Former White House cybersecurity official Richard Clarke recently spoke at a health conference about the seven kinds of cyberattacks that both industry and individuals need to understand. They are: ransomware, erasure of software, distributed denial of service, financial theft, intellectual property theft, manipulation of clinical health data and electronic sabotage of devices and infrastructure.
Former White House cybersecurity official Richard Clarke recently spoke at a health conference about the seven kinds of cyberattacks that both industry and individuals need to understand. They are: ransomware, erasure of software, distributed denial of service, financial theft, intellectual property theft, manipulation of clinical health data and electronic sabotage of devices and infrastructure.
How effective is shaming on the internet or via social media? In the short term it is swift and powerful, bordering on vigilantism, but does it have staying power? Not really, indicates Americus Reed, a Wharton School of Business marketing professor. As an article on the subject on the Wharton School site puts it: “Social media outrage, it seems, is a beast with the fangs of a rattlesnake, and the attention span of a gnat.”
To demonstrate his argument, Reed uses the debacle of the per-pill price hike from $13.50 to $750 of an anti-AIDS drug by Martin Shkreli, CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Back in August, Shkreli was the target of an outrage and criticism on Facebook and Twitter, even being dubbed the most hated man in America. Shkreli did promise to lower the price of the drug, but has yet to do so. As Reed points out, in this and in so many cases, “Social media amplifies the illusion of outrage, making it seem more dangerous and risky than it is. The reason is because social media outrage is completely costless. If you have a million people expressing outrage, there may be a hundred who do something that has any traction. Memory fades.”
For celebrities and corporations alike, this implies that all you have to do is wait out the criticism and it will go away. Examples like Cecil the Lion, Tom Brady and Deflategate, and Rachel Dolezal (the white NAACP leader living as a black woman) seem like ancient history, and yet those were the targets of social media outrage less than six months ago. Who knows whether this fading effect will always be this way, but it is an interesting topic of discussion for you and your children about the sometimes permanent and sometime fleeting nature of the digital world.
How effective is shaming on the internet or via social media? In the short term it is swift and powerful, bordering on vigilantism, but does it have staying power? Not really, indicates Americus Reed, a Wharton School of Business marketing professor. As an article on the subject on the Wharton School site puts it: “Social media outrage, it seems, is a beast with the fangs of a rattlesnake, and the attention span of a gnat.”
To demonstrate his argument, Reed uses the debacle of the per-pill price hike from $13.50 to $750 of an anti-AIDS drug by Martin Shkreli, CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Back in August, Shkreli was the target of an outrage and criticism on Facebook and Twitter, even being dubbed the most hated man in America. Shkreli did promise to lower the price of the drug, but has yet to do so. As Reed points out, in this and in so many cases, “Social media amplifies the illusion of outrage, making it seem more dangerous and risky than it is. The reason is because social media outrage is completely costless. If you have a million people expressing outrage, there may be a hundred who do something that has any traction. Memory fades.”
For celebrities and corporations alike, this implies that all you have to do is wait out the criticism and it will go away. Examples like Cecil the Lion, Tom Brady and Deflategate, and Rachel Dolezal (the white NAACP leader living as a black woman) seem like ancient history, and yet those were the targets of social media outrage less than six months ago. Who knows whether this fading effect will always be this way, but it is an interesting topic of discussion for you and your children about the sometimes permanent and sometime fleeting nature of the digital world.
Facebook actually envisions a day when you will like the ads that appear with your News Feed so much that you would actually be sad if they weren’t there. That’s a tall order, but the company says it wants to understand your interests so well that it can tailor ads that will genuinely help you out a regular basis, even anticipating your needs. It seems like Facebook still has a long way to go, and privacy implications must be considered as well.
Facebook actually envisions a day when you will like the ads that appear with your News Feed so much that you would actually be sad if they weren’t there. That’s a tall order, but the company says it wants to understand your interests so well that it can tailor ads that will genuinely help you out a regular basis, even anticipating your needs. It seems like Facebook still has a long way to go, and privacy implications must be considered as well.
Schools seem to have a love-hate relationship with social media. They worry about cyberbullying and distractions in class, but at the same time acknowledge that social media can enhance the engagement between students, parents, and the school. If your school seems to be struggling to balance the positive and negative aspects of social media, you may want to direct administrators to 8 tips for navigating social media in schools, written by two very savvy educators. They recommend ways for communicating a social media philosophy to parents and community members, as well as discuss how using these forms of communication effectively requires regular and frequent updates. One interesting tip is to “trust your students, and put them in charge”. This is done by creating a social justice council made up of students who are tasked with tracking new social networks that classmates might use for negative purposes, and keeping administrators in the loop.
Schools seem to have a love-hate relationship with social media. They worry about cyberbullying and distractions in class, but at the same time acknowledge that social media can enhance the engagement between students, parents, and the school. If your school seems to be struggling to balance the positive and negative aspects of social media, you may want to direct administrators to 8 tips for navigating social media in schools, written by two very savvy educators. They recommend ways for communicating a social media philosophy to parents and community members, as well as discuss how using these forms of communication effectively requires regular and frequent updates. One interesting tip is to “trust your students, and put them in charge”. This is done by creating a social justice council made up of students who are tasked with tracking new social networks that classmates might use for negative purposes, and keeping administrators in the loop.
