Equal Tech for All!

I found the two articles to be quite interesting. I think its a good topic to think about after learning all the ways that technology could benefit the classroom experience.
Its hard for me to stop and think about students who have limited tech resources. For me, the availability of tech is very high on my priorities. I won't move to areas that have limited high speed internet. I also require my own computer in any living situation, I can't share :(
When I start teaching, it will be important for me to realize that not all students have the resources that I have. I will need to work with those students to make sure they have other ways the access the assignment or maybe even have an alternative assignment. I would like to be able though to provide these students with forms of tech because "In 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor’s SCANS report noted that at least 80% of all jobs in the next two decades would require workers to be technologically fluent." I could give all the alternative work to these tech limited students that I want but I'm still not going to be giving them the proper skills to succeed in our economy. I need to work towards opening more doors!

I will need to push for more computers in my class. I will try to write grants and raise money other ways in order to provide my students with the proper tech. Its nice to see the "netbook" industry really take off because now computer computers are more commited to building affordable machines that do all the basic tasks that a student would need. I'll also make sure to explore all the local options wherever I end up teaching. Freegeek.org is an awesome place that I would totally use if I remain in the area. However, there is access at libraries and other schools that I'm sure students could use.

OLPC is a program that is currently going on in other countries that is working towards giving elementary students free access to computers. Students are provided with durable educational tools. I wish we could work towards something like here in this country for older students to use in the classroom. I know the need here in the US isn't as great as third world countries, but I think its still something that will help even out our society by narrowing the tech gap between students.

"Can't talk right now...... I'm in class"

Sorry kids - I don't like the idea of cell phones in the classroom. I think one of my reasons for banning cell phones comes from a quote on the pro-cell argument - "Cell phones can be audio recorders, digital video camcorders,still cameras, note-taking devices, calculation devices..." It sounds like the perfect cheating device. I agree that it can help some students who might have some difficulties in class, but I'm more inclined to believe that it just encourages more and more students to let technology do all the work. I like Josh Allen's quote that "The goal of an educational setting should be to give students the proper tools to succeed once they step into
society." Students focus on read and writing skills in school, not T9 skills. I see cell phones as one big distraction to students. Large private conversations could be taking place or priority over the lesson. Plus - still not all students have fancy cell phones that are able to do all the things that one of the authors mentioned.
I'm sorry cell phones - but you're out! I'll make sure to let parents know what my cell phone policy is, so everyone is aware of the rules before class starts. I think using cell phones in the class is just not very good or even effective - there are just too many other/better options for using tech.

Chatspeak - What The Fudge is wrong w/ it?

I mainly argee with the author who fears that chatspeak is destroying english. I'm shocked that I feel that way since I'm a big online/computer fan. I want to have as many tech. tools as possible in my classroom. However, I do find that sometimes my own writing reverts to a simple/abbreviated form. It can hamper or slow down my writing. Linda Howard identifies my problem with "switching gears". I'm very used to typing short messages to others that I forget that I can't use the same style when I'm writing something for a grade. I shouldn't expect that my teacher should be able to decode my writing.
As Linda Howard also notes, "The shortcuts and acronyms that make instant messaging, text messaging, and online chatting so popular have no place in academic, business, and other formal writing settings." Part of our job as teachers is to prepare students for the next step and proper writing skills are necessary for this next step. Our society still holds a high value on proper/traditional communication skills. This means that incoming members should hold these values as well if they plan to succeed.

Some questions from the reading are - So chatspeak is bad - now what? Do we ban students from communicating via txt?
I think part of my own personal issues, about shorting my words with texting, can be solved with a couple improvements. Some carriers limit their text msgs (wow, just added chatspeak without realizing it) to 200 words and if you're over that limit then to have to create a whole new message. Maybe if carriers somehow remove this limit, students won't be forced to shorten their text. Also, the trend towards adding a QWERTY keyboard to most phones will allow students to type easier. Can these changes help? Will students use shortcuts anyways?

It is an interesting and important issue for educators. I hope students can keep chatspeak out of their school assignments.

Powerpoint Reflection

I really enjoyed this project. The previous Powerpoints that we've been assigned seemed to just be a wake-up call for me that I need to really put some more thought into them. I really tried to follow the guidelines that were provided and make something interesting and useful. I will definitely included some powerpoint presentations into my lessons. I think it is very useful for myself and also I think my students will get a kick out of it. I'll be sure to continually evaluate whether or not my presentations are effective. If I think they're great but its not translating to the student learning that I hope for, then I'll probably have to switch to some other methods.

I think after watching my classmates presentations, I use some more useful pictures like a big map. My logo of Havard was somewhat pointless to that particular slide. Also, I think I need to make sure I focus on the subject matter. Throughout my planning, I wanted to continue the theme of having the Theodore Roosevelt presentation be somewhat like opening a private personal file. However, by creating this theme, I might steer the lesson towards something that fails to focus on the main subject. I should be aware of this and maybe stay closer to a more traditional method.

I really like the animation in Anna's presentation. Showing the two symbols add up to the grand scale was really effective. Something like that could really help a visual learning and I should figure out a way to add something like that to my slides. I also liked the pictures in the background of Jackies' slides. The use of these pictures, combined with the different fonts, reminded me of a movie poster. They helped to create interesting slides. I also enjoyed the use of Smart-Art in lots of peoples slides, like: Kate, Jackie, and Everett.

