Social Justice

I think that it is amazing what the classrooms can offer the students in the technology field these days. The ability to use a smart board or Power Points for class discussion is just fascinating to me. When I was in High School we did not have computers in every room and no power point shows. The only time we were able to use computers was the computer lab in the library (strictly for research) and the computer class, which we learned how to type and use word and power point. Even with these classes I never had to use the information I learned until I got to college. The kids these days have been using computers in the classroom for at least 10 years. I believe that they can take more and stay more engaged in the class because of this. So the idea of not using technology sounds blasphemous.

I believe it would be a disservice to the children if I did not use technology. Based on previous articles that we have read, the children believe that it is archaic not to use technology and that if we don't use it they feel disconnected from what we are teaching. They have grown up around it. Whether it has been in their homes or not, the students know how to use it and see how it can be a benefit. Just because we think that certain students do not have access to computers doesn't necessarily mean that it is true. Using technology is so beneficial to the learning environment that I wouldn't stop using it because of access problems. I do believe that this problem is becoming less and less. Most if not all schools have some form of computers with student access.

I do feel that if I am having the students do an assignment that requires the use of technology that I have some things to consider before I assign it. I would like to have a survey on the first day of class that would ask the children what their access to the Internet and computers is like. Once I have established their ability to access technology then I will be able to do assignments accordingly. If I have a couple of students who do not have access to a computer or the Internet I would be willing to stay after class, so that they may use the library. The due dates of the assignments would be a reasonable time frame if I knew that I had a large portion of students who used community computers and their ability to get on them was limited.

Furthermore, there are so many different places that teachers can access to get grants for technology in their rooms that it seems almost impossible to have no technology in your classroom. We should strive to do whatever we can so that we have the ability to teach our classes by using technology and allowing children the opportunities to use technology for themselves. Not just so that they can surf the web or do social networking, so that they can learn how to use a computer to benefit them in the classroom and as they grow up and get jobs.

The Power of the PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an amazing tool. I am still learning the great things that can come of it. The best presentations seem to be the ones with the most passion and creativity involved. Maya's animals are adorable, I learned a lot from Marc's tennis serve, Rachel is always a source of entertainment and fun. I could go on, everyone did very well today. The best parts of the presentations were the videos and dynamic pictures. They kept me engaged and entertained during the slide show.

The parts of the presentation that seemed to lag were the presentations that used a typical format or layout. The same layout that I have seen time and time again. 3 bullets on one side and a picture on the other, next slide is 3 bullets on the opposite side and the picture on the opposite, with a bland background. I have a tendency to get bored with PowerPoint when there is way to much information on the slide and a lack of creativity when creating the slides. No matter what the presenter does that is well, I can not escape from the dullness of the presentation. The idea of having videos or media in the presentations seems to be one of the easiest and most creative things we can do with our slides. I have never put a video in a PowerPoint before, but I will always have one now. The videos seem to break up the monotony of the slides. Even a sound involved helps.

Overall though all of the presentations went very well. I think that every body enjoyed the subject that they were discussing and that showed.

Chatspeak(Chtspk)

When it comes to this article I take a firm stance on the side of, No it will not destroy the English language. Chatspeak is just another form of slang used by all students of any age. Remember when you were in High School and you chose to speak in code or a different way from the adults, so that they couldn't eavesdrop on your conversations. I believe that this is another form of it, and it will not destroy English. I believe when these students grow up or when they aren't online that they will use proper English. Well, as proper English as a High School student can get. I really don't believe that it will jeopardize their speaking skills when in public or while writing a paper. I used to use the words "like", "you know", and "um" all the time while talking. Now I don't do it at all. I learned how to speak when I was in College and because I have matured past that stage. The kids will grow out of it, or only use it when they are chatting online, thus why it is given the name "Chatspeak".
When Greg Monflis commented " A student of mine recently asked via e-mail, “hey, i cant find hw n the conf can u help.” I did. Shortly thereafter, she wrote a lovely paper devoid of chatspeak." This is a great example of how chatspeak is used very informally while online, but when it comes down to a paper or a situation arises the student can speak in proper English. When Linda Howard said "Chatspeak is destroying students’ command of written English, in the sense that whatever we engage in for a long period of time will most likely become commonplace." It makes me feel like she was never a child who used slang words and grew out of it to become a clear and well spoken adult. I believe that she is taking these children for granted and implying that they will never learn how to speak because of the way that they talk to their friends.
Some questions that I would have for Linda are, do you have children? Do your children go online and use chatspeak? Are they less capable of speaking to you in the English language? We make fun of this form of talking on commercials and tv shows, but the children really don't go around talking like that, and I do not believe that it will hinder the language, as long as they have great teachers showing them the proper ways to speak. Is this really a problem? I don't think so, but some do. Why is it such a big deal to use slang language? Riddle me this...

