GEM 5 Cyber Law by Aimee M. Bissonette Chapter 8 Ethical Issues

This chapter takes the focus from legal issues of use of the Internet to ethical issues.  It discusses cyber ethics and ethics training.

Three issues are discussed that relate to cyber ethics.  Three scenarios are given where the use of cyber ethics are questionable.  The first scenario discusses the inappropriate use of school resources by the students, teachers, staff, and administration.  The second scenario deals with schools allowing commercial entities to have access to the school systems where the students will be working.  The example given, Zap Me, exposes the students to multiple ads as well as collects information, such as student's age, sex, and zip code, about each student that can make it unsafe for the students.  The third scenario is just flat out violence that students are taping and posting on the Internet.  Teens are so  impressed by these videos that they create their own in which they commit criminal acts and are not making good ethical decisions about their behavior and what they are putting on line.

The next section was ethics training which discusses some ways to prevent these ethical issues from occurring.  It expresses the need for all people who use computers and the Internet to be aware of these ethical issues and to receive proper training to prevent them from occurring.  When students first begin to use a computer and then go on to use the Internet is the best time for them to begin to use the ethical use of the computer.  Teachers need to discuss with their students ethical behaviors when they use the computer as well as working these issues into instruction, assignments, and assessments so that the students are well aware of the correct behavior expected of them when using the computer and the Internet.  The teachers need to be well aware of technology and the ethical use of it so that they can pass it on to their students.  The book has a gray box that would be good to make into a poster and post by the computers.  It is on page 85 and is called the "Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics.  I think that this would be a good visual reminder for students to see that would help them to develop an understanding of the ethical use of computers.

GEM 4 Cyber Law by Aimee M. Bissonette Chapter 5 The School as an Internet Service Provider

This chapter talked about the importance of schools providing Internet service to their students.  It began by talking about how the Navajo nation, rural schools, African American, Hispanics, those living in poverty, and those who are disabled have low access to the Internet through the schools.  It explains how it is vitally important for all of these students to have access to the Internet because it is such a big part of life in the United States today.  Students are expected to have computer skills as they enter college and many jobs require the use of computers so all students should have access to computers so that they can at least develop basic skills.

The second issue the chapter discusses is the ability of students to access sexually explicit material.   It talked about the use of filtering software but also explained how in high school this may be set low so that students can access more information they may need.  The danger of this is that students may come across inappropriate websites as well.  Schools were forced to use filtering systems through the Children's Internet Protection Act in order to receive E-Rate funding.  Schools must avoid over filtering though because if they do not it may impede the educational process and could expose them to lawsuits.  On the other hand, if they do not keep a close eye on their filtering system and students access inappropriate web sites they could be exposed to law suits so it is a fine line school have to tow in providing Internet service to their students.

The role of the school is to provide as many students as possible with access to the Internet.  They can not provide all students without home access to the Internet but those that they can do should receive a rich computer and Internet experience.  The book suggests that schools should build computer skills into the curriculum and and provide software that provides critical-thinking skills and how to use a computer as well as drill and practice software.  Another suggestions for schools is that they establish a computer take-home programs for their students.  In allowing students to have this access to the Internet they need to establish a balanced filter system that will allow the students to access the things they may need while also protecting them from inappropriate sites.  They should have strictly written policies that students must follow in order to use the schools computers and Internet service.  Teacher need to closely monitor their students to be sure they are not going to these inappropriate places and that they are using if for what was intended.  Teachers need to instruct their students in how to access and use the Internet appropriately.  They should also address the issue of Internet safety with their students so that they learn how to safely access information and avoid those sites that would not be appropriate.  They  should be taught how to access the sites they will want to use and what they should do if they ever come across an inappropriate site.  These things should be taught to children beginning at an early age.  It is important for students to learn how to recognize these inappropriate content and understand how to respond to this content in the safest way.

GEM 3 Cyber Law by Aimee M. Bissonette Chapter 4 Privacy and Security

This chapter focuses on the privacy of students.  Information on students is obtained, stored, and accessed electronically on computers.  Other staff members can often obtain information on any student in the school easily through this system.  Another concern is student information posted on Websites that can be accessed by anybody.  This chapter talks about the privacy law, records storage and retention, information sharing among staff, student self-disclosure, and the schools role in addressing privacy concerns.

The privacy law that student privacy is based on is the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974.  This law dictates how schools can use, store, and disseminate students educational records electronically and who they can allow access to these records.  Schools must notify parents and obtain consent from parents before posting or disclosing private information about students where other people can see it.

This law also affects how schools school and retain records because students and parents must have access to this information if they choose to see it.  Schools are required to provide this information if asked so they must have ways so that the students and parents can easily access the information.  If schools choose to use electronic resources to keep these kinds of records they need to find an adequate way to back up these records in case they are lost.

It continues on to talk about information sharing among staff.  Most teachers understand their limitations on sharing student information with people outside of the school but are not as aware of their limitations within the school.  Teachers are not allowed to share student information with other teachers or staff members.  The other staff members have no legal rights to this information, even grades, so it is not legal for teachers to share this information even within the school community.

Another concern is student self-disclosure.  Many students will disclose personal information online through surveys, contests, and games.  Some sites require parental permission but only for children 13 yrs. old and younger.  Most students do not understand that these sites lead to marketing schemes or even possibly identify theft.  This information on chat rooms can lead to the students talking to people on line that may cause them harm.  This section concludes by discussing the formation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPA) whose purpose is to police websites directed to children.

Finally, the chapter defines the school's role in addressing privacy concerns.  It stress's the importance of school formulating plans to address inappropriate disclosure of information by the school, information sharing among teachers and staff, and student self-disclosure.  The inappropriate disclosure of information by the school can be addressed by strictly following the FERPA's guidelines by getting consent from the parents right at the beginning of the year.  Another way to address this is by drafting policies related to disclosure and giving the  parents the opportunity to opt out of this policy.  To guard against information sharing among teachers and staff the school can educate its teachers on the policies of FERPA.  The school can also have its IT department install password-protected screen savers so that other teachers can not access each others information about their students.  Teachers can also be educated on how to send communications with limited student information.  To prevent student self-disclosure students need to be educated about the risks and dangers of disclosing their personal information on line. 

