Blog Post 10

This week we looked at using slideshow tools. I have never actually used one before so it was a completely new experience for me. I liked using slideshow tools. I found it was an easy and fun way to compile information. I am used to only writing to convey my opinion or share information but using these tools I was able to tap into different learning styles.

As for the content of the slideshow we looked at copyright. This is a subject everyone knows about but not necessarily its proper use.  Here is a definition of Copyright from The 2Learn.ca EducationalSociety. (2011-2012).

Copyright law was created to protect creators of original material. The law provides a way of determining "who gets paid" for their original work. It also provides "who pays" for use of that original work.

Elias Bizzaeas (CC). 2007

Copyright is often violated without the person even realizing they are doing so. Copying photos from Google images is extremely common, but how many people actually think about giving the credit? This is where netiquette applies, giving credit where credit is due. Recognizing others talent and time spent creating is a good way to start practicing properly copyrighting.

From my post about Animoto I made some comments about copyright that I would like to add here:

Copyright is not there to make our lives difficult it is in place to protect the creators work. It is a way to try to protect the creator when issues of copying may arise. Although copyright is not always acknowledged and this generation has become extremely good at dogging the rules, it is important to follow these rules I personally have had a Flickr account for years and I would be upset if someone has been taking my photos and taking credit for them. My photos express my creativity and a lot of work went into them.

PLE

I would add these creative knowledge expression tools in my PLE by adding it to School and Professional. I chose these two areas because I feel that I can use this in teaching. As a teacher I believe it is important to provide my students with as many forms of teaching as possible (visual, audio, etc.). These tools help give me more ways to do this.

Feedly

This week in my Feedly reader I found an interesting article about Being Strict and Allowing Mistakes- Keep Growing. When I first looked at the title I actually was thinking of this in terms of teachers marking assignments (this topic was covered in a class not long before I saw this article). After reading the post though I realized that it was actually about self-improvement. The writer talks about how mistakes can be used as a tool to grow rather than a discourager.  She talks about how every time we make a mistake we learn from it and better ourselves somehow, even if it is just the tiniest bit. That we should be making goals but if we fail our goal not to be completely put off by it. A quote from the article that really caught my attention is:

The goal is not to be extremely strict to yourself, the goal is to be just strict enough so you keep growing.

By this she means we need to be critical of ourselves to the point that we can learn from our mistakes and be better the next time, but not so strict that we lose our motivation and put ourselves down. I recommend this article especially if you are a perfectionist like me. 

My Animoto on Copyright

Animoto

gaelx (CC). 2012

This week we had to create a slide show about using copyright images. I found it fun to tell a story through pictures rather than relying on text. I tried to incorporate photos that really explained copyright rather than just photos of the copyright symbol. I used photos to show the complexity of the copyright system and different forms of copyright (photo and video).

We used Animoto to create our slideshow and I used Flickr to find my photos. Finding my photos on Flickr actually helped me to understand copyright better. When I found a photo I also saw the creator of that photos name. Seeing their name right under the photo helped me to imagine if I took a picture and it was used without my permission. It is different than just using Google images because now I realize this is someone’s work rather than a collected page of images by a computer. 

Copyright is not there to make our lives difficult it is in place to protect the creators work. It is a way to try to protect the creator when issues of copying may arise. Although copyright is not always acknowledged and this generation has become extremely good at dogging the rules, it is important to follow these rules. I personally have had a Flickr account for years and I would be upset if someone has been taking my photos and taking credit for them. My photos express my creativity and a lot of work went into them. 

Technology Use Scenario

Scenario 13

Dr. Brown, principle  at Bluebird Elementary School, is concerned with safety in his school, both for his staff and for students. During the summer, Dr. Brown had cameras installed in each of the classrooms. The video from each of these cameras is viewable on the internet, so that parents can check on their students' classes during the day. Some parents are concerned that because these cameras are connected to the Internet, other people could also use them to "spy" on their children.

I personally think that Dr. Brown was using technology inappropriately. I feel that his intentions were good but his use of the technology and how he shared it is wrong. First of all I do not think that the videos should have been put on the internet. This is allowing anyone to view these videos not just faculty and parents. This is a breach of the students privacy. This is also hard on the teachers because they can now have their teaching scrutinized by the parents.

Dr. Brown's intentions of protecting his school is good but  instead of making the videos accessible from the internet he should have kept these tapes within the school. He could have kept the tapes on private record for future access that will be secure. I do not think parents need to watch their children at school, instead I would use a webpage to update parents on things that happen within the school.

