Did you hear about the pet owner who, after giving their poodle a bath, tried to dry it in the microwave oven with disastrous results? Or the story of the man who, after a wild night on the town, wakes up in a motel room, one kidney short? Or did you hear that alligators are living in the sewers of New York City, or that revenge was the motive for disclosing the "secret" of a million-dollar cookie recipe?
These are examples of urban legends. What we know about these legends is that they seem to appear from nowhere, are often humorous or horrific, make a good story, and are frequently told by "someone who knows someone who..." While some may have their roots in truth, most are false, but seem to survive for years as if they have a life of their own.
So what does this have to do with technology-using educators? Well, it did not take long before computer networks, especially the Internet, were used to propagate these stories. User groups and e-mail are used to spread these ancient legends to a new audience. However, the myths haven’t been only the recycling of traditional stories, the Internet itself has given rise to a genre of folklore all its own.
Perhaps you’ve heard of this one: Did you know that your computer can become infected with the "Good Times" virus by merely opening an infected piece of e-mail? This story has been circulating on the Internet for quite a few years and hardly a semester goes by that a student or a staff member doesn’t run into my room with this latest virus alert. The Good Times virus is a hoax. Nothing more, nothing less. The creator of this rumor obviously must get a big kick out of seeing the staying power that this hoax has.
The current rumor is that there is another virus called AOL4FREE that is sent through e-mail and, if that message is opened, it will erase your hard drive. This is also a hoax, but like many legends has its roots in a smidgen of truth.
However, before we go further, let’s look at how a virus can infect your machine.
There are thousands of computer viruses out there, created by electronic vandals for reasons that range from ego-stroking to revenge. Viruses can be of three types: the boot-sector virus, the file infector, and the Trojan Horse.
The first type, the boot-sector virus, can attach itself to the part of a floppy disk or a hard drive that is normally only accessed by the computer’s operating system. Infection of the hard drive can occur when the infected floppy disk is accessed. On a Mac, merely inserting the floppy disk can cause this to happen. On a DOS/Windows machine logging on to the floppy by typing "a:" from the DOS prompt or by looking at the floppy’s contents in the Windows’ File Manager is enough for the virus to "jump" to the hard drive.
Another type of virus is the file infector. This type virus attaches itself to executable code, that is, programs. From here it can infect other executables when the host program is run. Prior to running the infected program, the virus can be considered dormant.
The third type is the Trojan Horse. Like it’s namesake, this virus is something bad disguised as something good. Usually it appears as a legitimate program that, when executed, does something other than what the user anticipated. These are the most damaging types of viruses.
The reason that we wish to avoid contact with any of these viruses is that they can cause damage to our computer’s data. They will not harm your hardware; they only corrupt files. Some virus strains may affect your system performance while others may produce various sounds or cause annoying messages to pop up on your monitor.
What these viruses have in common is that they are binary information, that is, zeroes and ones. They are programs that execute, or run on the computer. E-mail, on the other hand, is text-based. It is made up of characters that can be typed from the keyboard. You cannot read, write, or run executable programs with your e-mail program, therefore, it is perfectly safe to open an e-mail message and read it. You can do no harm to your computer.
However, let’s look at a bit of truth that was mentioned above. Most e-mail users have the ability to attach a document to an e-mail message. This handy feature allows the user to, for example, attach a spreadsheet to an e-mail message. Any type of file can be attached, such as a computer graphic, and yes, a program. These attachments arrive in your -mailbox in a separate place from your e-mail. It might be a folder, or directory, called "enclosure," "download," or "incoming."
"Now wait! I thought that e-mail was a text based world?"
It is.
"Then how is binary information sent through a channel designed for text-only?"
That involves a little "black magic" behind the scenes. When a binary file (a picture, a spreadsheet, or a program) is attached to an e-mail message, the e-mail program translates it into a text based document. It can then be sent through normal e-mail channels. The recipient’s e-mail program reverses the process, translating the file into a binary file again. This method of binary/text translation is controlled by a specification, MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), that ensures that it works across many computer platforms.
If someone sends you an executable file, that happens to be infected, it will remain dormant until you execute it. This is a good argument for running up-to-date virus protection software that will catch the intruder before it can do any harm. This software allows you to scan the new file before you run it. You cannot catch a boot-sector virus from an e-mail attachment.
Virus protection software is available from a variety of vendors for most computer platforms. As new viruses appear frequently, it is necessary to keep your protection software current. Most vendors allow you to obtain updates via the Internet.