GEM 2 Cyber Law by Aimee M. Bissonette Chapter 3 Staff Use of the Internet

This chapter talked about the misuse of the Internet by teachers and staff.  It gave examples of a superintendent, a teacher and a substitute teacher that misused the Internet.  It discussed the issue of the right of free speech for teachers and staff.  This right is based on certain things such as if the speech occurred in class or off duty, if the it was expressed on the school's Internet service, if it was on a protected topic, or of it disrupted the workplace.  The school can restrict the speech of teachers when on campus and have been watching off-campus use closely as well.  There is still question on how much control schools can have over teachers and staff on the off-campus use of free speech on the Internet.  The courts are split over just how much control the schools have.

The next part of the chapter talks about the schools role in avoiding the misuse of the Internet by teachers and staff.  Schools can help to avoid this problem by communicating with their administrators, teachers, and staff the expectations of on-campus use of the Internet as well as the expectations for off-campus use.  The chapter suggests having clearly written policies for the administrators, teachers, and staff to follow and to make sure that they understand it as well.  It is also important for the schools to enforce these polices.

The chapter concludes by restating that the teacher and staffs use of the Internet and on-campus speech can be restricted by law.  The school can define their Internet system as a limited forum system which will restrict its use to educational purposes.  The law is much more unclear on the use of the Internet use and free speech of administrators, teachers, and staff when they are off-campus.  The school system has to put more thought into how to monitor the off-campus use of the Internet and free speech of its employees.

GEM 1 Cyber Law by Aimee M. Bissonette Chapter 2 Students Use of the Internet

This chapter talked about the issues that surround the students inappropriate use of the Internet and then the school's role in preventing this inappropriate use.

The primary issue that is addressed is the issue of free speech.  If students publish inappropriate things on the Internet can something be done without violating the students right to free speech.  The chapter talks about U.S. courts ruling that students do have the right to free speech but there are certain limits within they must work.  Schools have the right through case law to restrict students speech as long as they are on school grounds.  Case law also gives the school the right to restrict students speech if it will disrupt the classroom or invade someone else's rights.  They can restrict this speech much easier when the students are on student grounds then when they are off.

As far as on campus use schools can restrict the use of the Internet because they are the ones who pay for and maintain the services.  By declaring a limited forum school can place reasonable restrictions on students use of speech on the Internet.  This can include obscene, profane, rude and any speech that could cause damage to the school.

Off campus inappropriate use of speech is a little harder for schools to deal with and sometimes they just have to let it go.  They have no legal recourse if things were taped off school grounds and posted on line without fear of violating the free speech of the student.  The only type of off campus inappropriate speech schools can respond to and not have to fear being sued is if the speech threatens violence or just refers to violence.

The school's role in preventing this type of inappropriate use of the Internet and inappropriate speech is to first to create and enforce strict policies about appropriate conduct while the students are at school and using their systems.  The second role is to educate the students about appropriate use and conduct of the Internet when they are not at school.  It is the school's role to educate the students in the proper use of the Internet, both in school and out of school, to help them understand the proper use of the Internet.  Students need to understand the appropriate use of this resource so that they can exercise their right of free speech but in a way that is appropriate and not harmful to others.Schools need to teach the students the long term effects of the things they post on the Internet and how it will effect them as well as others.

Cyber Law by Aimee M. Bissonette Chapter 1 Cyberbullying

I am connecting this chapter to Chapter 6 "Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues" in the Williamson book.  Cyberbullying is one of the negative issues that has to be dealt with when using technology.  Students will use various types of technology to bully other students.  Chapter 1, "Cyberbullying" in Bissonette's book deals with this issue.

The chapter starts out by talking about what cyberbullying is and the different forms that teachers need to watch for in how it will occur.  The tools that can be used to accomplish cyberbullying are listed as well which are cell phones, e-mail, instant messaging, personal Web sites, and social-networking sites.  These are only a few of the tools that are available to students to use.  The chapter goes on to talk about the law and cyberbulliying and how schools should intervene when it occurs in the school.  It tells about the role of the school and discusses  policies that should be put in place.  I thought it was interesting that it said not to implement zero-tolerence policies because it would discourage parents and student from reporting it.  This section goes on to explain how to form a good cyberbullying policy. 

I feel that this chapter gives a good overview of cyberbullying and what to look for.  This is a growing problem as the world and classroom become more and more focused on technology.  It is important to be aware of the situation and know what to look for and ways to deal with the situation so that the problem gets taken care of and does not continue on because of a student being afraid to tell.  I think that I can use this information to first help myself understand the issues but I think I would like to make it a focal point of my class if they were going to being using all of these forms of technology.  I want to help them understand how it makes others feel and teach them that what they do on line does have an impact on others even if they do not realize it because they do not have that physical contact.  I want to look at it just like back in the good old days where students were calling others name and threating others in person and bullying them way we taught them this was inappropriate behavior.  Well now we just have to move those lessons to incorporate technology as well.

Teaching with digital images by Glen L. Bull Chapter 1 incorporating digital images in instruction

I am incorporating this chapter with chapter 3 "Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum" in the Williamson book.  Chapter 1 of this book talks about ways to incorporate digital images into the curriculum and guidelines for using these images in lessons.  It also relates the ISTE standards to lessons with digital images in it.

The chapter starts out by talking about the importance of digital images.  Many students are very visual learners and by using digital images the teacher is taking this in to account and helping the students understand the lesson using visual images to help them. The chapter gives suggestions for incorporating digital images into the curriculum for science, language arts, math, and social studies.  It explains how these are relevant to each subject to aid the students in learning.  After explaining the use in the curriculum the chapter goes on to give a framework in which to follow to help add digital images to lessons.  It gives four phases which are acquire images, analyze images, create image-based works, and communicate ideas for understandings.  Another useful part to this chapter is that is takes these four phases and relates them to the ISTE NETS for students so that I can understand what standards fit with each phase. 

