My thoughts, ideas, and questions

Online Voting

2007-07-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

To be or not to be, that is the question at hand. On page 312 Quinn asks the question, " Are we holding computers up to too high of a standard?? Could be but who knows. The way that we vote currently still has its own imperfections, while online voting would have the same. I'm not for sure what my view is yet. Too many hackers up to no good might try and mess with the system just to be funny or to "beat the system". I feel that would definitely happen more with online voting, then with the way we vote now. Perhaps the best of the best would come together to help make online voting secure, but even then will we ever be 100% sure. Sure it would be less costly, more efficient, and such but it's to be considered if the benefits outweigh the risks. I wonder if we'll be voting about whether to turn voting all the way online or not before this country actually steers that way.

The Good and Bads of having privacy

2007-07-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

I think we all want some if not a lot of privacy, but when does it become a burden instead of a blessing?? After reading the different topics to talk about in chapter 5 this one stuck out for me. I love having my privacy but I do not necessarily think giving privacy to every human being is the best thing possible. This must seem hypocritical I know. On page 214 the book states that family violence leads to much pain and suffering in our society. howerver, one reason that dysfunctional families can maintain "normal" in their eyes, is because our culture respects the privacy of each family. (Quinn, 214) This statement makes me cringe because it so true. Before I became a teacher I worked at a place in town where daily we let abused children go back into the home they came from because we weren't allowed to enter into the home and interrupt privacy, that just wasn't our job.

Everyone should have a right of privacy, but once it's abused, i think that right should be lost for the time being if not for good. How sad is it to think though, that the right to privacy can be abused so much before anything is actually done about it.

Article #3 for Module 3

2007-07-06T12:43:00.001-07:00

Title: Larry Magid: Keeping Kids Safe On-Line

People like Larry Magid are angels to me. He is proactive in finding a way to keep America's kids safe while on-line. He doesn't give up and he understands that learning to use the internet is a basic NECESSITY. However, there is a time and a way to teach it correctly. Monitor, monitor, monitor, I don't think any professional can ever say that enough. Monitoring our kids on-line is crucial to keeping them safe. Filtering sites is worth a shot but just being aware of what your kids/ students are doing is so important. On-line and OFF! Larry talks about the internet being a valuable place but talks about how kids have to street smart when they hop on line.

Article #2 for Module 3

2007-07-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Title: Technology in the Schools: It does make a Difference!

This article says the exact opposite that my #1 article for module 3 says. Technology in school is a necessity and can be a great thing! Darla Waldrop, a teacher, reports, "Children who don't do anything in class will work if it's on a computer." While this might be true I don't think that is a strong answer in why technology is important. In every instance in this article schools reported that providing students with an andequate number of computers and throughouly training teachers in how to use the software correctly had a positive impact in student learning. That is key though, having the availability of computers for students, and having training on how to use the software correctly is how students will be successful. Otherwise having 1 or 2 computers in the classroom to learn with will most likely not turn out be a learning tool.

Article #1 for Module 3

2007-07-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Title: Technology in Schools: Some Say it Doesn't Compute

This article focuses on answering the question, "Have schools jumped onto the technology bandwagon too soon?"

The evidence in this article reports that perhaps people are making a bigger deal of the internet scene than should be made. They talk about the "hidden price" of technology in schools being the following outcomes:

possibilities of posture/seeing problems
repetitive motion (example: carpal tunnel syndrome)
the consequence of having kids become sedentary instead of active due to the influence of the internet/computer
spending less time interacting with peers and much more time interacting with a machine
students begin to expect all learning to be entertaining, and their failure to use all of their 5 senses to learn causes them to be inactive learners

While I can see that all of these outcomes are highly probable, I feel that this wouldn't be the case if we as adults do our job in monitoring. As for having computers/ internet in school, I don't think it's worth it unless the school district can financially support buying up to date software programs and computers that work. Also the school district I feel must be able to support funding to teach the teachers how to use technology and teach it correctly to their students, if this cannot happen then it becomes wasted money that could have been spent on books or other necessitites for the school.

