TechKnowledge

Thin-client networks are server-based; that is, all of the software is housed on the server through which the Internet connection is routed. The individual terminals--the "thin clients"--are minimal bits of hardware with no hard drives of their own, and as such are less expensive to purchase and maintain than standard PCs. They're very much like the "dumb terminals" that were standard equipment in most libraries between the coming of the first automated catalogs and the arrival of public-access Net stations.

Thin clients were heavily promoted a few years back as an inexpensive way to computerize businesses, but they failed in most environments because employees liked having their own PCs, with their own software, configured the way they liked it. But for providing Internet access and access to library catalogues, thin clients may be just the ticket for both school and public libraries. On Net stations, libraries typically don't need word processors or graphics programs. They do need a standardized environment that students can't tinker with and hackers can't infect with viruses.

There are plenty of companies offering thin-client "solutions." One is Veicon Technology (www.veicon.com) of Beaverton, OR, which is running a demonstration project for its V-Link terminals and server network at Hillsboro (OR) Public Library (HPL). The thin-client terminals--devices with chips that resemble an old-fashioned 486 more than a Pentium III--are in the library-s three locations, and are linked to a server at Veicon's headquarters. The server holds the browser and e-mail software that enables terminal users to go on the Net and access the library's catalog. Mike Smith, HPL's assistant director, says that the hardware required for a V-Link, and which takes the place of a PC's main unit, is truly minimal--"smaller than a cigar box." One end plugs into the library's local area network, and a standard monitor, keyboard, and mouse plug into the other, Smith says. Aside from some slow response problems, which were largely solved by the addition of a T-1 line, Smith says "the whole arrangement is painless, compared to our other Internet access stations." The Veicon terminals are presently kept in the adult area, but children and teens use them there without problems.

Trapped in a Halloween Web
Looking for a fun way to get involved in Halloween celebrations without having to put on a lot of fake warts? MidLink magazine, an online magazine, hosts a Haunted House (

GeekSpeak
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): A flexible data communication system supporting--or taking the place of--a wired local area network (LAN) within a building or throughout a campus. Using electromagnetic waves, WLANs transmit and receive data over the air. WLANs grow more popular in K-12 schools as the movement grows to give students laptops with wireless modems.

Mice That Go Bump
A new "tactile" mouse might take interacting with your computer to a whole new level. Logitech, a computer hardware company, recently announced the production of two new models that allow the user to feel a slight bump as the mouse scrolls over icons, menus, Web buttons, and hyperlinks. The mice, called iFeel MouseMan and iFeel, differ from currently existing technology in that they are optical mice and do not use special mousepads to create the tactile sensation. There is one slight hitch, though--the mouse works best using a special software package from the Immersion Corporation (www.immersion.com), although it will work with other, more traditional mouse drivers. For more information on the iFeel mice, point your browser to www.logitech.com. The products were slotted for release late last month.

Site of the Month
Pages Turn, with the Seasons
dlis.dos.state.fl.us/flyp2000

A non-pink panther: Flyp is also the name of the program's mascot, a Florida panther. He is on all the FLYP posters and promotional materials. Children's book illustrator (and Florida resident) Cheryl Nathan created this year's rendition. FLYP (the program, not the panther) started out as a summer reading program, says Carole Fiore (cfiore@mail.dos.state.fl.us), the State Library of Florida's youth services consultant, "but we eliminated the word 'summer' several years ago when we saw a lot of year-round schools popping up." FLYP is now promoted to schools as well as public libraries.

A good start: The FLYP site launched just this year. Although it's primarily a collection of brief booklists pointing children to good stuff in a local school or public library collection, it's attractive and well designed. There are also a few recommended Web sites and craft and activity projects drawn from books. The material on the site was part of the 2000 FLYP manual meant for librarians, but Fiore and the FLYP committee decided to make the same material accessible to kids via the site. (The manual itself is available online, as a collection of downloadable MS Word documents, at dlis.dos.state.fl.us/bld/FLYP2000).

Behind the scenes: The state library coordinated and held a series of workshops throughout the state for staff at public and school libraries and at military base libraries that serve families and child service agencies. The 2001 FLYP theme will be "Start @ the Library/Go Anywhere." Adds Fiore: "We came up with the slogan five months before ALA announced their '@ Your Library' campaign."

