Welcome to Study Hall! The Internet can be a great resource as long as you know how to use it. Here you will find tips for effective web research to help you get the most out of the Internet.
Maya
Cyber Defender & Databank Supervisor
Because of her unquenchable thirst for knowledge, Maya started out as a librarian. While she loved her job, she wanted to do more to help protect people.
Since Cyber Villains such as Ms. Information and Elvirus can corrupt websites and the information on them, Maya teaches people to protect themselves by using caution when visiting websites and avoiding sites that are not trustworthy.
Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime
- Chinese Proverb
Anything chocolate
Interests:Browsing bookstores, baking
November 25 2008
Using the Web: Online Shopping Reliability
With the holidays coming up, it's a good time to start thinking about gifts. I prefer to do all my shopping online because I can find a wider variety of items and don't have to battle with the crowds of people at the store. You usually need a credit card to buy things online, so be sure to have a trusted adult with you and take measures to protect your personal information.
Here are a few tips that will help you be a better, safer online shopper:
- Try to stick with stores you know, especially ones that have actual, real-life locations, as well as Web sites
- If it's a new store, try to find reviews from other customers about their experiences with it. You can look on sites like the Better Business Bureau and BizRate for reviews and complaints
- Look for companies that have a customer satisfaction policy and try to fix customer complaints or difficulties quickly and fairly, without charging them money
- Make sure the site has contact information and an acceptable privacy policy posted
- If the site requires you to register an account to buy something, use a strong alias and password
- Before registering, read through the privacy policy to make sure it says they will not share private information with others without your consent
- Check to see if they belong to any privacy seal programs that help ensure they won't do anything bad with your personal information or credit card data. Some common ones are BBBOnLine and TRUSTe
- If site has credit card transactions, make sure they are encrypted and secure. You can check for a security seal like Verisign, or see if the URL on the payment screen starts with HTTPS, indicating it is protected by a Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL
- Remember to print or save any records or receipts related to your online shopping
posted by Maya
topic: Using the Web
November 14 2008
Research Challenge: When in Rome...
The name November comes from novem, the Latin word for the number nine. But November is the 11th month of the year in our calendar, not the 9th month, so why is it called that?
November actually was the 9th month in the year in the Roman calendar. Rumored to be created in 753 BC by Romulus, the founder of Rome, the first Roman calendar had 10 months and March was the beginning of the year. This calendar only had 304 days in it and was based on the lunar cycle.
The months of January and February were added to the calendar in 713 BC, bringing the total number of days in a year up to 355. This cycle was eventually replaced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC with a more-accurate 365.25 day year that began in January, called the Julian calendar.
Though some countries still use the Julian calendar, the calendar used throughout most of the world today is the Gregorian calendar. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII adjusted the Julian calendar to bring it back into synchronization with the seasons and, with the inclusion of a leap year, to hopefully keep it there.
Cadets, your research challenge for the month of November is this: How many other things in our everyday lives were first created by the Ancient Romans? I think you'll be surprised to find out!
posted by Maya
topic: Research Challenge
November 11 2008
Cyber Terminology: What is a WiFi Hotspot?
WiFi is short for Wireless Fidelity. It is a technology used all around the world that uses radio waves to connect devices without using wiring and cables. A WiFi hotspot is a location where a wireless network is available to connect to.
If the network allows public access, anyone within range of the access point who has a wireless device, such as a laptop or PDA, can use the hotspot. Devices like mobile WiFi scanning cards can help you locate a WiFi network. Many cities are working on turning the entire city into one large wireless hotspot so you access the Internet anywhere.
Some hotspots are secured and you need a password to access them, but many are unsecured. They allow anyone access to them but are also more vulnerable to cyber criminal attacks.
In general, wireless networks are less secure than wired ones. Be careful what you use them for and follow the same safety guidelines for using a public computer outlined in October’s Ask Omni feature: What should I be concerned about when using public computers?
posted by Maya
topic: Cyber Terminology
October 28 2008
Using the Web: Researching the candidates' records
During an election race, candidates may sound like they are telling you exactly what you want to hear, trying to convince you that they understand you and your needs better than the opponent. It's important to think about the candidates as people who have a history of making decisions, and not just who they are right now.
One way you can learn more about the candidates is to research their records, including what decisions they have made, their failures and accomplishments, and where they have stood on issues in the past.
In this particular election, both the presidential candidates are Senators so their histories include voting records for many bills in Congress. You can research their voting history to get a good idea of which issues are important to them, how often they work with members of the other party, and how often they voted with or against their party.
