What's in a Password?

Teaching students — and adults for that matter — about Internet security should start with the password. Listening to American Public Media's "Marketplace Morning Report" recently, I wasn't surprised to find out the least secure passwords of 2011 are "1234567," "abc123," "sunshine," and "iloveyou" but THE password with the most security holes is, yup, you got it — "password."

Switching to e-books

I am a big fan of authors Dan and Chip Heath. Their book Switch is the best for understanding change.

Speaking of change, I continue to follow the changes taking place in book publishing as we work our way from print books to e-books. Well, the Heath brothers' latest book The Myth of the Garage is the first e-book from Crown Publishing that is free. See for yourself when you click on the link to the book.

12-Year Old Ap Developer?

Here is a neat TED Talk of Thomas Suarez talking about his experience learning and developing aps for the Apple Store. In true Google fashion, for now, Thomas is looking to help others with his new-found talent.

2011 National Book Awards Teen Press Conference

Our Middle School students attended the 2011 National Book Awards Teen Press Conference this week here in NYC. Click on the link to hear the authors speak about their books and to hear students ask questions of the authors. Authors who spoke and were featured:

• Franny Billingsley, Chime (Dial)
• Debby Dahl Edwardson, My Name Is Not Easy (Marshall Cavendish)
• Thanhha Lai, Inside Out and Back Again (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
• Albert Marrin, Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
• Gary D. Schmidt, Okay for Now (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Rosa sat . . .

While experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of Zuccotti Park, I bumped into a vendor selling a T-shirt with a prophetic message. Here is what it said:

Rosa sat so Martin could walk.
Martin walked so Obama could run.
Obama ran so our children can fly.

Here is one story behind the quote.

Ones Reprised Today

I don't often reprise a post, but on February 14, 2011, I posted "'1' Not Such a Lonely Number." On this special day, I thought I would repost it in celebration of November 11, 2011, you know, 11/11/11. And this post was posted at 11:11 a.m.

Alison Gopnik

Another instance where "guide-on-the-side" trumps "sage-on-the-stage."

Read the interview with Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. Her latest book is The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life.

Also, here is a TED Talk that features her work:

The Music Paradigm

If you want to experience professional development at its best, hope that you take part in The Music Paradigm. Maestro Roger Nierenburg uses a chamber ensemble—one he has never conducted before—to demonstrate leadership. Along with 150 heads of school from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, we sat among the musicians and witnessed the power of the conductor as leader. We were swept away by Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings and the brilliance of Nierenburg.

Here, see for yourself

Rigor or 5 Cs + 1

A better way to describe school programs is presented by Pat Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). In a recent listserve message, he passed on the 5 Cs + 1 for 21st Century schools:

1) critical thinking
2) communication (writing, public speaking, and technology fluency)
3) character
4) creativity
5) collaboration (teaming and leadership)
6) cosmopolitanism (cross-cultural and global competency)