Blog Post #2

I have been using Microsoft Word as a student since third grade. I specifically remember using Microsoft Word to help with my science fair projects in third and fifth grade. Microsoft Word has been an integral part of my learning and success throughout my years in school and as I have gotten into higher education it has become more and more important. Whether I am using Microsoft Word to write essays for English, create surveys for math, or even write skits for other class projects, it has been one of the greatest and most simple technologies I have used in my life. I have seen my teachers use Microsoft Word to create a multitude of items throughout the years such as, tests, quizzes, syllabi, and other instructional worksheets. Microsoft Word is just as important to me, as a student, as it has been to all of my teachers.

I have never really thought much about copyright and fair use except when writing an essay and properly citing a source. Throughout my years in school I have searched the web and taken images that are useful to my work or project and just copy and pasted them into my document. I have constantly cited sources from books, articles and other documents to avoid plagiarism but not often did I think about attributing something to the original owner of the image I received from Google. I have also seen many of my teachers use images and documents that they were not the original writer or owner of, but as I read in the "Code of Best Practices" document, I believe they were allowed to do so because they were using it for educational purposes. As a teacher, I would educate my students on copyright and ensure that they are properly citing the documents and images they use in their work. As a teacher, when developing my own instructional materials I will take influence from other documents but never directly and blatantly use someone else's work and try to pass it as my own; I will be sure to give credit to the rightful owner of the image or source I used.

There are several aspects to technology implementation issues and they are broken down into three categories in chapter 11 of Teaching and Learning with Technology. The issues are split into legal issues such as, copyright, and piracy; social issues such as, cyberbullying, and then ethical issues such as, academic honest and privacy (Lever-Duffy & McDonald 257). A solution to the copyright issue would be to make sure all students are educated on what and how to avoid copyright. Students must know when to give proper credit and attribution to a document that they used to aide their work. Cyberbullying is a major social issue and while in school a teacher should do his or her best to prevent it as much as he or she can. As stated in Teaching and Learning with Technology, teachers can do their part by educating their students on cyberbullying and how to prevent it or what to do when encountering the issue. One main issue that I was always taught about was academic dishonesty. Teachers and educators constantly remind students that academic dishonesty is one of the worst crimes a student could commit. To prevent academic dishonesty, like other issues, teachers must be sure to properly educate their students on the consequences of their actions and how harsh the penalty could be. It is important for all these issues,that students are taught sooner, rather than later, on what to do to prevent any of the aforementioned problems from arising.

Blog Post #1

As our society continues to shift to a more technology-oriented kind, our younger generation must be educated accordingly. Teachers are now being prompted more often than not to assure they are technologically literate. According to Teaching and Learning with Technology, several programs, such as the ISTE who founded NETS, have been implemented to influence teachers to go back to school or go to workshops to keep up with technology and pass down their knowledge to their students. One of the main influences of technology in the classroom is the fact that each individual student has his or her own style of learning. Technology allows a teacher to harness a student's abilities will in turn make him or her a better teacher and only increase the student's learning ability.

The ISTE's main goal is to assure that our society's future children are up-to-date with all technology and are able to excel in their future career paths. The way the ISTE sees to do that is by implementing standards to guarantee that all educators have more than enough knowledge of technology to be able to teach their students. The ISTE knows how quickly the world is changing and how important it will and may already be to be "tech-savvy." One standard that gladdens my heart is the NETS Empowered Learner, which wants students to show competency by using technology in their learning goals (ISTE). A standard that seems outside of my current skill-set is the Global Collaborator standard, which I read about on the ISTE's website. The Global Collaborator standard wants students to work together to increase their learning abilities. I feel that is outside of my current skill set right now because I have not had the opportunity to work with other students digitally yet and help increase my learning ability.

I do agree with the term digital native for today's youth. To be a digital native means that our generation is one of the first, if not the first, to grow up using the technology we use today. Digital natives grew up and are still growing up with technology seamlessly integrating into their lives. Most digital natives seem to have no issue grasping the ideas and usages of new technology. I have seen a difference between how myself and teachers use technology. I have had a number of teachers struggle with simple tasks such as turning on the projector or uploading a Powerpoint. Teachers having difficulty with technology has not been an issue in my learning as someone is usually able to help the teacher figure out the problem and even show the teacher how to properly work certain technologies. I anticipate the future generation being even more skilled than my generation is now. The future generation will grow up with people who already know the background and basics of technology, which will only make it more simple for them to harness and use.

Blog Post #0

My first encounter with technology was when I was younger and I began using the desktop computer in my house to play games online. Overtime, technology became an integral part of my life. I needed to use technology for research, school and basic questions, every single day. My father bought me a Macbook Pro for my fifteenth birthday and that exact laptop and my iPhone are my main sources of technology. I use both devices from when I wake up until the time I go to bed, sometimes I use them simultaneously. Overall, I feel that my experiences with technology have been very positive and without the knowledge of technology that I have accrued I do not believe I would have the abilities I do now. Technological experiences have very much helped shape who I am and how I use my knowledge.

In EME 2040, I hope to learn more about various types of programs that can be helpful in the workplace and in my daily life. Throughout EME 2040, I want to be able to gain proficiency in Microsoft Excel specifically. Microsoft Excel is a tool that I have not used at all in school or at home and I feel that it will be an integral part of my future career. I want to have a job in the front office of a professional baseball team and a lot of their work has to do with statistics, charts, data, and graphs. Being able to gain a working knowledge of Excel would help me excel in my career path and only lead me to a better future. Gaining proficiency in as many aspects of technology in this class will help me very much and the tools I learn can only help me more in the future.

The Learning Style Questionnaire showed me what allows me to learn best. I had previously felt that I learned best when actually doing the problem out and the questionnaire further enforced that idea. I'm am surprised that I lean more towards verbal learning because I previously believed I that I learned better when actually seeing something, but I will look into how much verbally learning helps me in the future. Learning in steps has always been what I am best at. I have always felt that I needed structure in what I am doing and that order was very important. The questionnaire reinforced my belief that I am a very structured learner and that I will always learn best that way.