Stefanie's World

Bullying!

2006-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

It seems that there are constantly more and more teen suicides related to bullying in schools. This is an unfortunate but intriguing issue. Have you ever stopped to think about what forms of bullying you participate in?

What about www.ratemyprofessors.com ? I have heard fellow students say that they need this website in order to pick their classes and profs. The website sensors the really bad comments, but there are still some very bad reviews of profs.

Sure, most of the posts may be truthful observations by individual students, but isn't this a form of bullying? The concept of the site is "now it's your turn to grade your teacher," but it's out there for the whole world to see, not just the one prof.

Any comments?

ECMP 355 Discussions

2006-12-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that people are going crazy with adding to the discussions in ECMP 355 now that the semester is basically over. Have you ever wondered as to why we wait to the last minute to do some things? Almost everyone does it, but in different ways. I wait until the last minute to write papers, but finish an art project right after I get the assignment. I'm sure that there are people that are completely the opposite, and I imagine that it depends on the interests that a person has. Generally we procrastinate with the most "painful" or time consuming thing, and get the other things out of the way first. It doesn't really make sense logically but perhaps we should each individually formulate a better long-term or short-term plan!

Comment!

2006-11-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, it feels like no one is reading my entries! *sniff* I wish I had a counter to see how many times my blog was accessed. AND it would be cool if people would leave comments... Come on, agree.. or disagree with me, I dare ya! It is my goal to get one comment before the semester is over! What do I have to do, write about provocative controvercial stuff?

Time Management

2006-11-28T21:29:00.000-08:00

I've discovered that in order to be a teacher, I'll need to figure out ways to complete tasks in more of a time-efficient manner. Okay this is an obvious thing, but I might as well start while I'm still in university.

I figured that it would be great for me to brush up on my html, so that is what I used to create my major ECMP assignment (www.educationaltechnology.ca/giroux/webquest1/index.html), and E-Portfolio (www.educationaltechnology.ca/giroux/EPortfolio/index.html). If you're not familiar with HTML coding, right click on a webpage, go to "View Source" and you'll get an idea of what it looks like.

Anyway, after I completed my assignments, I came to the realization that it is probably a good idea to use already made templates for time-management purposes (for example: when making a webpage). Oh well, I guess I can teach my students html sometime in the future? Learning Experience!

Teaching Quotes

2006-11-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

Discovering a quote by a famous teacher is a very easy way to learn about teaching. Google for quotes from people like "Mark Twain" and "Albert Einstein", or even just for "Teaching Quotes."

“The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives."
Robert M. Hutchins
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_object_of_education_is_to_prepare_the_young/11903.html

Tech Task 7: "Tapped In" Session

2006-11-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

http://tappedin.org/tappedin

I attended a session in "Tapped In" entitled "Lyrics from Learning." I was able to get a very handy resource in the form of a website. The resource address is: http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/Introduction.html (Just scroll down past the advertisement).
We talked about teaching student activism and responsibility with the use of song lyrics. Visit that website, scroll down to the song titles, and click on them to learn about their backgrounds.

In the session the leader told of ways to connect the resource to film and literature. It was a very useful experience.

The discussion seemed to move very slowly, one of the reasons being that "Tapped In" sessions are conducted in a chat room. It also seems like the visitors should talk to discussion leaders with more respect, but the fact that it takes place online makes people think that they can act more casually.

I recommend that teachers experience at least one tapped in session, and then check out the calendar regularly to see if there are any sessions that will be useful in your classroom! The URL is at the top of this post.

Remembrance Day Video

2006-11-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a music video dealing with Remembrance Day. Watch this. Amazing

Click on " Soldier (Windows Media Player file)"
Found on this website: http://207.195.51.1/teachMJohnston/home.html

Tech Task 6: Software Review - aMSN Versus MSN

2006-11-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

When buying new hardware, for example a computer, it is important to use evaluation criteria to make sure that you make the best choices. Therefore, it only makes sense that if you decide to add extra software to the computer, you should also use evaluation criteria to decide which program suites your needs (as there may be several programs that will do the job).

