I am often surprised about the computer games my children play. For one I would have expected them mostly to be playing games with amazing graphics, immersive sounds and digitized soundtracks. Instead many parents are peering over their children’s shoulders and seeing a game that looks like it has a 1980s graphics engine behind it. I’m talking about a game called Minecraft that many of our children are completely obsessed with.
It’s a building game, using blocks and to say it wouldn’t look out of place on a Sinclair Spectrum is not really exaggerating. The game involves creating structures and houses, places to live, places to admire and of course places to defend from zombie attacks. It’s a huge virtual world consisting of lots of different basic materials like sand, wood, metals etc. You can use these raw materials as building blocks or refine them to make other materials for constructing.
Minecraft now is a phenomenon, a game that has risen in popularity almost everywhere on the planet. The numbers playing this quirky construction game are now over 33 million – mainly boys aged 9 -16 (of course not exclusively male but the vast majority are).
But for those of us who have Minecraft obsessed kids there is hope, you see it’s supposedly educational. The game is thought to be an excellent introduction to computer programming as it can be customised using custom code written by users. Even navigating throughout the world involves inputting codes and instructions on a command line using it’s own built in operating system.
Schools everywhere are starting to use Minecraft as an inexpensive teaching resource. In the UK, the Ordnance Survey have just completed a complete map of the United Kingdom using Minecraft again available for educational use. You can download the map for free although you’ll need a computer with about 4Gb worth of disk space and plenty of RAM to run it properly. There was a TV program about this project in the BBC last week – which you should be able to access using BBC iPlayer and a British IP address. Here’s a web page explaining the process if you need help.
Simply put many of the skills children use when playing Minecraft are easily transferable into the world of IT and computers. It’s one game we probably should be encouraging our children to play more often. There’s certainly much more educational value and possibilities than many of the other online games. There’s now even an educational version which you can find here – Homepage | Minecraft: Education Edition which teaches players to code in Python. The other modules are related to other subjects and educational concepts across various disciplines. What’s more the program doesn’t need a high powered PC or games console to run on. The platform even has a version that will work on devices like Chromebooks which make it ideal to use in schools and classrooms all over the world.
There’s no end to the educational possibilities across all sorts of subject areas. There are obvious ones of course which are computer related using modules to teach programming or networking concepts like using proxies and routers. Although one of the biggest successes has been to use Minecraft in subjects like geography creating simulations of different countries and geographical features which can be explored and examined by children.
When I was young, computer technology wasn’t really taught properly in schools. There were many problems but one of the most fundamental was there was no-one able to teach the subject. Computer classes were usually ended up the responsibility of the maths teacher presumably because that was the closest subject they could find. There was little chance of learning much, when your teacher knows slightly less about the subject that you do.
Certainly there was little hope of learning any real computer skills, but at least we got the chance of some exposure at a subject that was very, very new (yes I am that old!). It wasn’t until Advanced level that I actually learnt anything about computers within the education system but by that time most of us had learnt plenty from computer clubs and magazines. In fact you’ll probably find that most older people in IT are largely self-taught, it was the only real way to learn.
In the UK even now some 30 years later there is a problem with the way which our schools teach computer technology. In my son’s school for example a moderately successful comprehensive, there is not a single teacher capable of teaching any level of computer programming. Just like many years ago the ICT curriculum is dominated by word processing, DTP, spreadsheets and databases. In reality, the latter two are largely ignored too with pupils spending hours producing simple posters, documents or graphics. Oh and of course the dreaded – internet research skills.
There is no mention of networks, of coding or how computers actually work and communicate with each other. None of the teachers are qualified or seem to have the skills in these areas. The skills they are taught are useful to a point but they do seem to be focussed on secretarial rather than developing real valuable computer skills with a real world value.
It’s not the teachers fault of course, if you look at the curriculum there is simply no need to teach pupils the fundamentals of programming for instance. It’s very heavily weighted to producing posters and documents, skills that my generation just picked up as they went along. There’s really little point spending weeks on end producing documents in order to justify an ICT slot in school. Our children could be walking out of school at 16 with Java, Networking or HTML design skills instead they know how to type a document and make a newsletter.
