week 6

I think the rules can be hard to navigate concerning teachers and fair use/copyright. Some teachers may choose to play dumb to the rules, but will that really help them if they're caught? Probably not. We're supposed to set good examples for our students, but we're also supposed to use relevant supplementary materials to enrich our lessons. We have to understand what we can and can't do. The laws should also be a little more lenient for education's sake.

The online assessment tools we looked at were incredible. I would definitely find a use for them in my classroom. It's nice that they can compile the stats in so many different ways so the teacher doesn't have to mess with figuring those numbers. I know I couldn't even begin to try!

I loved the links everyone shared tonight. Even though some of them weren't for my subject area, I could still reference them or share them with a colleague. The ones for teachers in general were also great because they gave me even more resources to pull from when I get my own classroom. I also enjoy getting free stuff, so I will definitely make a visit to Tim's free stuff site!

week 5-Google week

Wow! I had no idea Google did all the things it does. It seems like keeping all that information is a waste of space, even if they do have an infinite amount of it. If they have no reason to keep it, they should be more than willing to delete files on people.
I admit, I use Google for every little search I do. But I didn't know they were keeping track of it forever. They provide a ton of useful, helpful tools, but I don't understand why they need to hoard all this information.
There have to be better ways to get advertising than looking at what we're searching for. It seems like they're just waiting for the right time and the right person to run for office before they unleash their Google records. Isn't that what this article is saying could potentially happen? It's a little scary to me. What's scarier is I'll still use Google.

Video in the classroom

I think teachers should definitely use YouTube in their classrooms...if they preview it first and know the content. I don't see much of a problem with it, unless it starts to take over a majority of the teaching time. I would be really hesitant to post video of my students on the Internet, but it could be a good tool for a broadcast journalism class. It would allow students to share their work with parents and family members.
Students posting videos on YouTube could get a little scary. I wouldn't want to be searching for something and see a video of a student doing something inappropriate. I would also be scared of students using camera phones to record me and post it on YouTube. Even if I'm not ranting like the teacher we saw tonight, I would still be self-conscious about people critiquing my teaching style.

Article responses

The first article was very interesting because it showed how technology has become more and more pervasive in society. Students should learn to use those resources more efficiently. I understand newer technology is not financially feasible for every district, but sometimes the problem lies with the teacher not being willing to learn or teach "tech literacy" skills. Different tools like an mp3 player or podcasts can really help diverse students get important information in a format most beneficial to them. And by diverse, I mean different racial/ethnic backgrounds as well as different learning styles. Teachers should really be more willing to use these tools and use them well because they are so beneficial to the classroom.

TeacherTube sounds like a really great supplement to lectures and other activities, either to reinforce material or present new ideas. It's also a good alternative to YouTube, which may have inappropriate videos on it. TeacherTube also sounds like it has fairly good security with the moderators and others looking for inappropriate material. While this is a good tool, it shouldn't dominate the classroom learning experience. It could go a long way in further explaining issues, however. I can see why districts would be hesitant to allow access to the site, but a strong case can be made for it's use. Perhaps administrators could try it out first, before allowing the use in classrooms, to see the benefits of it.

Teachermates are a great tool for elementary students, especially those who need somehing more to catch their attention, or those who are more visual learners. It could also be used for older students who need more remedial reading/math lessons. Even though $50 may not sound like much to most of us, I think it may be too much for many families. These are being piloted in very urban areas, but I don't think every family would be able to purchase one for their student. I liked how easy it sounded to use, charge, and send data to the teacher's computer.

The last article really struck a chord with me because I'm going to be a journalism teacher, and I always enjoy a First Amendment debate. Online speech creates many hazy areas in the matter of free speech. However, I'm a firm believer that off-campus speech cannot be punished in school unless there is likely to be a substantial disruption. Chances are, calling an administrator a bad name is not going to cause a riot. It'll just make him/her mad. And that is not enough to warrant punishment. The student didn't create the blog at school or post the offensive entry at school. Therefore, she has the right to say what she feels, even if it is rude. Rude comments are probably made everyday by high schoolers about their principals, and she shouldn't be punished just because hers was readable online.