I think this chapter gives a teacher a good overview of how digital images can fit into the curriculum that is being taught.  It shows that this tool is universal and can be used in any subject as a benefit to your students.  I like how it lays the whole idea out and then explains how it applies in the classroom so that you can get a start from the things they say to begin to incorporate the digital images into your lessons
and then as I get more comfortable with the tool then I can come up with more creative ways to use them in my lessons and activities.

Teaching with Wikis. Blogs, Podcasts & More by Kathleen Fitzgibbon Chapter 7 Visual Recording

I am relating this chapter to Chapter 3 "Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum" in the Williamson book.  Chapter 7 discusses implementing visual recording in the classroom.

This chapter basically gives ideas on how to implement digital cameras, digital moviemaking, and webcabs into lessons and activities.  It gives detailed direction on materials, procedures, ideas for future lessons, and some additional activities that can also be incorporated. 

I really like this book.  I think that it would be a good resource to have for people with limited technological ability.  It will help to give a beginning point for which you can begin to incorporate visual recording into your classroom.  As I would begin to do this I would have ideas on how to use it in a lesson while I was becoming more familiar with it and then as I became more comfortable with doing these things I could come up with ideas on my own.  I chose to look at chapter 7 for this blog but I think that it would be beneficial for me to have because it covers so many of the technologies that would help me to get started with using them in my classroom and not have to try to learn  how to use them and figure out ideas off the top of my head to incorporate the technologies.

Wikis for School Leaders by Stephanie D. Sandifer Chapters 2, 7

I  have related these chapters to chapter 1 in the Williamson book "Technology Operations and Concepts."  As I read these chapters I became more familiar with the Wiki and how some other operating systems work with the Wiki.

Chapter 1 talked about what wiki's were and some of the features and uses for it.  It talked about how anyone can edit a Wiki unless it is restricted to registered users.  It talked about how easy it is to edit a Wiki and how easy they are to use.  It talks about the two types of wikis, public and enterprise, and what the differences and limitations there are to both of them.  It goes open to explain the difference between wikis, google docs, and blogs and how each one can be used.  It gives a good explanation about the strengths of each one and which would be best to use for different purposes you may have.  I read chapter 7 because the end of chapter 1 said that it would talk about other tools that could be used and how they support and extend Wikis.  The tools chapter 7 talked about in relationship to Wiki are Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and Forms, Google Presentations, Blogs, Twitter, Social Networking, Social Bookmarking, RSS Feed Aggregators, and Live Broadcasting and Web  Conferencing.  There are many ways that Wiki can be useful in the classroom and this talked about all of these different ways that Wiki could be used with these different sources to expand the capabilities of it.

I can see how these tools could be useful in the classroom.  I would have to become much more comfortable with each one before I would want to incorporate them in my own class.  There are so many applications and different combinations that could be used it is a little overwhelming to me to think about trying to learn all of them.  It would definitely be a process that I would have to take on gradually over time.

Curriculum 21 by Heidi Hayes Jacobs Chapter 2 Upgrading the Curriculum

As I read this chapter I related it to Chapter 2 in the Williamson book called, "Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences."  The chapter in Jacobs book deals with helping teachers to upgrade their curriculum to match that of what students experience today.  Technology is a big part of that and so this chapter deals with helping teachers begin this process.

Jacob's suggestion is that they start small and focus on one aspect.  The one aspect she suggests is assessment in the curriculum and this is where they began.  In order to make teachers more comfortable about this process, they simply target assessments and gradually worked the change into the curriculum.  The plan from here was to move on to content reviews and then replace them followed by connecting the upgrades to the assessments and content and applying them to the skills.  The main focus of this chapter was focused on  upgrading the assessment process.  It further defined the different assessments it was referring to.  Jacob's gives a step by step process which can be followed in making these chances so that teachers are trained in the use of these assessments and understand how they are to be used.  It is a gradual change so that all the teachers can feel comfortable with it and not like it was just dump on them.  This system makes it more a partnership among the teachers implementing the changes rather than an individual undertaking that may seem overwhelming to some teachers.

This procedure would benefit me greatly because I am one of those who am not over technologically literate.  I would be overwhelmed trying to make these changes myself because I would not even know where to begin.  Having some straight forward guidelines and instruction on how to make they changes and implement them from others who work with technology better and understand how to use it would help me not to resist the change so much.

Adam Hotchkiss presentation

I thought his presentation was very informative.  He broke down the roles of leadership and management that really helped to show the dividing point.  I liked out he started out with the leadership role and when he got to how to implement he said that this was where the management role picked up.  I think this helped better define the roles and where the division is then just listing what each one does.  He really did a good just laying out the process of creating a technology plan and all the work that goes into it.  I had just looked at the process a little more closely because it was what Kassie and my PEARL was about today.  It made it a little more interesting because I understood what he was talking about as we went along.

I also thought it was interesting to hear what was going on at CAK.  My internship will start there on Oct. 28 and know I have a little bit of an overview on where they stand with technology.  It is kinda of fun to learn new things about places which directly relate to you.

Professional Developement Presentation

Polly Brake came in today and talked to us about her professional development program at Grace Christian Academy.  I think that it was interesting that she pointed out how these programs do not just appear over night.  It had taken years for here to get the program where it is today.  It has occurred in steps where when she was hired in she pretty much was creating the program on her own.  I thought it was interesting how she talked about when she finally realized she did not have to create the program all on her own it started to take a little bit of a different direction.  It took someone pointing out her class was boring to help her look in other directions.  I think that is something to remember when we have our own classrooms and to not take every negative comment as a put down and become defensive.  How will we know something needs fixed if someone does not tell us.  We need to look at these comments and instead of becoming defensive analyze it and see if there is something we need to change.  This lead to them getting smart boards, promethean boards, and mimios so that interest may be raised in the students about the lessons if they could be interactive with the lesson.  Another point she made that I think is important to remember is that she said this is still a work in progress.  They have the technology available but there is still training to be done with the teachers so that they can get the most out of these boards.  I like the fact that she is providing this training and not just saying to the teachers here are the boards and expecting them to figure everything out about how to use them.