Weekly Reflection and Report Blog #9

This week we used VoiceThread and PollDaddy. I found the PollDaddy activity interesting. All the class members were to decide if a digital communication scenario was right or wrong. I was surprised to see the different answers on some of them. When I thought the answer was clearly wrong others thought it depended on the situation. I think this was a good reminder that digital communication is not black and white and that we really do need to think critically but also open-mindedly when dealing with it. VoiceThread was also a really interesting tool (I wrote a blog about my experience with it previous to this one). I would like to add part of that blog post to this because I talk about how I would incorporate VoiceThread into my PLE.

I would add this tool to my PLE under professional. I can see myself using this in my classrooms as a way for my students to learn and share information. This may also be useful when I take notes. I have a horrible habit of writing or typing notes then when I go back to them I have no idea what they mean. If I can add speech or video to my notes I think that would make me more efficient in my learning. I recommend that people at least take a look at voicethread it could end up helping you out in the future. 

I really like that VoiceThread allows me to keep notes in a form other than just text. I find I am more of a visual and auditory learner so this is a nice addition to my PLE.

Feedly 

Dre Wiz (CC). 2013

This week I found an article through my Feedly that really represents what this course is about. The top ways digital tools transform learning. The title itself is relevant to the course. A quote I really like from the article by Evans is “We have a strong belief that today’s students should be well-prepared for the future, and digital tools can help ensure that they are prepared.”

 This article also showed how digital tools can be used in elementary school classes. I feel this is important to note because most people focus on using these tools for higher level students rather than the lower level. This topic could also be debated as having negative effects on the young students. We want to give our students other strategies to rely on rather than just technology. The more tools we introduce them to (digital or not) the more prepared they are for learning.

Ultimately, I think that the teacher needs to decide what is appropriate for their learners. The students’ available resources, skills and maturity level (to use these tools responsibly) should be taken into consideration. I really liked how this article focuses on the teachers use and integration of technology in the classroom and in their jobs in general. I think it is nice to see how teachers benefit from using technology for a change rather than just focusing on the students use. This article shows that using digital tools is not only beneficial for the students but also the teachers.

Blog report and reflect #8

Wiki

This week we learned about Wiki. Defined by RCPTV as: 

A wiki is a web 2.0 technology fostering computer supported collaborative learning through a content management system designed to facilitate collaborative knowledge building.

I have been using one for one of my other classes this semester so I am a little familiar with the formatting of it. I personally do not like wiki. I find it to be more work than using Google Docs, blogs or Evernote. I don’t like how public wikis are and how easy they can be to change. I prefer something I have more control over like Google Docs. I can choose if my page can be edited or just viewed. I do think that wiki can be useful in a classroom project. Currently I am using wiki to collaborate on a lesson plan with my peers. It can be difficult but all changes are logged and my partners and I can make changes and be notified by email when they do.

Digital Rights and Responsibilities

The discovery activity this week has made me realize that I think Digital Rights and Responsibilities hold the most importance of all the elements of being a good digital citizen.  I feel this way because I see that rights and responsibilities effects how people use digital tools. We were asked to share three areas within digital rights and responsibilities this week and I would like to add my thoughts here.

Carey (CC). 2015

I think everyone can agree at this point that digital rights and responsibilities are at the center of proper digital communication. These rights and responsibilities affect every other element of being a digital citizen. Our security, health, etiquette and more rely on the individuals’ knowledge and practice of their digital rights and responsibilities.Within digital rights and responsibilities I have chosen three main areas that I feel are the most important to know about and execute. I believe that being able to identify and report cyber-bullying is crucial in this generation. Everything we do is online now and instead of being forgotten it can be brought up at any point in the future. With this kind of access it is easy for people to participate in cyber-bullying, and some people may not even be aware of this. Understanding what it is and then learning how to report it needs to be taught explicitly.The next area I have chosen is the understanding of copyright laws. I chose this because I remember a lot of times people have gotten in trouble because they did not understand these laws. This happens a lot with YouTube and music. Michelle Phan is a good example, and a lot of foreign singers have gotten in trouble over copyright.The last area I look at is freedom of expression. I believe this is important but I also do not think this should be looked at alone. Freedom of expression needs to follow netiquette, online rules and security. Everyone wants to be able to have freedom of speech but there is also the need for appropriate speech. 

Feedly

This week on my Feedly I found a TED Talk about texting and language. The question is: Is texting actually advancing our language?