Some important criteria to consider:
-Cost - The best software for your needs may not be the cheapest or the most expensive.
-Features and performance - How well does the software work?
-Support - Is a telephone or web helpdesk available?
-Ease of use and navigation - How easy is this software to use?

aMSN versus MSN

If you are one of those people that get annoyed with the constant mandatory MSN upgrades and just want a simple messenger free from the annoying advertisements and cluttered features, aMSN may be perfect for you. Both programs are free and offer useful features, but MSN has all of the features of aMSN and many more. MSN is very aesthetically simple and easy to navigate while MSN seems to be way more cluttered with new features being added all of the time. Sometimes the new features are good , and other times they are advertisements and features that seem to only cause visual clutter. You can't really blame a free service for advertising, but aMSN doesn't.

aMSN doesn't require you to upgrade, and although MSN is the same, it mysteriously begins to have very annoying gliches. MSN does have some, perhaps useful options that aMSN does not, such as an optional saved history.

Both programs are user-friendly, but it takes a bit more time to figure out all of the features of MSN since there are more. Additional features that can be considered as clutter are optionally added to aMSN with plugins. Both aMSN and MSN users alike can completely change the look of the program with different customizable skins.

Both programs have help screens and a place to contact with feedback, comments, bugs, and suggestions. aMSN requires a separate download and installation for help menus. MSN help options seem to be way more useful and complete, while aMSN seems more personal.

Tech Task 5: Telecollaborative Projects

2006-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

"What is a telecollaborative project?

A telecollaborative project is an educational project that involves sharing information with another person or group of people over the internet. Telecollaborative projects range from setting up simple keypal relationships between your students and another class to involving many classrooms and experts from around the world in an information-gathering project that requires a collaborative effort."
http://scilnet.fortlewis.edu/edtech/telecollab/intro.htm

I researched a telecolaborative project that is an "Electronic Postcard Exchange Around the World." This is a very interesting idea that allows students of any age to better understand their school, and the other schools around the world. I would use this telecollaborative project with grade four, since that is what I plan to teach. The students would benefit by gaining knowledge of social studies, language arts, ESL, and communication skills. This will be accopmplished by by exchanging Electronic Postcards with schools from around the world. This project will engage the students and enable them to develop various important skills. It is a new (and free) form of the traditional "pen pal" senario.
http://www.qesnrecit.qc.ca/cc/projects/06-07/postcard.htm

Can terms of endearment be sexist?

2006-11-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

( "Is it considered sexist to call someone of the opposite sex "hun" or "babe" even if it is said with affection?" http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-106896.html )

I'm having problems telling whether or not it is sexist for someone to talk to me using different terms of endearment. The concept has been something of a small issue for me and I have done some reflecting on it in the last while. It seems that in some circumstances, it feels appropriate for someone to use a term of endearment , such as "hun." However, sometimes it makes me feel downright uncomfortable and awkward. I think that it has to do with wanting to be an independant person (not just an independant woman), and to have the utmost respect from everyone regardless of my gender. I even find it awkward when someone that is attempting to flirt with me calls me, for example "princess," or "honey." I know that I have conformed with most females by, for example, making sure that my hair is always fantastic. I still don't appretiate being called "sweetie" in most situations, and I'm not entirely sure as to why this is.

Maybe it's because I am working hard to build my future and believe that I deserve the uttmost respect, free of sexist behaviour. But, sometimes a "hun" will slip out of someone's mouth in an everyday conversation, which is occasionally seems to be okay.

Anyway, in dealing with education, how do we decide if terms of endearment are appropriate in a school setting? Do they make situations too personal? Sometimes the use of a term of endearment really annoys me. Any comments?

( "I don't know about (terms of endearment being) sexist, but (they) can be offensive. A guy who was supposed to do some painting for me lost the job after calling me "hun" and "sweetie" on the phone (of course he was also calling to make excuses for missing the appointment for the estimate and not returning my calls, but when he called me "sweetie", I made it very clear I was not doing business with someone who acted so unprofessionally, for all of the reasons...I've had contractors show up late or miss appointments before, and realize they sometimes get stuck on a job that takes longer than planned, and usually can reschedule, but this one lost the job altogether)." http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-106896.html )

The Internet and Our Health

2006-11-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

OR
???

There is an obvious issue dealing with children (and adults) over-using computers, over-using video games, and watching too much T.V. Using the computer and other forms of technology too extensively is very bad for your health if you aren't getting enough physical activity. Obviously, a good balance needs to be achieved between inactivity, activity, and how much is food is consumed.

