Hello Folks... I'm Baaaaak

Hello Folks... I'm Baaaaak!!

And it feels good to be blogging again!!!

So, what is it that I am going to write about as the first entry of my triumphant return?  

...A lamenting of the ingenuity of students in the Jewish Day School System today.

Ok, ok, I hear some of you saying; "Well Yossie, that it is because we have driven the creativity out of our kids."  - and I would agree with you - but that begs the question: what are we going to do about it??

Now, what was the "straw that broke the camel's back" and prompted me to write about this?

It's actually quite simple.  You see, my glasses broke...

Yep, they snapped right in half while I was cleaning them.

So, I asked a group of students, what I should do to fix them?  They responded with; "use tape!"  (My own son said this, but at least he added that I should use the super strong "Flex Tape" of Internet fame.)  

The only problem with this solution is that the tape won't hold on the metal and the glasses would flex way too much.  At this point most of the students just threw up their hands in defeat.

So I gave them the following challenge:

Using a bit of copper wire (14 gauge and some jewelry wire) with a bit of soldier, could they fix my glasses.

Not a single one could figure out a way to do it.  

So sad...

This made me think that perhaps we educators have spent too much time giving our students "an education" without really giving them an education.  We have taught them WHAT to think without showing them HOW to think!

So what can we do about it?

Well, let me suggest the following...

We must become familiar with the different ways that can "teach" our kids to live in the world that they are inheriting.  We can expose them to different forms and methods of approaching a situation/learning opportunity/problem to be solved.  We can help them develop (note: not GIVE them) the tools that they will need to survive in the 21st Century and beyond.  And it all starts with a simple problem - a pair of broken glasses.

Over the next few months, I will making suggestions on how we, as parents and educators, can begin to, perhaps, achieve this lofty goal.  I invite you to join me on this journey.

As for my glasses...  

I fixed them myself and showed my students.  Now they want to learn how to solder and "tinker."  So, you can see that there IS HOPE!!! 

(Yossie's fixed glasses!  As an anecdote, when I went to the eyeglass store to get

new ones, the optometrist thought that they were just a new style.  They had no idea

that they were broken and repaired!!)

As always, I solicit your comments on the blog site.

Regards to all - Yossie.

YossieFrankel

Director of Technology

Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy  
9120 W Olympic Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310.276.6135

www.hillelhebrew.org

    

MUST READ - A "krack" in our (wifi) armor

You may be seeing your friends in the IT world looking a bit stressed this week.  Yes, I know that isn't an unusual thing, but when I see my buddies who specialize in WiFi security crying into their morning coffee saying "what are we going to do?" and rocking back and forth... well then I know something is very wrong.

And, what would that "very wrong" be?  Well read on...

On Sunday, there was an announcement made about a very serious vulnerability that effects millions of WiFi access points and routers throughout the world!  It is called "Krack" - Key Re-installation Attack - and it effects any WiFi access point or router that uses the WPA2-PSK encryption.  Most likely, this means you ARE effected by this since most businesses and schools (and coffee shops, airports, public WiFi, etc.!!!) use this WiFi encryption.

Basically, the flaw allows a hacker to see all of the traffic going between your device and the WiFi access point/router - AND THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE ON THE NETWORK TO DO IT!!

What makes it even worse is that if you have unsecured data shares on your supposedly secure network those same hackers could easily steal your data!!! (and yes, that could include USB keys attached to a computer!)

Now I am sure that you are wondering about what you can do to protect yourself.  Well, Microsoft has already created a patch for Windows and Apple and Google are not very far behind.  

But now for the catch... you have to be regularly updating your computer and installing the patches!!  (Yes, my Apple friends... I mean you - iOS and OSX are not immune to this!!)

Schools, you need to be running firmware patches and updates on all of your AP's/routers and for heaven's sake put a password on that network file share!!

In all reality, hackers are not going to be driving up and down your street to hack into your home network.  Especially when there are much juicer prospects with big business, schools and the coffee shops that are nearby.  But this does not mean that you should not be protected everywhere you go.  Here are some tips to keep you safe.

• UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!
  Run all the patches and updates as they come out.  I hear all sorts of excuses why NOT to run updates.  Don't fall prey to this!  RUN UPDATES!!
  
• MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ON HTTPS SITES!
  Make sure that every website you visit that has you enter any information or passwords is protected by that little lock icon in the address bar!
  
• USE VPN's!
  Most schools do not allow your device to run a VPN as then they can't filter the device as required by the Federal E-Rate requirements.  That is because a VPN will hide all of your traffic so no one can see it!  Bad for at school... Good when you are out "in the world!"  So, get a VPN and use it when you go for coffee.