So, run good virus protection software and don’t believe every story that comes your way.
Keep a look out for these nasty electronic microbes:
AT&T VIRUS: Every three minutes it tells you what great service you are getting.
MCI VIRUS: Every three minutes it reminds you that you’re paying too much for the AT&T virus.
PAUL REVERE VIRUS: This revolutionary virus does not horse around. It warns you of impending hard disk attack once if by LAN, twice if by C:>.
POLITICALLY CORRECT VIRUS: Never calls itself a virus, but instead refers to itself as an electronic microorganism.
TED TURNER VIRUS: Colorizes your monochrome monitor.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER VIRUS: Terminates and stays resident. It’ll be back.
GOVERNMENT ECONOMIST VIRUS: Nothing works, but all your diagnostic software says everything is fine.
FEDERAL BUREAUCRAT VIRUS: Divides your hard disk into hundreds of little units, each of which does practically nothing, but all of which claim to be the most important part of your computer.
GALLUP VIRUS: Sixty percent of the PCs infected will lose 38 percent of their data 14 percent of the time. (plus or minus a 3.5 percent margin of error.)
TEXAS VIRUS: Makes sure that it’s bigger than any other file.
ADAM AND EVE VIRUS: Takes a couple of bytes out of your Apple.
CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS #1: The computer locks up, screen splits eratically with a message appearing on each half blaming the other side for the problem.
AIRLINE VIRUS: You’re in Dallas, but your data is in Singapore.
FREUDIAN VIRUS: Your computer becomes obsessed with marrying it’s own motherboard.
PBS VIRUS: Your programs stop every few minutes to ask for money.
SEARS VIRUS: Your data won’t appear unless you buy new cables, power supply and a set of shocks.
CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS #2: Runs every program on the hard drive simultaniously, but doesn’t allow the user to accomplish anything.
CHICAGO CUBS VIRUS: Your PC makes frequent mistakes and comes in last in the reviews, but you still love it.
The school year is rapidly coming to a close and I still feel that I have a couple of thousand things to do. For some reason, I decided to complicate my life by adding a rather large addition to my house this summer. Getting that organized along with being a track coach in the spring and the president of this organization makes me long for the days when I was just teaching mathematics and actually had some time to myself.
Next year's fall conference is rounding into shape. We have over 30 sessions scheduled at this point. Yvonne Andres of the Global School Network will be our keynote speaker. She will conduct three sessions: "Harnessing the Power of the Web for Classroom Use" (1 hour 50 minutes); ThinkQuest - Scholarships and Cash Awards Can Exceed $1 Million Dollars! (50 Minutes); and Using Videoconferencing in the Classroom (50 minutes). I feel very fortunate to have someone of Yvonne’s quality coming to our conference and am looking forward to her presentations. Rumor has it that she will be providing a CD to all session attendees that will be loaded with Internet goodies. I want to thank those members and board members who helped to formulate the roster of presenters. They have committed their time to presentations and/or persuaded others to do presentations. I am attending a meeting in Billings on May 16th where we will schedule each of the sessions.
Along with the house and golf, I plan on attending NECC in Seattle this summer. The proximity of the convention this year makes it possible for many of us in Montana to attend and get recharged and updated for the upcoming school year. I hope that many of you can get there.
Stay healthy and have a great and relaxing summer vacation.
Until next time...bgundy@marsweb.com.
| Department | # | Cr | Title |
| C & I/ EDLD | 570 | 3 | Instructional Technology Foundations |
| C & I/ EDLD | 571 | 3 | Plan., Prepar. & Assessing Ed. Tech. Media |
| C & I/ EDLD | 580 | 3 | Distance Learning Theory&Implementation |
| C & I/ EDLD | 581 | 3 | Planning & Mgt. for Tech in Education or |
| C & I/ EDLD | 582 | 3 | Educational Technology: Trends & Issues |
| C & I/ EDLD | 583 | 3 | Strategic Planning for Technology or |
| C & I/ EDLD | 512 | 3 | Educational Futures |
| C & I/ EDLD | 584 | 3 | Authentic Application in Instructional Design for Technology |
1. Official transcripts of previous college work with evidence of an earned undergraduate degree.
2. Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
3. Completed application package, which includes:
Application for Graduate School, including a $30.00 application fee
Letter of application which specifies your professional and academic goals and describes your individual teaching philosophy
Professional resume of education and experience
Three letters of recommendation
David Erickson (406) 243-5318
or
Sally Brewer sbrewer@selway.umt.edu (406) 243-2563
|