However, the computer can promote healthy living in many ways, you just need to know what to look for. There are many websites about getting active, creating running programs, stretching, weight training, etc. There are also many websites that promote healthy eating, with FREE healthy recipes and ingredient alternatives. Think that calorie counting is silly? You should still figure out how to read the "Nutrition Facts" label. Google for this kind of information, and you will be very surprised and intriguied with what you find! Even if you think that you have achieved a balanced lifestyle, it is beneficial look into this kind of information for your future students.

You can also look up symptoms of sicknesses, although you should still see a doctor if you suspect you are ill. You can look up mental illnesses, phobias, read up on major and minor physical disabilities, and the list goes on and on!

Everyone (in this case teachers) should learn to use internet to find information that promotes healthy living. You can then tell students where and how to find the information, and students now-a-days need to find ways to learn about healthy living.

Blogging theme # 3

2006-11-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Can Robots/Computers Ever Replace Teachers?

I think this concept is kind of silly, and I hardly think that teachers will ever be replaced by robots. To do this would probably doom man-kind (excuse the lame expression). Robots might be able to replace some forms of instruction, but teachers are needed to create the instructions, lessons , and adapt things for different students.

"Playing a robot is possibly the most difficult role you can have as an actor, because you have to take all your innate emotional responses and completely suppress them. Even the way you walk is affected." Kristanna Loken
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/kristannal214618.html

Robots can't understand emotion, compassion, and empathy. Students look to teachers as role models. If students grow up with robots/computers as instructors, they will begin to think that a lack of emotion, compassion, and empathy is normal. This is way too scarey and a horrible idea.

Cultures are very different, and curricula is very different in different places. Can a robot address the different intelligences effectively? I highly doubt it. How much time and how many teachers would it take to create a one-year class that is taught by a robot? Do we really want one teacher, or one group of teachers to control the learning experiences of everyone?

Teachers have a curriculum to follow (as a guide!!!), and computers will be able to understand this. However, teachers are the creaters of curricula, and we are also the ones that bring it to life!

Popular Science: Could Robots Take Over the World?http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/0e0c0b4511b84010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

How early should computer technology be introduced in a classroom...?

2006-11-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Let me ask you this: Should we be using it much in the classroom at all? Of course, one could argue that we need to give our students relatively the same learning experiences as students of other schools, but do we? Should we follow their lead, or should we create our own? Or should we have kids learn about computer programs, after they have learned to do something manually? Or do we want students to completely rely on computers in the future? Instead of having our students learn their timetables, should we just teach them about the process of mathematical equations?

Computers are supposed to make tasks easier to accomplish, not to mention faster. Hello all of you innovators of computer technology, did any of you ever foresee that this might be a bad thing? There are many plus sides to computer technology, however, it makes people lazy, unknowledgeable in some ways, and willing to rely on the computer way too excessively. Thank you oh so much Bill Gates for trying to raise awareness and fix the fact that the U.S. school system is going downhill. Maybe you were a part of the problem?

Everyone should see this video!

2006-10-30T12:58:00.000-08:00

Everyone should see this video. Life Philosophy...

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/277085/everyone_must_see_this/

Online Safety Issues on T.V.!

2006-10-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

It is nice to see television shows show the real-life issues related to computer technology. It will help students to become more aware. For a while, it seemed like TV shows were scared of using issues that dealt with online safety. They are probably using these issues more often because more and more people are growing accustomed to using blogs, webcams, etc. People are able to relate to the situations more.

Melissa Barnabe stated that the media feeds off of our fears. There are many.. MANY down sides to the media, but at least they're helping us to teach our kids about how important online safety is.

How early should technology be introduced into the classroom?

2006-10-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Should very young children have computers integrated in their schooling? Maybe making students wait until a certain age to use the computer for certain things in the classroom is for the best? This probably won't even be experimented with, because once you get a taste of technology you don't want to go without it. And a lot of children have much experience with computers by the time they start school.

I don't know how easy it would be for me to get along without the internet after I have used it for so many years. I check the weather on it every day, I chat with friends and family more often than I call them, I chat with old friends that I probably wouldn't otherwise. And whenever I have a question about anything, I am able to figure it out by doing a simple google search.

Maybe we do need to wait for students to reach a certain age to use the computer for certain things. The way that I grew up, with computers being slowly integrated into my schooling and life seemed to work fine for me. But if students everywhere else are using computer technology extensively in the classroom, we don't want to hold our class back.

