wORD (#2)

     Microsoft Word was the first program in Microsoft Office that I used. When I first used it though I did the bare minimum, it was Microsoft Word '03 and I just needed to print some letters to paste on a tri-fold board. Then in middle school I had to start typing papers so I began to explore different features in Microsoft Word '07 and then I took a computer class where I became a pro in Office '07. As far as seeing my teachers use Microsoft Word there has only been two that actually showed me how to do stuff that i did not have to google. The first was my computer teacher, Ms. Miller in middle school and the second is..... Ms. Ginny!!!!!!!!
     As far as copyright and fair use issues in my educational life, I would call it plagiarism. As a student that was what we had to deal with and hope teachers did not accuse us of doing. Throughout my learning career I have not ran into an issue with my work and plagiarism but I did have a friend go through something that, honestly shook me. As an IB student in senior year there is a big report due, and my friend got kicked out because her paper was considered plagiarized. She did not steal someones work, but her citation was just not in the right format and that caused her to lose out on her IB Diploma. I feel as though teachers run into the copyright and fair use issues because the things that they are teaching have been taught before, so as a teacher I plan to use the course material provided by the school. If I happen to find something online that I think can be useful I will look for the copyright or fair use rules associated with it, which can be found in the footnotes of some resources. By doing this check I will be setting an example that I can instruct my students to follow.
     The Digital Divide is something that I think will always exist and to combat that in my classroom I will make sure that if there is an assignment that requires online research or something of that nature that as a class we can go to the library. Additionally for those students in special conditions and needed specific time, i could arrange time for me to go with them to the library or they could work on the computers in my room before or after school depending on how the school is set up. To combat cyberbullying in my classroom I would set up a "remind101" where the students could anonymously or not, send messages to report it but some type of online forum that everyone is aware of. I would always be available to speak with a student if they came up to me directly also. As far as privacy goes when making any type of account for my class it will not require more information than I already know, such as your gender or birthdate. If my classroom has any type of class set of devices, I personally would not monitor them and see what each student did on each device. I would trust that the school has the correct amount of limitations on the internet, as it did when I was growing up and any off task things they might be doing is up to them. I will be able to tell who was on task or not be their grades.

ISTE Standards (#1)

     I believe that it is the outside world that is influencing students and teachers to use technology in the classroom. When using a smart phone became something elementary kids started doing, they were banded in the classroom as a distraction. However, as the world has become more technology dependent, they realized the benefit of using individual devices and started providing classroom sets of iPads in public schools. By using technology in the classroom, students are able to enjoy an individualized learning system specifically for them. It further helps teachers out, by not only making grading easy, but it can provide them with individualized feedback for each student, that the teacher can use to better educate their students.
     The International Society for Technology in Education is an organization thats goal is to create a community to support educators in their technological endeavors. They go beyond just helping with technology their focus is largely on using technology ethically and responsibly in order to achieve goals such as communication, collaboration, and knowledge construction. The organization has five categories of standards for technology use in education. One standard that is meaningful to me comes from the student category (1C). It says that students will use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate learning in a variety of ways. This is meaningful to me because it is not only an obvious plus that I see to . using technology in the classroom but because feedback that informs and improves is something i wanted my whole educational career. One standard that seems out of my skill set is from a category called Computational Thinking (4A). It states that as an educator you design computational thinking activities where data can be obtained, analyzed, and represented. I think this may be a challenge for me because such activities are something that i am not familiar with.
     I understand the meaning of the term "digital natives" but i do not necessarily agree with it. Being a "digital native" means that you were born in a time that technology was already around, they either did not use often or do not even know what a landline is or photographic film. However where i disagree with this term is how many generations it has been applied too, eventually everybody will be a "digital native". I have not really experienced differences between how me and my teachers use technology, either they have used it like a "digital native" or banned all technology from their classes due to constant cheating. I honestly think that the differences between me and my future students will be that there is some new technology out, that i do not know how to work, but thanks to this class i can use the ISTE as a resource for help.

ISTE Empowered Learner Resource

Specific Standard: Students articulate and set personal learning goals. develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.

     A resource that i would use in my classroom to achieve this goal would be an interactive online learning environment, called i-ready. It is something that can be accessed from a tablet, computer, or phone. The app provides individualized instruction based on each child's individual needs, that it learns from the child constantly participating on it.

Introduction (J#0)

     I am currently a freshman here at FSU, majoring in Political Science. One day I hope to be a lawyer working somewhere in Washington DC. I make A/B Honor roll and pride myself on my GPA, because as a student it is the most important thing attached to my name. I am not a very social person and do not go to parties a lot, mostly I just watch Netflix in my room. As far as friends, I haven't made any here so I really just have one from back home who is also in Tallahassee to attend college.

     In college I have used way more technology in an educational setting than my twelve years in public school. Last semester I took EDF 2085, which is a class that involved me mentoring elementary kids at a local school. There I learned how much technology is apart of a childs' education, something that I had not really realized was taking place. In today's classrooms teachers are dependent on technology to get through the lessons and I think that sooner or later everyone will realize how much a disservice it is being so technological dependent.

     I enrolled into this class for two main reasons, the first being for the computer competency and the second being that this class is a class that helps me further complete my minor in education. After looking at the syllabus i realized what i might actually learn. The four skill checks, look interesting and i wonder what exactly they will be about. I also look forward to learning how to accurately use technology in an educational setting, or as some would say when wearing my teacher hat.