The Socially Networked Classroom by William Kist Chapter 1 The Writing is on the Screen

I am very new to all of these types of technology that can be incorporated into the classroom.  I choose Chapter 1 in this book to get a basic overview of social networking and the types that most people are using today.  I am relating this to Chapter 1 in the Williams book where he talks about be familiar with the technology and concepts available.

I think the author made is point very well about the impact social networking has on society outside the classroom.  His introduction gave examples of how people are always communicating with people they are not with no matter where they are or what they are doing.  He is trying to show how much apart of society social networking really is.  I am not as familiar with all of the social networking that is available.  I have a cell phone but I do not even use that a whole lot.  It is more for emergencies or just making a quick call home.  I very rarely and text and even when I do I am not very good at it.  The terminology and terms section talked about several of the social networking web sites that are available.  He explained what some of them were which gave me a little better understanding of them.  As you know I am one of those that would be more hesitant about incorporating technology into the classroom but part of that is because I do not understand or know how to use a lot of it.  I have to leave my comfort zone to use it and when I do that I am really not sure where to begin.

I think this could impact my teaching because it made me think about how much this is a part of our world know whether I like it or not.  This is the world the kids growing up today are living in and social networking is a major part of their lives.  This can be a very good tool that can be used to help students learn that is available.   I appreciate the five characteristics he listed on page 8 of a new literacy classroom.  Once I get my own classroom if I want to, or really need to, incorporate more of these social networking web sites or technology in general I have a starting point on which to build.

from fear to facebook Chapter by Matt Levinson 4 kids online

This chapter relates to chapter 6 in the Williamson book.  It is based on ethical use of the technology by kids.  It refers to the use of the internet as well as cell phones. 

 Levinson begins by talking about how students use their cell phones to cheat on tests.  He also addresses the issue of the students lying on the internet and making up phony identities that they use regularly.  He gives suggestions on how to deal with these issues.  He suggest instead of creating a classroom of rules where the students can not use cell phones which leads to them trying to hide them under their desks and use them anyway, or  you are constantly fighting with them not to go certain places or do certain things on line to incorporate the use of these technology into the lessons.  By teaching the students how to use their cell phones and the Internet ethically and safely you have a better chance of avoiding the lying and sneaking.  Levinson by discussing and teaching online ethics this will help to avoid the game of "cat and mouse" between the students and the adults who may be monitoring them.

I think that this will effect my practice of the use of technology in my classroom.  I am not big on technology but the more I use it the more comfortable I get with the programs I know how to use.  I am still frustrated when it does not do what I expect but I am learning to deal with that as well.  I still do not think I would use cell phones in my class but if I have access to the Internet I think I my do little lessons on safety and the ethical use of the internet.  I hope to teach either kindergarten, first, or second grade and feel that they may be young to understand a lot of these issues.  I also feel that if I begin teaching them at this young age good ways to use this technology before they really begin the unsafe and unethical use of the technology I may be able to prevent some of the issues that arise from this.

Getting the Most Out of Your Interactive Whiteboard- Chapter 1

Chapter 1, Question and Explore, relates to the Williamson text Chapter 1 where it talks about getting to know the technology that you are using and understanding the operations and concepts of the program.  This chapter helps the teacher learn how to begin to use the whiteboard.  In the Williamson text it is talking about learning the common features and functions of computer software.  In "Getting the Most Out of Your Interactive Whiteboard" chapter 1 is based on this same idea.

The chapter begins by giving details on how to begin to use your white board.  It explains how to orient the board so that you can use it and advises you to keep your lesson objective in mind when determining how you want to use the board.  The books suggests posing a question or presenting a problem for the students to solve.  It gives detailed instructions on how to write and type the text into your document.  It also tells how to take notes and how the teacher can add more pages to their document.  It explains how to organize information and then if the teacher wants to save and/or print it helps him/her to know how to do that.  It even gives guidelines on times the teacher may not want to save their document or changes made to it.  The chapter goes on to tell how to use additional features of the white board as well as using it on-line.  The white board has tools available for the teacher to use and helps him/her to understand how to use them.

In the class I am doing my internship my teacher, Ms. McLemore, just received a board like this at the end of last year.  She is just learning to use it as am I while I am in her class.  It is a very useful and beneficial tool because of the resources we can access on line that the students can be actively involved with.  Being able to create documents as well that we can use and show the students on the screen is very beneficial as well.  I have not used a lot of technology in the past when I have been in school classrooms.  But now that Ms. McLemore has this in her room it amazes me how much we use it.  We use it everyday, several times a day.  There are so many different functions and ways we can use it that it does not get boring because we are doing the same thing over and over.  It seems that every activity we can do in an unique way that helps to keep the students attention.  I hope to have one in my classroom, when I have my own, and I am looking forward to learn more and more about what I can do on it.  Ms. McLemore and me are very new at this and as much as we use it I know we have not even begun to realize all the things we can do with it. 

My HTML Page

http://jpenwell.webs.com/ColorsoftheRainbowPage1.html

I chose rainbows because I wanted to do something that I could really experiment with the color with.  I like colors better than black and white so I like websites that use lots of colors.

Chapter 10- Digital Citizenship

Describe the characteristics of a model digital citizen. How well do the adults and students you know meet your definition?