Cyberbullying

Ten to fifteen years ago, student-to-student harassment was a significant issue for school officials. When boys used to give each other wedgies, swirlies, noogies and for girls it was leaving terrible messages about them on the stalls of the bathroom, spreading rumors, fighting and turning each other against each other. Now we still have those things happening but on a greater scale and a new topic of terror Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the use of Internet technology to inflict emotional harm through repeated and deliberate harassment, threats, and intimidation. It can consist of making threats; issuing insults and slurs; and other activities that are designed to inflict harm or damage to a person and his or her reputation, life, or even computer system. Cyberbullying typical includes email, cell phones, chat rooms, blogs, social networking sites, and instant messages. What makes Cyberbullying so intense is the veiled nature of an Internet presence. When you were bullied in school fifteen years ago, you knew who started the bullying and where it was coming from. Now the anonymity of the internet allows the harasser to stay hidden and undefined. I do not have any personal experience with Cyberbullying but this is becoming a huge problem for schools, students and parents. We need to take a stand against Cyberbullying and become more aware of how to deal with this issue.

Although the students are interacting over the Internet outside of school, they still come face-to-face each day on school grounds where many of them must then endure the in-person impact of Internet harassment. Certain legal principles are keeping the schools from being able to punish these bully's. A school may only restrict student speech that causes a substantial and material disruption of school activities because students do not shed their constitutional rights, including their right to free speech. A school may restrict student speech that is at odds with the school's educational objectives. They generally may not restrict student speech merely because they disagree with it or find it to be offensive. Instead there must be some compelling educational objective that justifies restricting the speech, or the speech must be a threat to school safety or to a campus environment conducive to learning. More often than not, when a case involves the right to free speech and off-campus expression, school officials find it difficult to satisfy this standard. I really do think that it is time to refresh and breath new life into the rules of the school. Most of these policies were written in the day where we couldn't have ever imagined technology in every home and school, nationwide. The same values that held true during those generations do not hold true today. Therefore, if we want to stop this bullying we need to be able to address it properly and that would be done best if we could amend some of the rules and policies that are in place, or just create new ones.

My plan for dealing with Cyberbullying in my classroom would begin with building a community in my room. I want to take the labels off of everyone as best as I can so that the students can understand and see that each of them is dealing with the same issues. I think that if we can begin to teach the students to actually see who they are bullying and how it affects them that Cyberbullying could subside some. After building a community I would lay down some ground rules. I would let the students know that I will not tolerate Cyberbullying or bullying of any kind in my classroom. I will show them videos and read them stories about Cyberbullying and how it has changed the lives of those students. Of course there would be some reactionary tactics as well. If I found out that one of my students was Cyberbullying another I would make the two of them sit down with me privately so that they could better understand how and why it started in the first place. If you can get the students talking about their issues face-to-face I think that it can dis spell some of the bullying. So I would use both pre-emptive, reactionary, group and individual tactics for dealing with the bullying. I would also like to try to come up with a plan with the Principal, if there wasn't already one in place, about educating the students in an assembly atmosphere about Cyberbullying and it's affects. I truly feel that the best way to make these actions stop is by building a community. That would be my first step in the entire process.

What does google say about me?

Well Google doesn't say much about me. When I searched myself on Google and Pipl I didn't find much. What I did find was my old Myspace page. I haven't logged on to that site in months. I used Myspace about 7 years ago and all the information and pictures are older. I am not very interested in having all of that viewed. We were much younger then and posted things that I don't want others to view. I deleted that page. I found some old information from an old job. I used Linked In while I was working at a professional staffing service.

