Greetings K-12 Newsletter Readers

Happy Reading for today.


<Karen>

1)
508 law and Compliance for K-12 Schools
Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (which came into force in August 2001).
There are many aspects to 508, but only one actual requirement . . . if the government or websites
that take government money doen't comply with 508, lawsuits can happen.

American Foundation for the Blind have made a nice demonstration of the problems available in a video
titled CAPTCHAs on Social Networking Sites Shut Out Blind Users. If you currently use graphical CAPTCHAs
on your site I suggest you watch the video and find out what it’s like for a screen reader user to interact with them.
Using alternative text, which is the normal method for making images accessible to people who can’t see them, for
CAPTCHA images is basically the same as removing any protection against spammers, so that obviously does not work.
If you simply have to make your users prove they are human, don’t use a graphical CAPTCHA with no alternative.
A couple of possible alternatives are logical puzzles and audio, both of which are explained, along with other
possible solutions, in the "World Wide Web Consortium" W3C Note Inaccessibility of CAPTCHA. Audio should obviously not be used as the only option either.

try http://recaptcha.net/
It's free, and it actually helps to digitize books when you use it (more
info about that here: http://recaptcha.net/learnmore.html and here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReCAPTCHA).You might be helped by this site:
http://www.captcha.biz/how-to-use-captcha.html
Is has explanations for KNOW NOTHINGs, KNOW SOMETHINGs, and
KNOWITALLs, colloquially speaking.

2)
Imagine a World Without Apple, Bloggers, Google or Dell
By DAVID POGUE

Imagine (sung to the tune of John Lennon’s “Imagine”)

Imagine there’s no Apple,
No products that begin with “i,”
No monthly iPod models,
No Apple stores to get you high.
Imagine all the people
Finding other things to do!

Imagine there’s no bloggers...
It isn’t hard to do!
No viruses or spyware,
No weekly Windows patches, too
Imagine all the people
Learning to get a life...

(You-hoo-hoo!)

    You may say it’d be a nightmare
    Without Google, Mac or Dell
    We might have real conversations--
    But the world would be dull as hell!

Imagine no new cellphones;
Kiss console games goodbye.
No David Pogue or Mossberg
To tell us what to buy.
Imagine all the people
Getting some exercise!


3)
About YouTube Remixer - Engine by Adobe Premiere Express
Sometimes, instant gratification video is just the thing you need.
If you've ever uploaded from your cell phone, wished for an easy way
to add titles and transitions, or just wanted to remix your own
videos, Remixer is a great place to play. It lets you assemble your
new video in an easy drag-and-drop timeline, and then publish it right
back to YouTube. Your original videos will stay exactly the same.
Give it a try! Click the "Try Remixer" button to get started.


4)
FRONTLINE presents GROWING UP ONLINE
Tuesday, January 22, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS
Promotional photography can be downloaded from the PBS pressroom.
Jessica Hunter was a shy and awkward girl who struggled to make friends
at school. Then, at age 14, she reinvented herself online as *Autumn
Edows,* an alternative goth artist and model who posted provocative
photos of herself on the Web, and fast developed a cult following. *I
just became this whole different person,* Jessica tells FRONTLINE.
*I didn*t feel like myself, but I liked the fact that I didn*t
feel like myself. I felt like someone completely different. I felt like
I was famous.*
Airing Tuesday, January 22, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local
listings), FRONTLINE takes viewers inside the private worlds that kids
are creating online, raising important questions about just how
radically the Internet is transforming the experience of childhood.
*It*s just this huge shift in which the Internet and the digital
world was something that belonged to adults, and now it*s something
that really is the province of teenagers, * says C.J. Pascoe, a Ph.D.
scholar with the University of California, Berkeley*s Digital Youth
Project. *They*re able to have a private space, even while they*re
still at home. They*re able to communicate with their friends and have
an entire social life outside of the purview of their parents without
actually having to leave the house.*


5)
 http://www.blogtv.com/


6)
2008 eduWeb Conference in Atlantic City
Trump Marina Hotel, by the bay, on July 21st - 23rd.
We are the ONLY higher education conference in
the country offering a balance of marketing and development presentations
for those concerned with everything from the strategy to design to
development of their department and/or institution's website.
Officially launching eduWeb 2008 today with the announcement of our Keynote
Speakers...
Early Bird registration will start on March 17 and run through June 1st at
$495 per person; if you are selected to present and are attending the
conference as well, you will receive a discount of $75 off. The conference
will also offer discounts on multiple registrations from the same
institution.
Any questions? Please email Shelley at shelley@eduwebconference.com ...

7)