The Buzz
By Staff -- School Library Journal, 6/1/2006
New Stickies for Your Computer
USB flash drives come in all shapes and sizes, so why not a stick? This novel item by Dutch design company Oooms is intended to provide a bit of natural relief in the endless sea of plastic and metal electronic equipment that overruns today’s workplaces. The sticks—no two are alike, of course—are available online in three sizes: 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1GB. Prices range from $58 to $90. www.oooms.nl/usb.
The LaCie Mobile Hard Drive, available in various storage capacities, allows users to tote their data along with them, including MP3s and digital image files. Designed by F. A. Porsche, the sleek unit will also appeal to those who appreciate minimalist design. With USB and FireWire connections, there’s no need for a bulky AC adapter. There is also no software required for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Mac OS X. Named the best portable hard drive of 2005 by Computer Shopper. 40 GB: $119.99; 60 GB: $139.99; 100 GB: $219.99. www.lacie.com.
Could you use a little extra time in your media center? The folks at Surpass promise that their self-check system, which allows patrons to check out their own materials, will help school librarians devote more time to helping patrons select and use media center materials. Piloted in an elementary school, the Surpass Self-check is the first affordable self-service solution for school libraries, according to the company. The table-top unit features a touch screen enabling self-checkout by library patrons, who can also access their account information, such as overdue materials. It comes with an attached bar code scanner and can also be outfitted with an RFID reader. $3,445. www.surpasssoftware.com.
IBM and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) have joined forces to boost computer science and technology skills among high school students. The IBM/CSTA learning materials—now being tested in a pilot program involving half a dozen high schools nationwide—will help teachers introduce basic programming and Web design principles into the math and science curriculum. The new resources will be supported by IBM’s Academic Initiative, Big Blue’s effort to enhance IT skills in college students, which will be extended to high schools for the first time. www.csta.acm.org.
Everyone who’s ever ridden a bike can remember what it was like the first time. There’s the wobbly send-off by Mom or Dad, the thrill of steering all by yourself, and the inevitable sideways crash to the ground. Seeking a better way, a team of four Dartmouth College undergrads has invented the GyroBike (below). Gyroscopic precession, in the form of a spinning flywheel inside the front wheel, provides the natural stability of a fast-moving bicycle to a bike moving at very slow speeds. The GyroBike “senses” unbalanced riding and corrects itself. www.thegyrobike.com.
If you know a model educator, consider nominating them for Knowledge Adventure’s (KA) Teacher of the Month/Teacher of the Year award. The educational software producer is conducting the essay competition, open to K–12 educators who are using learning technology. Each month through January 2007, an expert panel will select a winner, who will receive one site license of any KA product (not including Reading Readiness). In January 2007, a grand prize winner will receive for their school a $10,000 lab consisting of eight computers equipped with an entire library of KA software. To enter, visit www.kaschool.com/promo/tom.
There are millions of RSS feeds being published in response to the ever-increasing demand for news aggregators that are fast and easy to use. FeedDemon, among the most popular aggregators for Windows, has now been updated. FeedDemon 2.0, by Newsgator Technologies, Inc., displays all your feeds in a single view, with numerous options for customizing how you display, modify, and organize your feeds. Seeking news on a specific subject? FeedDemon lets you set up a keyword watch. Although you’ve got plenty of choices in free Web-based services, FeedDemon saves you time, according to PC Magazine. $29.95. www.newsgator.com.
It’s a big Web out there. To help make your own, personal sense of it, there’s Clipmarks. The free Web-based service allows users to cut, paste, and store online content. Add a tag, and you can build a searchable collection of all your Web clippings. You can keep your material to yourself or share it with the Clipster community. www.clipmarks.com.
The Consortium for School Networking (COSN) has released a new publication designed to help school districts share their technology success stories with the media. Designed for all stakeholders in public education, Telling the Technology Story: PR Strategies for School Leaders provides tips for issuing news releases and conducting interviews, details on how to prepare for and manage crises, and more. Past surveys have shown that community support is the most important factor in determining the level of district tech funding $150.00. www.cosn.org.
