***** MOVING TOGETHER #22 *****
An email-based sporadic publication of technology-related items
for kinesiologists compiled by Ken
Daley.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"If you are planning for one
year, grow rice. If you are planning for twenty years, grow trees. If
you are planning for centuries, grow men.
-Chinese Proverb
Subject: The MovingTogether REVIEW
Book: Using Technology in Physical Education, 2nd edition
(1998)
Author: Bonnie S. Mohnsen, Ph.D.
ISBN 1-893166-26-0
Cost: $25 (US) plus $3 for shipping and handling
Publisher: Bonnie's Fitware, 18832 Stefani Avenue, Cerritos,
California 90703 (562) 924-0835
On-line:
http://home.earthlink.net/~bmohnsen/Fitware/fitware.html
With rapid change being the hallmark of technology, any book
discussing technology is only as good as its publishing date. Bonnie
Mohnsen's just released book , Using Technology in Physical
Education, 2nd edition (1998), is the only comprehensive book that
attempts to integrate and explain technology in the physical
education setting. Its 173 pages present a logical and well laid out
overview of technology. Sidebars are used to good effect and a
noticeable advance over the first edition. These at-a-glance boxes
provide a quick reference on a variety of topics; useful web sites,
checklists, product comparisons, and technical information.
Whether you want to become knowledgeable about audio/video,
computers, communication, exercise equipment or the latest
physiological input devices, Bonnie provides you with practical
no-nonsense advice at the turning of each page. Included are six
appendices that point you to addresses, phone numbers and web sites
on products and services.
The second edition is self-published and not as sleek as the Human
Kinetics original issue. The lack of photographs and quality
printing, while obvious, does not overshadow what the reader is
looking for- information. From cover to cover it is jam packed with
details that give the reader the practical tools they need to
introduce technology into their teaching.
This book is a buy for anyone who is new to the use of technology
in physical education or finds the whole subject confusing with all
its jargon and technical specifications. It is obvious that Bonnie
has a broad grasp of the subject. She has been able to digest this
complex area into a systematic wholeness that will leave the reader
with a comfortable feeling that now they are back on top of the
technological juggernaut. At least for a short time.
-Review by Ken Daley
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, June 28 1998
Subject: Schools lag in technology.
INTEL CHIEF SAYS SCHOOLS LAG IN TECHNOLOGY Intel chief executive
officer Craig Barrett told a conference of educators that schools lag
far behind businesses and homes in integrating the computer into
everyday activities, and that if schools fail to make technology a
regular part of teaching then the country will lose its competitive
edge. "I don't look at it just as an education issue. I look at it as
a crass economics issue… As a nation, we're doing a horrible job of
bringing technology into the classroom." Acknowledging that to equip
all U.S. schools with one Internet-linked computer for every five
students (and to keep the technology up-to-date) would cost as much
as $100 billion every five years, Barrett said: "It might be one of
the best investments the U.S. could make in terms of preserving our
workforce." (AP 26 Jun 98)
HIGHER EDUCATION
Subject: Microsoft Offers Campuses New Pricing Plan
Responding to criticism from higher education administrators,
Microsoft has announced a new pricing plan for colleges and
universities. The Microsoft Campus Agreement offers a single annual
fee, calculated at $54 for each administrative and faculty user at an
institution (for colleges with fewer than 3,000) and $48 each for
larger institutions. The license covers a variety of products,
including operating system updates, word-processing, spreadsheet and
Web page software, as well as others. For an additional $13 to $19
per student, a school can also purchase copies of the programs for
students. Greg Jackson, associate provost for information technology
at the University of Chicago, says the new plan "does something that
some people have been asking for a long time -- offer a real
site-wide license." But some schools say they were better off under
the old plan. "This does not make me excited," says Laurence Alvarez,
associate provost at the University of the South. (Chronicle of
Higher Education 4 Sep 98)
HIGHER EDUCATION
FROM: Edupage, 6 September 1998
Subject: The Intelligent Essay Assessor
A psychology professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder
is spearheading the creation of an Intelligent Essay Assessor, a
computerized tool to assist professors in grading students' written
essays. Thomas Landauer says that to use the program, a professor
must first teach it to recognize both good and bad essay writing by
feeding it examples of both, which have been manually graded. The
program can also be trained using what he calls a "gold standard" --
passages from textbooks or other materials written by experts on the
same subject as the essay to be graded. While earlier digital essay
graders work by analyzing essays mechanically--looking at sentence
structures and counting commas, periods and word lengths--Landauer
says his program can actually "understand" the student's writing
using sophisticated artificial intelligence technology called "latent
semantic analysis." It does so by comparing the patterns of word
usage in student essays with the usage patterns it has learned from
the initial samples, enabling the computer "to a good approximation,
to understand the meanings of words and passages of text." If an
essay appears to convey the same knowledge as those used in the
examples, the computer gives it a high score. The Intelligent Essay
Assessor is not meant to be used to grade essays in
English-composition or creative-writing assignments, where a student
is being graded more on writing skill than subject knowledge.
