In this monthly briefing memo, which you have requested, my colleagues at the International Center and I share information on trends and technologies that will have an impact on education.

 Sincerely,    Bill Daggett

Information Technology

The Technology of Tsunami Detection  

Scientists at the Pacific Marine Environmental Research Laboratory in Seattle (PMEL) began working on tsunami detection 20 years ago. Their system uses sensors on the ocean floor that can detect any tsunami larger than one-half inch in deep water. Moored buoys connected to the sensors process and transmit data received via satellite to tsunami warning centers in Hawaii and Alaska that issue advisories for potentially affected areas.  

A series of viewable and downloadable animations that illustrate tsunamis are available free from the U.S. Geological Survey’s website at http://temp.water.usgs.gov/tsunami/  

Creating a tsunami detection system for the entire Pacific Basin would involve multinational cooperation and investment, but is easily within the capacity of today’s technology. Technological innovation, in this case, has the potential to be a springboard for international goodwill and understanding. We must educate our students to be technologically adept, but also socially responsible on a global scale.  

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce at http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2004/

nov04/noaa04-r526.html  

Cyber Security  

According to the not-for-profit National Cyber Security Alliance and the Anti-Phishing Working Group, large numbers of e-mail and Internet users fail to take even minimal precautions against viruses, spamming, phishing (the e-mail scam that tricks users into divulging credit card or bank account numbers by pretending to be legitimate brand domains), unwanted downloading of spyware, and hacking.

• Only 33% of users update their anti-virus software weekly.

• Therefore two-thirds of users either have no anti-virus protection or have not updated theirs recently.

• More than half (53%) of broadband and dial-up users do not understand what a firewall is.

• 63% don't use a firewall and almost 75% of those who do have them configured improperly.

• As of November, more than 1,500 phishing sites were active, a 28% increase from July, and involved more than 50 different well-known brands. PayPal, in particular, is a popular target.  

• 93% of dial-up users routinely surf without a firewall, compared with 49% of broadband users.  

As with our students in our schools, the informational technologies we use for life and learning must operate in a safe and secure environment. Like our schools, we should not assume cyber space is always user-friendly.  

Sources: National Cyber Security Alliance at: http://www.staysafeonline.info/news/NCSA-

AOLIn-HomeStudyRelease.pdf and the Anti-Phishing Working Group at:  http://www.antiphishing.org/APWG%20Phishing

%20Activity%20Report%20-%20November%202004.pdf

Biotechnology  

Let Me Bounce Something Off You  

Anglers as well as commercial fishing operations already use sonar to find schools of fish. Scientists at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service are now examining how to use sonar data not only to find “the big catches” but also to identify the actual species of fish located. By examining the width, shape, and kurtosis (the size of the pulse's top half relative to that of the bottom half) of sonar echo pulses, they hope to match pulse characteristics to specific species. The breakthrough would be a great tool for environmental experts who monitor fish stocks to prevent over-fishing.  

Marine biologists turned information technologists are helping a hungry world to find ways to secure and protect an important food supply. As emerging technologies blur the boundaries between what were once separate fields of science, we need a more integrated curriculum to prepare our students for tomorrow.   

Source: David Kosub, “Sound Findings,” ScientificAmerican.com, January 3, 2005. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa004&

articleID=00050FDD-0997-11BF-AD068341

4B7F0000  

May I Peek into Your Room?  

Boston ’s deluxe Nine Zero Hotel has been trying out an alternative to room keys. Guests who opt to try out the service have their irises scanned when they check in and the collected images are stored in a database. When the guest wants to enter his or her suite, a recognition device records their “iris print” and matches it to the stored image, thereby unlocking the suite’s door and allowing access.  

The iris-recognition technology application, developed by LG Electronics, is being used at border crossing points, airports, and other places where balancing access and security is critical.  

