Second Life

This week we learned about a free application that is available for anyone with a computer. It is called Second Life, and it is a “a 3-D virtual entirely created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhibited by millions of Residents from around the globe.” Users can create their own avatars, interact with people from around the world, and create and sell items in the game for actual money. There are 5 simple steps to start using Second Life that only take about 5 minutes. Once you have registered, you can explore Second Life. Helpful tools to use are called “SLURLs”, which are navigation and location-based linking tools used in navigation within Second Life. With SLURLs, you can instantly find a location you are looking for, find specific businesses or schools to collaborate with, and even post your own for other users to see. Everyone around the world is learning about Second Life, whether it is through a friend, a colleague, a class, or even a television show like The Office, who made a reference to it. It really is beneficial to a lot of people because it is a way to create your dream world, and see how to become successful in ways you would never be in the real world. Even though there are many positives about Second Life and other similar programs like it, some issues have arisen since its release. A woman in Japan had an avatar who was happily married to a man’s avatar, but after he suddenly divorced her without warning, she sought revenge. She used his identification and password to log into his account and murdered his avatar. She was arrested on suspicion of hacking. Another story is about a woman who was charged with plotting the real-life abduction of her online boyfriend. Despite these stories, Second Life is still a great application for many people, and has many skills you can learn from it, like the online games talked about last week.

Second Life is starting to be used for educational purposes, so as an education major, I need to learn about this program. It is very interesting how teachers are using Second Life to take their students to historical places that they might never be able to see, like Rome. Also, instead of students listening to lectures, they can use Second Life to learn information in a fun and creative way. A YouTube video we watched explained how Second Life has a pedagogical relevance, educational locations, and uses many educational tools. If I wanted to use Second Life in my classroom someday, I would need to learn about all of the techniques and used that are geared toward education. Yes, some aspects of Second Life are not meant for education, like making relationships, and dealing with money, but these are still real-life skills that teachers want their students to learn, whether it is in the classroom or not. I think online games are extremely helpful for teachers because they help bring new ideas and creative lessons that keep their students engaged.

This video shows how Second Life can be used not only for entertain, but for education and business as well. Joe Sanchez, the creator of this video, tells us that companies like IBM, and The Wall Street Journal use Second Life. Some companies hold meetings with their employees on Second Life instead of meeting in the office. Colleges are beginning to use Second Life, instead of face-to-face lectures, because students can gain a lot when working at home, and not being bothered by other students in class. Shyer students can ask questions through a chat box, or with a microphone, and nobody has to see them or know who they are. There are a lot of positives about using Second Life in education, businesses, and just simply for entertainment.

Gaming, Teaching, and Learning

Last week, we learned about how virtual schools and online classes were a positive effect on the learning population today. Not only can people take any class they want, they could take it anytime or anywhere they want. A couple videos we watched this week further instill this point as they interviewed real people who took online classes. They said they were flexible for their busy schedules, and gave many opportunities to people who may not have had the chance to go to school. Besides online classes, people are becoming obsessed with games. A lot of the games are online, and others are on gaming consoles, like Xbox, Wii, or PlayStation. According to one article we read, the opinion of most is that video games only help hand-eye coordination, and that some games send off bad messages that teach children how to kill. On the other hand, the author of this article felt differently. Marc Prensky feels that no matter what game a child is playing, they are learning multiple skills. Many people focus on the “surface” messages, like the graphics, audio, or text, but if you look past that there is much more to learn from a game. Presnky explained the “five levels of learning” that apply to all gamers. They five levels are “How,” “What,” “Why,” “Where,” and “When/Whether.” In the “How” level, the gamer learns how to do something, like learning how to control a monster, build a city, or virtually fight and protect oneself. At the second level, the “What” level, they learn the rules of the game. These rules cause the gamer to reflect and compare that game to what they know in real-life. The third level is the “Why” level which teaches gamers strategy. Many life lessons are taught during this level, like cause and effect, and second-order consequences. Level four, the “Where” level, is where gamers learn about the culture and environment. In many games this is the level where gamers learn how to deal with different cultures, roles, and the many different people in society. The last level, “When/Whether,” is where gamers learn how to make value-based and moral decisions, usually about whether something is right or wrong. Many people can learn how to make better real-life decisions from learning the consequences of making fake decisions in a game. Other than video games, there are a lot of online games that are created for the purpose of education. I looked at a few games that seemed perfect for children to learn in school. One was a word hunt, which teaches kids how to match words with a situation. Another game took me on a mystery case where I learned about plants, which could be a fun way for students to learn about the parts of a plant and their life cycle. Many games are created for educational purposes, and others are made for entertainment, but no matter what game kids are playing, they are always learning important life skills.

