SMART DAY 10, Teaching With The Tools Kids Really USE, Chapters 10-11

With more and more time spent online, individuals are developing online personalities outside of their real world persona. Chapter 10 of Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use, Brooks-Young provides some guidelines for individuals to keep in mind as they interact with the world wide web. The topics covered range in degree of variability, but I think include several important tips. The most important one and the most general would be that of respect. Respect works in to manners, respect for the user and respect for others. In my opinion, respect serves as the foundation for model digital citizen. If a user has the correct sense of respect, then other topics Brooks-Young mentions should happen naturally.  Other topics Brooks-Young mention in light of a model digital citizenship include, privacy, plagiarism, and cyber bullying.  To be a model citizenship I think users need an understanding of how various interactions on the web affect not only themselves, but others. For example, the plagiarism problem. Students might think they are saving themselves time by simply copy and pasting, however they are working against themselves and not giving credit where credit is due. I honestly think that if users have a clear understanding of what respect is and how it plays into their interaction on the internet most if not all problems will be taken care of.

I have heard of Sexting from my little cousins in Middle School. They were telling me about how pictures of their friends were being sent around and how inappropriate messages were being sent as well. I never really heard of sexting till it was explained to me by my cousin. What Sexting is, is just awful. Not just to the persons the text messages or pictures are being sent to, but the overall message its is carrying. Students that participate in such behavior clearly have no respect for them or for their peers. I think students do not realize the harm that it can cause, because they more than likely see sexting as a norm within their generation. In my personal opinion, the only way to combat sexting within the educational atmosphere would be to enforce a no cell phone policy among the school. This places a safeguard around the educational institution, the teacher, and the students. I almost seeing it as creating an attitude that as long as it doesnt happen at school, its not really the teachers problem. That is a good mindset to have as long as it does not turn into a social abuse probem, then the teacher is obligated to step in. Combating sexting involves a thin line between teacher-parent discipline and student involvement.

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SMART Day 8: Teaching With The Tools Kids Really, Chapter 8

In light of Chapter 8 of Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use and the internet, accessing pictures online has been one of the most used features that I could probably take advantage of.  I mainly use pictures found on the internet for design work such as posters or cards that I create using Photoshop or InDesign. I utilize the Google Image Search for some of my pictures, but for the ones I like to use for my graphic work I usually locate them on stock photography websites. The main reason I use stock photography websites relates to the issues of copyright guidelines. Anything I use from the those websites I know I want get in trouble for, because the reason for such a site is to provide users with pictures they can use in publications.

With my own personal pictures, I usually share them online through Facebook, but most of my pictures I have on a web gallery that is provided by Apple known as MobileMe. With my web gallery I am able to upload pictures straight from iPhoto and then send emails with links to the pictures I just uploaded to those I want to share. What I like most about sharing my pictures this way is the fact that I can password protect my albums or my gallery as a whole. Also, viewers have the option of downloading different file sizes of the images. This is just a great way to share pictures without having to post them on Facebook for all to see. Most of the pictures that I upload are for use with sharing with family or my close friends. Plus it is also nice to have my photographs stored online just in case something was to happen to my hard drive; at least my pictures will be okay.

My relationship with videos on the internet is about the same as pictures. Though the features for photographs are more commonly used than those for the videos. The videos I watch online are usually news related or for pure fun on youtube. Though I do not really spend a whole lot of time watching them. I do like to watch my tv shows online as I do not have cable. Plus Hulu makes it super easy to watch shows online for free. Why pay for something when you can watch it online for nothing. Though the ads do get a little annoying, but nonetheless I get to watch my show.

In brief, Creative Commons is the legal and healthiest way to interact online with digital media. The tag line for the Creative Commons website is share, remix, reuse-legally. The idea is to help teachers legally use digital media in the classroom without getting into trouble. This is great for educators as they are provided with a resource that helps them utilize other forms of classroom instruction rather than impede them from stepping outside the traditional classroom norms. The great thing about this website is that teachers are given the correct resources and connections to get what they need to that enables their students to interact with digital media. The website seems to very helpful and contains a lot of information. This is definitely a website worth spending time reading and booking marking in my safari browser.