(Chronicle of Higher Education 4 Sep 98)
HIGHER EDUCATION
FROM: Edupage, 20 September 1998
Subject: Universities Push Professors to Retain
Copyrights
There's a growing movement among academicians and their
institutions to retain the copyright on articles published in
scholarly journals, rather than turning those rights over to the
publisher as is usual. The California Institute of Technology will be
hosting a three-month-long discussion of the subject on an electronic
network, beginning Oct. 1. "It became clear to me," says Caltech
provost Steven Koonin, "that copyright is the linchpin. If you're
going to change that system, copyright is the nexus that you have to
go after." Other universities now considering turning the tables on
publishers include Yale University and the University of Kansas.
Koonin says he'd like to see Caltech and its faculty members jointly
own the copyrights to journal articles and license those rights to
publishers on a limited basis. "The publishers have basically been
getting a free good up to this point -- which is the copyright."
Meanwhile, publishers are not enthusiastic about the movement, and an
Elsevier Science VP says she has "serious reservations" about a
university policy that would require its professors to retain their
copyrights. (Chronicle of Higher Education 18 Sep 98)
HIGHER EDUCATION
FROM: Edupage, 4 October 1998
Subject: Stemming the Flow in Leaky Electronics
Chipmaker Power Integrations Inc. has developed a new chip it
says can cut up to 90% of the electrical power that is drained by
appliances such as TVs and battery chargers that use electricity even
when turned off. The TinySwitch can sense when the AC adapters used
to recharge cordless appliances are inactive, and shuts them down.
Calculating that the average home contains five to 10 such
appliances, the company predicts annual savings that could exceed $1
billion. Nokia Corp. plans to use the chips in future AC adapters for
phones and other products. The switch could also be used to cut the
power drain from PCs and cable set-top boxes by 30%. (Business Week 5
Oct. 98)
HIGHER EDUCATION
FROM: Education Week on the Web (http://www.edweek.org/)
Subject: Putting School Technology to the Test
KEN'S NOTE: Technology Counts '98: Putting School Technology to
the Test is an attempt to assess the impact that computers have had
of K-12 Education in the US.
"Twenty years and billions of dollars since the first personal
computers were plugged into the nation's schools, policymakers and
the public are finally starting to demand evidence that their
investments in education technology have been worthwhile.
In particular, they want to know: Is it effective? The question
comes at an awkward time for educators. While parents keep clamoring
for more technology in schools, experts lack a consensus about
whether it is measurably improving education."
Interested in the answer- check it out at
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc98/
INTERNET TOOLS AND SITES
Subject: Health and Fitness Website
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH
John Hopkins University and Health Systems and Aetna Healthcare bring
Intelihealth to you. A large, well- constructed site but it has the
feel of a paper-based book that has been chopped up into many
bite-size pieces in order to make it palatable to Web users. The
information is right on the money but is text driven with very
minimal graphic support.
Check out the Health Library, it has a very complete section on
Fitness and Sport Medicine as well as Nutrition.
INTERNET TOOLS AND SITES
Subject: eBLAST Search Engine
KEN'S NOTE: This is a second-generation search device in the
spirit of Yahoo, one well worth while spending some time with. Very
fast and very selective, it may become your search engine of
choice.