This video shows how schools are incorporating games into education, and vise versa. The example they use is the Wii, which is getting kids to get up and move around while playing their games. Games are also helping kids to socialize when they play multiplayer games.

Teachers can use games in so many ways in their classroom. Our lesson this week only gave us a few online games, but the internet supplies thousands! I loved when my teachers let us play games in class because I thought it was better than reading a book. I thought we were just doing it for fun; little did I know that my teacher was getting me to learn at the same time. Games can make class time fun and make children want to come back the next day. All of the games I played in school are possible games I would like to play with my future students. In the 3^rd grade we played a game that involved us throwing a small ball to each student, and when someone caught it they had to answer a math problem. This was a fun way to teach us our times tables. There are so many other games that can be extremely educational for students, and as an education major it would be beneficial to learn about them so I have a lot of ideas for my future classroom.

Open Source

This week we learned about open source software and how it could save people tons of money. Instead of spending hundreds on Microsoft products, there are easy, free programs that you can download on your own computer, without having to go to the store or pay any cash. We watched a video about open source software and learned that most of it is able to be used on any computer, whether you have a Mac or a PC. We also learned that these programs are just as good, if not better, than the original versions. OpenOffice is a free software that has word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more, just like Microsoft Office offers, but its free! Not only do they have these programs, but there is also one called Gimp which is just like Photoshop, but yet again, it is free. It is so simple for customers because all they have to do is download it to their computer. I might download these softwares too because I just bought a new Mac, and I have been debating for the longest time whether to buy Microsoft Office for $150, or buy iWork for $40, but if these open source softwares are free, and work just as well, I would rather save the money. There is a site called sourceforge.net that allows you to search for downloadable software for your computer. It searching is made easy because they separate the software into categories, and everything is made easy for the customer. I think that open source software is really going to benefit a lot of people because it is effective and free.

This video explains how open source software can save you thousands of dollars. They refer to them as “smart alternatives,” and make the main point that these softwares are free. It gives you a different website than the one stated above, where you can find 30+ open source software programs that you could use every single day. 

As a college student, and a future teacher, saving money is a big deal to me. Like I said above how I was in a dilemma because I did not know which program to buy, now I don’t have to make a hard decision because OpenOffice is free and just as good as Microsoft Office and iWork. Even in the future, when I am a teacher, I am going to want to save money as much as I can, and using open source software will definitely help me. Not only will I benefit, but schools could benefit as well. Instead of buying Photoshop and Microsoft Office for every computer at school, they can download open sources for free, and save thousands of dollars! 