The records can help indicate how carefully the candidates think about the issues and how willing they are to ignore party politics (disagreements between the Republican and Democratic political parties) if they feel strongly about an issue. OnTheIssues.org has information on several politicians and how they have voted on past issues.
Sometimes a candidate is new to the political scene and so might not have a lengthy record. In that case, you look at the person's entire history, which can show you a lot about a person's intentions and where they stand on the issues. This is especially important when questions about a candidate's lack of experience are brought up.
Regardless of a person's voting record or history, however, it's possible for people to change their position on an issue in the future. But you can still get a pretty good idea of what their core values are, and this can help you decide which candidate has values similar to your own.
posted by Maya
topic: Using the Web
October 14 2008
Finding Reliable Sites: Determining Political Advertisement Credibility
Election time is a very exciting time of year, where you as a citizen get to learn about where politicians stand on the issues that are important to you. Even if you aren’t old enough to vote yet, you can still think about and discuss the issues with people who can vote and make your voice heard.
Election time is also a very confusing time. With everyone saying so many different things about the candidates and their policies, it’s difficult to tell what is truth and what is opinion. One thing you always need to remember is that the candidates have a bias; they want to win the election and they may do or say whatever it takes, even if it’s not the whole story.
One way they try to spin information to their favor is through their advertisements. There are a lot of different types of political advertisements:
- Attack: One candidate portrays the other in an unfavorable light
- Biographical/Record: Lists the candidate’s record on where they stand on certain issues
- Emotional: Tries to make you feel good about the country and the candidate
- Endorsement: Another person or group shows their support for a specific candidate, political party or viewpoint
- Factual: Lists a set of facts
- Humorous: Tries to make the viewer smile or laugh
- Issue: Brings up current issues in the world to show which side the candidate is on
- Personal: Goes into the candidates personal life to make the audience relate to him/her
- Response: Responds to another advertisement created by the opponent or by something that happened in the media recently
When you see a political advertisement, really try to think about what type it is and what it is trying to get you to believe. Try to research the facts and separate them from opinion before you make up your mind about it.
Each party will have its own bias (favoring their party's candidate over their opponent), so try to find research sources and Web sites that are non-partisan, meaning they don’t support either party more than the other.
Some very good non-partisan sites include:
- FactCheck.org - checks the factual accuracy of what is said by politicians in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases
- GlassBooth.org has a series of questions on issues that help you to determine which candidate is closer to your viewpoint
- VoteSmart.org has research from thousands of citizens on the candidates’ voting records, campaign contributions, public statements, and biographical data
- OnTheIssues.org – has information on every politician in every state and how they voted on a large number of issues, their political profile, and how to contact them
posted by Maya
topic: Finding Reliable Sites
September 16 2008
Using the Web: Research for Online Games
It can be very frustrating trying to keep up with other players when you’re just getting started playing a new online game. Many online games are very complex. There are many different strategies for creating the best avatar and accomplishing tasks quickly and effectively. While you can ask other players in the game for advice, one of the best ways for you to learn is by visiting a forum, which is the game’s community discussion board.
On forums, players can share their stories and talk about strategies for getting better at the game or issues they are experiencing. Sometimes if you are having a problem or the game is not working right on your computer, you can use the forum to find other players having the same problem. Together, you might be able to figure it out. The people who made the game also visit the forums, so it can be a good way to let them know about a problem they could fix.
Most Web forums allow you to freely read what other players have posted. But, they require you to register a forum account if you want to post to them. This may not be the same account that you use to log in to the game, so be sure to check. When you register a forum account, make sure you don’t include any personal information! Use an email address that is specifically for your gaming accounts. Read the forum guidelines so you know the rules before posting anything.
posted by Maya
topic: Using the Web
September 16 2008
Cyber Terminology: What is an Avatar?
A computer avatar is a digital representation of a user or player. Avatars can be an icon or a 3-D character and are used in online games and on forums and Web sites to represent the user. The word comes from the Sanskrit word avatara, meaning “incarnation” or the earthly form of a spirit or god. The term was first used for a virtual representation of a user in 1985 (from Wikipedia).
An avatar in an online video game is the character that the player controls, their virtual in-game identity. Many games allow players to customize the appearance of their avatar, change their clothes, and equip them with items and gear. My avatar in the online game Puzzle Pirates is a girl pirate with a very fetching purple bandanna named Esmeralda.