 The characteristics of a model digital citizen is one that respects themselves, respects others, respects the privacy of others, and respects outside limits.  Respecting them self is when the student is careful about what they post about themselves.  They will not post things that might put them in danger.  They have enough self-respect to be careful not to post anything that would make them look bad or hurt them because they understand that anything that is posted on line is not necessarily private.  They do not post things just go gain the approval of people and look cool in order to impression them.  Respecting others means that they do not dehumanizes another individual they may communicate with on line or anonymous online contacts by attributing qualities and characteristics to them that may not be true.  They talk to and post things that are appropriate, kind and respectful of the other person.  Respecting the privacy of others means that the digital citizen do not post information about others without their permission.  They do not post videos, photos, or written material that would invade the privacy of others and possibly cause trouble for them.  They do not post things that will hurt another person and may be misleading about what is actually going on.  A good digital citizen does not cyber-bully other people.  Finally, they respect the rules and laws associated with the use of the internet.  They are aware of the policies on cheating and plagiarism and do not participate in these things.  They follow the user policies and codes of conduct that are established by their school when ever they go on the Internet to just surf or work on some project.

Many prosecutors are charging students who participate in sexting with felonies. What do you think of this practice, and how would you handle the situation at your school?

 

Sexting is a serious offense that need to be dealt with seriously and charging them with a felony I feel is appropriate.  Sexting is one person sending sexually explicit material to another.  This is participating in the distribution of child pornography and even if they are kids they need to understand that this is not appropriate.  Students need to be educated in the fact that this is against the law and if they chose to participate in it then they will be charged with a felony.  Since I hope to teach in the grades K-2 I hope to never have to deal with this because they are so young but children are learning things younger and younger now and some students have home lives where they are exposed to these things so I think anymore it could possibly be an issue at any age.  I think I would handle it though by sending the students to the principal and working with the principal to decide how to handle it.  Even if it were a young student participating in this, they need to learn that this is not appropriate and that their are consequences for their participation in this type of activity.  Older students, such as middle schoolers and high schoolers, should understand this is not appropriate.  Whether they know they will be charged with a felony or not,  I feel they know that sexting is not appropriate to do and so whether they understand the full extent of the consequences or not, they know that it is wrong to do this. 

Chapter 8- Creating Content- Images

What personal experience do you have accessing and viewing photographs and videos posted online? Have you downloaded photos or video clips to use in some way? Explain.

I have accessed and viewed photographs and videos posted online a few times for the purpose of oral presentations in my undergraduate classes.  I viewed them to do research on my topic.  I have also viewed videos in atomic learning and other information sites to learn how to use different types of technology.  I have not downloaded and views.  I have only attached links that could be clicked on to go to the video I wanted to share in my presentation.  An experience I had in downloading photos is when I did my Live Text Portfolio and downloaded pictures I had taken in the classes during field experience to the computer and then downloading it into Live Text.   I also downloaded photos in Dr. Templar class before this one when we created iMovie, Frames, Animato, Photo Story, and Picasa from pictures we took.

Do you have personal experience in uploading and sharing photographs or videos to the Internet? What has been your purpose for posting photos and videos online (or for not doing so, if you haven't).

I do not have personal experience in uploading and sharing photographs or videos to the Internet.  I have not done this because once again I have had no reason to so I have not learned how to do it.  I do not have a Facebook account or YouTube account so I have not posted any pictures to these.  These are the main accounts most people post to in general and since I do not use either one of these I really have no where to upload or share to.

Find and record a definition for the term creative commons. Explain how the concept of the creative commons impacts teacher and student use of photographs and video clips created by someone else.

Creative commons is an organizations that supplies individual creators, large companies and institutions with tools that help them to protect their copyright on any work they have created while allowing others certain use of their work.  The organization issues licenses to users that allow them to copy, distribute, edit, remix and build upon the works of these individual creators, large companies and institutions work with out infringing copyright laws.  On the website, "creative commons.org." it states its mission as "Creative commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing and innovation."  The concept of creative commons impacts teacher and student use of photographs and video clips created by someone else because it allows them to use these in projects or presentations with out breaking copyright laws.  It allows them to expand their creativity in their projects by using videos or photographs made by some one else as a source to complete their projects.  Teachers can also use photos and videos in their teaching of lessons without violating copyright laws.  This gives teachers and students access to more pictures and videos they can use when creating lessons, projects, or presentations that they may not have been able to use with out the creative commons license.

Chapter 7- Creating Content- Writing

Explain the differences between blogs, wikis, and web-based word processors. Identify one classroom based utility for each type of tool.

Blogs are an on line writing tools that allow people to express their feelings or raise a question.  The last blog written is the first one in the list.  With blogs people can respond and make comments on what other people post.  They are dated posts so anyone who reads it can see when the blog was written.  They can be anywhere from one to two sentences to be really long.  People express the thoughts and feelings on something they think or in response to someone else.  A good use for this that I like from the book was the book study option.  I think that it would be good to provide a prompt from a book being read and challenge students to think about what they read.  I think communicating with other classes reading the same book would help to expand the learning of the students because they get even more views on the questions they are blogging about.  If the students could blog and communicate with the author that would be very exciting for them and educational.  Wiki's are content that has been placed on the Internet but anyone can go in and add, remove, or change something that someone has written in it.  There a host sites that provide templates that allow people to create their own wiki but it is open to others to change, add to, and remove things.  Some of the host sites anyone can contribute to what someone else as created but there are some available that allow the creator to limit the ability of others to view and contribute to the pages.  A classroom use is to give instructions for a class projects.  The wiki can be used to provide all students with the necessary information to complete the project as well as the links need to other resources that will help them with the project.  Work-based word processors allow people to create word processing documents on line and save them there so that they always have access to their work where ever they are.  The documents can be edited, created, and stored on line and if it is appropriate and the person choses to they can publish it on line.  The documents can be private but if the person who creates its wishes to share it with others.  When they share it with others they can choses to either have the person they share it with read it only or they can chose to have the person collaborate and make changes.  A use in the classroom I really liked was the round-robin writing.  I think that this would be a fun activity for the students to create a story that they were all able to contribute to.  The story would be creative and every student would add their own ideas to the story which could create a very interesting story because all the students would think differently and the story could go in any direction.

Do you have personal experience with any of these tools? If so, please describe that experience. If not, please explain why you have not used these tools.