I recently tried to explain to a group of kids how I was able to watch British TV online when I was on holiday using a proxy server. None of them had even the slightest idea how these devices communicate and certainly not how a proxy could relay my connection through the UK. If you’re missing the BBC when abroad by the way – then check this site out British TV Online.
They were interested and engaged but you could tell they had no real knowledge in the area. The only ones who seemed to have any networking knowledge at all was those who’d spent some time getting their games to work well. Reducing the ping, lag and latency in Call of Duty seemed to be the primary driver for learning about how networks communicate. In some senses this is not important, the driver behind the desire for knowledge can really be anything. If you want to speed up your gameplay or watch Match of the Day online from the US, you’ll need to learn some networking concepts.
There needs to be a real change in how we teach technology in our schools, our current approach is just not going to cut it in the modern world. I’m sure Chinese kids won’t be walking out of school with a few posters and a basic insight in how to use Microsoft Word.
There’s a huge debate online about the future of the internet. In it’s infancy one of the most important concepts about the web was that it was completely open and not controlled by any single power. In those early days that was pretty much fine, whilst a few of us connected using our 14.4k modems and used geeky tools like Archie, Gopher and Telnet to navigate our way around the various web sites that were available. For the first few years I can scarcely remember a block or filter of any kind even to important resources. Now it’s pretty routine, I was even blocked from watching Match of the Day online because I’d travelled out of the country for a few days.
But those days have long gone now, the web is big business and is much easier to use. Sit a toddler down at an online computer and point them at a games web page and pretty soon they’ll be surfing around the internet whilst playing Pacman in a minimized window. The web is now truly global and for many has become an intrinsic part of our every day lives.
But this of course makes people nervous, the web is not always used for nice stuff. Sure you can do your online banking and search for the cheapest utility prices, whilst chatting to your friends. But bad people also use the web – criminals, thieves, hackers and paedophiles all have their own online communities. You can visit web sites were people openly buy and sell stolen credit and debit cards, all hosted in some far off land where the police will happily turn a blind eye. The bad guys love the web too.
In countries like China and Iran, the ruling powers are also not overly keen on the ’free speech’ element it allows. Places like this already have a heavily filtered and censored version of the internet, the authorities blocking access to discussions and topics they’d rather you not view. The reality is that in countries like this, someone else has control about what you can do online.
In Iceland for example the ruling government has decided that they don’t want people to access pornography online, you can read here about their efforts. You might agree with this stance, however again it is allowing a government to decide what ordinary people should be allowed to use the web for. Remember governments come and go, each one with different ideologies and beliefs. Is the next Government going to be religious and ban all access to gay or atheists sites for example.
There are of course some serious technical difficulties with controlling access to something as widely distributed as the internet. Many believe that it is actually technically impossible for any one nation to control all access without blocking the internet completely and replacing it. It is why such filtering that the Icelandic Government are contemplating is such a bad idea. People who want to download such items will simply use advanced proxies and VPNs to download their pornography, including the criminal stuff. In effect you’ll only censor the people who don’t mind being censored, all the while slowing down access for everyone.
That’s not to say that even these efforts can be blocked if you spend enough money and throw enough resources at it. The Great Firewall of China for example heavily controls all access to the internet from China, heavily filtering or blocking many sites completely. On a smaller lever, most media sites online try and control access to who can watch their content. Over the last few years the BBC has started to block proxies and VPNs in order to enforce it’s own geo-targeting efforts.
We all have our own opinions on these issues, but whatever yours it’s worth getting involved with the debate. All countries are considering their options so make sure your opinions get heard is filtering is to be implemented at an ISP near you.
Web design prices for blogs can be incredibly cheap depending on which designer you choose. However some of the best ones can also be ridiculously expensive but if you have the time it’s something that most of us can do to a reasonable level. Even if you think you don’t need a website, it’s worth encouraging your children to explore this interest. If you want to improve their IT skills then this is something you need to consider. Designing, setting up and running your own website can save you money but also allows you to develop useful skills. After all, the world is slowly being run by computers so it is important for teenagers to develop IT skills early and one of the best ways to do this is to set up their own blog or website.
