One Million Gamers Banned

Microsoft XBox Live is an online community where XBox 360 players can play with and against other players all over the world. Microsoft offers this add-on service to XBox 360 owners for a yearly fee of $50.

Recently, Microsoft announced that one million XBox Live members are banned from playing for an unknown amount of time. Read this article to learn more about why they are banned, then respond to the article.

- Why are players being banned from XBox Live?

- Do you think they deserve to be banned?

- Microsoft has not said how long they will be banned. How long would be justice?

- Do you think this will help reduce the number of pirated games?

Online Job Interview?

Job interviews are a crucial part of the hiring process for most, if not all companies. A job interview is a close conversation with someone that's interested in joining the company. Interviewers get a chance to really get a feel for how the interviewee acts, reacts, thinks, and even presents his/herself. How can this be learned by the interviewer if the interview is held online? How is the interviewee able to best present his/herself in an online interview?

Read this article from TIME, and respond to the following questions:

- What are a few benefits for having online interviews? (For the interviewer AND interviewee)

- What are some disadvantages?

- What are a few tips for being in an online job interview?

- Do you think you would prefer or not prefer to be interviewed online? Why?

Post your comments by midnight Friday, October 23rd.

Cybersecurity Experts

Read this article and respond to the following questions:

- Why do you think cybersecurity is one of the most urgent priorities according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary?

- How could cybersecurity experts help protect the United States?

- What do you think are the qualities and/or skills of cybersecurity experts? What are they good at that will allow them to help protect our country?

- According to the article, what do we rely on cybernetworks for?

- Do you think cybersecurity is important? Why or why not?

DUE: midnight 10/9/09

3-D TV?

Not too long ago, we were buying our first HDTV to watch television in high definition. Recently in the news are stories about 3-D TV. Imagine watching a sporting event or your favorite sitcom where the action seems like it is coming through the TV!

Read this article about this emerging technology of 3-D TVs and discuss the following:

• When might this emerging technology find itself in homes & theaters?
• What are some setbacks to this invention that are mentioned in the article?
• What are some setbacks or problems to this technology that you can think of that are not mentioned in the article?
• Do you think consumers will want to grasp this technology? Why or why not?

Television is America's pastime. People watch incredible amounts of television everyday. New television technology can change the way millions of Americans spend their hours in their living room.

Posts due by Friday by midnight!

-Mr W.

New Semester

Welcome back students! The 242 Tech Talk blog is back from summer break and ready for more tech talk! Take this first post as an opportunity to learn how to make a comment. You will be required to comment once per week.

Make your comment to this post answering the following questions:

- Do you regularly read any blogs? If so, which ones (provide a link)?

- In your own words, what is a blog?

- How are blogs being used by people and businesses?

-Mr. Wetzel

Blogs, Blogs, Blogs!

For this week, let's just share some other interesting blogs!

I'd like you to search for a blog that seems interesting to you. Find a blog about a hobby or something you are interested in (ex: photography, motor cross, snowboarding, graphic design, football, etc.)

To search for blogs, try using one of these sites:

- www.technorati.com
- blogsearch.google.com

Once you have found one, share the URL in your comment. Tell us why you think the blog is interesting to you.

Finally, if you publish your own blog, please share it with us! Let us know what the URL is.

Happy Spring Break!

- Mr. W

Invasion of Privacy by Google?

Have you or someone you know ever used Google Maps? I use it all the time to find directions to where I'm going. Some would say it has gotten even more convenient with "Street View". With this realistic view you can see what an undiscovered area will look like when you get there. However, some people think it is an invasion of privacy. Watch the video below and tell us what you think. Is it an invasion of privacy? How can it be a useful tool? What should Google do in response?



- Mr. W

Professional Gamer?

Did you know there is a profession of gaming? Jonathan Wendel is a professional gamer who started his own company, "Fatal1ty". I did not know that there were professional gamers. It is amazing that there is so much "work" that these gamers do to excel in what they love to do.

Watch this video:


How often do you play video games? Do you think it would be a good profession? Provide something else about the gaming industry that is not mentioned in the video...

I'm sorry this post was not posted on Sunday as scheduled. (Students)- your posts will be due Saturday night at midnight. Hopefully, I will have the next new one posted on Sunday again.

Happy Blogging
-Mr.W

Dunkin' Donuts on Facebook

Facebook is a social networking website that was once used only by college students. The famous social networking website now attracts many different types of users. Are you a Facebook user? Did you know Wilmot Union High School started a Facebook group for Alumni?

Read this article and learn about how Dunkin' Donuts recently utilized Facebook to reach is thousands of fans. Do you know of any other companies using Facebook? If so, what/how are they using the website to their advantage? OR- How could companies be using Facebook?

Why do you think schools, such as Wilmot High, would want to start a group on Facebook for alumni?

Happy posting!

- Mr. W

iPods Cause Hearing Loss?

There are about 173 million iPod users out there! Are you one? Do you think that mp3 player volume levels can be dangerous to your hearing? I listen to music all of the time, but are we listening at dangerous levels that can actually cause hearing loss?

Read this article titled, "iPod Safety: Preventing Hearing Loss in Teens" then respond to the article. Here are some questions to help guide your response:

- Should manufacturers be allowed to make mp3 players that can play at dangerous levels?
- Why do you think so many people, especially teens, are unaware of the potential risk of listening to music that is too loud?
- What are some ways teens can be made more aware of the potential risks of hearing loss?
- How often do you listen to music using headphones? For how long? At what volume level? Do you think it's dangerous?

- Mr. W

Welcome to the Blog!

Welcome to 242 Tech Talk. On this blog, we will discuss a variety of topics related to technology. It might be old, new, emerging...whatever it is, it's probably cool. This blog will be used for our class to collaborate and share our thoughts with current issues, events, & inventions. Posting on this blog is a requirement for the class so be sure to follow the directions discussed in class. Don't forget to:

1. Start your post with your assigned ID # -OR- First Name, Last Initial (EX: Travis W.)
2. Contribute to the discussion. Your comments should add value to the discussion. Don't just say you "agree" or "disagree"...tell us why!
3. Post at least once per week. You should add at least one comment to each post.

Let's take a look at some examples. Let's say I post this blog entry:

"People are watching an increasing amount of video online. Users are going to places like Youtube.com and nbc.com to watch thousands of user-generated videos, full episodes, and even movies. Why do you think people are watching more video online? How does this effect ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and what might they do in response?"

Good Response Comment:
"Travis W. - I think more people are watching more video online because how convenient it is to watch what you want, when you want. If a t.v. show airs during an inconvenient time, a user can go online to watch the full episode at a better time. ISPs will have to accommodate more online video watching which will use more bandwidth and require faster speeds. ISPs might redesign their Internet packages or raise prices to make this accommodation."

Bad Response Comment:
"Johnny B. - I totally agree with travis w. i cant say it better. youtube.com is def addicting. i like 2 watch vids on ther all day."

Happy Blogging!
- Mr. W