Our Actions with Digital Content

The advent of the Internet has made the sharing of information so much easier. This includes digital information like music and movies. Many people have taken advantage of this to share music and video without paying for it.

Is this appropriate, let alone legal? What should we be doing to educate our kids in this matter? Is it even possible to stop? Should we care?

How much is too much?

How much is too much when it comes to assistive technology? Should our students be able to use spell check?

Is "Online" for real??

Many of our young people are spending much of their time in cyber-worlds...they interact, build and even buy and sell cyber-property (the worlds first cyber-real estate millionaire - in Second Life - was announced a year ago!).

Many have built cyber-presences through sites like Facebook, My Space and Piczo.

What is it that draws young people here? Are their on-line identities part of the "real" them? Is on-line even a "real" place?

Your thoughts?

Can we Be Private?

Many of us use the Internet daily without thinking about who can see what we are doing...do you feel like your conversations / emails / facebook posts are private? Who can see us?

What about e-commerce? Should we feel safe to bank and buy on the net?

Is Cursive Writing Dead?

The whole nature of information has changed. Technology has resulted in "writing" being a synonym for "keybording". Should we care? Does cursive writing have a future in our schools and society? What about printing in the lower grades? Your thoughts?

In addition, the languages of the First Nations are threatened with extinction as fewer and fewer young people learn to speak the language. What role do you see technology playing in archiving and even saving the language amongst First Nations youth?

Welcome - Discussion #1

Technology is everywhere! It's been embraced by some who see it as a solution to create a global environment that liberates and democratizes. Others see technology as an evil that permeates our culture with filth and is fraught with dangers. Where does the truth lie? Is technology a necessary evil or a powerful tool for positive social change? Talk about this from your own experiences. What do you see in the community around you? Is technology a good or an evil?