#2 MS Word and Student Protection

          I have been using Microsoft Word for school since I was a very young child.  I first used it in second grade.  We were given a day where we were taught the basics of Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.  Since then I have used it every year of my school career.  Every english class that I have taken, starting in 4th grade on, has required me to write essays using Microsoft Word.  I have also had to use it to create various other assignments such as vocabulary lists, brochures, resumés, etc.  In seventh grade, I had to become used to the apple version as my parents bought a macbook so I am now proficient in both apple and windows.  In my experience for teachers and Word, they tend to use it to create handouts for the class.  Any kind of rubric, list, lab, test, quiz, or anything else one could think of that the students would take a copy of was created using Microsoft Word.

          Personally, growing up in the public school system, my only experiences with copyright were through issues of paraphrasing.  However I never viewed it as someone else's intellectual property that has its own legal rights until I was well into high school.  As someone looking to get good grades, all that I cared about was not failing due to paraphrasing and didn't think about it anymore than that.  I believe that this is in part due to the fact that I was never asked to cite anything other than information that I researched while writing a paper.  I was on occasion asked to cite videos or movie clips, however not as often as one might expect, therefore I never really thought about the copyright issues.  When I am a teacher I will definitely ensure that my students are taking the proper precautions to not infringe on someone's intellectual property.  Any information that they glean while researching should be cited, and any clips, videos, or images, they use should be cited as well.  I will be clear to inform them of my policies through the class syllabus.  I will also encourage my students to educate themselves on the idea of fair use and the importance of protecting their own intellectual property.

          In order to solve the issue of unacceptable technological use, I will make it abundantly clear in our first class that it will not be tolerated.  It will also be explicitly laid out in the syllabus how to properly use technology in the classroom.  If I would like to use my students work as an example, I will make sure to ask them ahead of time and clarify that it will be done anonymously.  If I do not receive consent to display the student's work, I will find something else to use an example, weather it be from a textbook, or another student.  Finally, in order to ensure that the students' records are kept safe, I will keep my login information absolutely secret.  If a student requires the use of my computer, I will make sure that they log into their account, or if they must use mine, that they are monitored for the duration of the experience.

#1 Textbook Readings, ITSE Standards, and Digital Natives

          Incorporating and being influenced by technology is one of the most important aspects of the modern classroom.  For one thing it keeps students interested and focused on the task at hand.  There is no longer a need for an instructor to give dry lectures day in and day out.  Teachers are able to incorporate the different learning styles of their students and make sure that what is being taught is also being understood.  These learning styles tend to combine visual and kinesthetic needs which is perfect for the technology of today with advents such as gesture computing.  When students can have a hands on approach to what they are learning, they are far more likely to be interested and comprehend the concepts being taught.  Technology will also only grow in importance in the lives of the students, so to get them knowledgable with modern tech sets them up quite nicely for the world they will be entering.  While it is very helpful with students, it is also very helpful for teachers to stay organized.  As more and more public schools are giving teachers their own personal websites, they have a way to keep their assignments, syllabi, and contact information in one organized and easily accessible place.

          The ISTE standards for students are fantastic to see as they are pushing for the classroom to progress in the world rather than stay stuck in the past.  It is good to see that there are people out there that don't listen to the Luddites of our world and promote the use of tech to further our nation's posterity.  Each of the seven steps support the idea of students communicating with one another and across the globe as well as being creative and innovative in how they go about their educational career.  These ideas fit well along with the standards set for instructors.  Each of the teaching standards focus on being supportive of both students and the technology that is being used.  Teachers are expected to learn about the tech along with the students to be able to guide them in class and in life on the proper uses.  Teachers are expected to be there for the students to show them how wide their world can be if they are able to open it up with technology.  Progression is very possible with the opportunities many students are given in the modern classroom and they need their instructors to show them the way.

          To be born as a digital native and a millennial I feel as though we are often looked down upon by previous generations.  We were thrust into a world with technology that is absolutely astounding, yet are at times treated as though it is our fault that we were born at this time in history.  That being said I am not in anyway attempting to speak poorly of all digital immigrants.  As stated in the podcast there are many digital natives that prefer to live their life as Luddites and many digital immigrants that relish the fact that they too get to live in a world with the bountiful technology we have today.  For example, I had the privilege of having a guest musical conductor for a concert that I performed in, high school, who loved technology.  He was an older man, approximately in his sixties, and would rave about how if there was a new piece of technology out he would be first in line to purchase it and figure out its workings.  It was very refreshing to see someone like him respecting and admiring how fascinating technology really is and not shunning it.  However I have also had many teachers that refused to learn about new tech and would constantly belittle us digital natives for having it so easy growing up in a world of cell phones and personal computers.  Just from personal experience, it is obvious that the gap between digital natives and immigrants is quite wide and it is very important to bridge it.  By teaching students and informing teachers on the usefulness of technology, I believe that it can be done.

#0 Experiences in Technology

        Technology has always been a part of my life in some aspect.  As a child, I enjoyed learning how the different things around my house worked.  From being very young in a home without computers, I would mess around with our televisions and VCR players.  Eventually, around the early 2000's when I was in the early stages of elementary school, our family bought a home computer.  As soon as we purchased it, I was absolutely astounded by what it could do.  That being said, my parents didn't quite trust me, so what it could do for me was play pinball and a hockey game that my father had downloaded.  However, just from using these two games I became far more versed in how computer technology worked than one would expect.  As I got older, I lost some of this drive to learn about computers until I began working with Microsoft word and excel.  At this point all that I cared about though was being able to show off to the kids in my class that I knew how to make a smiley face out of different characters.  Due to the lack of drive, I never felt a need to build my own computer or play more computer based games.  While this does bum me out to an extent because I would have liked to learn those skills, I do understand my parents mistrust of my child self.

        From this class I would very much like to become more well versed in technology.  As I would like to become a high school government teacher, I want to keep the students as hooked on the lesson as possible.  I am well aware that I am not in the majority of people that are fascinated by the American government and its history.  Anything that I can do to get students interacting and interested in the subject matter is something that I would like to do.  I believe becoming more well versed in technology that can help in the classroom will aid in this goal.

        I find that being rather balanced between active learning and reflective learning is very accurate.  While there are many situations in which I like to learn by doing, I also very much enjoy thinking through my actions before hand.  This is especially true in regards to working on my own versus in a group and taking notes from a lecture, which I have always enjoyed.  Being balanced between sensing and intuitive learning, while leaning intuitive is also quite accurate.  As someone who is fascinated by government and politics, I find learning and discussing about theory to be very interesting.  I also was somewhat aware that I prefer to see information rather than simply hearing it or looking at words so being more visual makes sense.  Finally being a sequential learner is very accurate.  It is very difficult for me to understand a concept if I do not look at it in linear steps.