It would be a real eye-opener to live in an Amish community for a while. It would be very interesting if we were to live under their circumstances. It may seem as torture to us (no offence), but the Amish are perfectly content with their situation. They haven't experienced all of the "luxuries" that we have, so they don't feel that they need them.

*****You might see all Amish people using all kinds of technology... This is "...in fact the norm. They are not examples of Amish straying from their faith, but evidence that the modern conception of the Amish is based on a stereotype rather than the intricate truth."
(http://www.cspo.org/ourlibrary/papers/CSPO%20posted%20Amish%20paper[1
5D.pdf)
*****"Contrary to popular belief, the Amish do not live the same way they did 300 years ago. they have adopted many things to make life easier, but are careful not to accept new technology without considering its effects on their community lifestyle."
(http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles/amishintro.htm)
*****And heck, the Amish have something here.... "Many things are not what they appear to be at a first glance. It is not individual technologies that concern us, but the total chain."
(http://www.cspo.org/ourlibrary/papers/CSPO%20posted%20Amish%20paper[1
5D.pdf)

We need to think about cause and effect, or the "total chain" when thinking about how early technology should be introduced in the classroom.

Blogging theme # 2

2006-10-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

In response to an entry in "Cool Cat Teacher Blog". Posted: Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006. Viewed Oct. 23, 2006. 11 Steps to Online Parental Supervision of your Children http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2006/09/11-steps-to-online-parental.html

Parents (and teachers) need to pay a lot of attention to what their children are doing online. This is a bit time consuming and may sound a lot easier than it is, but never-the-less it is very important to do.

There are many excellent ideas on this blog posting. For example, "If your child is online, you should be too!" If your child signs up for MSN, you need to sign up for MSN. If you child starts a blog, you need to at least show that you are a part of the blogging community and keep an eye on what they are posting. If you make it seem like you are keeping an eye on them without discussing online safety, the child will think that you simply do not trust them and are spying. Talk about online safety before they have any chance of getting in trouble.

Even if a parent talks to his or her child regularly, but not about online safety, the child is being ignored. "...(A)dults who ignore their (childrens') Internet presence are ignoring their children!" I haven't had the chance to think about it that way before, but it is a valid statement! As a child, my parents didn't try to get involved with my time on the internet as much as they maybe should have. (Let me also add that they probably didn't know about the importance of discussing online safety since the technology was new to them.) I could have gotten myself into a real predicament but they intervened just in time.

We need to go over online safety with our students because it might be the only time that they get it. We also need to make sure that all parents are educated about how to teach their children about how to stay safe on the net.

Blogging theme # 1: Media Awareness

2006-10-19T12:03:00.001-07:00

Reflection to the Media Awareness "Kids for Sale" Powerpoint presentation:

I have always been aware that we are all subject to advertising schemes. I also knew that companies use things like banner ads, pop ups, embedded adds, and spam for advertising purposes. I did not, however, know that kids were such a target for this advertising. When I look for games for my nephew to play on the internet, I come across the occassional "Advergame" that looks like it would be fun, but I didn't know that repeated use of these Advergames creates a long lasting brand impression.

My 5 year old nephew is already very suseptable to advertising. He sees a... PollyPocket commercial and has to have one, and then sees a McDonald's commercial, and suddenly has a craving for that disgusting food, without even knowing that he is the victim of advertising. We all are victims of it, it's just that if you are more aware of it, it may affect you less. I grew up in a world with advertising on television, billboards, magazine ads, etc. But now, there are so many more ways that companies can get to us. With children starting to use computers at a much younger age, they aren't aware of the scams that they are "victims" of. My nephew might even have a hard time understanding the concept.

I found it amazing that 3 out of 4 kids think that advergames are just games. This is because advertising is integrated within a game in such a seamless manner.

If this were a perfect world, I would want kids to stay innocent and without worry for as long as possible. But, now-a-days, this is probably not a good idea. We need to teach children about the ways that companies target and manipulate them. They NEED to learn how to be critical thinkers.

Stones Concert

2006-10-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

I went to the Stones concert on Sunday. It was an amazing concert, although I don't have much to compare it to. And apparently I am told.. any concert that I see in the future will suck in comparison.

