Week 9- 2

2. Pecha Kucha - Find a Pecha Kucha you like and post to your blog. Why was this interesting? Do they have a place in education? Thoughts??

Goats, Cheese and Love

I really liked this pecha- kucha because it was done all in a rhyme. I think Pecha Kucha are cool because they can take so many forms. Creativity is also essential and I love that. I also liked this one because it was a nice way to show a service message about the importance of farming and farmers.

Yes they have a place in education. They have great structure, how many times do we see presentations go over their time limits? Also it is good to understand people attention spans are short especially students’.

Week 9-1

Your thoughts/understanding about New Media Literacies... Do they fit in your content area? Yes, No, Why not or how? Do they fit in education in general? etc...
I would simply describe media literacy’s as social norms for the web community. This videos describe Media literacy has possessing social skills and cultural competencies necessary to become part of the online society. Media Lit. is important for many aspects for people in society such as workers, creative expression, future, citizenship, collaboration, classrooms. Society is moving as a whole from individual skills to skills of groups.

Media lit. is something students will development after practicing digital citizenship. Making the internet and web available for student will help give students the experience they need to practice their media lit skills. Media skills can be developed in class, work, during collaboration and creative expression. Here are some specific skills students can practice; judgment, negotiation, appropriation, play & experience, simulation, distribution cognition, trans-media navigation, collective intelligence, performance, visualization and multitasking.

Media lit can be supported in education by directing students to fan communities and forums, blog society and other collaborative web 2.0 tools. I want my students to participate in blogs and collaborative projects online. This will be easy for me as a business teacher and absolutely necessary for my student future if they plan to go into the global business world.

Videos
http://techtv.mit.edu/collections/newmedialiteracies/videos/1214-the-new-media-literacies
http://techtv.mit.edu/collections/newmedialiteracies/videos/770-what-are-the-new-media-literacies
http://techtv.mit.edu/collections/newmedialiteracies/videos/704-what-is-participatory-culture

Week 3- 2

Why is intellectual property and creative rights an important topic for students?
It is important for students to understand that stealing is wrong and also against the law, whether its physically taking an item that doesn’t belong to you and calling it yours or using information, pictures and music and calling it yours. It is important for anyone using the internet to know that creators should be recognized for their hard work. There are many aspects that go into pictures, logos and music such as time, energy, effort, cost of equipment education and vital experience. To not recognize these steps is basically rude.

“Writer Ayn Rand has argued that the protection of intellectual property is essentially a moral issue. The belief is that the human mind itself is the source of wealth and survival and that all property at its base is intellectual property. To violate intellectual property is therefore no different morally than violating other property rights which compromises the very processes of survival and therefore constitutes an immoral act.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

Here is a Wordle using the article from the link below.


http://designinformer.com/2010/why-intellectual-property-rights-are-so-important/

Another good reason to make students aware of creative rights is the problem with plagiarism. I would establish guidelines that coincide with the schools rules on plagiarism but also include creative rights if not already suggested by school. My feeling on the matter of recognizing owners of intellectual property is, ‘better safe, than sorry’. In this instance more is better, at the moment most teachers feel that using an un-cited photo or music in a presentation is fine for a student as long as it doesn’t generate monetary value. However I’m not sure how long that will be allowed and students are generating pretty amazing projects and it is only a matter of time before someone gets offended.

The internet is the main tool for research in most class projects. Students must learn to research properly and recognize their sources. After school, student will be expected to use the internet for all types of jobs, anything from arranging travel to sales. I will prepare students for the workforce by conveying the importance of intellectual property.

Week 3-1

Digital Citizenship is a broad topic with many different branches, yet it is part of the NETS standards that we include it in our curriculum. How can we ensure we are touching on all of the facets of digital citizenship prior to introducing a digital technology project in the classroom? What makes a good digital citizen?
Our digital footprint doesn’t have to be a scary thought. I think teachers; even young digital savvy teachers need to be education first on digital citizenship. If teachers don’t understand the consequences, than they will never be able to communicate its importance to their students. I have to disagree with the statement, that digital citizenship is a broad topic. I disagree because I don’t think it is broad but better described as ever changing. As technology changes quickly so doesn’t digital citizenship and teachers should keep in mind and stay on top of all the changes and rely them back to their students.