 

The only tool that I have had experience with is the blogging, and that was just the blogging that we are doing here in class.  Up to the point I have never really had a need to use any of these tools so I really have not looked into them.  As I have expressed before, I really do not like expressing my feeling or thoughts on the Internet and for the word processing I have just always used Microsoft Word.  The web-based word processing would have been very useful when I was an undergraduate though.  It would have saved me from e-mailing work I did at home to myself and saving it on a computer lab computer in order to work on it in the computer lab or where ever I was at.  I can see how these might be useful in the classroom to help students interact through technology.  Once I get into a classroom I will have a reason to use it so I may get more familiar with these programs.

Chapter 9- Gaming

What are your personal beliefs about the educational value of gaming? Please provide evidence that supports your opinion.

I believe that educational value can be in gaming if the appropriate educational games are played.  I liked several of the games we have found on websites when doing WEAVE and feel that the ones where the students are practicing educational skills would be very beneficial.  Children react positively to interactive activities on the computer.  I feel that is due to the technological age they are growing up in and computers are all around them.  I think that games on websites have to be monitored though because some of the games I found were just fighting games or animals doing like an Olympics but I feel that these had no educational value.  Most of these games were minigames.  The more complex games can have educational value as well as long as the teacher carefully selects them.  Games such as as Oregon Trail could be fun for students and I think that they could learn a lot.  I remember playing Oregon Trail when I was in elementary but we did not have computers then so there was lots of paper work.  It was fun but a little more confusing.  Having this game on line I think would be more fun because the game could be saved in a more organized way and the game also gives extra information for the students to learn by giving better description that I did not receive when I played.  My biggest problem, even with the minigames, is that time that they consume.  Even an hour is a long time for the minigames.  If you were to do a complex game I think it should be in connection with a unit such as Oregon Trail would be.  The minigames I feel would be best used in extra time the students had after completing work or during free time they may have to reinforce skills they have already learned.  Once again, in the school setting I feel that they should be games that reinforces skills and not just fighting games or games that do not have any educational value.  If possible, I also feel that using games on CD Rom would be beneficial because it protects the students from the dangers of gaming on line and the safety issues when communicating with strangers on line as well as cyber-bullying that may occur.

What might be the value in having children develop their own minigames as an assignment? Explain

A value I could see in children developing their own minigames is that it could help develop their creativity as well as help develop and reinforce their knowledge on a topic.  This type of assignment would challenge the students to come up with ideas on what their game will be about as well as having to use the knowledge they have learned to develop their storyline, characters, and levels of the game.  They will have to incorporate the knowledge they learned about the topic into the game which will help reinforce what they learned.  They may also have to look up more information on the topic to develop certain parts of the game which would extend their knowledge.  An issue I have with this is the same issue I have with any topic involving games.  The book says it may take 2-3 hours to develop a minigame which I feel to have educational value it may take the students longer.  The complex games it says could be incorporated as a semester or year long assignment because of the length of time it takes to create.  I still feel that classroom time is precious and slim and with all the other distractions beyond your control, such as assemblies, or other valuable educational activities, such as field trips, it may take up to much time.  I do not think there would be a high educational value to creating the games and to give up the limited time available to teachers for this acitvity would not be worth the sacrifice of this time.

Chapter 6- Virtual Worlds

Have you ever visited an online virtual world? If so, which one, and what were your experiences there? If not, explain why.

Yes, I have visited an on line virtual world.  The on line virtual world I visited was Webkinz.  For Christmas last year my husband bought me two of the puppies needed to get the coded to become a member of Webkinz.  I went on line and registered both dogs.  It was a little frustrating getting registered because everything I tried to type in for user names and passwords would come back with not available to use.  I also had to download Adobe to be able to play.  My husband did this for me but it only stayed on the computer for a few months and then I would have to download it again.  I never did down load it again but because of this, it would not work on iPads if that was what I had because it had to have Adobe to run.  After I finally got in and got them registered it was kind of interesting.  I had to construct and decorate a room for each dog and then as time went on build a kitchen and a bathroom.  I had to have a bathroom to give the dogs a bath to help keep them happy.  There was three things that I had to keep track of: of their health, happiness, and hunger.  There was a chart in the bottom corner to help you keep track of this.  I had to make sure that I played with them, feed them, gave them baths, took them to the vet and just whatever needed to be done to keep them happy and healthy.  When I stopped playing I was in the process of making them a backyard.  In order to do all of this you had to have "money."  That why it took a while to build the house for them.  There were a couple ways to earn money.  There were arcade games you could play where you earned money according to how well you did.  The other way that was kind of neat was that there were quizzes to take.  They were divided down into grade level and subject so a student would be getting quizzed over things they had learned.  This was the quickest way to earn money.  Then there was a store where you went to and had to buy the things for the dogs.  It was a whole community but there were several things that I did not have a chance to explore because I did not have a lot of time to sit and play.  It was possible to communicate with others, the spot was labeled mail, but I never did do this.  The few things I did were kind of fun but I often had trouble logging in.  There is another website where if you accidentally type WebKinx instead of Webkinz it would take you to a website that you would not want your students to accidentally stumble upon.  But it was fun creating the house for the dog and playing the games.  It was even fun doing the quizzes.

Do you think virtual worlds have a place in the classroom? Why or why not,

 

I do not think they have a place in the classroom.  While it was kind of fun, to build up the house and do all the other things you were suppose to do with your pet it would be very time consuming.    So time spent on line would definitely be an issue.  Time in class is limited and I do not feel that this would be a worthwhile activity to use my time with.  I tend to side with the objections listed in the book.  The safety factor and privacy of issue of who they are talking to is a concern for me.  Also, the cyber-bullying is something that would be hard to monitor.  The chance of inappropriate content popping up as well as all the advertisement is another distraction the is a negative for virtual worlds.  I know when I was on WebKinz, I would click on a tab to do something and a some advertisement would pop up.  It was very annoying for one thing but sometimes I would try to click out of it and something else would pop up and I would have to try and find my way to where I would want to go.  I would not want my students exposed to this or have to deal with the frustration of it.  Also, having to have Adobe on the computers or iPads would be another issue to deal with.  While I think they may be fun outside of school with parent supervision, I do not feel that they would be very beneficial for use in the classroom.