Distance Education

Distance education is becoming more popular as the use of technology increases. Instead of students going to class, and meeting face-to-face with their teachers, they have the option of using distance education. According to the presentation we watched in class, distance education is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically on site. It was first used in 1728 by the University of London, but now almost every college offers distance ed classes. There are five different types of distance ed courses available for students: through correspondence, which is conducted through mail, through the internet, which is conducted either synchronously or asynchronously, through television or radio, through a CD-ROM where information is transferred to a computer, or through mobile learning, where students can access their class through a mobile device or a wireless network. As distance education expands, it changes as well. Students could take an online class, a blended class, or a virtual class. In an online class the teacher and student are separated by distance, but can communicate by the internet. In a blended class, like EME2040, the students use the internet for class time as well as face-to-face meetings with the teacher as well. In this class we meet once a week, and all other times we communicate through moodle. In other online classes I take at UF, I use e-learning to communicate with my teachers. A virtual class is similar to an online class, except that everything for that class is online, and there a strict rules for virtual schools. Florida has its own online school called Florida Virtual School. It is similar to a regular school except that everything id done online. Teachers are available from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm, and a monthly phone call with parents is required. Class sizes range from 25 students to as many as 200 students, and teachers are enforced to give feedback to every students work within 48 hours. There are a lot of advantages to a virtual school, like expanding knowledge of digital media, no one needs to travel to learn, and it is helpful for people who cannot attend classroom courses. There are also a lot of advantages for taking any other distance education course. Students can work at their own pace, flexibility helps adults go back to school and work around their schedules, and students can take classes that are not offered locally. At the same time, there are some disadvantages like cost, security, motivation, and attendance. If you are responsible, and can manage your time well, and distance ed class is perfect for you.

This short video shows some advantages to using distance education. They are advertising OTEN, a virtual school that offers online and distance ed classes. The video shows a student running into a lot of problems that could make him late to class, while another student is relaxing by the beach on his computer, working on his online class. It shows how online classes are flexible and convenient for students.

As an education major it is very important for me to learn about distance education because it could be a possible job for me. If I was to choose to teach online classes I would need to know how they work, and the advantages and disadvantages of them. On the other hand, even if I do teach in the classroom, knowing about online classes will benefit me because I could inform my students about them, or I could expand my knowledge by using them as well. As a student, I can say that online classes are very helpful for me, so I know I will want to suggest them to my students.

Social Tools

As our society becomes more internet savvy, people tend to stay online at all times of the day. Instead of having meetings with clients, people will video chat, instead of hanging out with friends, kids will hang out on Facebook. People have always been extremely social, and we still are. The difference between pre-internet years and now is how communication is being exchanged. People are still communicating while they are online, just they are not face to face with anyone. This week we talked about the pros and cons of internet communication, and whether it is hurting our social skills, or helping. Everyone has a different opinion, but I feel that communication is being used by everybody, whether they are online or not. The internet offers so many helpful social tools, like Google Docs. This is a free, web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service offered by Google. People can create documents, and share them with other people who can then edit them. We watched a video in class that described how Google Docs made it easy for an editor of a newspaper to work. Instead of sending copies of the newly edited story, they writer can go onto Google Docs and see the edits that were made, and can even continue editing it. Sharing documents and files has never been so easy. Another great social tool on the internet is social bookmarking. This allows people to organize, store, manage, and search for bookmarks of resources online. The difference between social bookmarking, and regular bookmarking, is that you can share your bookmarks with everybody on a social bookmarking website, and you can make tags about the website, which will make it easy to find in the future. We used the website Delicious, which is a popular social bookmarking site that is very easy to use. Social bookmarking can help many people find the sites they need in half the time. Even though many people are spending too much time on the internet, most of the tools it offers can really benefit people.

Social tools can help a teacher out in so many ways. Teachers love to communicate with other teachers to share activities, lesson plans, and other ideas that can benefit everyone. Teachers who use Google Docs can easily share everything they need to with others, even their own students. If teachers need to give an assignment, they can create it on Google Docs, share it with their class, and the students can finish their assignment and send it back to the teacher, all on one website. Social bookmarking can help teachers a lot to. A video we watched in class showed how a math teacher used social bookmarking to find websites about a certain area of math. Instead of searching the web through thousands of math websites, he could go to his bookmarks, search through the tags for the specific math topic he wants, and his search would be cut down tremendously. When I told my mom about Delicious she was so excited. If you go on her computer you will see hundreds of bookmarked teacher sites, and she never knows how to find the right one she is looking for. Social bookmarking websites can organize all of her websites, and make it easier for her to find the right site. If all teachers knew about this, I am sure they would sign up right away because they are always looking for educational websites that look almost the same, and social bookmarking could differentiate them, and save teachers a lot of time. 


http://www.alltipsandtricks.com/top-10-social-bookmarking-tools-for-educators/

This website explains why social bookmarking can help teachers out. It says it is highly useful for educators since it allows specific categorization of websites for easy access and sharing. It then gives 10 great social bookmarking websites that will help in the classroom and with other educators. Delicious is the second one it gives, and it says that this site is specifically designed for teachers and teaching. 