Welcome to eBLAST!
eBLAST, Encyclopædia Britannica's Internet Guide, is a World
Wide Web navigation service that classifies, rates, and reviews more
than 125,000 Web sites. Britannica editors search the Web to identify
the highest-quality Web resources, which are then clearly and
concisely described, rated according to consistent standards, and
indexed for superior retrieval.
http://www.eblast.com/
INTERNET TOOLS AND SITES
Subject: What is Project Aces?
Each May, on a designated date and time, millions of school
children all over the globe will exercise simultaneously in a
symbolic gesture of fitness and unity to show the world that they do
not fit into that negative stereotype of being "fat and weak". This
non-competitive program had proven to be educational, motivational,
and fun.
http://members.aol.com/acesday/aces.html
INTERNET TOOLS AND SITES
FROM: Our friends at Fitsoft.
Subject: New Address for Fitsoft
Please notice that Fitsoft Systems has new web site and email
addresses:
You can reach us by email at:
info=AT=fitsoftsystems.com (general inquiries)
support=AT=fitsoftsystems.com (technical support)
or visit our bilingual (English/French) web site at:
http://www.fitsoftsystems.com
or download the latest product update at:
http://www.fitsoftsystems.com/support_e.html
Please update your bookmarks and web links. For any question you
may have, please feel free to contact us at info=AT=fitsoftsystems.com.
Francois Gazzano
francois=AT=fitsoftsystems.com
*******************************************************
FITSOFT SYSTEMS Inc.
The Next Generation of Fitness Assessment and Training Management
Software
Tel: (506)388-7936
Fax: (506)388-5929
http://www.fitsoftsystems.com
*******************************************************
INTERNET TOOLS AND SITES
FROM: Edupage, 27 October 1998
Subject: Intel Touts "E-Health"
Intel plans to jump-start Web-based consumer health services by
investing in about a dozen companies that use the Internet to manage
chronically ill patients, sell vitamins and baby supplies, and
distribute health-related information to consumers. "It's one area
that touches the lives of virtually everyone, and at the same time
it's underrepresented on the Net," says Intel VP Steven McGeady.
"Consumers are champing at the bit to get access to health
information and services online." McGeady points out that the cost
savings from eliminating unnecessary doctor's visits would be enough
to cover the cost of a PC for every patient. "Everybody in this
country knows the phrase 'e-commerce,' but nobody knows the phrase
'e-health.'" (Los Angeles Times 26 Oct 98)
INTERNET TOOLS AND SITES
FROM: Agnes Croxford
Subject: Synchronized Swimming Ontario Web Site.
The Synchronized Swimming Ontario web site (designed by LIN) is
now open. You will find a listing of local clubs, upcoming
tournaments and events, and lots more.
Check it out: http://www.onsport.org/synchro.htm
Agnes Croxford
Leisure Information Network
Tel: 416 426 7176 Fax: 416 426 7421
http://www.lin.ca
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, 30 August 1998
Subject: Lucent Serves Up New Perspective on Tennis
Lucent Technologies has debuted a new TV camera that gives tennis
match viewers the ability to see the whole court from the side,
thereby making it easier to follow the game as the ball is lobbed
from one end to the other. It has also tested a system that shows all
of the movements made by a player during a match, using a technology
similar to that used for the Doppler Weather map. The technology uses
computers and video to track information and display it, says a
Lucent researcher. Meanwhile, IBM will be covering the U.S. Open,
which begins Monday, on its Web site, which will feature an
interactive camera that allows users to aim it and zoom in and out of
their views of the action. The site will also have real-time scores
and statistics, and live chat sessions hosted by special guests.
(Wall Street Journal 28 Aug 98)
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, 24 September 1998
Subject: Gigamachines By the Millennium
Tomorrow's computer users will escalate their search for ever
more computing power, as they begin to take advantage of technologies
such as speech software and voice e-mail. "You will want a gigahertz
machine for multimedia, three-dimensional graphics, continuous speech
input, visualization, video conferencing and so on," says the VP and
general manager of business platforms at Intel. "We will also
introduce 'constant computing' to utilize the unused idle power."