You may be surprised to find your children already have some sort of online presence. Many teenagers will have social media pages, some will even have YouTube or TikTok channels. Setting up a website or blog is just the next step, where they can improve those skills and expand on them. You can even use the two to complement each other, most successful websites will have a corresponding social media page and vice versa.
The Early Obstacles
At first, people get enthusiastic with the low initial costs. The common cost for a domain name these days is roughly $10. Upon seeing such prices most teenagers feel confident to pursue this endeavour only to start hitting one wall after another. First they’ll stumble upon the costs for yearly hosting, which can reach up to $200. Unless they have a part time job they won’t be able to sustain that except if they opt for blogging platforms with free hosting.
There are options to lower these costs though, you can even find some free hosting options like WordPress and Blogger although they do come with some limitations. The important thing to remember that you can upgrade and switch options like this if your site requires it. At the beginning though, the cheapest, simplest option is usually sufficient for most needs.
If you want something specific and technical you may not find a WordPress option that works, but it’s fairly unusual. A more technical site that provides some sort of direct interface like web scraping for things like finding hotels or even fast proxies may need something coding from scratch.
The Big Hurdle
The real issue though is with the web design prices. Even for a simple blog the base web design prices could cost at least a few hundred dollars. That is for a static website with no logo design, Flash integration, and special plug-ins. That might sound like a lot, especially for young teenagers just eager to get started, but there are ways around it.
Teenagers can instead work with free platforms like WordPress. These platforms will still require some work to get the most out of them, especially with minor upgrades and some design customization, but they are the cheapest a teenager can afford. There’s no problem using platforms like these though, some of the world’s biggest sites are also built on top of a Content Management system (CMS) like WordPress.
Easier, Affordable Solutions
As mentioned above, teens need to get acquainted with the online world as soon as possible. With pretty much every business nowadays already focusing on online business models, it is a good idea to introduce basic web design and blogging. Web design prices might be a bit too high for a young teen but there are things you can do to keep the costs low.
What’s great about building using something like WordPress is that the basics are really taken care for you. You can literally design and make live a web site in under an hour. Creating something visible online reasonably quickly is important for encouraging young people. There’s limitless opportunities for improving a site but a basic WordPress install with a simple theme should look pretty good straight away. Encouragement early on will pay dividends and drag them away from YouTube or watching TV online all day !
Everything you do online is based on one important piece of information, your IP address. This is your number on the internet and at any one point in time is unique to you and you alone. The full name is Internet Protocol address and you’ve probably seen this series of numbers like 192.1.1.1. In fact every single device, every laptop, phone or tablet has an IP address when it’s connected to the internet.
The address is used by lots of people online in a variety of ways. In places like China and Iran, your IP address might lead to a knock on the door by the police if you post the wrong thing online. In any country, what do you online can be traced back to your computer using this address. Logs are stored all across the internet in the memory of routers, at your ISP or the logs of the web sites you visit – all of them contain your unique IP address.
Of course unless you live in a place like Iran and are not some sort of cyber criminal – then perhaps this is not a concern for you. Many people of course are concerned by this lack of privacy and even people in democratic nations are concerned about the lack of privacy there is online. These people and of course those with something to hide will generally use proxy servers to hide behind a fake ip and keep in the shadows.
Other people will use these servers to hide their IP address for other reasons. Sometimes web sites block access to people outside a specific country. Take for example popular media site like Hulu, will only allow access to their site if you have an American IP address. Many videos uploaded on YouTube are only accessible from specific locations again based on the IP address you are using. Another popular example is the BBC who have one of the best media and TV sites in the world, again restricted by location. Although millions do use a VPN to watch the BBC despite their efforts to block access.
In reality a whole host of people are learning about and using VPNs and proxy servers for a wide variety of reasons. It’s not just hackers and dissident protesting against despotic regimes. It’s also worth investigating this area if you’re running any sort of online business as multiple IP addresses may be useful for market research and promoting your web sites.