Podcasts

This week we learned about podcasts, and learned how to make them. Podcasts can be used for many different reasons, like teaching a lesson, communicating with people on the internet, or just for fun. The definition an article we read in class said that podcasts are audio files that can be played on the computer or downloaded to MP3 players, such as Apple’s iPod. Another article we read said that podcasts are an automated technology that allows listeners to subscribe and listen to digitally recorded audio shows. The files are downloaded to your computer daily, once you have subscribed to a podcast. People make podcasts about anything. It is a way to teach, learn, or express your feelings about something, and have an online audience watch. They could be filled with words, pictures, and music, or it could be as simple as talking in front of the camera. Creating a podcast is very easy. We did it this week in class, and because I have a Mac I was able to use the program Garageband, which allows you to create music or podcasts. If you do not have a Mac, you could download the free program Audacity, or if you have a PC there is a program called Sound Recorder that is already installed on the computer. On Garageband, all you have to do is hit the record button and start talking. Once you have finished you can add in effects, music, or pictures to enhance your podcast. It was the first time I had ever used Garageband, and it was so simple to learn, so anyone could do it. 

Technology is being used more and more in the classroom. Now teachers are using Smart Boards and the internet themselves, and at the same time they are encouraging their students to use computers too. Podcasts are an easy way to make technology in the classroom different. Teachers could give lessons through podcasts, have announcements, assign podcast projects, and much more. If teachers knew how to make podcasts, they could have all of their students subscribe to daily podcasts that the teachers could post everyday. These daily podcasts could be reminders, tips and tricks, or even additional lessons outside the classroom. Teachers in higher levels, like college, could use podcasts as their main way to instruct if they are teaching an online class. Once teachers know how to make podcasts, they could show their students how to make their own. Students could use podcasts to express their ideas with other students, learn from their peers, and become knowledgeable. 

This video explains what a podcast is, and why it is important for podcasts to be used in the classroom. Some of the examples of how podcasts could be used are if a teacher is absent, they can make a podcast about their lecture and won’t need to worry about getting a sub. Another example is they could make podcasts about school news, or if school is cancelled the teacher could make a podcast allowing students to do an extra credit assignment. The examples are endless because there are so many different ways a teacher could incorporate a podcast into the classroom.

My Podcast

My podcast was one of my history questions for my test that I was studying for. It was about the Proclamation Line of 1763. Podcasts are very simple to complete. I just got a Macbook Pro, and was able to make my podcast on GarageBand. In the teaching field, they can be helpful because teachers can make podcasts that go along with their lessons, or if it is an online class, they can post the podcasts online for students to watch.

My Digital Story

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

This is my digital story of when I went to Halloween Horror Nights a few weeks ago. This was a really fun project to do, because I love taking pictures, and scrapbooking. In a way, digital storytelling is like an online scrapbook. In my field, education, digital storytelling would be used a lot if most teachers knew how to create them. Instead of giving lectures, they could tell a story through these videos. They would be educational, and at the same time they would entertain the students. It could also be a good way for kids to learn how to create storis with their own pictures. A teacher could give different projects using digital storytelling. One example could be having students practice their presentation skills in front of the class while explaining their vacation. Another could be a group project where students have to work together to put a digital story together. There are so many lessons that can be learned from digital storytelling.

