Week III

I would like to start with a reflection involving the copyright issue. I’m going over this same issue in another class, and I’m not sure how often I’m in compliance let alone the kids. The rules and laws concerning copyright infringement are often difficult to understand, and in many cases, people have found ways around them. Here is an example: If you were to make 60 copies of something that was copyrighted without permission, you would be in violation, but if I give the book to each student and allow them to make an individual copy, I’m not in violation (I think I got the example right). You can see how crazy and difficult it is to apply the guidelines concerning copyrights. The only solution I can see in overcoming this issue is by educating people. I was ignorant concerning many of the restrictions involving copyrights. I had no idea about the permission request forms, or how detailed and stringent the rules were concerning this issue. I am becoming a library media specialist. So, I plan to be more cognizant of my actions concerning this issue. If you would, just take a moment to reflect on your past experiences, and I think you will see that it is very easy to overstep the bounds of copyright infringement.

My next area of discussion concerns internet safety. I’m a father of two teenage sons who are far better than I might ever become at using technology. So, I’m definitely concerned but not scared of this issue. I also think its solution involves awareness and education. Like any issue you have to discuss its positives and its negatives. It is called parenting. NetSmartz nailed it down in the first sentence of its introduction which basically said that you need to investigate your child’s social network. It is not a matter of invading their privacy. It is instead a way of protecting them. Many people don’t consider this a real issue because a lot of times the participants don’t come face to face, but if you look at various things in the media as of late, you can see that this is a very real part of our young peoples lives. We need to be involved if we are going to keep up with our ever changing world.


The last area of discussion involves the podcast project for this week. This was a very exciting and motivating assignment. I can see many related uses for my classroom after reading the articles concerning the podcasts. One of the ideas I would like to adopt came from the article Personal Broadcasting: Applications in Higher Education. The author suggested making class discussion available for students on a podcast. I teach in a total inclusion classroom and for many of my students this would be a great tool. The auditory learners who must remain focused on the presentation or lecture as it is being given could now take notes after the class by listening to the podcast. This would also benefit the attention deficit kids because now with headphones on they would be isolated with no outside disturbances. I could find numerous applications for the podcast. What a valuable tool?

Week I and II

In week one, I created a wikispace which gave my classmates some insight into my background, views on technology, and the role of its applications in education. This was a good way to gain some knowledge about my colleagues. Seeing the diversity of their backgrounds was neat. Most input concerning technology was positive, and I think we all realize it is not going away. My rapport with my students is probably my best attribute. I used to do student profiles to gain knowledge of their likes and dislikes, but I will be switching to the wikispace. This application will be an innovative way for me to gain knowledge about my student’s interests.

Week two included the creation of a blog. Wow! What an experience. I thought I was fairly informed on the uses of technology, but I had never created a blog. This has been an eye opener. The assignments have been very practical and applicable. The hands-on projects have been beneficial in seeing how and where these technologies could be used. From the readings this week, I can see that using these tools as a journal for students to keep track of various concepts would be of great benefit, and the students could gain understanding from each other. It would also be a good way for me to communicate a schedule with my students as well as their parents.

My technology tool investigation is on Smart Board technologies. I have been using this technology through all five years of my teaching career. I teach in a total inclusion classroom, and it has been beneficial to all of my students. It has allowed students with disabilities to participate in classroom activities and be independent learners. This tool has also brought life to my lessons by providing learning opportunities for all learning styles. I will provide more details on this technology at the course wiki site.