Team Chaos 2013

   GSB is a busy place.  It's hard to keep track of the all the activities our students and faculty engage in.  I'd like to use this post to highlight one activity - robotics - that is not particularly well known. It's a shame.  Robotics is a terrific activity; in fact, it's virtually the poster child for what has come to be known as 21st century learning.
   What's involved in 21st century learning?  Among the skills commonly associated with the phrase are collaborative learning, the utilization of digital technologies (hardware and software), problem solving and critical thinking.  Robotics utilizes all these skills in a competitive environment that helps students strive to do their best.
   Our school's team goes by the moniker "Team Chaos."  It's a tip of the hat to the world of robotics, a somewhat frenetic place where on-the-fly thinking is necessary and where the the competition arena can seem like a cross between a championship basketball game and Mardi Gras.
   The work begins months before the competitions when teams learn about the year's challenge.  This year, teams needed to create robots that could accomplish two skills: throw frisbees through an opening and lift themselves off the ground onto a sort of pyramidal jungle-gym.  Our team, using newly created space in the art barn, got to work.  Two faculty mentors, Len Grabowski and John Taeschler worked with upper school students and volunteer engineers.  Designs were examined and scrapped. New designs were drawn. Models were built. Tests were done.  Months later, Team Chaos, also known as Team #2458, had a working robot.
   This year's first competition was held at Mt. Olive H.S. the week-end of March 23.  Over two days, team members competed in the arena and worked in the pit area, constantly adjusting and refining the robot's mechanisms.  I stopped by on Saturday to watch the competition. The following video will give you a sense of what a First Robotics competition day is like. 

    It's worth a mention that one team member, senior Ben Brown, built an iOS app for the GSB team.  The app is searchable in the iPhone app store as "FRC 2013."  The app gives information about the First Robotics organization and specific information about GSB's robot #2458. Here's the home page:

Computers and Mobile Devices: Keeping your Device and Your Data Secure

   Let's forget about the school environment for a bit and think about your digital life outside of school.  Strong possibility there's a computer at home, or maybe two.  Could be a tablet as well.  And for most readers, there's a good chance you own a smartphone too.  All of these devices can contain sensitive, important information. Contacts, data, documents, etc. are generally important to users and not meant for public dissemination. Your devices should be secure.
   Generally, people think about the security of their computers and other mobile devices only when there is a reminder that bad things can happen.  Maybe a friend's computer was hacked. Maybe yours was infected with a virus. Maybe you lost your phone and worry about who will access the data. Or maybe, in a coffee shop, you look around and wonder if someone can use the public wireless network to somehow access your hard drive.
   Why not think about digital security now, when there is no emergency?  Here's a short list of steps you can take to practice safe, secure computing.  This list is by no means complete.  It's meant to be a place to start.  But every suggestion is easy, free (or relatively inexpensive) and important.
   Let's start with the creation of a log-in password.  All your devices should require a password to access the operating system.  Some people don't want a password on their home desktop thinking "It's only me using this computer." True....until a burglar enters. Creating a simple 4-character password will not slow you down but will slow down unwanted intruders.  (A more complicated password that has at least 8 characters and mixes letters, numbers and symbols is ideal, but may slow you down a bit.)
   Mobile devices can utilize an antitheft locator tool.  iPhones, for instance, have a "Find my iPhone" tool. Similar tools exist for android phones and tablets.  These sorts of software tools, utilizing GPS, can be very helpful to locate lost or stolen hardware.
   Run security checks on your PC. You may have third-party software designed for this purpose, or you can use Microsoft's software that is part of the operating system. In Windows 7, for instance, find the System and Security section. In the Action Center, check the security prompt. It's also a good idea to review the information in the Windows Firewall and Windows Update sections. Working with a Mac? In Systems Preferences, check the Security & Privacy section and be sure your Software Update is checked as well.
   Even modest digital consumers begin to acquire an unwieldy list of user names and passwords.  It is important to vary passwords. Additionally, passwords to access important data such as banks, credit cards, etc. should be complex.  But invariably, users realize it's virtually impossible to remember needed user names and passwords.  How can this problem be solved? There's no single solution, but one is to create a document of user names and passwords.  A spreadsheet would work well.  Then, it can uploaded to cloud storage; www.dropbox.com will work nicely. Dropbox is free up to 5 gigs of storage and is accessible with Internet access. It is password protected.  A second layer of security can be implemented by password-protecting the document with a different password.  Even if an intruder got into your Dropbox account, a second password would still be needed to open the document.  Though not perfect, it's far better than writing passwords down and putting them on a post-it under your keyboard.
   One last tip: check your antivirus software. Make sure it is relatively recent and comprehensive. I mention "recent" because newer software products have special features designed specifically to protect you while using social networks. A few top security software suites include F-Secure Internet Security 2013, Norton Internet Security (2013) and Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2013.  Prices vary, but generally figure about $50 a year. $1.00 a week for peace of mind is probably worth it to most users.
   Paying attention to basic security can help to insure a better digital experience.