Digital Storytelling

The more skilled we become with computers the more new ways we learn how to do different things. Instead of watching shows on the television, people can now watch them on their computers. Instead of people going to class, they can take online classes. What we learned about this week is similar. Digital storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. Instead of people writing in their journals, or keeping photo albums of events, they can make digital stories online. These stories can contain pictures, music, and words to make your story come alive. Cogdogroo.com gives examples of many different websites you can visit in order to make a video. In class, I visited animoto.com and made my own video about my trip to Halloween Horror Nights a few weeks ago. It literally took about 5 minutes to create, and was very easy. I had never made a video before, so I was worried it might be difficult, but it really was not. If there are people who need help, there is an organization called the Center for Digital Storytelling. They are an international nonprofit training, project development, and research organization that helps youth and adults around the world with their digital storytelling.They not only work to help individuals, but they want to help communities, on a large-scale basis, so that way the community can learn through watching their digital stories. 

This video explains what digital storytelling is, through a digital story. It uses a recorded voice-over, pictures, and music. It explains how digital stories can be created by anyone who has a computer. The video also gives you tips on how to start making one. The first step is to create you story, and keep it brief. Then add some pictures, music, and maybe some sound effects. Lastly, you want to add in titles, and transitions. Anybody is capable of creating a digital story, and there are plenty of websites, and people who can help.

The people who could help the most, if they learn how to do it properly, are teachers. If all teachers knew how to work with technology, and be able to create digital stories for their students, they would learn how to do it for themselves. Teachers could assign a class project to create a digital story of their winter vacation, or a school field trip. I would need to know how to guide my students through the process of making the video. Not only can I teach them how to make their own videos, but I can teach my own lessons through videos. I am positive that watching a digital story about history is way more interesting than reading a history book.

Visual Literacy

This week we learned about visual literacy, which is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. Just like a book, a picture can be read and analyzed. Many photographers capture an image to tell a story, express an emotion, or make a point. Being able to analyze pictures will help people throughout their lives, since our culture is very visual. People can learn to be visually literate by practicing visual encoding and visual decoding. Visual encoding allows people to learn by creating their own examples of visuals, like painting a picture, or taking a photograph. People learn through visual decoding when they try to understand and analyze other artists work. One of the videos we watched for class asked the question, “What if we were stripped of our visual literacy?” Every day, people are surrounded by visuals, like road signs, businesses logos, and more. If people did not know how to read a sign, how would they know to stop at a stop sign, or go into the men’s bathroom and not the ladies? Visual literacy is crucial for everyday life. Also discussed this week was the topic of photoshop. According to Wikipedia, “Photoshop is a graphics editing program,” that allows people to fix images on the computer. This could be good for many reasons, but it could also have a negative effect on society. Sometimes a photographer might have taken a dark picture and want to lighten it up, or they want to play around with the colors in the backgrounds, but some editors take it too far. In a video created by Dove, a models picture is completely changed and put up on a billboard for the world to see. They changed many aspects of her face, like making her eyes bigger, and her neck longer. At the end of the video they state, “no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.” The people who created this video are trying to say that they way people are editing photos is taking away natural beauty, and making it fake. People are beautiful because they are different. There is no reason to fix a picture to take away acne, or bags under the eyes, or to make someone skinnier. 

This video shows how visual literacy is important to everyday life. A guy is walking around, looking at signs to help him find where he needs to go. Without knowing how to read signs he might get lost. Also, throughout the video, a lot of different examples of visuals are shown; diagrams, charts, instructions, pictures, signs, etc. All of these visuals are used daily, and being visually literate can help people read them better.

As an education major, it is very important that I learn how much visual literacy is needed in our lives. Students need to learn how to look at pictures in different ways, and be able to know what they are saying. Visuals are used all over the world, and just like learning how to read needs to be started at an early age, so does learning how to read pictures. Not only will my students know how to analyze a picture, they will be more capable of creating their own. Also, it is important for my students to know about Photoshop and how it can enhance a picture, and also destroy one. I want my children to know that they are perfect how they are, and Photoshop should not be used to fix any flaws they may see in their selves.