Meanwhile, a researcher at IBM predicts, "By the millennium, 50
million people will be using speech software to control their
computers. You will be able to ask your browser to find you things on
penguins in Antarctica or dictate your e-mails, which will be
multimedia, so instead of dictating the text you could record your
voice and it would automatically arrive at either the recipient's PC
or telephone. People will realize that voice is more valuable than
the same words recorded as text." (Financial Times 23 Sep 98)
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, 18 October 1998
Subject: New Displays User in the Millennium
A new type of flat display called OLEDs, for organic
light-emitting diodes, could be widely available in a few years,
ushering in an era of video postcards, laptops with furling screens,
and glowing ceiling panels that illuminate jetliners. "This is
probably the hottest research area in the whole field of flat-panel
displays," says the VP for display-industry research at Stanford
Resources Inc., who predicts that OLED sales are likely to soar from
almost nothing today to $400 million by 2004. "I don't think there
has ever been a new display technology that went from nothing to 65
players in just three or four years." Physicist Richard Friend, who
is a co-discoverer of the light-emitting organic polymers, predicts:
"It's not fanciful to think of active electronic circuits that are no
more difficult to make than the glossy Sunday newspaper supplement,
which you throw away on Monday." (Business Week 19 Oct 98)
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, 22 October 1998
Subject: Lock-on-a-Chip
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a way
to build a microscopic mechanical lock into computer chips, blocking
hackers from accessing whatever information that chip is handling,
including data on the hard drive. The lock's tiny gears are created
as part of the chip-making process, and only by typing a combination
of six letters selected by the computer owner will the chip turn on.
The chip lock design, which will cost only about a dollar more per
chip, will be perfected and brought to market in about two years, say
the researchers. (Wall Street Journal 22 Oct 98)
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, 22 October 1998
Subject: Microsoft and Bloomsbury Publishing Take on "World
English"
Microsoft and British publisher Bloomsbury Publishing have
developed a new dictionary of "world English," which will be marketed
in both print and electronic formats. The companies say the
dictionary, which was created with contributions from more than 250
lexicographers and consultants from 10 countries, will reflect
English "as the language of the world." An adviser to the project
says the Encarta World English Dictionary's strength lies in its
international flavor. "Dictionaries are witnesses. They present
observations on what English is like in different places. This one
was particularly good at assembling witnesses from different places."
(Chronicle of Higher Education 23 Oct 98)
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Edupage, 8 September 1998
Subject: Biometric Technology Set to Take Off
"Biometrics will be pervasive within two years," predicts Barry
Wendt, CEO of SAC Technologies. The advent of low-cost, high-power
PCs is making it possible to implement biometric security systems
without spending a lot of extra cash. Compaq is now offering a $99
fingerprint reader as a peripheral for its Deskpro PC line, and voice
recognition and facial verification technologies are also becoming
more affordable. "A little software, some hardware, 8-bit
digitization, a $1.50 microphone, and you have some pretty
discriminating (voice-recognition) technology," says Wendt.
"Facial-verification technology can be implemented for less than
$50." (TechWeb 3 Sep 98)
TECHNOLOGY / COMMUNICATION
FROM: Author Unknown (If you know the author please let me know as I
would love to give her/him credit.)
Subject: Dr. Seuss on Computers
Computer Instructions by Dr. Seuss
If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house
says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!
When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
and the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk,
then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your
ROM.
Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your Mom!
This publication is a collection of bits and bytes that I assemble as
I wander about on the Internet. If you have notes to share send them
to me.
Moving Together is not an official publication of Maharishi
University of Management. It is nothing other than a personal try to
share/create a collective wisdom in the area of technology as it
impacts professional Kinesiologists.
Ken Daley
kdaley=AT=mum.edu
http://www.mum.edu/exss_dept/daley.html
Associate Professor
Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences
Maharishi University of Management
Fairfield, Iowa USA 52557
Member of the Internet Developers Association
newseditor=AT=sportsci.org · webmaster=AT=sportsci.org · Homepage
· Copyright
©1998
Edited and webmastered by Mary Ann
Wallace. Last updated 20 Nov 1998.