Blog Post 2

Microsoft Word is an excellent tool for classrooms. I have used it to write papers for my classes. My teachers have used it to make quizzes and tests for my classes. I enjoyed learning how to make a fun newsletter that I can use in my classes in the future. This will allow me to use Word in new and exciting ways rather than just for boring quizzes.

I've had to deal with copyright through writing papers. I had to be very careful in school not to use the words of others in my papers. I learned how to make a bibliography which would give credit to the authors of any quotes or ideas that I used in my papers. I also would have to do this in slideshows for Images and any sources used when gathering my information. I will handle this in a classroom by having my students include the webpage address from where they found their information in their projects and papers. I will also create my own assignments or quizzes by using Microsoft word, and if I want to use someone else's, I will pay whatever fee is required and include their logo on the assignment when I distribute it. The key to avoiding copyright in any form is by giving credit where credit is due.

Three technology implementation issues are copyright, academic honesty, and cyberbully. I feel that I can deal with each one in my classroom. I will address the issue of copyright by creating my own assignments and quizzes. I will also ensure that anything not of my own creation will be paid for and cited. I will do the same for my students by teaching them how to cite their sources in papers and projects, and I will use Turnitin.com in order to check for levels of plagarism. Academic honesty is more of a challenge since documents can be shared on Google Drives, but it is hard to compare students' works to each other since there is no way to tell who competed the original assignment or whose ideas were taken. Photographs of assignments can also be taken and answers shared. I will deal with this issue by instilling how important it is for my students to do their own work. I also will have students present their project and paper ideas to me individually in order for me to know what that student's original ideas are, and I will address the issue of sharing assignment answers by having in class assessments and pop quizzes to test comprehension. This will allow me to tell if students have understanding of the assignment and are getting the right answers because they know what they are doing, or if they are just copying the answers and actually have no idea how to do the lesson. Cyberbullying has become a very big issue recently. I think this can be dealt with by encouraging students to support each other and by monitoring their online activity when using computers or iPads in class. I also believe it should be dealt with on a case by case basis since all bullies have different motives and all victims have different reactions to being bullied. Cyberbullying can be worse than normal bullying since the bully can be anonymous online. If this is the case, I would report it as anonymous in order for people to work to uncover who it is while I continue to encourage my students to be kind to each other.

Blog Post 1

Teachers and students are influenced by society to use technology in the classroom. The rapid development of technology requires us to stay up-to-date with our skills on being able to use it. Also, technology is used in all career fields, so we must prepare our students for potential use in their careers. Technology also makes our lives easier and connects us to the rest of the world via social media, and this connection can be utilized to increase learning and student attention in class.

The ISTE standards include being a learner, leader, citizen, collaborator, designer, facilitator, and analyst. I agree thinking that these are all valuable skills for a an educator to have in order to be an effective teaching. A teacher should always be able to learn from others whether it be their peers or even their students. They should be able to lead and command respect and inspire their students to learn. By being a citizen, they are helping their professional community continue to grow and develop. This involves the collaborating with other professionals. Designing new lesson plans and classroom activities is part of being a good educator. The two standards I feel that I do not fully meet yet are the facilitator and the analyst. I do not have the knowledge of technology yet in order to fully apply it to my lessons to help learning. I also am only at the beginning of my statistics class, so I do not have the skills yet on how to review the data I collect from grades in order to understand the impact of my lessons and alter them to be better.

I disagree with the label "digital native" for today's youth. I grew up with the internet, but it was not prominent in my childhood. My siblings and I were not given phones until 6th grade, and growing up, our parents encouraged us to spend our time outside and limited our time watching television or playing computer games each day. Because of this, we were raised spending time outside, playing sports, and reading books. I also have seen my Mimi, my maternal grandmother, use an iPhone and laptop as well as I do. This makes me believe that when you were born has little impact on your ability to use technology; it only matters how much you use it and the effort which you make. My teachers have always used a lecture-based way of teaching, so I have never experienced technology in the classroom outside of Powerpoints and the occasional SmartBoard, so I am unsure the level of understanding which most teachers have for technology and how that would impact a classroom environment. I personally learn best and enjoy learning the most when a classroom is set up in a lecture format with discussion days. I retain my information best by handwriting. Even in college, I do not take notes on my laptop because when I do, I end up copying everything down by hand to gain retention of the material. This makes me believe that technology is not a one-size-fits-all tool in the classroom due to various learning types.

Initial Blog Post (#0)

My name is Emily, and a little about me is: I am a sophomore in college studying elementary education. My Zodiac sign is a Leo. My favorite season is summer, and I hate the cold weather. I am happiest when I am at the beach, and I generally enjoy being outdoors in the sun. My hobbies include working out and spending time with my friends and family.

I don't have a lot of experience using technology in the classroom. In high school, my teachers rarely used Smartboards. In college, my teachers have used Top Hat and iClickers. I am familiar with the website of Canvas. This is my first time ever having or writing a blog, so I am looking forward to learning how to do this.

I hope this class helps me to understand technology better. I have all Apple products, so it will be fun to use and learn more on Windows products and apps. I am excited to get to go to the Sandbox again. I enjoyed it when my other education class went, so I am looking forward to seeing it again. I think this will be a fun class, and I am excited to improve my skills, so I can be more prepared to be a teacher in the future.