Learning Styles

Everybody learns in different ways. Some people like a strict learning environment, and others like a looser one. Also, some people like to learn visually, while others work better by listening. This week we learned about learning theories, and learning styles. According to the pdf file we read for class, “a learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn.” It is also very helpful for understanding how learning occurs. There are three different theories that can be used to explain learning theories: behaviorist theory, information process theory, and constructivism. The first, behaviorist theory, focuses on cause and effect relationships through the observation of behavior. The information process theory focuses on the change of the information, and everything that happens during the change in the universe. This theory also states that humans have three different memory stores that work to register, process, store, and retrieve the information. The last theory, constructivism, states that people construct the knowledge in their minds by participating in different experiences. If a student is part of an activity, they will learn things on their own that are considered knowledge. There a plenty of arguments against this theory because students may not know how to learn from experiences, and also they might go about an experience the wrong way, which would end up with them not learning anything. People have different learning styles. The main three are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. If you are visual you learn by watching, if you are auditory you learn by listening, and if you are kinesthetic you learn by doing activities. I know that I don’t learn well from just listening to a teacher, so if they gave me an activity where I needed to listen, I would not learn as much. I took the learning style test, and like I thought I would, it told me I am mostly a visual learner, then kinesthetic, and lastly auditory.

This video shows how everybody has different learning styles that help them succeed. In the beginning of the video, the speaker says that everyone has been told that the best way to study is at a desk in a quiet place, but not all students learn best that way. Learning about these styles this week has helped to understand why people succeed in different ways.

It is extremely important as a teacher to understand the different ways that students learn. If my classroom is only geared towards one learning style, my kids won’t all succeed. Learning styles are probably most important for teachers to understand. If they have a child who is not succeeding when listening to lectures, they would know he/she is not an auditory learner, and can find different way to help. I know that I succeed when taking notes, or reading in silence, but not all of my students in the future will succeed if use my learning style into the classroom. Teachers need to know how to be open to all different styles. They can do activities, give lectures, and read along with students, that way all three learning styles are being used. The best kind of teacher is one who can work with all kinds of students, no matter what learning style they have.

Inspiration Concept-Map

http://mywebspiration.com/view/549582a138f7

This is my concept-map for social tools in education.

Instructional Media

In the recent years that technology has been increasing, so has the use of it in schools. Instead of teachers writing words on a whiteboard, or reading off a sheet of paper, kids are being introduced to lessons through instructional media. This week we learned about multimedia. According to the pdf file given to us, multimedia is a program that can contain still pictures, moving pictures, sound, animation, text, motion pictures, or video, and is considered multimedia as long as any two are combined. This is a very different way of teaching kids, because back in the day teachers never had this type of technology that could benefit students. Instructional media can appeal to many different students who have specific learning styles, and it also helps develop their critical and creative thinking skills. Students can learn how to put presentations together, make websites, create videos, etc. I remember when I was in school, I learned how to make PowerPoint’s, and we would give presentations in front of the class which helped us learn many skills. This week, I learned how to make an appropriate instructional media. Before I read this, when I made PowerPoint’s I used a variety of colors, gave each slides pretty backgrounds, and never organized it well. Reading this pdf file that explains how simple pages are better for learners made me realize there was a lot more to creating PowerPoint’s than I thought. There are four key guidelines that must be thought about while creating the instructional media: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Simple colors, like black and white, work perfect together. There is no need to have a rainbow of colors on each page, consistent colors work better together. You want to keep it simple by using key phrases instead of complete sentences, and use a lot of white space. Boxes will keep your pages organized, and size font 28 will be the best view for the learners. Looking at a simple, organized slide will be easier for them to follow because it will be clear. In the end, more skills are being taught through using the technology, and it makes the classroom more exciting.