Source: “Your Iris is the Key,” LG Electronics/Iris Technology Division  

http://www.lgiris.com/bbs/view.php?id=news&no=67   

Nanotechnology  

No Big Deal  

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of sub-atomic objects roughly measuring from 1 to 100 nanometers (1 nanometer – 1/billionth of a meter or about the length of 10 hydrogen atoms). At this invisible nano-scale, the properties of materials change in unexpected ways – copper ceases to be a good conductor; silver takes on antimicrobial properties; etc. Nanotechnologists are using this “new physics” to create innovative materials such as metallic rubber, which is flexible and yet an excellent conductor of electricity; or flexible ceramics that could be used to make parts for high temperature jet engines. Nanotechnology crosses most fields of science, from materials science, to biology and medicine, to physics, to chemistry.  

In 2004, U.S. government spending on nanotechnology reached $1.6B - followed by Japan at about $1B - of the $8.6B invested from all sources worldwide. New investment indicates a growing need for highly skilled math-science professionals – a challenge that American educators must meet if the U.S. is to maintain a global leadership role.  

Source: The Economist’s January 2005 survey of nanotechnology, “Small Wonders. Copies of the excellent report are available from The Economist at 212-541-0532.  

Changing Workplace

 Smart as a Guppy

Today’s robotic devices can be programmed to do the same task well and tirelessly – over and over again. But the level of artificial intelligence that would be needed to allow a robot to operate in an unpredictable situation is still well into the future. Hans Moravec, formerly of Carnegie Mellon's prestigious Robotics Institute, predicts that computing power, measured in instructions processed per second, may match human intelligence – about 10 to the 12^th power - by around the year 2040.  

The data emphasize why students – and all citizens - need to be able to use integrated knowledge to solve problems with unpredictable outcomes.    

Sources: Chip Walter, “You, Robot,” ScientificAmerican.com, January 2005. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=

sa001&articleID=00078A55-0CE7-11BF-

AD0683414B7F0000

Click on the Sidebar, “Raw Computing Muscle” to view a graph of advances in computing power.   

Seegrid.com at http://www.seegrid.com/pages/about.html

 The Future of the Internet

In the fall of 2004, over 1200 international experts from academia, industry, and government were asked to make 10-year predictions in 18 topic areas about the Internet – from impact on families and healthcare to the potential for “online terrorism.” The survey results are available at http://www.elon.edu/predictions/survey_04.aspx along with predictions from past surveys. Some are insightful, but none are more regrettable, perhaps, than a now infamous, foot-in-mouth statement by Ken Olson, founder of the Digital Equipment Corporation. Olson stated in 1977 that there was no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. But, then, Harry M. Warner, a co-founder of Warner Brothers Studios, mused near the end of the silent-picture era, why anyone would want to hear actors talk in movies.  

As we prepare our students and children for tomorrow’s world, the Internet is a prime example of educating for the unexpected rather than just for the predictable. Moving curriculum and instruction toward Quadrant D on the Rigor/Relevance Framework is key to lifelong learning.  

Source: “Imagining the Internet.” Elon University/The Pew Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit initiative of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.

Education Trends

Students Feel Safer, but...  

According to the recently released NCES report “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004”, the percentages of students who reported fear of being attacked at school or on the way to and from school decreased from 12% in 1995 to 6% in 2003. In another encouraging decrease, in 2003 4% of students ages 12-18 reported that they had avoided one or more places in school, compared to nine percent in 1995.  Yet in 2003, 12%of students ages 12-18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related language against them - someone at school had called them a derogatory word related to race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. Furthermore, during the same period, about 36% of students ages 12-18 saw hate-related graffiti at school.  

Before students can learn, we must create a safe and orderly school climate in which learning can take place.  

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/crime_safe04/index.asp

America’s Most Successful High Schools Are Safer

The International Center/Successful Practices Network/Council of Chief State School Officer’s 2004 study of America ’s Most Successful High Schools found that schools that focus on relationships driven by guiding principles experience higher degrees of success. Caprock High School integrates character education into all curriculum areas. Roswell High School uses adult modeling of appropriate behavior to create a safe, civil, orderly, and respectful school climate. Sumpter High School deploys a “Character First!” and daily “Project Wisdom” readings approach to build positive relationships and a healthy school environment. For more information go to http://www.leadered.com/model_schools.html or please contact Karen Wilkins at my office if you would like me or one of my colleagues to visit your district to share the results.  

By the Numbers:  

Sources: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 2003; and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education at http://nces.ed.gov/

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