Chapter 5- Social Networking

Describe your personal experience with social networking. If you have never used a social network, explain why.

 I have never used a social network.  I have never really had any interest in social networking on the computer.  All of this type of stuff began after I was out of high school and I just have never really developed an interest in doing this so I never figured out how it all worked.  I do not like typing my feeling or opinions on the Internet for everyone to read.  These blogs and group entries are stretching my comfort level.  The nice things about this is that it is only our class that can read them and not everyone on the Internet.  I really do not have anyone to talk to anyway so I think that has kept me from developing any interest.  I see my children often and if I need to talk to them before I see them I can pick up the phone and call them.  My husband uses them but I never learned to.  Even when we had discussion groups on Blackboard and Sakai in the undergraduate program I was never really comfortable.

Envision the role of social networking the 21st Century learning environments. Write a detailed description of this vision.

I envision it becoming a major part of the classroom.  I can see it being used by the teacher to develop communication with the students.  From giving students instructions to answering their questions.  If they are working in class they could have a communication set up where the student could talk to the teacher through the computer.  I can also see the teacher communicating with the students in the same way.  I think that it will be a way for the teacher to communicate with the students when they are home if he/she needs to and if the students have questions they need answered while at home they may be able to communicate with their teacher to get the answer they need to complete their homework.  If it turns out to be something the teacher had not anticipated being a problem when he/she gave the assignment then she can communicate with the rest of the class so that they all understand what to do.  I think that it will give the teachers direct communication with the office, administrators, and other teachers if need be during the day.  If a problem arises in class or a teacher needs a question answer it has always been a problem.  They may have to leave their classroom unattended while they deal with the situation and if they do not know where the person they need to speak with is they have to search for them which keeps them out of the classroom longer.  With social networking they can communicate with each other without leaving their room.  Also, as much as the students change classes today, if a student is having a bad day the teacher can notify and warn the next teacher the student is going to.  I can see this being very beneficial for both the teachers and students.

Netbooks and iPads

Are you a proponent of one-to-one computing in classrooms? Explain your answer and provide supporting documentation for your argument.

 

I am a proponent of one-to one computing in classrooms.  I am still skeptical of technology but I can also see the benefits.  After using the iPad I have discovered that I am more comfortable with the iPad because it is personal and keeps all my stuff in one place.  When I turn it back on in the morning, the work I did before is still there where o computers and laptops you have to save and integrate information among programs where the iPads integrate information automatically.  I feel that every student having access to either a netbook or iPad could be very beneficial.  With netbooks having limited access to the Internet, keeping the students from playing games when they should be doing their work or listening to a teacher, is a feature that is very important.  I think that having a netbook or iPad where the student can save their own work and  always have access to it will help increase the learning of the students.  In the IPads articles it talked about the teacher being able to download content from the lessons to the students so that they can have access to that information on the bus, home, and pretty much anywhere they go.  If each student had their own unit to take with them, they could access these downloads which I think would reinforce their learning.  Also, being able to access their textbooks on one small unit rather than caring several heavy books would be beneficial.  Many students don't take their books with them because they are so heavy to carry and then find out later it would have been beneficial to have.  This way they always have access to their books without the heavy load.

Discuss the pros and cons of netbooks versus tablets (iPads).

 

A pro of netbooks versus tablets is the limited access to the Internet.  This will help the students stay more focused on their work and not be distracted by playing games or other things that they would rather be looking at.  Another pro for netbooks is that they do have regular keyboards to use when typing.  I find it easier to type on the actual keyboard rather than the keyboard on the screen of the iPads.

A con is that using the netbook exposes the schools network to virus's, malware, and other forms of cyber-mischief.  Because of the way netbooks are made it is often impossible to apply security software to them in order to protect the school systems.  This is not a problem with iPads because they are not networked.  The other con is the limitations of the system capabilities of the netbooks versus the iPad.  There are operating systems that can not be used on the netbook and according to the book several of these systems are ones that are popular among teachers to use.  Also, I think the size is a con.  Although netbooks are smaller than laptops, the iPads are smaller than the netbooks and easier to carry.  I like how the iPads are flat and do not take up much room and I feel are more useful than netbooks. The iPads have lots of apps that can be downloaded that would not be available on a netbook.

All-in-all after looking at both the netbook and iPad, if I had a choice to make between the two for each of my students to have in my classroom I would chose the iPad.

MP3 Players

What are the pros and cons (briefly) on MP3 use at school?

There were several pros mentioned in the book.  They can help English language learners to improve their skills in English which allows them to become proficient in speaking English.  By improving their English speaking skills if the want to learn a foreign language, such as French or Spanish, can focus more on learning these languages and come proficient in listening to and speaking these languages as well as English.  Something else that is a pro is that they are a mobile technology.  Teachers can download information that will help their students review concepts they learned in class on the bus, at home, or anywhere they may be.Another pro for MP3 players is that people can access digital resources in music, English, and geography classes to help them learn more about these subjects.

Thee were also cons mentioned.  Illegal uploading and downloading of music and videos files is a major problem with the MP3 players.  A problem that comes from the use of MP3 players is that students use them as a way to cheat.  By downloading information for the test onto their MP3 players, students were able to listen to information and then apply it to the test they were taking.

I trust you will have looked at (listened to) at least some of the links suggested in the chapter section on "Using Existing Files." What stands out to you most (and why) of those links? How might you use it in your classes?

