 In Brazil yesterday, 193 countries were represented at the third annual International Conference on Child Labor. Despite policies to reduce the number of child laborers, they still account for nearly a third of our global work force.

Throughout history children have worked to help support family and industry. In the Untied States the onset of The Industrial Revolution was the double edged sword shoving children into work and simultaneously raising awareness of workers rights and child labor issues.

Child labor has a kinder gentler connotation than child exploitation. Yet semantics can not minimize the violation of children's rights and hindrance to their natural unfolding and development as whole beings. It is deplorable that children must consider better treatment on the job instead of better education.  Child workers are mute to their plight. Young size and intellect serve employers of deplorable ilk as they impress upon malleable children in the seedy underworld of trafficking.

 Education of our children is the path to future global economic innovation, not filling cheap industrial or agricultural job slots with children. We have propped up the financial stool of  world economies to the detriment of our children and ourselves. Every sewn shirt, every basket of pesticide laden fruit picked and every atrocious act of sex trafficking performed by a child keeps nations in the shadows of integrity. We need to be brave enough to enforce policy and punish businesses that use small hands for big financial reward. The future possibility of sustainable child-free economies and the gift of educated innovative ideas from generations of children depend upon us. 

Access the article here, speak out after:

http://news.yahoo.com/child-labor-down-not-enough-222555916.html;_ylt=A2KJNF_g_VRSpj0Au2HQtDMD

Cocaine and Dope Get Cheaper--only part of the reason we are losing the war on drugs

Coke and Dope prices are dropping making the purchase entry price to illicit drugs easier and convoluting the war on drugs. As we are bombarded by coverage of wars around the world, the not forgotten war on drugs is still being waged, and is failing. I picked this article because outside of religion and fanaticism, drugs bring significant conflict and crime along with skyrocketing numbers of arrests. This article talks about recent research from a joint study by Canada and the US indicating drugs have gotten cheaper and more accessible around the world from Afghanistan to Australia. Can we get some cheap reefer mate? The article discusses that if drugs are so prevalent why are we not considering looking at the issue as a public health problem as opposed to a criminal problem. Our war on drugs is clearly failing and it is time to find a new way to crack down on crank. Locking up thousands of people for an ounce of pot is overloading jail systems and is not reducing recidivism. I don't believe in drug use, but I do believe that decriminalizing small possession with health intervention is more likely to ease the burden on our prison systems and more likely garner support for addicted individuals.



See the full article here:

http://www.ubmfuturecities.com/author.asp?section_id=213&doc_id=525829