My Back to School Tech Thoughts..

I am not a parent. But, I figure its got to be difficult to decipher all the offers coming from computer and technology stores this time of year.

I am not student entering one important academic year or the other. But, I figure it must be a challenge to keep up to date with the the technology that will truly help get the best marks.

I don't teach at a school, college, or university. But, I figure there must be at least some apprehension about students plagiarizing from the Internet, using inappropriate technology in class, or simply causing internal feelings of extreme inadequacy.

Parents, here are a couple of suggestions. First, decide what your children need in terms of tech for school. Second, figure how much you want to spend and stick to it. Third, consider what you are buying is not really the technology, but a relationship with a good salesperson.

Good computer salespeople don't talk in complicated tech terms.

Good computer salespeople take pains to ask you what you are looking for, and then steer you only to products that will match your needs.

Good computer salespeople will be patient with you when you make one of those panicked support phone calls.

Students, the 2005/2006 school year should be the year of multimedia. Not only can you find now search video clips more easily with the new video search features at Yahoo, Google, and Blinkx.tv – you can also more easily create your own videos and put them on the Internet on sites like ourmedia.org.

Students, as you are learning and creating, please also consider contributing on the world's largest entirely user created encyclopedia – wikipedia.org.

Last but not least, my friends the teachers. If your school has the funds to subscribe to a service like turnitin.com, this could help detect plagiarism. Otherwise, if you suspect  essay passages are plagiarized, copy and paste them -within quotes- into your favourite search engine.

Are cellphones going off in class? The best policy is to have a clear policy - like "please turn off your cell phones during class". Cellphone signal jammers are still too expensive.

And as for internal feelings of inadequacy,  my father was a neurosurgeon, my mother a bridge master, and my sister well on her way to a PHD. Sorry, join the club!

Comments

[Rach]

Good advice! I especially like what you had to say about sales people.

Some post secondary schools are even starting to offer technology packages with their courses. At least courses that desperately need it such as film school. BCIT is the first one I know of to do this.

Unfortunately there is no easy guide for parents on the latest and greatest for their kids.