Help is already on the way.  Most systems will have patches out soon but that will only work if you force your fleet of iPads, Chromebooks, PC's or Smart Phones to run the updates.  Oh yes, don't forget to run firmware updates on your AP's and routers.

Well, that's all for today!!  As always, I solicit your comments on the blogsite.

Regards,

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Tech Specialist - CIJE

Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com

Twitter @yossiefrankel

YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

It's a New Dawn, It's a new Day, It's a new - Metaverse? (with apologies to Nina Simone)

Starting at sunset tonight, Jews all over the world will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah - literally the "head" of the year.  It commemorates, amongst many other things, the birth of "Adam" - the birth of Mankind.

I have always found it interesting that Rosh Hashana doesn't commemorate the creation of the universe or even the creation of the world!  It is all about having the "Adam" becoming conscious and being able to experience existence.  You see, it is all about EXPERIENCING creation!! 

Now, I can't help but think like a physicist (I was a physics teacher for many years after all) and paraphrase quantum theory (regardless of how Einstein felt about it in his "later years") that says, in part, that unless something is observed, it doesn't necessarily exist in our world!

Think about it... Rosh Hashanah is actually commemorating consciousness, existence, observation, reality!

This is an interesting way to look at the festival of the new year.  How we perceive our new year will actually help create that new year for us!!  Kinda cool - yes?

So what better time to introduce you all to a program that can augment reality...

The Metaverse (https://gometa.io)

I am sure that you all have heard about Pokemon Go by now.  (If not, here is my blog post about it.)  Well Metaverse lets you create your own "Pokemon-Go-like" experience.  Imagine creating a scavenger hunt around your school where freshmen must locate digital items and do special tasks.  Hey... how about doing a tour of your home town?  Put the statue of "old Chuck" in the viewfinder and then the whole story about who this guy was comes to life!  All sorts of ideas!

Here is a short video on how one family uses this augmented reality program to bring everyone together for "family time" and exercise.

(click here to watch video)

So what do you think?  Can programs like this alter our experience of reality?  Will it change the way we perceive the world?  I would be interested in hearing what you have to say on the blogsite.

For those of you celebrating Rosh Hashanah - Ketivah v'chatima tovah  (כתיבה וחתימה טובה).

Should you be written and sealed for a fantastic year of health, happiness and "good perceptions!"

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com

Twitter @yossiefrankel

YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

Take me money and run-a Venezuela (with apologies to Harry Belafonte)

Back in the 70's, my father of blessed memory was friends with the performer Harry Belafonte.

 

One of Harry's signature Calypso songs was lamenting about a woman named "Matilda" who took a man for all that he was worth... all his money - everything!  In the song he says:

"the money was just inside me bed, 

Stuck up in a pillow beneath me head" 

and then zap - it was gone!

Well now-a-days things aren't so blatantly obvious.

If you haven't heard about what happened at Equifax by now, you need to immediately take action...

Equifax Data - you know, the folks that do the credit reporting - had a huge data breach that could affect over 143 MILLION people!  It seems that over the period of a few months, Equifax had personal information including Social Security numbers, Driver Licence numbers as well as disputed claims information stolen.  This affects so many people that Equifax is offering free credit monitoring (a service that they usually charge for) to people who were affected by the data breach.  What you need to do is - RIGHT NOW - go to the listed website and see if you could possibly be affected by this.  I know that I was!!  I am on the watch list so I enrolled in the service.

Here is the site to go to to enroll and find out more information:

https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/

Don't be like the poor soul in Harry Belafonte's Calypso song...

"Five hundred dollars, friends, I lost

Woman even sell me cat and horse

Heya! Matilda, she take me money and run Venezuela"

If you are interested in hearing this fun song... here is a YouTube clip...

As always, I solicit your comments on the blog site.

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Tech Specialist - CIJE

Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com

Twitter @yossiefrankel

YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

Total Eclipse of the.... Sun (with apologies to Bonnie Tyler)

What an experience!

In Los Angeles today (Aug 21st, 2017) we didn't have a TOTAL eclipse of the sun (as opposed to a TOTAL eclipse of the HEART by Bonnie Tyler - that happens in Hollywood all the time!!) but we did have partial solar eclipse!

To view this amazing event, Tuvia and I made the camera obscura that you see below.  The image that we got was amazingly clear (the phone camera that I used to take the below picture caught some glare, but it wasn't there when we looked at the image with our eyes).

Even though the solar eclipse has now passed, you don't need it to use this device with your classes.  You can discuss light and cameras (and how they work) and then draw parallels to the structure of the eye.  Then you can discuss eye safety and why it is so important!  What is even cooler is that you can have each member of your class design their own camera obscura and then go outside and view the sun!!

Our camera was made with a box, a pin-hole the in aluminum foil, a white piece of paper for the screen and a viewing port.  I placed it on a tripod so that our neighbors could look as well.

