Blog post 2

-Since I can remember using computers in a school setting I’ve had the advantage of Microsoft Office, more specifically Microsoft Word, to aid me as a student. Microsoft Word empowers education by serving as a way for students to express themselves creatively, in an organized fashion, anytime, anywhere and it allows students to save their work, thoughts, and ideas in a safe place where it will not be deleted. I cannot imagine my schooling experience without the use and help of Microsoft word to complete assignments both in and out of the classroom. The tools offered through this application are advanced, yet easy to maneuver, which is why it is so popular both in and out of classrooms. Through the years I’ve witnessed my teachers use Microsoft word as a means to better communicate, collaborate ideas and achieve more within the classroom. Word tools enhance documents appearances, which make them look more polished and professional compared to hand written materials. Word also makes the sharing of documents extremely easy which is great for educators because they can exchange lesson plans, worksheets, and much more. Another way Word is effective for teachers is that it saves them ample time that they can actually spend educating their students, rather then constantly creating new material to share with their class. Word allows them to quickly modify documents to their liking so that they are able to focus more on the classroom and teaching.

-Throughout my schooling experience copyrighted materials such as songs, videos, books and much more were used without permission as fair use because they served a bigger purpose for learning. Many of my teachers used fair use within our classrooms in order to more clearly demonstrate a specific topic. I specifically remember certain teachers not being able to show certain videos that would aid our learning due to copyright infringements. These infringements affect the creative choices both teachers and the media can make. As an educator, I would use fair use to my advantage by collaborating with the Center for Media and Social Impact (CSMI) to clarify what content is considered usable and non-usable within the classroom to avoid any problems that could arise by using a copyrighted item. I would inform my students on the repercussions of copyright infringement and advise them to avoid this at all costs. I would also educate my students on how to use materials without violating copyright for educational purposes.

-Since learning about and becoming a more avid user of twitter and personal learning networks alike, I’ve become a more tech savvy student. Not only have I developed a deeper understanding on how to network and manage my personal accounts, I’ve also been able to interact with other more efficiently. Personal learning networks could help me to be a more connected educator and learner by collaborating online and using a range of social media tools in order to build my own network.

Blog post #1 EME 2040

•     Computers are an integral part of the educational experience because we are a society of technology users and it’s crucial that we educate our youth on the basic concepts and principals behind operating technology we use in our daily lives. Computers can be extremely powerful when used to support educational instruction. Educators can use a multitude of technological devices including computers with Internet access, apps, blogs, podcasts and much more to enhance learning within the classroom setting. Technology can also be used to address diversity, foster critical thinking through higher-order thinking skills and to foster creativity within students. Technology also raises concerns regarding its ability to replace the role of a teacher as it continues to advance. Personally, I do not believe this will occur, however technology may replace some of the things teachers do within the classroom.  That being said, teachers who do not use technology will be replaced by those who do. Another technology related concern revolves around different areas socioeconomic statuses and whether or not the lower income area will be able to keep up with the higher income areas.      

•       The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the most frequently used non-profit set of standards utilized by students and educators alike. ISTE’s project and set of standards, also known as the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), are set to evaluate the knowledge and skills that teachers should have and provide current and future educators direction for effective goals for the application of educational technology. The goal of ISTE is to use information technology to support and improve teaching and learning for the future. One ISTE standard for teachers that stood out to me was standard number one: facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity through my knowledge of the subject matter and technology in order to advance student learning, creativity/expression outlets in both a physical and virtual environment. In order to successfully implement this as an educator a teacher must promote, support and exemplify innovative/critical thinking and inventiveness by engaging them in real world issues and solving genuine problems through technology. An ISTE standard for teachers that is outside my current skill set is modeling digital age work and learning. It is required of the educator to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technological situations. I am part of a generation that has grown up with technology at its forefront, yet I still struggle with computer competency from time to time. As an educator I feel as though I would struggle collaborating with students and parents through digital tools as technology continues to advance.

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·      To be a “digital native,” one must be born or brought up during the age of digital technology and thus be familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age. Personally, I agree with this term used for today’s youth because we have been brought up with this technology and don’t know anything else—we assimilate with the environment around us and what is utilized within it. There is a large gap in technological advances from our generation (digital natives) to our teachers and parents generations’ digital immigrants). Technology in terms of communication and education has come a long way since those times, thus it is more difficult for digital immigrants from older generations to keep up with the advancements we have today. As for digital natives like myself, a new app or touch-screen phone is commonplace. As an educator I will strive to keep up with the technology of the times with help form useful standards such as ISTE, etc and to always continue my learning far after my days as a student are over.

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