 

What stands out most to me is the versatility of the podcasts.  The Grandview Library Blog the students could go and listen to the lady talking about books they might like to read so it was something students could use to get information.  On the Radio Willow Web (which was my favorite) the students were able to make their own podcasts over a variety of subjects.  Not only was there a variety of subjects. but all grades were able to create podcasts on what they were learning.  So even students in kindergarten could use this technology.  Then several of the other websites were podcasts for teachers that they could use for resources in their classes as well as ones they could use to learn about new things useful for their own teaching skills.  I was amazed and overwhelmed  at the number of references that teachers could find for them.

I would have the students listen to podcasts that would help to reinforce what ever topic we were discussing.  I would encourage them to go on and find podcasts that would help them better understand and increase their learning.  I think them having informational podcasts to go to would help them learn to use the MP3 for educational reasons and maybe even more responsibly as they find another use for them other than just listening to their music.  I would also utilize the features that allows them to create their own podcasts.  This will help them to improve their communication skills as well as reinforce what they learned by writing it up and telling people.  I think I would also encourage them to listen to podcasts that other students made as well.

There also are suggestions for making podcasts in Chapter 3. Are there any suggestions that might be useful to you in the future? Why (or why not)?

 

One of the ideas I really liked for making podcasts that I would use is the teacher downloading information that the students can listen to later while they are studying.  I feel that this will help the students to review better because they can hear what the teacher says again and will get the correct information.  I know that I took notes a lot in my undergraduate classes and they later when I was looking over them I could not remember exactly what the notes meant.  By the students being able to listen to the teacher in the same context I feel would be helpful and beneficial.  Also, if a student were absent for some reason they could listen to what the teacher said instead of asking for a summary from the teacher or a fellow student, reading some else's notes and relying in them to have taken good notes, or just doing the work without really understanding what they are doing.  Since I do not know much about podcasting it was useful information to me to know that you can use the recording capabilities of cell phones or MP3 players to record audio files for use in a podcast. 

Cell Phones

Chapter 2 presents some astounding statistics. What are a couple of stats that surprise you the most?

One statistic that surprised me was that 79% of teens have a cell phone.  I understand that kids today are living in a technological world but I do not feel that it is necessary for teenagers to have cell phones.  Most of them are not responsible enough to use them when appropriate and put them away when they should not be using them.  I know more and more teens have cell phones but I did not realize it was that high.  My children did not get their first cell phones until they went to college because they did not need them before that.  If they were somewhere where I was going to need to get hold of them they took mine or my husbands with them or enough of their friends had them that they could just borrow one.  Other numbers that surprised me was 46% of children in the United States from ages 9-11 had cell phones and 20% of children ages 6-8 had them.  I do not feel that teenagers need cell phones, let alone elementary age children.

Summarize in your own words the pros and cons for cell phone use in the classroom.

 

The con for children having cell phones is they abuse the privilege of having them.  As I stated above they are not responsible enough to use their cell phones appropriately or at  appropriate times and put them away when they should not be using them.  The number of students you see playing with their cell phones in class and texting when they should be listening and paying attention in class is completely ridiculous.  They will not take the responsibility of putting them away.  They misuse them by cheating, sexual harassment, prank calls, and harassing others as well as not using them at appropriate times.  It does not help that parents who allow their children to have cell phones do not teach them to follow rules for their use or follow any rules for themselves.

The pro for having cell phones is that there are many useful tools for the children to use.  They have many devices such as cameras, watches, alarm clocks, calendars, calculators, research reference, games and other features that could be useful depending on what kind of phone they have.   Having access to a phone in case of an emergency is also a benefit, but only if the child is taught to use the phone appropriately and are willing to follow the rules connected with the responsibility of having a cell phone.  They can be useful tools if only the children who have them can be responsible with the privilege of having one.

What do you see as the best idea for cell phone use with students, as suggested in the chapter?

 

Well, I think you can tell from my previous two answers that I feel that the best idea for cell phone use with students is to establish and model ground rules for the use of cell phones in and out of the classroom. I feel that if students having cell phones is to be prompted in the future, they must be taught that it is a privilege and responsibility to have a cell phone, not a right.  If they want to keep their cell phone they must demonstrate that they can handle that responsibility but how will they learn if they are not taught with ground rules.  It is also important for parents and teachers to model these rules for the students so that they can learn the rules but see how important they are.

 

If students can learn to use their cell phones responsibly I really like the idea of them using their cameras to take picture and download to use for projects as well as the teachers being able to download study and guides and other reference materials to the students. 

21st Century Skills

Back when I was going through school the main focus for going to school was the core subject.  We used textbooks, worksheets, glue, paper, and crayons and focused on learning reading, math, science, and social studies within the confines of these materials available.  Over the years, the culture and focus of society has changed.  We have become a society that has gone from hands on materials and researches that we have in our possession to a society that is dependent on the technology of computers and the Internet.   There are resources that people have access to on the Internet that allows them to do research and communicate with other people.  There are technological programs that allow people to create things like movies, slide shows, power points, and other operations to demonstrate what they want to communicate.  So past are the days where students are taught by making things with there hands and materials in their possession to learn core subjects.  21st Century Skills are these technological programs that aide students in learning the core curriculum but it also goes beyond that to teaching them critical thinking and problem solving skills.  There creativity, communication, and collaboration skills need to be developed as well and this is done through the use of computer programs and the Internet. 

I feel that these skills do need to be addressed.  The age that children are growing up in now is saturated with the use of computers.  Pretty much everything that you do is connected through some type of computer program.  It is important that students be taught computer skills, Internet skills, communication skills, collaborating skills through the use of the available computer programs that are available because that is the world they will be living in and having to function in when they grow up, both at home and at work.

They should be addressed in the classroom by giving the students as many opportunities to learn and put these skills into practice as possible.  They should be encouraged to express their creativity and to explore and use these skills without fear of failure.  They may not understand everything at once but with practice they will learn to use it.  They need this encouragement so they will not be like me and be afraid of technology.  They need to be taught to embrace it and not be afraid to try new things because technology changes quickly and they will need to feel confident in trying the new things so they can keep up with it.  They will be using this technology their whole lives so they need to not be afraid of it they are going to function in the world they will be living.