Blog #2

            I have used Microsoft Word during various occasions in my educational career. Primarily in intermediate school, I used this software to type out essays, as well as learn the correct ways to format. However, during my high school years I transferred over to using the pages program from Apple. I've seen my teachers use Microsoft Word to create tests, assignments, and to correct my past papers.

         

          Copyright and fair use of materials has been drilled into my mind since middle school. I was taught the ins and outs of correct citing and referencing to avoid plagiarism and legal trouble. With increased forms of sharing emerging everyday, it is very important for future educators, like myself, to correctly educate students on copyrighted materials in media literacy. For younger children it is important to teach the basics of citation in writing. In my case, I will be teaching secondary education, so it is my job to correctly communicate to students the importance of not only protecting intellectual property laws, but to preserve their own works. To effectively implement these concepts, I would simply provide a text or lecture on fair use that I could quiz my students on. After this lesson, my students should be able to correctly identify incorrect and correct uses of copyrighted materials and apply these processes to the entirety of their educational careers.   

         Chapter 11 of the Teaching and Learning with Technology textbook addresses various technology implementation issues such as cyberbullying, protecting student safety and privacy, ensuring equity of access to technology for all students, observing copyrights, and encouraging freedom of speech while respecting others' rights. With 43 percent of teens claiming to be victims of cyberbullying or cyberstalking, I feel that it is my duty as a future educator to address and fix this issue within the classroom before it even begins.I would provide a detailed lecture on how bullying within and outside of the classroom is not tolerated. A pledge against bullying will also be a mandatory paper I will address to be signed by the student. This way, there will be no blurred lines in the definition of any kind of bullying. I would continue to provide an "teacher note box" where my students can write to me about various incidences that they need help with. Ethical issues such as freedom of speech will also be addressed in my classroom. In a lecture, I will explain that though freedom of speech is a constitutional right, students must convey their opinions digitally in a respectful manner. Often, student use technology as a mask to convey hurtful opinions and statements. It is my job to ensure the digital safety of each of my students by regulating what is being posted on internet forums and educational media sites. I will help to decrease this issue by monitoring objectionable materials passing through the classroom. Lastly, I will tackle academic dishonesty through the use of various plagiarism detection programs such as TurnItIn. Before writing assignments, I will remind my students of the harm plagiarism can do to their academic careers and will further prompt my students to remember my ability to detect plagiarism.