Although people have been using these methods for many years to watch things like UK TV, I personally have been doing this for about 14 years now. You would have expected some pushback from all the companies who instigated these restrictions in the same place. They’re do this for a variety of reasons but mostly it’s two – copyright restrictions or profit maximization, sometimes a mixture of both. Many firms now implement anti-proxy or VPN blocking technology but nobody has figured out a way to block them completely. The Chinese Government invest a fortune trying to restrict all VPNs and haven’t yet succeeded completely either.
The next generation of proxies and VPNs are set to be even more sophisticated at hiding their tracks. The weak point of any of these proxies is the IP address, so newer proxies usually operate by loading addresses from a vast central pool. This means that they can switch between different IPs and classifications as required.
Google has just announced that it is to donate over 15,000 microcomputers to schools across the United Kingdom and Ireland (check this) . They have set up an organisation called the Raspberry Pi Foundation which is donating the innovative Raspberry Pi mini computer. They hope to inspire the younger generation into careers as programmers, developers and other technology areas.
The Raspberry Pi is a wonderful little invention which has already been extremely successful.
It’s basically just a pared down computer sold on a card no bigger than your credit card for a cut down price. It has a tiny CPU, 256 MB Ram and even a Video GPU. It’s probably similar to a Pentium 3 in todays processing power, but obviously needs external disk drives, monitors and other peripherals.
The idea is that the device is cheap and affordable and helps people learn more about the technology underlying modern day computers. The problems today’s younger generations have is that although they are adept at using the latest technology, they rarely understand it. When I grew up computers were much harder to use, you had to have some programming knowledge to get them to work. The hours spent typing in computer programs was tedious at times but at least you learnt something.
The Raspberry Pi isn’t meant to be a powerhouse of a computer, raw processing power is to some extent irrelevant. It’s a technological building block which can be used at the centre of any number of IT projects. In some senses it reminds me of the Arduino kits which are relatively sophisticated electronic kits, a step up from the old meccano and lego kits from earlier times.
So what are the sort of projects people are using the Raspberry Pi’s for ? Well of course the most obvious is to build it into a large full sized computer. Other projects ideas include using it at the core of a home automation system, smart TVs for the BBC and many people use them to create retro gaming machines. Others are linking them to devices on the web to create various Bots and even proxies too. There’s literally no end to the possibilities that this little device can be used from to learn and create at the same time.
Of course this generous donation won’t be much use without specialist teachers who can use these devices in their classrooms. Fortunately Google is also sponsoring some ICT Teacher training also as part of this release. The standard of ICT teaching in the UK has been very limited, mainly restricted to using applications rather than any programming or network skills. My own son informed me his own teacher had little knowledge outside spreadsheets and word processors. He would have to look up information is anything like programming, macros, or this site to check on proxies – http://thenewproxies.com/ or other networking information.
Using computers and modern technology to help disadvantaged youths have a better chance in life and understand the consequences of anti social behaviour is an idea that can really make a difference.
Getting the funding to take group trips and other such things is beyond the means of most programmes so being able to let people ’see the world’ through the computer screen and get an idea of different cultures as well as seeing places that they can aspire to get to. Seeing areas of natural beauty can also show what antisocial behaviour, littering and pollution might effect.
Being able to see these things and having the opportunity to broaden their horizons can inspire and influence positive change and give these people the opportunity to choose the right paths in life and avoid situations that may present themselves that could ruin their lives. By educating the youth in this manner they can have a positive effect on their peers hopefully creating a knock on effect of better attitudes.
Such sites as this here accessible with an advanced proxy service of some type, help to show that with hard work and the right attitude you can get to places like this and get a good job. It also helps to promote the idea of getting out into the country and living a more active lifestyle which can lead to better long term health for them as well.