I shared this design with a few of my CIJE schools and I can hardly wait until I get to see their pictures!!

I know that Tuvia won't forget this day and I hope that he gets an opportunity to see a FULL solar eclipse like I did in Winnipeg, Manitoba back in 1979.  Below is one of the pictures I took with my Minolta SLR.  It is an experience that I will never forget.

(Yossie's slide from 1979 eclipse)

As always, I solicit your comments on the Blogsite.

Regards,

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Tech Specialist - CIJE

Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com

Twitter @yossiefrankel

YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

School is Baaaack - so be true to your school! (apologies to the Beach Boys!)

It's that time of year again!  You know... students cramming in that last bit of summer reading, teachers preparing classrooms, administrators waiting at the main school doors for...

THE RETURN TO SCHOOL!!

Yes, indeed, summer is "out" and school is back "in!"  I can hardly wait!  My son Tuvia - you know the "guinea pig" that I do all of my "typical student" testing on - has his uniforms all ready and school supplies all purchased.  All that awaits him now is that first day of school.  He can hardly wait.

Over at CIJE central, we have been busy as well.  We have packaged up all of our new laptops, science supplies and teaching resources to send off to all of our new and returning CIJE network schools.  As a matter of fact, this week I am off to San Diego to help one of our schools do a major upgrade to their WiFi system that will give them leading-edge technology to enhance their already educationally rich curriculum. Just another service of CIJE!

Speaking of getting ready for school, there is this great event for those of you in the Los Angeles area.  On Sunday, August 27th, at the Ivan Gallery,

2701 S Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles from 8 pm to 10 pm there will be a big book launch (and open house) for...

the Jewish Educators Companion - Practical Tools & Inspirational Ideas - published by the world renowned Behrman House Publishers.  This book would make a great resource for you and a fantastic gift to to give to any teacher who may be on your back-to-school shopping list. Now you don't have to believe me (after all, my wife Batsheva wrote it so I am a bit biased) so here are a few quotes from Master Educators who have read the book...

The Jewish Educator's Companion translates sound educational theory into usable strategies for every Jewish educational setting. Educators can use these tools to introduce critical thinking and Jewish values into their games, projects, and activities. An expert in gaming, filmmaking, and other creative learning strategies, Frankel makes leading educational trends accessible and implementable. If you are seeking a menu of ways to make Jewish learning thoughtful and deep while truly engaging learners, this book is a great guide. --Miriam Heller Stern, Ph.D., National Director, School of Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

Batsheva Frankel's new book adds something desperately needed in the Jewish educational world - a toolkit to inspire new and veteran teachers alike. We are preparing the next generation of leaders of the Jewish community; we must create an environment that is conducive to that noble goal. With ideas culled from the best of general education and applied to Jewish education, Frankel's work can move the needle in a meaningful way. --Rabbi Ari Segal, Head of School, Shalhevet High School, Los Angeles

There will be a special book launch price and Batsheva will be on-hand to sign it and "talk teacher" with you... so stop on by! If you can't make it, then the book is available on Amazon (http://a.co/3nuSck2).

So, welcome back to school and I hope to see you on Sunday!

As always, I solicit your comments on my blogsite.

Regards,

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com

Twitter @yossiefrankel

YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel

Flash is finally retiring!

Picture this... A big newspaper news room circa 1950's or so. A copy boy runs in and yells to everyone present. The sound of typewriters stop, the hum of the printing press winds down and the whole room comes to a hush...

Copy boy: "News Flash!!!  It's finally retiring!!"

Reporter:  "What's retiring?"

Copy boy: "Flash!"

News Editor:  "What? As in Flash Gordon?" (Yossie's note: I guess I am showing my age! :-)

Copy boy:  "Nope... Adobe Flash!"

That's right, after years of leadership and having been responsible for creating gaming, education and video industries, Adobe has finally announced that Flash will be discontinued by 2020. That means that web based developers have less then three years to convert their Flash based websites over to HTML5, WebGL or Webassembly.

So, why should this concern us Ed-Tech types?

Well, there are a HUGE number of educational websites that are based on Flash technology and the cost of moving them and their data over to the newer technologies would be hugely expensive. My fear is that they will just be shutting down rather than retooling.  What makes this even more shocking is that we could lose a very large number of Jewish Educational websites especially since many of the Hebrew sites are created with Flash.  Even now, since Google Chrome does not run Flash without bypassing default settings, I can't begin to tell you how many calls a week I get about workarounds! Imagine what it will be like by 2020!!

So, be prepared for some of your favorite sites to "retire" off into the sunset, just like my old hero Flash Gordon.

As always, I solicit your comments on the blogsite.

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com

Twitter @yossiefrankel

YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yossiefrankel