Is Technology for men only?

The answer is "NO". As we know, women can do as well as men do in Technology.
According to www.cnnmoney.com, there are many women becoming powerful CEOs or managers on the technical field. The women include Frances Allen, IBM; Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo; Anne Mulcahy, Xerox; Meg Whitman, eBay; and Sallie Krawcheck, Citigroup.

Furthermore, there are many associations helping women to build up their knowledge of technology. The associations include Women in Technology (WIT), Women In Technology International (WITI), and National Center for Women and Information Technology (ncwit).

Be aware of cell phone radiation!

We use cell phone everyday, and using cell phone to communicate becomes a part of our daily activities. However, how much do you know about cell phone radiation and its negative effects to our bodies. The following short video shows you how cell phone radiation radiates pop-corn.



Question: If the radiating pop is our brain, what will our brains be affected by the cell phone radiation?
Some research has shown that cell-phone radiation have potential illnesses to our bodies. Those potential illnesses are cancer, brain tumors, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, fatigue, and headaches.
Although cell-phone radiation have potential illnesses to our bodies, we can protect ourselves to reducing the radiation.
We can:

• Choose a phone with a lower SAR. (SAR is "a way of measuring the quantity of radiofrequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body.")
  
• Use a land line whenever possible.
• Use a hands-free headset whenever using a cell phone (Bluetooth devices can also emit radiation, but at much lower levels.)
• Keep your phone switched off whenever possible, particularly in areas with low reception.
• Text, rather than talk, to reduce radiation near the brain.

More articles about cell-phone radiation:
"How much radiation does your phone emit" from www.nytimes.com
"Cell Phone Cancer" from www.thedailygreen.com
"Cell Phone Radiation Levels" from www.cnet.com
"How does cell-phone radiation work" from www.howstuffworks.com

"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch

If you read Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, you will find out why every human life is beautiful and special. You will want to achieve your highest goal and motivate other people to enjoy their lives. According to the official website of The Last Lecture, the author describes Randy Pausch and The Last Lecture as "...computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged."

The full video of "Really Achieve Your Childhood Dreams":



You may to visit the official website of The Last Lecture at http://www.thelastlecture.com.

More information for The Last Lecture:

Official Blog YouTube Flickr Facebook

WebAnywhere assists blind people to access the web

According to webanywhere.cs.washington.edu, WebAnywhere is a web-based screen reader for the web. It requires no special software to be installed on the client machine and, therefore, enables blind people to access the web from any computer they happen to have access to that has a sound card. Blink people can use computers in university labs, library kiosks, or personal laptops to access the web with WebAnywhere.

A sample of WebAnywhere in an IE browser,

The following video demonstrates how WebAnywhere assists blind people to assess the web:



Question: Why is WebAnywhere better than other screen reader programs?
Answer: WebAnywhere is free and is compatible with almost all computers, operating systems, and web browsers. It requires no software installation, no mobile devices, and it is easy to use.
Now, do you want to try WebAnywhere? Click this link, http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/wa.php, and you will be brought to the webanywhere program.
You may want to read the full document about webanywhere. Click this link, http://webinsight.cs.washington.edu/papers/webanywhere-html/, and you will download the full document.
All information and pictures come from the official WebAnywhere website, http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/.

How It's Made - Video Games

If you don't like Dreamweaver, you may want to try Rapidweaver

Sometimes, I feel Dreamweaver is too complicated to use. CSS, HTML codes, Java script, oh my god, how can I remember those crazy stuffs. Thanks god, RealMacsoftware company has created a new web design program, RapidWeaver. It is a template-based website creation tool and is exclusive to Mac OS X.
RapidWeaver can generate pages of different kinds, such as styled text, weblog, contact forms, image galleries, Flash slideshows, and podcasts; it also has a built-in FTP uploader, and integration with iPhoto and .Mac.
You may want to visit www.RealMacsoftware to see how amazing RapidWeaver is.

Students, are you ready to get trained at Space Camp?

Did you visit, or even get trained at Space Camp? I have been watched videos, read newspapers, and played video games about Space. Unfortunately, I do not think I will have any chance to go to Space. What about getting trained at Space Camp? I think I can do it. How about you? If you are a teenager, or an adult, do you want to get trained at Space Camp? Do you want to experience the feeling of no gravity? Do you want to get spun around at high speed in a multi-axis trainer?

For more information about getting trained at Space Camp, you may want to visit www.cnet.com/getting trained at Space Camp/.

Science vs Technology

What is Technology?

It is the innovation, change, or modification of the natural environment in order to satisfy perceived human wants and needs. (Standards for Technological Literacy, ITEA, 2000)
The goal of technology is to make modifications in the world to meet human needs. (National Science Education Standards, NRC, 1996)
In the broadest sense, technology extends our abilities to change the world: to cut, shape, or put together materials; to move things from one place to another; to reach farther with our hands, voices, and senses. (Benchmarks for Science Literacy, AAAS, 1993)
Technology is the process by which humans modify nature to meet their needs and wants. (Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology, NAE/NRC, 2002)

Science vs. Technology
Science:

Deals with the natural world.
Is very concerned with what is (exists) in the natural world. (i.e.: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Geology, etc.)

while Technology:

Deals with how humans modify, change, alter, or control the natural world. Is very concerned with what can or should be designed, made, or developed from natural world materials and substances to satisfy human needs and wants

Science:

Is concerned with processes that seek out the meaning of the natural world by “inquiry”, “discovering what is”, “exploring”, and using “the Scientific Method”.

while Technology:

Is concerned with such processes that we use to alter/change the natural world such as “Invention”, Innovation”, Practical Problem Solving, and Design.

While technology and science have a common denominator being the natural world, they are similar yet very different.
Technology Education (the study of technology) should NOT be confused with Information Technology or Educational (or instructional) Technology!

What is “Technological Literacy?”

Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, evaluate, and understand technology.


All information comes from "The Perspective of Technology Education", The Second International Symposium on Educational Cooperation for Industrial Technology Education, Kariya City, Japan.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

After reading the article, "Learning Beyond the Classroom", I realize that the student's success is partially depended on their college extra-curricular.
www.eduventures.com indicates the following keys:

• Academic clubs (34%), career clubs (29%), community service clubs (29%), honor societies (28%), and sports clubs (27%) are the five most common university-affiliated clubs and activities in which students participate.

• As a group, students who participate in three or more clubs have, on average, GPAs over 3.0, definitely plan to persist to their junior year, and definitely plan to graduate from their current institution.

• The largest gap in participation in clubs and organizations among student sub-groups is between on- and off-campus students, creating a retention risk for students living off campus.
• Programs in which students act as mentors, advisors, or counselors are the most important and highest impact form of leadership programming.
• Four types of community engagement have the most important impact on students’ sense of citizenship: volunteer or community service, fundraising for a charity or local community, mentoring or tutoring in the community, and community involvement programs.

You may want to click the following link to read the article.
http://www.eduventures.com

"GPS"? How much do you know about it?

Global Positioning System (GPS) is actually a constellation of 27 Earth-orbiting satellites (24 in operation and three extras in case one fails). This advanced technology can accurately track where our position is. Do you know how does GPS work? How does GPS improve humans' lives? The following video will give us a clear illustration about how GPS work.