I will use resources much like the Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship website which outlines what makes a good digital citizen.
1. Digital Access
2. Digital Commerce
3. Digital Communication
4. Digital Literacy
5. Digital Etiquette
6. Digital Law
7. Digital Rights & Responsibilities
8. Digital Health & Wellness
9. Digital Security (self-protection)
I believe practicing and promoting good digital citizenship is one of the essential parts of the "> NETS standards . Not once, but twice they mentions the word “modeling” in the NET standards which is my way of attack to ensure that students understand the importance before diving into technology based learning.

A good digital citizen is someone who used technology appropriately. The use of technology should be done with etiquette and for the better good. A digital citizen follows the laws and respects others rights and well being. I will expect this from my students.

Week 7- Article 2

I chose to review, reflect and research about social media. Social media is a double edge swore for schools. Many teachers are trying to embrace the web 2.0 tool both students and more parents love to use. The debate is heated but I believe the pros outweigh the cons. Social media provides an outlet for global communication and collaboration, if used correctly. However many administrations don’t approve of social media use in the classroom, while others use it as an administrative communication tool to reach parents and promote school spirit.

“While some districts are making the most of popular social networks, others are not choosing the “Like” button.” This quote was taken from the article , “The Social Media Dilemma”, by Ron Schachter from the districtadministration.com website published in July 2011. The article goes on to explain that more districts block social media than allow it. The administration that allows it agree that most adults find it easier to say “no” and often do because they, themselves don’t use or know how to use the sites. Some of the concerns are, bulling, sexually predators, online relationships between students and teachers and poor web etiquette specifically by teachers and administrators who weren’t educated in digital citizenship.

Through technology education courses I’ve learned that social media can be a great tool in the classroom. However this article further provides more appropriate ways to use this web 2.0 tool. We should introduce Facebook at a young age, like the first graders in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Community School District specifically College View Elementary. Their teacher, Erin Schoening, has a class Facebook page and updates “friends” with posts, pictures and videos several times daily. Erin is the single administrator of the page and strictly approves only parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, peers in other classrooms with in the school. Check out Erin 8 ways to use Facebook in 1st grade. Student will learn how to appropriately us the tool along with digital citizenship lessons. Twitter is also being used at Mt, Vernon Township High School district in Oakland Ill. says Micheal Smith, superintended. He concludes that Twitter allows teachers and students to reach globally to communicate with authors, or others who can impact student educationally. He goes on to say that teacher utilize the “search” in twitter to pull up information about the days subject. For example “pyramids” receive 18,000 personal videos from people vacations for the student to watch and receive a better idea of the subject.

I agree that there are some dangers in the social network era but with proper education for both the teachers and the students paired with a school’s clear set of policies. Vincent Mustaro of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education suggestions polices such as no online sales, no releasing of students identification, zero tolerance of harassment, and strict teacher- student online relationships should be addressed and considered. A clear set of expectations for use of technology is also a good guideline. Check out WELD Re-4 School District category break down of technology and information expectations .

As a teacher I want to use social media and other similar web 2.0 tools in the class room to connect globally and with other students and parents. I think most schools are against these types of tools but with all the positive feed back from the other schools willing to take the risks it will be hard discard technology like Facebook and twitter. If I work at a school who was resistant I would try to ask other schools to use there policies and expectations. Then I would propose it, in hopes administrators would be less afraid if someone has already had success.

Week 2- 2

•Reading over the attached articles, Are they really ready to work and Return to Sender, summarize the main points you find important and offer solutions to some of them. How would you implement in the classroom if you were the Secretary of Education!