The weather was horrible, and I remember thinking several times that it was painful. (I'm not much for winter.) And although I was fairly close to the stage, my seat was horrible. We had a little itty bitty screen to see what was going on in my section. Here, I'll draw you a picture (I'm bored)

I was where the little star is. The little blue thing is the little screen that we got to watch things on. Anybody to the right of me probably didn't see any of the stage, because of the way seating and the stage were set up. The guys came over and pointed to us a couple times, which was cool. At least somebody though about us *tear.*

Alright, so it wasn't that bad, but the view could have been better. I guess everyone could say the same thing, except for those people right up front. And another thing, why wouldn't you come to a concert early to see Three Days Grace if you spent $500 dollars on a single ticket to get close to the stage. There were so many empty seats down there until the Stones came out. Maybe they were an older audience?

Anyway, it was a great experience and I am glad that I chose to go...

Powerpoint is amazing! - Well... it can be!

2006-10-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

I recently have done a powerpoint presentation in my Music Education 300 class, and it went over fairly well. However, I wasn't exposed to "Death by Powerpoint" beforehand. It went over well, but it could have been so much better if I simply knew about the effective ways to deliver a *.ppt presentation. I read from my presentation, while I tried to engage my audience throughout. There were better ways for me to have gone about it.

Powerpoint presentations are obviously very useful and target different learning styles. As long as they are done right! With not too many words on a slide, etc. And hey, DON'T just read from the presentation, be interactive with the class to get them engaged! If not.. well that's where the name comes from.

So if anyone is planning on making a powerpoint presentation for ANYTHING, Google "Death by Powerpoint" and ensure that you don't make your audience (and yourself) a victim.

Can teachers use technology to...

2006-10-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

Can teacher use technology to enhance the education of very young students?

Yes! A teacher in MooseJaw has used all kinds of computer technology in her Grade 1 classroom, and she actually got an award for it!

She meaningfully weaves them into day to day work in the classroom. They have blogs, know what wikis are, etc. She even has a webpage where she posts what has happened in the classroom that day.

I wouldn't have considered doing all of this with a grade one classroom, but i guess that it can be done. I'm always surprised at how students learn things so much earlier than we did. A lot of the technology we are learning about in this class came out fairly recently, according to my understanding, so it seems so fresh and advanced to those of us at a university level. Yet, children as young as in grade 6 or 7 years olds are able to use all sorts of this kind of technology to enhance their learning.

We really have to keep up with all of these advancements, and future technology, so that we can give our students the opportunity to experience them. There are so many ways to teach, and computer technology adds so many more. Finding meaningful ways to use technology to teach will be very interesting.

Learning Styles and Computer Technology

2006-10-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about different styles of learning. I wonder if students develop learning styles from all of their life experiences (and a lack of certain experiences.) I am, however, positive that there are learning disabilities that aren't as a result of experience/lack of experience (physical, mental).

It might seem far fetched, but if we can better control the experiences that our students get, and somehow come up with a way for parents (and ourselves) to nurture all of the intelligences from the time a child is born, I would go as far as to think that the number of children with learning disabilities could be reduced?

Now, I reallize that this would be a VERY difficult thing to accomplish. We generally don't know the parents of our students before they end up in our class. And how can we get parents to nurture all of the intelligences? Do we even know how to do this? Will we ever?

***How can we teach to the different intelligences with the use of computer technology? Will it appeal to certain types of learners and not to others? Can we manipulate it in the classroom to make it appeal to all of the intelligences?

Technology in K-2 classroom....

2006-10-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Technology in K-2 classroom. How do we decide when we should introduce children to different facets of technology?

Technology should be introduced when it is approprite. Timing might seem like a big issue, but I think if teachers use their common sense, it should be fine. For example, why would a child need to learn about card catalogues? But then again maybe they should? You need to ask yourself if teaching something is important to a learning process.

Look at it this way. DOS is used to program computers, etc etc. I don't even know a lot about it. It's not as if we all need to know DOS codes in order to use a computer. We don't all need to know html to make a website, as shown by Alec.

So do children need to use card catalogues? Why shouldn't they just be able to use a computer to find a book that they need. Is there something that they will gain from using a card catalogue? Do you want to show them alternate ways of finding a book? Do you not want them to rely on computers for everything? Will card catalogues even exist in a few years?

Kids are quick with computers now-a-days. My nephew was manipulating the mouse at 3 years of age, and now at 5, he has a fairly good understanding of how a computer works, how to get Into some programs, etc. I didn't get my first e-mail address until grade 8. It is very hard to say when and what we should teach students about computer technology. I guess all we have is our Common sense and our ability to converse with other teachers/teachers in training. So use both!