I found this video on YouTube.com called “Media Smarts: Kids Learn How to Navigate the Multimedia World.” It starts off by saying how the average American kid spends more than 6.5 hours on the computer or in front of a screen each day. Kids are used to being put in front of a screen, which is why technology in schools is beneficial to children. When they go to school and listen to a monotone voice for a couple of hours straight, their focus will begin to fade. On the other hand, having computers in the classrooms is second nature to most kids these days, and they will be able to follow along well. Not only can you teach old lessons with technology, but new ones as well. A group of 4^th graders learned how to create an animated short, and some kids in high school have learned how to make video biographies. The video also talks about how students use their creativity to write and tell stories through film. Ultimately, this video is adding on to the opinion that technology in schools benefits children by teaching them important critical and creative thinking skills and more. 

As an education major and future teacher, I am going to need to be able to make suitable PowerPoint’s for my students, and know how to teach with technology. I don’t want my students to be bored every day; I want them to be excited to come to class to learn new things. My mom tells me all of the time how much her students love when she shows them videos, or goes on the internet with them. It is a new way of learning that can relate to this generation. I want to be able to put together instructional media lessons, whether it is a PowerPoint, or a video. Once I am able to make my own, I can teach my students how to do it themselves. All throughout life multimedia can be used, and I am going to need to teach my students what it is, and why it is important.

Copyright Video

This is a video from YouTube called "Copyright." It is a cute cartoon that tells you everything you need to know about copyright laws, and why they are important.

Copyright and Fair Use

This week, we learned about a subject that is going to be helpful to everyone. Copyrighting is a very serious matter, and can be taught to anybody at any age. Copyrights protect the rights of authors and their original works. If they do not want anybody stealing or reproducing their work, they can make it illegal for someone to do so. Creators of the original work have full control over what happens with it. They are protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Code, and according to the presentation Introduction to Copyright, if any laws are broken, fees up to $100,000 must be paid. Works that can be copyrighted consist of tangible or creative pieces like literature, videos, music, pictures, etc. On the other hand, works that cannot be copyrighted consist of works that have not been fixed, written, or recorded in tangible form. Examples could be slogans, titles, names, ideas, ingredients, etc. A lot of work is considered “public domain,” which people can use freely. Many times work becomes public domain if the copyright expires. Other reasons for work being in the public domain are that the authors never got a copyright, or the work could be from the U.S. government. You need to be extremely careful when using other peoples work because if you do not look to see if it is copyrighted, you could get in trouble. There are different ways to find out if something is copyrighted or not. Start out by looking for the creators of the work. If the work is original, it is most likely copyrighted, and if it government work it is not. The best thing to do is ask the author. If it is copyrighted, asking the author will allow you to do what you want with the piece, as long as the author said it is okay. 

Another subject that we learned about is the Fair Use Act, which sets limitations on copyrights. It states that with some works, reproduction is considered fair. Different instances could be teaching, news reporting, or commenting. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, there are four factors that can help determine whether a use of work is fair or not. In a song we listened to this week called User’s Rights, Section 107, the singer asks the question “How will I know when fair use applies to my situation?” and then it gives the four factors: the nature of the use, the purpose of the use, the amount of the use, and the effect on potential markets. If you make sure that any of these four factors are being used in your reproduction then you are not breaking a copyright law.

I found this video on YouTube.com that was about the Copyright Law and the Fair Use Act. It is a bunch of Disney movie clips that explain exactly what we learned this week. The title of it, A Fair(y) Use Tale, is very cute because it mixes the Disney aspect and the copyright aspect. The video is split up into five chapters: copyright definition, what things can be copyrighted, copyright duration & the public domain, fair use, and why use Disney cartoons. This 10 minute video tells you all of the information you need to know about copyrights and fair use. In the last chapter, why use Disney cartoons, they say that the Disney company takes copyrights seriously because without it their movies and ideas could be stolen, as many other authors, composers, and directors would agree.