Travelling and Exploring Online Can Be Fun
The internet has transformed the way we can explore the planet. For those who where without the means to jump on airplanes, learning about distant lands was restricted to books and TV. Although these are obviously a great form of education too, there’s now some amazing options available online in comparison. Many schools in the UK even supplement their teaching through the resources. For example the BBC’s educational resources are invaluable particularly the Bite Size site which mirrors much of the UK schools curriculum. Unfortunately much of this is only available in the UK, though you can use a VPN to fool the BBC of your location which works fine in 2021.
There’s another resource which is arguably the most impressive educational resource ever created though – most amazing site – Google Earth
It’s described as the world’s most detailed globe, a bold claim that in truth comes nowhere near to describing this wonderful resource. Not only can you select, spin and explore the planet from a computer screen – you can in fact almost walk the streets, roads and paths themselves. Most developed locations, you can even zoom into something called Street view level where you can do a virtual walk around the area. The picture below is the zoom level above this, but is great for picking specific locations – here’s a random zoom in on Mzilikazi school in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Obviously this has the potential to make subjects like Geography and History much more interesting. You can zoom in and examine the exact places or location all over the planet. Remember it’s entirely free, although you can buy special access and it works fine anywhere without the need for any sort of elite proxy or VPN.
The initial cost for the technology to do this can be affordable by shopping about, getting deals and looking for reconditioned computers so is manageable as a solution for antisocial behaviour and helping disadvantaged youths.
How best to develop your skills? A question that many people ask themselves and more often than not give up after struggling to find the answer. Well, if you are serious then having the perseverance to continue and actually find the best tool to develop your skills is important.
Having computer skills is of course a huge advantage in many areas of life. If you’re looking for employment or just studying then being able to use a computer will be of great benefit. Many jobs now stipulate a certain level of proficiency in at least basic computer skills. Using a computer is now as useful as basic levels of English and maths to the majority of employers.
There’s no need for anyone to miss out on these skills though, even if they don’t have a lot of knowledge about computers. Anyone can learn about computers and you don’t need to be some sort of nerdy geek to get real computer based skills to put on that CV. The best part of gaining skills in technology is that they’re very well suited to being delivered online. You can potentially become a computer expert by never leaving home (although we don’t recommend this!). There are classes online of all sorts of levels in computer skills available for free.
Have a look at these for instance –
The ODIN Project – well respected courses supported by a huge number of talented volunteers. Learn most programming and web development languages here with nearly 80,000 others.
MIT Open Courseware – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is of course a world renowned university. However did you know that thousands of it’s courses are available free online to non-students. Sure you don’t get the Degree but the knowledge is all there to access, have a look and see what interests you.
Code Wars Over 30 programming languages delivered in an innovative way using martial arts style progression. Lots of people love this site and have started successful careers in IT from this resource alone.
Solo Learn – currently supporting about 12 computer programming languages but has thousands of lessons and quizzes. There’s quite a lot of mobile components so you can learn on your smart phone too.
For the majority of businesses these days computers are an important way to function whether it is getting information out and interacting with customers, sales or research having computer skills is very important in most businesses. Not only can it help in your work but it’s also useful to use as market research particularly when combined with appropriate tools such as a decent proxy server for example.
Finding courses to learn the basics or maybe take you up to the next level will significantly improve your chances of getting a job or progressing in the one that you already have. If you have problems accessing any of these course or the thousands of others online based on your location – then simply hide your IP address. You can do this by using a proxy server as mentioned previously, they’re not expensive and can unlock content that might be blocked to you previously. They’re also great for watching Hulu, YouTube and the BBC if you get the right ones.
These skills will stand you in good stead and with them you will be able to work on websites for things as diverse as aquariums to 5 star luxury lodges and being able to work on such a wide and varied selection will also be another impressive string to your bow on your CV.
It is always important for us to try to improve at whatever we are doing and with the way the computers and technology are constantly changing and updating it will be well worth your time and effort to take the steps to stay up to date and further your career possibilities.
Ask almost any college student if they experienced the “Freshman 15”, and there is most likely a resounding “yes” as an answer to that question. This well-known phenomenon occurs to most students who go away to school and live in a dorm. It of course, relates to average weight gain of a student during their first year in college. It’s a surprisingly high amount considering the majority of college students are young with faster metabolisms. I’d hate to see the averages for mature students who have metabolisms like me !
