Blog #2

MS word is an extremely versatile program. As a student I use MS Word almost every day. I often use this program to take notes in an organized manner, create study guides, chapter outlines and much more. Just the other day I created a calendar using one of the templates in MS Word. I primarily see teachers using this program to create documents that they can attach to emails and upload onto Black Board. It is a great way to gather information in one place that is easily accessed and shared.

Although I encounter copyrighted materials on a daily basis, I can't say I knew much about copyright and fair use before reading and listening to this weeks materials. To stay on the safe side I've always just made sure I gave proper attribution by including a works cited page for most of my assignments. Copyright laws govern what can or cannot be used in the classroom and fair use is a set of guidelines that allow users to copy materials for nonprofit educational materials. However there are limits to what materials you use and how much. As a teacher I would deal with these concepts by considering all materials to be potentially copyrighted and teach my students the importance of referencing their source.

The digital divide is a huge factor to keep in mind when trying to implement technology into the classroom. As a future teacher I will encounter students from all different backgrounds. There will be students with access to computers and other technology outside of the classroom and others who do not have these resources readily available. In order to ensure none of my future students fall behind, I will only assign work using technology that is readily available in my classroom and make sure the students have ample time to complete these assignments during school hours.

Cyber bullying is another implementation issue that one may see as we try to bring technology into the classroom. In order to decrease and eventually eliminate this social problem, I will raise awareness of this problem to my students by teaching them what cyberbullying is, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it if they notice it occurring or experience it themselves.

Academic dishonesty is a major ethical issue that I will take very seriously in my future classroom. The first step I would take to eliminate this problem would be to educate my students on plagiarism and cheating so there are no grey areas and they know the difference between ethical and unethical. I would also inform them about my classroom policies as well as the schools policies in place in regards to academic dishonesty. Subscribing to anti-plagiarism software such as Turnitin, would be another way to solve the issue of academic dishonesty when implementing technology into the classroom

Twitter

@eme2040pruitt

Blog #1

Technology has become a central force in our society reaching all aspects of our life. As a result, technology literacy has become a vital skill necessary to function in the Information Age. Educators are given the task of preparing our next generation for their place in our technology-rich society. In order to meet these needs, teachers must incorporate technology in the classroom and students are encouraged to become conversant in different aspects of technology.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a set of technology standards that define what you need to know in order to use technology effectively and prepare students to be 21st century digital citizens. While I think each standard is important in its own way, there is one that stands out to me in particular; Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. Since technology is such a big part of society, it is vital that students learn the proper etiquette when using it and how to access it in a safe, legal, and ethical manner.

I strongly agree with the label "digital native" for todays youth. We have been born into the Information Age where technology is an integral part of our society. Although we still have to acquire technological skills, we have been surrounded by technology since birth. I agree with this label because I have seen the difference between myself, a digital native, and some of my professors, digital immigrants, and the way we use technology. For example, when I have to give a presentation in class, my first thought is to create a presentation on Powerpoint or Prezi. Using these programs allow me to save all of my information in one spot and present and share it easily. However, I still have professors that rely on hand writing their presentations given during lectures simply because they find the programs too complicated to use. While there are big differences between some of my professors and myself, I do not anticipate a drastic difference between me and my future students in terms of how we use technology. I feel this way because I consider myself a digital native and think technology will continue to have a large impact in all aspects of my life.

My prior experiences with technology are extremely limited. My high school did not allow the use of cell phones or personal computers at any point throughout the school day. We primarily used textbooks and any information our teachers provided for us. As a result, it wasn't until my freshman year at FSU that I received my first laptop and began using it in a classroom setting. Since then, I have gained some experience with technology by learning to use programs such as excel, google drive, power point and so on.

I hope to gain more experience using all sorts of technology and computer programs that will be useful in and outside of a classroom setting. As I mentioned before, my previous experiences with technology are very limited so I am interested in any opportunity to enhance my skills working with it. I would like to learn how to create presentations like the one shown in the beginning of class as well. 

The results of my learning styles questionnaire did not come as a surprise to me. I am a very visual learner and do best with concrete and sequential ideas. However, I was interested to see that my results were very neutral. With the exception of being a visual learner, the results for the rest of the categories were more towards the middle of the scale.