This is a really cool topic I think because everything I have heard up until now is about how texting is corrupting our language. So to hear an opposing argument is new and thought provoking. 

Weekly Reflection and Report Blog 7

Mary Pickering and Robert Plitt. (CC) 2013.

This week we continued with the topic of collaborative work, this time with Google Docs. For me I was excited because I was recently introduced to this tool by a presentation partner. Before she showed me google docs I had never heard of it or considered even using a tool like it. I wish I knew about this tool a long time ago. Yes, it is a great tool for collaborating with peers but it’s also great for my personal work. Dartmouth made an interesting observation in their discussion on online collaborative work they said “it makes the student aware of the audience”. This is something I never considered but realized is true. When I use Google Docs with my group members I am more careful of my spelling and wording, I try to make sure it is clear and has quality. This is the same for these blogs.

Google Docs

I have been using Google Docs a lot this semester for all my group work. It provides an easy and reliable way to interact from anywhere. When someone makes a change to the document it is automatically saved and tells everyone who was the last to make the change. Presentations and group papers are where this tool really excels. I can see all the changes and we can chat in the document too. Even better though is that it works real time! So a partner and I could both be in the document at the same time and I can watch her type and I can make changes at the same time. Creepy? A little bit, but it is extremely useful when putting information together.

I also like to use this tool when I am writing papers, I don’t have to worry about my computer crashing or losing my data because it automatically saves itself. What I love most about Google Docs is the fact that it automatically saves every change and I can access this from my phone or other computers. It has made things a lot easier than having to constantly email myself the document every time I make a change. I like having the convenience of knowing that it is always available to me (as long as I have internet).

I would like to use this tool in my future classroom. It is a great way to ensure that all my students have the information always available to them (provided they all have access to the internet). I think this would be useful and interesting to see how my students would utilize this tool.

PLE

In my PLE I would add this to Professional and School. To me this tool is a great asset to my professional development because it provides organization and structure, as well as an easy communication.

Feedly

In my Feedly I found an interesting article about Speed Paraprasing. In this article they talk about the importance of learning to paraphrase for ESL students (English Second Language learners). Check out the article its pretty short and is interesting. 

Reflect and Report Blog Post 6

               

Evernote

In this week’s session we were introduced to Evernote, when I signed up for an account on Evernote I was surprised to find out I had already made one at some point. This is something I always do, I create an account with a site or tool and then if I look at it and don’t get it right away I abandon it (not my best quality). However, this did lead me to the realization that I don’t take time to explore new tools. This assignment essentially forced me to learn how to use Evernote. Once I got into it I realized how easy it was I especially like the sharing feature. I always make little documents full of information that I want to share with my peers and it has always been a pain to do so. Evernote has provided me a way to share what I learn and collect with others. The fact that it saves my work automatically is a life saver too.

PLE

Buffy talks about how she introduced Ever note to her class. The overall result they loved it. She even said that a lot of them still were using it a year later. However, my overall opinion of Evernote is that it is a great tool for my professional and academic life, but I would not use it for personal projects. In my PLE I would certainly add Evernote under school and professional but I can’t really see myself adding it to communication or entertainment. I see this tool as having a very specific purpose, which is to share reliable information that will be of use to my peers, not as a creative way to share or collect my ideas. Even though Evernote is easy enough to use it doesn’t quite peak my interest enough to use it for personal projects. Why? I honestly don’t have a good reason, the tool just doesn’t quite fit my tastes.

Feedly

ERIK. (CC) 2014.

This week I found an interesting article on my Feedly reader from The New York Times. This article talks about a new test that has been introduced in parts of America. This test is similar to SAT’s, it’s a way to monitor students susses and evaluate teachers. The reason that this article is interesting is because teachers and parents of these children are taking a stand against the tests. The tests seems to be administered in early elementary school third grade, but preparations for it begin earlier. One issue is that teachers find more time is being spent on test preparation rather than true teaching. The tests are also taken on computers leaving the less wealthy students at a disadvantage if they are not used to computers. However, parents complaints have been the most noticed. The concern is that children are undergoing too many standardized tests. The article continues to describe parents’ personal complaints. At the moment parents are able to have their children opt out of the test. I find this article interesting and suggest that you take a look at it.

I personally think that there is too much standardized testing for students and I don’t think it is helpful or accurate. Test anxiety is very common with students and like the teachers argued students are not receiving true teaching.

What do you think?