SMART Day 8: Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use, Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use discusses the implications of using online writing as means of engaging students with their writing in the classroom. The chapter focus specifically on three different types, blogs, wikis, and web based word processors. Each of the three writing outlets vary from others and have different classroom use. Blogs are more like an online journal. A blog catalogs entries in reverse order from they date they are posted. Within a blog, the most recent one appears first and the more dated one appears last. A great use in the classroom of blogs would be a supplement to the standard handwriting journal. Students tend to write more if they can type and if a student can blog their reactions to their readings, the teacher might get a much more meaningful response. Wikis are websites that encourage collaboration at a corporate level. Users have access to change and edit information that the website contains. Think of Wikipedia. A good use for a classroom wiki would be parent-teacher communication. I could see teachers using wikis instead of a traditional classroom newsletter. The only problem is, what happens if a students parent does not have internet access? Maybe they have smart phone and an App can be developed? That would be cool. hmmm. Lastly, web based word processors are word processors that work by using the internet versus an actual application installed on the computer itself. This reminds me of Goggle Docs. The best use in the classroom for this would be collaborative work or even having students turn their homework in through Google Docs instead of printing it out to turn in. Only seems logical.

I have had experience with all three of these applications. More some than others, but none the less I have used each one in some form or fashion. The most used application discussed I have used would be the blog feature. As I have used a blog for some time. The least used application would have to be the wiki. It might be that I have used a wiki or even viewed a wiki without the realization that the website was indeed a wiki. My only reservation with wikis is the ability to edit content. I am sure there are controls the creator can have but the idea of having a classroom wiki able to be edited by anyone makes me nervous. I could see my students changing the due date of assignments. Some practical jokers they would be. Web based word processors are not really new to me but not necessarily old. I knew about them but did not use them as much as I think I should have. I used them mostly for sharing documents such as study guides with my peers.

In all, these programs that allow students to write online I think have a place more so than others in the classroom. Unlike virtual worlds or video games, the classroom implications seem logical of using these sources to promote healthy writing attitudes. Plus with kids using Facebook, Twitter, and computers more and more in general today, it will not be too long before writing online is the normal standard.

SMART Day 7, Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use, Chapter 9

Chapter 9 of Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use discusses the concept of using video games as means of educational instruction. Though I can see the practical use of using video games in the classroom, I do not think I am a fan of it. Mainly because video games today have a negative connotation associated with them and one kids perception of what a video game is differs from what another kid thinks a video game is. With that being said, video games in the classroom will not receive the attention the teacher intended. Even if kids are willing to play video games in the classroom, they will be instructional at that. I can just imagine many kids not having interest in games that make them learn their ABC's when instead they would rather be racing cars or battling each other. I know that some kids will take a liking to learning via video games, but I think those students are far and few between. With today's mindset of being digital and using iOS devices in the classroom, I see students taking a liking to learning with applications versus video games.

My personal interaction with video games is not really all that impressive. I am by no means a hardcore video gamer, I actually do not like them. The only video game system I own today is the Wii and I only use that for the Wii Fit game. Other than that I do not really do much interaction with those time wasting devices. I think with my lack of connection with today's video games. Educational games I find boring and not very interesting. I think that is because they lack creativity and they try to hard to get the message across about learning a certain topic.  I seriously doubt I would use video games in my classroom. The only exception would be if I taught PE and could use the wii fit.

SMART Day 6: Teaching With The Tools Kids Really Use, Chapter 6

This chapter focused on Virtual worlds and how they can benefit the teaching atmosphere by expanding the learning environment of the student. In addition to several classroom suggestions, the author also gave a list of precautions a teacher should taken when considering using virtual worlds in the classroom. In my humble opinion, I think virtual worlds have a limited place in the classroom. They can and should be used as a lesson extension, but not a lesson replacement. In my classroom, I would more than likely use the virtual environment as an incentive for good behavior or academic performance.  I also see potential for English Language Learning students to take advantage the virtual world community as well. This type of learning atmosphere provides a non threatening sense of academic potential separate from the regular classroom.  With that in mind though, I would still only use it as an extension of a lesson and the mere substitution for classroom instruction.

My personal interactions with virtual worlds has been very limited if non existent. That mostly relates to the fact that I am just not interested in that type of media. I associate virtual worlds with the realm of gaming and I am not a big gamer. Also, with virtual worlds, most of them cost money and to be honest I do not see a need to spend money to have fun on the internet. I am sure that if I was to look hard enough I could find a free community to frolic in, but even with that I would have to have some degree of interest in this whole virtual world phenomena. I am not against the use of interacting with environments online, but it is just not for me. Just as the they are intended to be used in the classroom, I am sure not all my students will like learning that way. In all, the liking to virtual worlds comes with personal opinions.