In terms of things that could use improvement, I think some slides needed better contrast of colors. I had a very hard time reading the text on Davids' slides. The grey background vs. the yellow text is hard to read. While I enjoyed the pictures in Jackie's presentation, background pictures have lots of various colors that could make part of the text harder to read. That is why I put solid colored boxes behind my text. Another thing that could be improved was the lack of variety in backgrounds. Everett just used one template for all of the slides, which made everything seem somewhat bland. However, I enjoyed all the presentations! Good Job!

Attention Students!

I found the counterpoint article very interesting! I agree with John David Son that most students are born with a "mouse in hand". Our society seems to continually be moving towards full digitalization! Awesome, right? Well, I do think that students learn to use computers much early, they probably aren't typing before walking. My girlfriend is very resistant to allowing her son access to a computer. While its not an immediate issue, since he is only 11 months old, it will be more poignant in a couple years. But I think its important to realize that some of the newer generation of parents might not embrace this new age of tech like everyone assumes.
ps- Little Harper is currently walking just fine and he's yet to master logging online

Ok, back on topic! I don't think that using technology in the classroom will decress a student's attention span. Marcovitz argues that it could hard to "imagine an audience today sitting for three hoursat a time listening to complex arguments about the issues of the day" let alone students. I would believe that students would be able to pay attention if the presentation was engaging and interactive. I think students will pay attention just fine and be very engaged if we use technology inside the class. I am always multitasking in class but still paying attention to whats going on.

I do have some questions though about this dilemma. Do we repsect the wishes of parents who might not embrace technology? A parent may try to limit a childs computer time but if all their homework and classwork is on a computer, how can they do this? What about unpluging from tech? Children sitting around using technology is not very physically demanding, so is there going to be a decline in PE? I think its important for a balanced move towards this shift, but the shift will definitely not cause students to have poor attention spans.

Down with Bullies!

Cyberbullying Blog!



1).Define cyberbullying. Do you have personal experience with it as either a victim or perpetuator, even if you didn’t know it at the time?

Cyberbullying is described as using various forms of technology to harass someone. Cyberbullying can take place in social network sites, in emails, or through chat rooms. That is just a few of the numerous ways that someone can be harassed. It seems that the term "cyberbullying" is usually refered to when talking about online communication of children or teenagers. Adults involved in the same harrasment activities are often identified as "cyberstalking" or "cyberharassment". I can't think of a time when I have been a victim of cyberbullying. I remember being in chat rooms that had annoying trolls who bothered everyone but nothing personalized towards me. I consider myself pretty easy to get along with so I did not have any enemies in school or anyone who felt the need to pick on me. Also, I never harassed anyone online because I try to live by the Golden Rule, and treat others like I want to be treated.



2).Describe the problems schools face in dealing with cyberbullying. What are the legal issues? How would you know students are being cyberbullied? Should school step in and regulate what is happening off-site?

Schools face problems about cyberbullying because it will probably affect the behavior of students if their are the victims of harassment. Also, if rumors are spreading around the school, it could be a distraction to the students. I think educators would notice the change in attitude from a cyberbullying victim or catch wind of rumors being discussed. I don't think schools should be active in monitoring the off-site activity. However, I think that once an issue has been identified by administrators, the school and community must act swiftly to stamp out the fire. I think taking swift action shows students that the school is serious about eliminating cyberbullying behavior

3.)Create a plan for dealing with cyberbullying in your classroom. Will it be pre-emptive or reactionary to problems? Will it be individual or as a whole group? Will you involve more than just your classroom?

I would like to have an "Online/Internet" policy that my students understand and accept. I don't know if the school would already have something like this in place but maybe I should have a policy that fills any gaps. This policy could have pieces about online research and copyright along with cyberbullying/troll conduct. This would be my pre-emptive piece.
If I happen to become aware of cyberbullying involving my students, then I should probably alert administration along with the parents involved. I don't think I should broadcast the information to everyone because I might have learned of the bullying before it reached the general school population and it would be unwise to spread interest of the incident. I'm not sure what type of punishment would be appropiate but I do believe that parents and the school should come together to reach a verdict.


Sorry about not putting my blog post into a fun/interesting narration format. I'll get back to that style next week!

A Copyrighted Reflection

In this blog post - I will explore these questions:

What are some new things you learned about copyright that you hadn’t known before?

I learned that the law is somewhat lenient towards educators. I also learned about the timelines of copyright law. I did not know that in the U.S. copyrights last the lifetime of the creator and then an additional seventy years. Also, I was somewhat hazy in my understanding of public domain. I thought that only certain things became part of public domain, not everything! That is kind of cool to know that everything (after a certain timeframe) can be free to use. I guess the confusion comes with international material and the variety of laws from other countries

Do you believe that copyright laws are fair as they are currently written? What specifically do you believe to be fair/unfair?

I think copyright laws are not very fair due to the length of the copy write. I think the lifetime of the creator and a little time after that is plenty. Anyone who created something could reap plenty of benefits in their lifetime. I don’t think it’s fair that companies or even descendants of the creator are getting money from something that they had little or nothing to do with. I think maybe after about ten years, the works should count as “public domain”

Tell me what you must do to make sure whatever you are using in your classroom will fall under Fair Use protection.

When I hand out a worksheet for projects in my class, I will attach a little addendum about copyright laws. I will also direct students to government websites if they have any questions. If there is still confusion, then we work together to determine what would work in order to keep the student legal but also not greatly impact their planned use of media.

How will you enforce copyright within your own classroom with your students?

I will instruct and correct students if they violate copyright law but I don’t think I should level any sort of enforcement. I don’t think it is fair to dock points from students for not completely understanding a complex law that many adults still don’t comprehend. Maybe if there is a major, major violation – I might need do something like maybe a letter home to the parents explaining the situation and have the student redo the assignment.