Technology News  Subscribe Subscribe to News feed

Digital Citizenship

Submitted on Fri, 09/21/2012 - 12:54

This week, grades 9 and 10 are starting a curriculum in Advisory about Digital Citizenship. The purpose of this is to help the students be responsible and safe participants in the online world. Our first activity centered on the idea of ethics in our actions online. Students looked at some sample profile posts on a teen's social network profile page and in groups and individually they reflected on the effects and ramifications of such posts.

Skype, VOIP and Ethiopian Telecommunications Law

Submitted on Thu, 09/06/2012 - 16:26

A few months ago, there was a barrage of reports from various news sources that Ethiopia was passing a new telecommunications law that would make the use of Skype or other VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol – using the internet for making telephone calls) service illegal. Some of this information is still circulating, and people have asked if this is true. While I am not a lawyer and ask that people not take my word as authoritative on Ethiopian laws, here are some facts regarding the use of VOIP in Ethiopia.

eLearning: the ICS Moodle site

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 16:36

Students and teachers regularly use the school's e-learning portal on our website, and we encourage parents to become familiar with it. Run by a software system called Moodle, this portal provides students and teachers with a home on the web for course materials, resources, assignments, grades, and more. Teachers are increasingly using this site as a centerpiece to any online work in their class, and students use it to check on their school work.

Being Open-Minded and Risk-Taking: Resilience in Computing

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 16:35

This week, our school's wireless network experienced a serious problem, shutting down our wifi connectivity campus-wide. The Tech Team scrambled into action and quickly put up a backup system which provided some coverage, although not as strong or as reliable. We have been working on repairing the problem and are nearly able to restore full connectivity.

ICS 1:1 Laptop Program

Submitted on Fri, 08/24/2012 - 12:02

All students in grades 6-12 are using a laptop computer in their classes for homework, classwork, studying, communicating, etc. This is our third year of a 1:1 laptop program, and parents can find out more about it by clicking here. We will also have more information available for parents at Back to School Night.

Responsible Use Policy

Submitted on Fri, 08/17/2012 - 08:44

Students in all grades have been bringing home their Responsible Use Policy Agreement forms to sign and have signed by their parents. This policy governs the actions of ALL members of the ICS community – students, parents, teachers, staff members, etc. This policy document is also posted on our website here.

Tech Talk

Submitted on Fri, 06/08/2012 - 08:23

There's a lot of information this week – I've included some brief summaries here, plus links to my ICS blog:
http://www.icsaddis.edu.et/blogs/john-iglar. Please contact me if you have questions!
- John Iglar, john.iglar(at)icsaddis.edu.et

Planning for a Balanced Summer Vacation

Submitted on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 13:54

As families plan for the June/July break, it is worthwhile to plan for how to balance technology use and connectivity with being unplugged and family togetherness. It's a good time now for parents to talk with their children about the importance of being balanced (it is a part of the IB Learner Profile!) and not spending too much time with electronic entertainment or online connections. While Facebook friends are important, particularly to teenagers, “face 2 face” friends and family are just as important if not more so.

Privacy, Identity and Protecting Ourselves Online

Submitted on Wed, 02/29/2012 - 17:27

The news is constantly promoting stories about how our privacy is being eroded by companies and systems. Google ignores privacy settings in your Safari (and possibly Internet Explorer) web browser. Facebook lies about how they use your information. Other companies, including Pinterest and Twitter, are also involved in questionable actions regarding privacy protection.