"If you meet someone who tells you his interest is science, ask how much technology he uses," Knezek says. "If he says, 'Not much,' you know that person is a student or a teacher in our school system.” OUCH. This article is brutal but probably true. Some school and teachers are still practicing old traditions which are hindering the graduates going in the workforce. I agree with Magner's, “need to fuse the traditional three Rs with the four Cs--critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity-1`-while also making room for problem solving and innovation.” However the problem is the world of technology is changing so fast most teachers were never equipped to handle the technology push. Nor has anyone help in facilitating the change. For example, “While many schools have taken the step of asking students to use digital media in assignments, few are teaching them strategies for doing it well--much less imparting more sophisticated skills such as the ability to use scripts to combine applications” This all sounds great in theory but how many 10+ year school teacher veterans are going to be able to learn this, implement it and asses it? The article even goes on to agree that schools are upgrading poorly just to upgrade and no goals or detailed plans to utilize technology are being made. I think the blame is on the school officials not the teachers. The article suggesting implementing new technologies in classroom with teachers who are willing to take risks. Who hired the teachers who are not willing to take risks? Who is purchasing technologies without proper research or direction? Yes teachers should be willing to implement new technologies but it is scary when you don’t know how to use it, teach it, asses it and there is little to no guidance.

I think there is a new wave of teachers who are more aware of the important of technology. I personally love all the web 2.0 tools. I’m not tech savvy but I am a risk taker. I want to be a business teacher and believe the 4 C’s are crucial. I want to asses creativity through all types of tools, such as Scratch, Wordle, Voice threads, and Prezi. Implement communication based learning through twitter, blogs, Glogster. Support collaboration with Wikis, Youtube, website development, podcast and everything global. Critical thinking will be everything combined with subject matter. My goal is to work towards this; “the more advanced level: teaching through technology, such as with simulations or augmented reality.”

"If the United States is to stay economically powerful in this global economy, we have to develop the next generation of STEM professionals--young people who are not only good at math and science, but who think creatively and work in teams," Clute says. "The platform for doing that is technology." This last quote upsets me. Yes nanotechnology may be the fast growing industry but what about the kids who don’t like Math and Science. There are a lot. I don’t want to only concentrate on the kids who do like these subjects. This article seemed only interested in bashing educators and students uninterested in math and science. Art, music, and culinary are all subjects that could use and should be offered technology advances. I think focusing on students for math and science only would hinder the United States.

To read the entire article, Return to Sender check out this link http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/03/07/return-to-sender.aspx

Week 2- 1

•Is the incorporation of a global education expensive in not only dollars but in time with the students? Teachers often complain that more and more is added onto their plates and each additional item means less time for what's important.

I decided to Google, “Is the incorporation of a global education expensive?” to see what others thought about this statement. I wasn’t looking for any profession opinion; peer reviewed and statically measure answer. Just wanted to see what the public felt about the issue. In the search results was a link to about.com; a commonly used service that answers pretty much any question you have such as, “How to boil an egg”, “what should I do if my best friends blocks me on Facebook?”, or “What is the difference between an acute and obtuse angle?” The answer was that technology has improved communication and access to information however teachers are not teaching the students how to utilize technology to compete in a global world.

In my opinion global education is very important for the student’s future. By the time students are ready to enter the work force they will be employed at global companies. It becomes easier every day to do business with other countries because of technology. Therefore, students will need the tools to be competitive for these types of jobs. In the business world we use the term opportunity cost. For example, if I choose to do homework instead of picking up a waitress shift, the opportunity cost is the amount of money I could have made on that shift. Why would I choose to make no money and get good grades? Because the investment in homework is hoped to make more money than the instance income from the waitress shift. In comparison the cost for incorporating global education is not expensive but an investment.

However teachers are not equipment with the tools to properly teach and offer these types of advances. I also believe that teachers feel threaten by change because programs are not set in place to help. I think what is technically difficult for teachers, comes naturally to students. Even if a teacher introduces a new web 2.0 a student has never used before, it takes much less time for students to master it.

Learn more form About.com on the subject at this link.
http://privateschool.about.com/od/educationaltechnology/f/solution.htm