Is smart the new cool for young girls? The toy industry seems to think so, and is embracing female action figures and dolls that pay homage to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Doc McStuffins, GoldieBlox's Ruby Rails, and Barbie dolls that portray women in science careers are all examples of the toys that will be available this holiday season.
Is smart the new cool for young girls? The toy industry seems to think so, and is embracing female action figures and dolls that pay homage to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Doc McStuffins, GoldieBlox's Ruby Rails, and Barbie dolls that portray women in science careers are all examples of the toys that will be available this holiday season.
A recent analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development finds that boys are marginally better at computer-based reading -- potentially because they play more video games. The analysis was done in 46 countries and finds that the gender gap in reading is wider with print than with digital material. It will be interesting to see what further research on this issue reveals.
A recent analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development finds that boys are marginally better at computer-based reading -- potentially because they play more video games. The analysis was done in 46 countries and finds that the gender gap in reading is wider with print than with digital material. It will be interesting to see what further research on this issue reveals.
As education technology companies are increasingly offering schools digital portfolio options, it is important to know who owns the student work stored on those platforms -- students, the school district or the companies? If your school district or school is considering this option, you might be interested in a blog post from an administrator named George Couros. In the post, Couros explains his decision to use blogs as digital portfolios in order to ensure that students maintain control of their own work. The question of ownership and the use of student work for purposes other than grading is certainly something parents and students need to understand as more and more student work migrates online.
As education technology companies are increasingly offering schools digital portfolio options, it is important to know who owns the student work stored on those platforms -- students, the school district or the companies? If your school district or school is considering this option, you might be interested in a blog post from an administrator named George Couros. In the post, Couros explains his decision to use blogs as digital portfolios in order to ensure that students maintain control of their own work. The question of ownership and the use of student work for purposes other than grading is certainly something parents and students need to understand as more and more student work migrates online.
Do your kids really know how to get the most out of a Google search? Most kids search by simple terms and do not realize that the results they get are local results. For example, searching for information on the recent climate change meetings in France by just typing in “climate meetings in France” would only bring back articles that appeared in North American news reports, giving only a developed world perspective on the meeting and their results. Instead, when researching a topic involving places outside the U.S., make use of “country codes” to find out what other nations are reading about on the issue. A list of country codes can be found here . To find out, for example, what Kenyans (KE) read about the climate meetings, all that needs to be added to “climate meetings in France” is “Site:KE.” Site is the Google operator (shortcut) for country. Interested in other ways to increase your children’s global view when doing Google searches? See The advanced Google searches every student should know and other ideas from futurist Alan November.
Do your kids really know how to get the most out of a Google search? Most kids search by simple terms and do not realize that the results they get are local results. For example, searching for information on the recent climate change meetings in France by just typing in “climate meetings in France” would only bring back articles that appeared in North American news reports, giving only a developed world perspective on the meeting and their results. Instead, when researching a topic involving places outside the U.S., make use of “country codes” to find out what other nations are reading about on the issue. A list of country codes can be found here . To find out, for example, what Kenyans (KE) read about the climate meetings, all that needs to be added to “climate meetings in France” is “Site:KE.” Site is the Google operator (shortcut) for country. Interested in other ways to increase your children’s global view when doing Google searches? See The advanced Google searches every student should know and other ideas from futurist Alan November.
Nearly two-thirds of job seekers are using social media when looking for jobs, according to a new Pew Research Center study. The study also found that smartphones are being used by many to search for jobs, send e-mail to prospective employers, and fill out applications online. Only a minority of Americans find it challenging to engage in tasks such as creating a professional resume, contacting potential employers, or applying to jobs using a mobile device.
Nearly two-thirds of job seekers are using social media when looking for jobs, according to a new Pew Research Center study. The study also found that smartphones are being used by many to search for jobs, send e-mail to prospective employers, and fill out applications online. Only a minority of Americans find it challenging to engage in tasks such as creating a professional resume, contacting potential employers, or applying to jobs using a mobile device.
More than half of the 92 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 17 who go online daily use Instagram, but many of them find social media a burden that has to be managed. Tired of the idealized world portrayed there and on other messaging sites, teens and 20- somethings are creating “finstagrams,” or fake Instagram accounts, that present truer versions of themselves than their main profiles. These locked, pseudonymous accounts capture something rarely seen by people who follow these same users on their main accounts: reality. Finstagrams are also locked so it allows users to screen their followers, in this case usually close friends and family.
Of course, like everything in cyberspace, privacy on these more relaxed finstagrams may be fleeting. Called “finsta snitches,” people take screen shots of revealing posts and use them for leverage. In one high school several students posted compromising photos on their fake accounts that eventually reached the inboxes of authority figures.
More than half of the 92 percent of teenagers ages 13 to 17 who go online daily use Instagram, but many of them find social media a burden that has to be managed. Tired of the idealized world portrayed there and on other messaging sites, teens and 20- somethings are creating “finstagrams,” or fake Instagram accounts, that present truer versions of themselves than their main profiles. These locked, pseudonymous accounts capture something rarely seen by people who follow these same users on their main accounts: reality. Finstagrams are also locked so it allows users to screen their followers, in this case usually close friends and family.
Of course, like everything in cyberspace, privacy on these more relaxed finstagrams may be fleeting. Called “finsta snitches,” people take screen shots of revealing posts and use them for leverage. In one high school several students posted compromising photos on their fake accounts that eventually reached the inboxes of authority figures.