2 Word/Copyright/Twitter

I’ve been using MS Word for as long as I could remember.  This first time I used it was in Elementary School, when I would have small essays to write or had to print out words and/or phrases for projects. Then in middle and high school, I used MS Word to write papers, print images, and in creating any kind of document. In college, I’ve even used MS Word to take notes during class. I’m using MS Word right now while writing this blog, so I have a saved copy of my work on my computer. I’ve seen my teachers use MS Word for similar reasons. In addition, my teachers have created documents in order to aid their students such as study guides, assignment explanations and calendars, and syllabi.

I remember noticing the little “c” inside a circle on many things as a child and wondering what that was. None of my teachers ever explained to me the laws of copyright and/or fair use. Having copyright means you have exclusive rights to use or distribute it. These laws govern what teachers can or cannot use in their classroom. Furthermore, fair use guidelines allow people to use copyright material for nonprofit educational purposes. I learned how to properly cite scholarly journals, websites, textbooks, and other education tools I would use during research projects in high school, but I never quite understood the severity of the copyright laws in place. As a teacher, I should consider all material copyrighted. I will educate my students at an appropriate age the important aspects of these laws and regulations so they use material more safely.

Twitter is a great way for teachers around the country to communicate everything from helpful tips to serious curriculum problems. Using the search bar, you can search a popular “hashtag” to see what other people are saying about the same topic. When I found an interesting article related to education, I was able to instantly share it with my entire class and teacher via Twitter. This social media and others could be a great way to communicate with your students and your students’ parents.  

1 A Native of Computers

Computers are an immensely, and utterly obvious, important part of the educational experience. Without a computer, how could I write this blog? How could I take this class? Without this class, I can’t be a teacher. I think you see where I’m going with this. The amount of educational tools readily available in a computer is unfathomable. People of my generation grew up using computers in school because technology literacy had become a core standard in curriculum. But I still agree that we need to stay up-to-date with the technology our students’ generation will grow up using.

As an aspiring Elementary school teacher, I will use computers everyday in the classroom. I can use them to support and enhance my lessons, input grades and attendance, and allow my students to access educational materials at home. I hope this class can help me learn the most recent tools in educational technology so I can better guide my students toward success.

I absolutely agree with labeling today’s youth as “digital natives”. Not only do these children see technology as a normal part of their lives, they also cannot function without it. I’ve had my fair share of stubborn and struggling digital immigrant teachers. The difference between my teachers and myself is that they saw technology as an optional tool while I saw it a necessary tool. My teachers believed their hand-drawings of graphs and pictures were acceptable to us and adequately aided our understanding of the topic, while we cringed at the questionable details of the drawings and wondered why they couldn’t just pull up a picture from the Internet. With the rate technology is evolving, I anticipate there to be some differences between my future students and myself in terms of how we use technology. Although, I do believe that since I consider myself a digital native as well, I’ll be much more on the same page with my students than my own teachers were with me.

0 Technology and Me

       First off, I'd like to point out that I like technology, but technology does not like me. I have exceptional experience in most social media platforms, my favorites including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Vine, and YouTube, not necessarily in that order. In addition, I frequent many music sharing websites that may or may not be legal, but my favorites include Soundcloud, Spotify, and Pandora. (Just kidding, I'm a law abiding citizen I promise)

       In this class, I hope to learn more about the use of technology in both everyday life and in the classroom. I have been called "technologically impaired" one too may times, so I hope this class can help me with navigating today's technology more easily and with less embarrassment. As an aspiring teacher, I am also eager to learn about technological tools I can use in my classroom.

       I am mostly a visual and active learner. I've been a dancer all my life so the fact that I am an active learner isn't exactly news to me. Nor is the fact that I am a visual learner; I can easily remember trends on graphs verses numerical statistics. Active learners also need to discuss material out loud, so a way to help me learn is to make study groups. Visual learners tend to need to organize their information in a way that makes sense to them, for example using different color highlighters.