Conquering the World (Wide Web)
Scholastic, the self-dubbed "global children's publishing and media company," is now out to conquer the virtual world. The company, which recently acquired Grolier, is teaming up with an online pen-pal service to disseminate activities and materials through Scholastic.com (www.scholastic.com). Scholastic will work with ePALS.com, which provides Web-based e-mail to 65,000 classrooms in 182 countries, to provide language and literacy arts content from Scholastic.com to ePALS users. The material will be written in English and translated to other languages using ePALS's already existing translation tool, eLingo. The two companies are planning other events for the fall in conjunction with the new material, such as live on-line interviews with students and teachers, and a Q&A section.

The Librarian's Internet (formerly "Surf For")
by Gail Junion-Metz
Lesson-Plan Central: The best sites for creative, high-quality lesson plans
There are tons of Web sites that list lesson plans, but it's not so easy to quickly help homeschoolers and teachers find the the best of the best. Here are a few sites that make locating quality lesson plans a snap.

The Gateway to Educational Materials

www.thegateway.org

Teacher Resources-Lesson Plans
db.education-world.com/perl/browse?cat_id=5179

AskERIC Lesson Plan Collection
ericir.syr.edu/Virtual/Lessons
At this site you'll find an excellent collection of more than 1,000 creative lesson plans that you can search by topic or keyword. Source: Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC). Don't Miss: The collection of library media lesson plans under the Educational Technology heading and the well-selected list of links to other great lesson-plan Web sites.

Lesson Stop
www.youthline-usa.com/lessonstop
This site organizes more than 500 lesson-plan Web site links into seven topical categories. It also includes eight excellent links to sites that will help you, and teachers, create high-quality lesson plans. Source: Youthline USA. Don't Miss: Be sure to sign up for the free biweekly Lesson Stop e-newsletter at www.youthlineusa.com/lessonstop/newsletter.html. Check out the cool topical lesson-plan links found at the bottom of the newsletter page.

Index to Internet Lesson Plan Sites for K-12 Educators
falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/lesson.htm
This is another list of well-selected links to topical lesson-plan Web sites, some of which are not found on other lesson-plan sites. Source: Inez Ramsey, Internet School Library Media Center, James Madison University.

Lesson Plans & Teaching Activities for School Librarians
www.libertynet.org/lion/lessons.html
Here you'll find a list of links to library-related lesson plans, and other resources for teaching kids library-related skills. Source: Librarians Information Online Network (LION). Detour: Check out the yearlong series of K-5 library lesson plans, thanks to librarian Carl Dellutri, of Mt. Erie (WA) Elementary School at mte.anacortes.k12.wa.us/library/lesson.htm. Also check out Carl's fourth- and fifth-grade "Library Quests" at mte.anacortes.k12.wa.us/library/sixth/tasks.htm.

Paper Pages, Not Web Wages
According to a new study, students may have an easier time understanding text on paper than on computer monitors. P. Karen Murphy, an assistant professor of educational psychology at Ohio State University, asked three groups of undergraduate students to read two essays. One group read the essays on computer screens and answered comprehension questions on paper; another group read printed material and answered questions on paper; and the third group both read the essays and answered questions on computer screens. The students also answered questions before reading the essays, about their existing beliefs. "We found that the computerized essays were harder to understand, and less persuasive," says Murphy, who presented the results of her study at the 2000 American Psychological Association meeting in Washington, D.C., this summer. She suggests that the result might be because "printed text stands still," while students have to contend with the challenge of following computer text as they scroll through the document to read it.

Murphy also notes that the study reveals that students found the computerized texts less interesting. "If students find texts less interesting," she says, "that might explain why they found them more difficult to understand, and less persuasive."

Murphy cautions that the study results beget more questions than answers, but that there is one thing educators can infer: "We shouldn't put students on computers and expect them to gain the same knowledge from computerized texts as they would from printed texts," she says.

TestDrive
QuickPAD Wireless, portable notepad or keyboard
H45 Technologies; 620B Clyde Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043. www.quickpad.com. $199. PC, Mac, PowerMac,or iMac.

The QuickPAD comes with infrared (IR) receivers that connect easily to keyboard ports on any PC, and to the Macintosh LC475 and G3 All-In-One we tested, and no software had to be installed. I installed four AA batteries in the QuickPAD, turned it on, entered a name for a file, and immediately began typing. Uploading the file to a desktop computer was a snap. Start a word processing program on your desktop computer, point the QuickPAD at the connected IR receiver, and press the Send File button. The default file-transfer speed is slow, but can be adjusted for your computer.

The QuickPAD is a great tool for students and teachers who use keyboards. Having students do draft word processing on a QuickPAD can free up your more powerful computers to do what they do best. At under $200 and weighing about a pound, taking a QuickPAD on a field trip or to a conference is a definite possibility. Even if final formatting must be done on a desktop computer, QuickPAD might well help you meet your increasing technology needs on a budget.