Post #2

As a student, I have used Microsoft Word to write papers, to create resumes and cover letters, and to take notes in class using OneNote. Microsoft Word was also used to spellcheck my writings, and to make charts and graphs. Also as a student I have seen teachers and professors use Microsoft Word to create syllabus, and to communicate instructions for assignments throughout the semester.

Whenever I hear the phrase copyright and fair use of material, the first word that comes to mind is PLAGIARISM. I have been hearing talk about plagiarism every year at the beginning of the semester since the 9th grade. When I began college as a freshman, the Academic Honor Policy has been reinforced over and over during syllabus overviews, footnotes at the end of assignment instructions, emails, and pop-up messages before submitting assignments through BlackBoard, SafeAssign, and TurnItIn. As a teacher I will deal with the concept of copyright and fair use by getting familiar with the guidelines of using and distributing intellectual work from others. Therefore, I will know as a teacher what material I would have to pay for, and how many pages in a textbook I can copy or scan for my students before it is considered illegal. I will deal with copyright issues with my students by having them turn in their assignments through SafeAssign or TurnItIn, which is a database of student assignments in archives that dates back many years. It will cross-reference assignments and papers to ensure that students are creating their own work. 

As I reflect on the technology implementation issues that were discussed in Chapter 11 of the course textbook, I have proposed solutions to cyberbullying, protecting students safety and privacy, and ensuring academic honesty, in order to promote integrity amongst digital citizens. The solution I have proposed to decrease incidences of cyberbullying, would be to have a class discussion that would inform students about what cyberbullying is, and the affects cyberbullying may have on the victims, and the consequences the culprit will face. I can also show video clips of students who have been victims of cyberbullying, so that my students can be sympathetic towards this issue. As a teacher I will promote the protection of students safety and privacy by creating a presentation about cyber-etiquette. For example, I will discuss key issues such as why students should not post their addresses, and phone numbers for safety reasons, and I will teach students the steps to make their social media accounts private or how to customize what information is viewable to the public. Lastly, I will send a letter home to parents about the importance of monitoring their children's social media. The solution I have proposed to promote integrity amongst digital citizens is to go over the Academic Honor Policy with my students, and create a quiz of realistic scenarios about plagiarism. Afterwards, as a class we will go over the answers to the quiz to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and close by discussing the consequences the students will face if they do not abide by the strict rules. 

Post #1

Seeing technology and the use of it in classrooms, seems like second nature in the 21st Century. There are a number of factors that influences teachers to use technology in their classrooms. For example, program initiatives such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which is "a federally funded initiative to develop standards for technology for teachers, other education professionals, and student" (Lever-Duffy, McDonald, 2015, p.3). "ISTE's project called the National Educational Technology Standards - Teachers, was developed to evaluate teachers knowledge and skill that they should have in order to prepare students to be proficient in technology usage" (Lever-Duffy, 2015), which would of course influence teachers to use technology in their classrooms. Teachers are also influenced to use technology in their classrooms to help support administrative reporting, teaching and research such as, "helping report attendance, entering grades, preparing a worksheet, or researching a topic on the internet" (Lever-Duffy, 2015, p.12). There are also factors that influences students to use technology in the classrooms. For example, students are influenced to use technology in the classrooms as a means of learning according to their cognitive and learning styles, and communication. Other factors that influences students to use technology in classrooms include the need to foster critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration (Lever-Duffy, 2015). Both the influences of the use of technology for teachers as well as students are synthesized based on the bidirectional needs of the student and the teachers learning objectives for the students. For example, "educators are charged with ensuring that students are prepared for their place in society, therefore, teacher and student technology literacy is a critical tool" (Lever-Duffy, 2015, p3).

The ISTE standard for students "enable students to engage and thrive in a connected, digital world" (ISTE, 2017). One standard that gladdens my heart is the Global Collaborator standard that states: "Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally" (ISTE, 2017). This standard gladdens my heart because it promotes technology that fosters diversity, which is important in our society to embrace our differences to support positive change. Another standard that seems to be outside of my current skill set would be the Computational Thinker standard which states: "Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions" (ISTE, 2017). I believe that this standard is outside of my current skill set because I rarely use technology as a means of solving problems and developing and testing solutions, but instead as a means of entertainment and study purposes.

Digital natives is a term that describes individuals who have grown up knowing technology. I agree with the label digital native because it accurately describes the cohort of individuals who could barely recall a time without advanced technology such as the computers, the internet, and cellphones. I also agree with this label because it does not guarantee that this cohort of individuals will automatically know all there is to know about technology, but instead it focuses on the presence of technology in ones life time rather than the effective use of it. I have seen differences between myself (a digital native),  and my older professors (digital immigrants) on the basis of technology use in the classroom. For example, sometimes when my professor veers from the PowerPoint slide lecture to a YouTube video clip, it is often hard for them to navigate back to lecture slides which cause students in the audience to vocally assist the professor to return to the correct tab. The impact instances like these have had on my learning experience is that it makes the professor seem less credible to teach and is distracting to my learning process. The difference in technology usage I anticipate to have with my future students is to be proficient in navigating through the internet and to keep up-to-date with current information and include interactive programs and videos to my lectures. 

#0

The prior experiences I have had with technology started when I was a little kid. I was raised by my grandmother who taught elementary school students for many years and later became a Principal. My grandmother made sure that I was well-rounded  as a student, and would often buy me educational computer disks that I would have to download onto the computer in order to play. As I got older I used technology in elementary school in the classroom and in the Media Center. As a Teen I learned a great deal about technology when I got my first iPhone. 

In this course I hope to master skills that I can apply to my grad school coursework, and to my professional  career in Higher Education. I also hope to learn about new technology, programs, and websites that can enhance presentations I may give. Lastly, I hope to gain knowledge and share new resources with others about the field trips our class will be experiencing this semester.

Today I learned that my learning style depends on the task I am working on, and that I do not stick to one specific learning style. For example, when I am being guided by an instructor who is using technology I am a visual learning, but when performing tasks and assignments on my own I would prefer reading step-by-step instructions.