Good Uses of Technology: My Experiences

2006-10-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Question: Do you remember any really good uses of technology? Did you ever have a teacher at did it really well? Maybe, a friend or someone you know of who had a great lesson that used technology well?

***My grade 9 taught us HTML by getting us to create our own webpages. It was fun, creative, and all of the html has stuck with me to this day, 7 years later.

I had a multimedia course in grade 11, in a lab funded by Encana. It was fantastic and utilized fun programs. We learned flash stuff, some Macromedia Dreamweaver, etc. I don't know if it would appeal to everyone, but I liked it a lot.

This semester, my art teacher had us buy textbooks, and a great informative and interactive CD was included. I learn better from it that I ever would by reading that darn text book (although I do both). All people learn differently, and this interactive style of learning is great for me, and very time efficient.

Strange Dream.. Very

2006-09-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

I had one of the strangest dreams that I have ever remembered last night. I probably shouldnt share it because it's pretty ridiculous, but here goes. Have you ever seen the Pirates of the Caribbean? Of course you have! It's fantasy, or Sci. Fi., whatever it is characterized it as, which is why I'm fine with sharing it. Anyway, this dream made me realize that I am subconsciously capable of being a very interesting fantasy/Sci. Fi. novel writer.

http://pirates.bethsoft.com/

The only part of my dream that I can remember at this point is as follows.
The setting is in Weyburn, Saskatchewan (where I live and grew up). Yes, apparently Pirates of the Carribean can be set in a small city in SK, and no, it had nothing to do with the Souris River that runs through Weyburn. This is because the pirate ship could fly, yes fly.

This is where I am going to stop with the description of my dream, because when I told my boyfriend about it, he gave me a goofy look implying that I'm a little bit crazy. ;-) This might very well be so, but dreams are crazy themselves. You never know, maybe my dream could be made into the 3rd "Pirates of the Carribean. Hey, the 2nd one was pretty strange in comparison to the first.

"Dreams" would be an interesting thing to attatch to an English Literature class dealing with Fantasy, Sci. Fi. or other genres of books. I don't exactly know how this could be done, but it's an interesting thought!

Cybercheating/Cyberplagiarism

2006-09-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 20th, 2006

Cheaters shouldn’t be able to cheat, but we should be thinking of ways to influence them not to cheat. Sure, you can reflect on your own experiences, which are all very relavent. But we grew up in a different world than our students will. It makes us sound old, but with how fast technology is changing now-a-days, it is very true. For me, thinking of my own life and experiences are somehow different from thinking of students and their possible experiences. Does that make sense? It does to me anyway.

I do agree, there are always ways to cheat, and if someone is determined enough, of course they will find a way. But, with almost everyone being able to access the internet at all times, I think there is a much greater temptation and higher chance of our students cheating with how simple it is to take the easy way out on the internet. And the easy part, how do we influence our students not to cheat with the use of the internet... (that was sarcasm incase someone didn't happen to catch it)

Online Safety and Education

2006-09-24T19:44:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 I starteed chatting at 13.. I wasn't really supervised at first, and it definately could have landed me in a bad situation.It robably would have if my parents didn't step in. I wasn't aware of the dangers, and even after I as told about them,I didn't think anything bad would happen to me. Well, luckily nothing bad did appen, but it was because my parents"intervened." They laid down the rules and printed off 'horror' stories of bad things that have happened to kids thatdisclosed too much information on he internet. My time online was cut significantly and they started monitoring me more.draw a arallel between, me chatting back then, to video-game-a-holics, because they are both almost ifferent kindsof reality. Honestly, If my parents hadn't of stepped in, I have no doubt now that I ould have gotten into a very badsituation. I thought they were being big jerks at the time and I hated them (typical teenage-parent relationship), butI know for a fact that it prevented me from getting into a big time trouble. Moral of the story, parents and teachersare there to guide, ot to be a buddy. Another moral of the story, online safety education is absolutely necessary tokids growing up. At the youngest age that it is relavent... and then repeated to imprint it in heir brains! And yetanother moral... You need to educate your kids and students about online safety before they even have the slightestchance of getting into any kind of trouble.

New Computer!