Article #3

2007-06-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Title: Author Says Technology Brings False Promises to School

I was waiting for a quote similar to the one I am about to state to say how I feel about the over-use of technology in schools. "Our society has grown accustomed to superficial values." I feel that there are pros and cons to all kinds of situations including this one. Too much focus on technology in our schools is a scapegoat for helping our children become diverse individuals. The cost of technology cuts into other programs as stated in the article such as physical education, music, art, shop classes, science lab materials, and more.
When technology first came to the scene the author states that perhaps educators should have been a bit more skeptical about the pros before investing a big portion of their budgets on computers and such. Sometimes the advertisement overpowers the results that come out of making such a huge investment in computers and laptops. Personally, I am all for computer laps but not personal lap tops, at least not until grade 11. It takes away from the diversity of our students.
The author states that students/teachers shoud use computers as a supplement in each education area but not a replacement for traditional studies. I agree whole heartedly with this statement. If we as educators do not abuse technology then it is benefical to us and to our students. When it is abused that is when it becomes a superfical value.

Article #2

2007-06-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Title: The Internet Safety Debate

A quote that interested me in this article was " the amount of educational material on the Internet outweighs the minor inconvience of having to monitor what is going on." To an extent I agree with this quote and to this article.

I have nothing wrong with students even my kindergartners getting on the internet. I feel that MONITOR is a key word. In my classroom, I would never let students go on the internet without monitoring and being aware of what site they are on. It is highly important that we are aware of what our students are doing on the internet. There are many valuable/and rich sites for my students to get on, one in my opinion is STARFALL.com. It helps them to broaden their vocabulary in a unique and fun experience. It allows them to be creative. Since my school is quite diverse getting on the computer every once in a while gets them excited about learning, and most likely is one of the most exciting things they have experienced yet.

Having safety on the internet requires teachers and parents alike being proactive and teaching their kids rules and topics that they need to be aware of early on. It also requires teachers and parents to not be lazy and to be active in their students lives. The interenet can definitely be scary but if you know about it and the positive things about it, it can definitely be a positive tool, even in kindergarten!

Article #1

2007-06-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Title: Laptops Change Curriculum and Students Excitement about Learning

In this article there are pros and cons about having laptops in school. What first caught my eye was the fact that this was a MIDDLE SCHOOL! I never used a laptop until I was in college. But, I'll get back to the point of this blog.
It is true that computers in our society are here to stay from here on out. Many think that having laptops for each student at school is an investment and while that may be true, I think that it's only an investment at a certain age. Perhaps juniors and seniors in high school and definitely for college students. I am surpised to see that middle school students are using lap tops because I feel that it makes them way too intelligent too fast, which makes me think that many students will abuse the right of having a computer and internet access at an earlier age.

While there are pros about using lap tops at school such as, 1) a new excitement to learn and the abundant amount of resources

There are also cons such as many children not having formal typing instruction, forgetting their laptops, and teachers are not sure how to integrate computers into their teaching.

My vote is to lay off on having individual laptops in any grade before grade 11. I feel that this is what computer labs are for.

The Blue Nowhere- Blog 2

2007-06-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

From reading The Blue Nowhere I have learned more about computers in the last week than I've learned in my whole life! Gillette is by far my most favorite character. Not because he's been in prison but because of his talent and how intelligent he is with technology. The language Gillette uses about computer terms amazes me. It makes me think that having certain kind of hackers in our world is definitely a good thing whether it is ethical or not.

The Blue Nowhere-BLOG 1

2007-06-16T07:15:00.001-07:00

Such an intense book right from the beginning. How creepy it is to think that some person could find out all sorts of personal things by just hacking into your accounts. I never saw Lara's killer coming. Who would ever think that? By reading the first few chapters I can tell that I myself am going to be more catious about what I put out on the internet. After reading the first 60 pages many ideas started going through my head. I will be more aware of my students on the computer as well my children when I have them. It can be a very scary world out there if you're not prepared for it!

Evaluation

2007-06-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

This past year I was a team teacher and so I didn't have my own homeroom. Meaning that there is no time to even talk about technology with my students. This next year I will have a homeroom and this technology course is going to definitely give me some eye openers on what I need to cover with my students. I know to directly talk about input devices for my students . Something that I am more aware of now is how beneficial it is to work cooperatively, and collaboratively along with the family when using technology in the classroom. I'm aware of the safety of my students on the internet so I feel that I am prepared to teach them about technology, however this site and this course is giving me more of an understanding of little details that I need to add when I teach my Kindergartner's about technology. I realize the importance of teaching it due to the fact that it is a part of everyday life.