It’s still a large rise though so why? There are a lot of reasons why this happens and how it relates to way we conduct education in 2021.
For a lot of students, the school cafeterias offer an all-you-can-eat style buffet with an assortment of different foods to suit your specific mood. Couple this with collegiate-style partying which includes mass quantities of beer and alcohol and little time to exercise, and most students will gain fifteen pounds or more during their freshman year of college. In passed times, there use to be a lot of TV watched during the day too although we can probably replace that with the internet nowadays.
Although many people do take part in lots of physical activity during their college years particularly if their course is linked in some way to sports. For many people their activity levels will drop to be replaced with study. When you’re younger it’s relatively easy to fit in sports like running and football between school times, a college course may be more demanding. It’s not a good idea to tone back physical exercise to this extent but unfortunately it does happen to a lot of students.
Students who take online courses, however, don’t typically have this problem. Not only do they manage to avoid the party animal mentality, but they manage to stay healthy and fit as well.
Perhaps, then, distance learning through an online education can be a great way to get your college degree and avoid gaining unwanted pounds. Add a workout routine to your school work, and you have a recipe for success in maintaining a healthy physique. While you are online, read some workout plan reviews to determine which ones will meet your needs the best.
All colleges now have fantastic internet access and there’s no limit to what you can do online. You can even take different courses online from other Universities, try different languages by using the internet. Even enjoy news and documentaries from the BBC simply by routing through a British IP proxy to hide your IP address. Obviously you have to be careful in accessing courses which are restricted to specific locations. You can use next gen proxies to bypass these restrictions and access the course but it won’t help when you have to attend the graduation !
A good review to read is the insanity workout review, as it can be a wonderful, comprehensive workout program that is condensed into the little time students usually have between their social lives and their studies. You should be able to squeeze in a high intensity workout and still have time for your online classes, all the while avoiding the freshman 15. You will be the fittest, best looking college freshman around, no questions asked!
No doubt that proper education is amongst the important needs of the humans to be human! Usually the activity involving spreading education is situated partly about the government and to some extent on the non-public organizations It is evident that websites making use of templates just as one educational instrument to understand web design faster as compared to everything else. Nevertheless to take the things effectively to the readers or pupils your websites must be designed with better of education web templates! Realize some of the major options that come with your styles that you need to choose for building the education website:
Therefore the header of the education web templates have to retain the best information the sites desire to present. There may be several little animated graphics to pull more consideration in the student cum website visitors. Every one of the education web templates have to be well-managed while using wording data. Generally there should not be lot of info where the actual visitors will certainly sense insufficient excitement in learning! As well as the positioning from the news or the unique statement solar panels must be best, in order that readers find it easily successfully. In some ways it’s very similar to designing an advert for a TV commercial or magazine. Most of the time you have a similar time scale to make an impact, many web visitors will have short attention spans.
If you’re struggling for design ideas or concepts then one way to spark some inspiration is to look at your competitors in similar fields. Depending on the niche these could give some great ideas, particularly if you’re trying to aspire to competing with these sites. If you look carefully and analyse their sites you can pick up a great deal of information. Indeed many marketing firms often use these high tech proxies to scrape data from sites in order to build a more accurate picture. By using these proxies you can not only hide your identity but see how the sites are displayed to different sorts of visitors. Most successful sites will geo-redirect – show different looks/views depending on your physical location. Without using proxies you won’t be able to see these views.
The education web templates should be with scopes to include the fun learning methods. Make sure you verify that you can modify the education web design templates and try to select for your own websites. There may be many functions or even would be the advertisements that are involving university student actions or perhaps the education that have to become applied inside individual’s templates. Consequently penny percent customization service has to be right now there with each layout. The above are the significant popular features of education web templates which make utilizing templates being an educational instrument to master web design. Besides those characteristics you ought to check if your layouts can be used using free technologies or not.
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