2006-09-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

(Monday, September 18th, 2006 )
Getting a new computer is great, however, it is a pain to have to re-download and re-install programs that are needed because it’s a different computer. It isn’t that big of a deal, but it takes up time.
My boyfriend isn’t too terribly familiar with computers and programs, so this will be more of a learning experience for him. It will be a good opportunity for me to teach someone stuff about computers. I know a thing or two, so it should give him a good starting point. When I was at the library the other day I spotted a Microsoft XP manual, so I grabbed it and wrote a bunch interesting of stuff down.
My dad’s a computer nut, so he always took care of the computer, and didn’t have much time to teach me stuff. He knows all about DOS and fixes computer problems for people just to be nice. It’ll be a bit of a challenge now that I have to update the virus protection whenever needed, make sure that programs are installed and working correctly, etc. I can’t manage to get my MP3 player to connect properly, and I still sometimes lose track of where I store files, but it’ll get better at it as I go.

1st Blog EVER!

2006-09-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

(Thursday, September 7th, 2006)

Hello out there! This is my very first posting of a blog, ever! I am posting my ECMP 355 Tech Task Assignment # 1. It has been partially edited.
a) A brief description of my personal background (school, family, career, etc.):
I was born and grew up in a small city. I played on the varsity teams throughout junior high and high school, which has gave me some very valuable life experience (basketball, volleyball, fastball, badminton). I can only play in recreational leagues because of a shoulder injury, and coach, but I still keep very active.
I have always been very much into visual arts, and have had various experiences with music. I am in my 3rd year of Arts Education, majoring in visual arts and minoring in music. Because I have so many interests, and am involved in such varying things, I don’t get to give certain areas the attention that I would like to. For example, I’d like to become a film nut, get into many other kinds of sports, learn how to do many different art styles, experiment with more art mediums, learn a lot about computers, etc., etc., etc. Needless to say, I’m not left with much down time!
I’m living an hour away from Regina this year. I am driving to Regina for three U of R classes, have one televised class at my location, and this online class. I am using my parents’ computer for the first portion of the semester, but will have one by next week.
b) Some information regarding my attitudes of or previous experience with technoogy in my own personal, school, or work experience:
I took Information Processing as an elective all throughout high school and got the best marks, pulling off a 100 one year. I took a grade 11 computer science class (Visual Basic 4.0) and was the only girl, and got the best mark! I’m proud about it because getting the best mark didn’t exactly happen in other subject areas. I also took a MultiMedia course in high school, which was exciting (except for the fact that it was offered an hour before regular classes at 8 a.m.). It was the first year it was offered in high school. I enrolled in grade 12 computer science, which was about C++, but to this day I don’t know what it is all about. The teacher gave us a big thick booklet of codes and information on Day 1 for us to read, and that was it for me. At the time I thought I was being a quitter, but now I see that it also might not have fit my learning style.
c) Insight into how I currently feel towards computing technology in the K-12 classroom:
Having technology in the K-12 classroom is very important, because it is a very important part of students’ lives and futures, especially in today’s world. Although kids will get plenty of experience with technology outside of the classroom, we need them to experience it in other ways. We need to prepare them for futures full of ever-changing information and technologies. I volunteered in a grade two, and the teacher had a headset/microphone at all times. There were speakers in all four corners of the class. This is an excellent idea, because it helps the kids in the back of the room to stay on-task. On the negative side of things, technology can become a crutch to lean on if used too often and in negative ways, which may cause students to become dependant on it. In high school, many students went on-line for summaries instead of actually reading an assigned book.
d) A description of my expectations for thsi class and from your instructor. What do I hope to learn or accomplish in this class? Is there anything about my previous experience or lack of experience with technology that is worth mentioning?:
I feel very worried about technology in the classroom. Kids today are growing up in a totally different world than I did. My nephew was manipulating the mouse on the computer (two years) ago at three-years-old, and playing video games on it without a problem soon after. I really hope to learn a lot about computers and the internet in this class. I’ll soak in whatever I can. I know this class will give us a lot of useful information about computers, but the importance of information changes very quickly. I’m sure that this information will some day become very common, which is why it is good for us to learn it right now. And considering that I won’t be finished my degree for 3 more years, a lot of this information might be old news when it comes time for me to teach. I hope to learn and get into very interesting things, so I can keep building my knowledge.

Please work!

2006-09-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Please Blogger - please work. Edublogs didn't , so I'm giving you a go.

Hopefully this is better... When I can access edublogs, I'll copy/past those entries here.