The things that I found that were most interesting were not even from me. There is a poet who likes to write teenage angst poetry. I will provide a link to one of her poems. There really isn't any information to say that this isn't me, unless you know my birthdate. I suppose that someone could look at the link and think that I possibly wrote it at some point in my life. Here is the link, you tell me if it is negative http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-lame-poet-and-the-narcissistic-girl/

I usually keep most of my social networking private. I only allow people that I know and my friends view my page. Most of the people that I am friends with wouldn't post compromising pictures of myself on the internet, thankfully. Now that I am writing this I feel as if I am challenging someone to find the worst possible and most corupt picture and put it on the internet.... we shall see.

It's hard to say whether teachers should be held to community standards and if there speech should be held against them. I suppose it depends upon what you say. If you are using racial slurs, or inappropriate language in a public venue with community members around you, then yes I do believe you should be held to those standards. Being professional when you are in public is important regardless if you are a teacher. Now on the other hand if you are at a friends house socializing and letting loose and you say these things, then no I don't believe you should be held to those standards. Your private and public life can be very different, I do think however if you have friends or family members who would jeopardize your career by posting something unbecoming of you on the internet then there should be certain measures in place to protect you. That is why all of your social networking sites should be private and not shared with people who you don't know or aren't friends with.

I think that the only way to truly protect myself is by limiting the amount of pictures taken of me in certain situations, making and keeping everything private and speaking with my friends and family personally about what implications I could face if they were to post something without my permission or if they knew that it could jeopardize my career.

Digital Status

I found these articles to be incredibly informative. This is a great tool to try and figure out how are students will be learning in the future. I would define myself as a digital native. Although, I haven’t had as much technology as the kids today have. I do remember the times before video games, and computers. I didn’t even have a cell phone until my freshmen year of college and the first computer I owned was a graduation gift from high school. I do understand and speak computer well. I seem to be able to troubleshoot and navigate my way through computers and the software that goes along with them. I loved when the article referred to people that are natives as immigrants and how they learn like all other immigrants; some better than others. The way that the immigrants think about education compared to the natives, I believe needs to change. The natives feel that the immigrants are bringing in outdated systems. A quote from the article says “Digital Immigrant teachers assume that learners are the same as they have always been, and that the same methods that worked for the teachers when they were students will work for their students now. But that assumption is no longer valid.” We as teachers need to be aware of the different ways that our students learn with technology today, and better adapt ourselves to it. Another quote talks about the methodology of teachers today “Methodology, today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students. This doesn’t mean changing the meaning of what is important, or of good thinking skills. But it does mean going faster, less step-by step, more in parallel, with more random access, among other things.” I would like to understand more about implementing these ideas in my own classroom.

When I was in college it seemed that the most technology that we had available was computers. Using Microsoft word, PowerPoint, and Excel to created documents and presentations was about all that we had. Even with this software we did not have the projection system that we have here at Concordia to use with our presentations. Or, maybe I am not remembering it exactly right. At Concordia in most of our rooms we have a computer, and a great projection system. This is so helpful. The ability to connect to the internet right in the classroom and bring curriculum to life has been essential. I only hope that once I begin teaching in my own class that it will have the same capabilities. You can get to the points of your presentation faster, and give the presentations more creativity because of the accessibility with technology in our classrooms.

The articles haven’t necessarily changed my mind about technology in the classroom, but have broadened my horizons. I think that I will take a lot from this class and implement as much of it as I can into my own room. I am very interested in learning about all of the software available out there for both students and teachers to use and enhance learning. I do believe we need to be innovative with the way that we present our curriculum to our students, and technology seems to be a key piece in this idea.

Introduction

My name is Chelsea Morrill. I am from Central Oregon and now I am living in Scappoose. I am married and have a 3 year old daughter. I am hoping to teach Health Education at the High School level. It is hard for me to choose just one animal as my favorite. Lions are fascinating. I am a Leo so I suppose that my favorite exotic animal would be a Lion.