Copyrights are going to be a huge subject for me when I become a teacher. I am going to have to watch myself as well as my students. Teachers can easily copy the work of others in ways that may not be legal, and students certainly can too. A lot of what I remember from school is all of my teachers telling me not to plagiarize. In the past it was not so easy to catch, but now with the improvement in technology and the internet, there are tons of websites that will catch students plagiarizing. All teachers need to do is enter in the students work, and the original copies will show up. As a teacher, I do not want to see my students copying other peoples work. I want to see them succeed on their own. Instilling the ideas that stealing is wrong will help children, not only in school, but in life as well. Kids go to school to learn things for the future, and copyright laws will always come up in the future. Whether it is for a college paper, or a presentation at work, people always have to be careful with what other author’s works they are using. The job of the elementary school teacher is to make sure children understand this concept, so that way they will stay out of trouble in the future.

Growing Up Online

At first I was worried about watching an hour long video about the internet, but right when “Growing Up Online” started, I was drawn in. The video covered so many different issues in an hour. It started off with showing how much technology has grown in schools, for the better. Nowadays, every school utilizes their computers, and many have even gone beyond that with Smart Boards. Smart Boards are interactive whiteboards that many teachers, including my mom, use in the classroom. These boards entertain the kids and keep their attention. In the video, one school principal stated “We can’t possibly expect the learner of today to be engrossed by someone who speaks in a monotone voice with a piece of chalk in their hand.” Kids need interactive activities, or else they will turn their attention to something different. However, technology is not always the best thing. The remaining stories of “Growing Up Online” were showing how the internet can be a dangerous thing. There was one story about a young girl who was bubbly, sweet, and athletic, but at home on the computer her true feelings could be expressed. She was anorexic, and nobody knew except her fellow anorexic online friends. She found websites that would have discussions on how to live with the eating disorder. The site gave her tips and tricks on how to lose more weight, and she could talk to anyone about their experiences. Instead of helping her, the internet made her anorexia grow. Another story was about a boy who was bullied both at school and online. The internet helped him meet people who were in similar situations, and they could search websites, looking for ways to commit suicide. In the end, he killed himself. Obviously, it was not the internet that made him decide to kill himself, but it helped him in a way. The video explains how a lot of parents are worried about “predators” online, and how the kids are the victims, but sometimes it’s the kids who are to blame. There was another story about a girl who created a whole new person called Autumn Edows. She would post inappropriate pictures that she considered art, and others considered pornographic. When her school got a hold of her website they contacted her parents. It is ok for kids to express themselves, but they have to be careful of how much is exposed. Colleges, employers, and other important people can look at what people have posted on the internet, and that could make or break their decisions. An article I found online called “4 Dangers of the Internet” said the 4 dangers are cyber bulling, sexual predators, pornography, and damaged reputations. It is crazy how this article and the video are talking about the exact same problems with the internet. Even though internet is a huge advancement and so helpful in numerous ways, there are still some dangers. Ultimately, I think “Growing Up Online” is trying to tell watchers to look out for themselves, their friends, and their family members.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/

The links I chose go hand in hand with the discussion this week. Internet can be a very good thing for schools, as shown by the progress made with Smart Boards. On the other hand, there are many dangers of the internet that parents, teachers, and friends need to look for when watching their kids on the computer.

The topic of technology relates greatly to my major, education, because technology is used in schools every day. As I learn how to become a better teacher, I will be learning how to use technology with my students. My mom, who has been teaching for 14 years, is still going to workshops that are teaching her how to use the new technology. She tells me how her students love watching her use her Smart Board, and I have also seen firsthand how kids love it when I volunteer. However, as a teacher, I will need to monitor my kids, making sure they are safe when using the internet. Teachers don’t only teach math and reading, they teach life skills as well. I am going to need to know the dangers of the internet, that way I can teach my kids how to stay away from it. I remember in 7^th grade I learned about the predators on the web, and I talked to my teacher about it later that day and it helped me stay away from meeting strangers online. I want to be that teacher that kids can come to when they need help with a problem, internet wise or not. Learning about new technologies, the positives and the negatives, will always make me a better teacher.