Blog Post 3

    In my search for a history of Florida State University, I came across an article on wikipedia. I decided to evaluate this website using the concepts I learned in class. Following the ABCDTs, I have the capability of determining the credibility of the source. The first credential the website needed to meet was A- authors. Because Wikipedia is an open access site, there is no singular author for the site. Because of a lack of a credible author and the lack of ways to contact the author, Wikipedia does not meet the A of the ABCDTs for a trustworthy source. Though the wikipedia seems to offer an objective view of the university, the website cannot meet the requirements of B- bias (and the lack thereof) because it focuses exclusively on the positive aspects of the university. Though I enjoy seeing my college in a positive light, I fear that the lack of any mention of controversy surrounding the university is the direct result of positive bias towards FSU. The C- content of the wikipedia article appears to be current, based on its up to date facts and figures, but because of the lack of author credibility, the "current" content of the article cannot be confirmed to be correct. The D- design of the Wikipedia article I am reviewing has a very functional design, although it is not the most aesthetically pleasing website. Wikipedia's simplistic, yet effective design adds to its credibility. The T- technical elements of Wikipedia are wonderful. With an almost instant loading time, useful links and windows, as well as seamlessly operating links to outside sources give Wikipedia its most credible element. Overall, Wikipedia is not a credible source. Its lack of a respectable author and potential biases make the website inappropriate for use in a situation where research is required. Though Wikipedia is not a credible source, it is a wonderful portal for other websites that are credible. Here's a link to the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_State_University. 
Attached to the bottom of this post are screenshots of the Wikipedia article. 
     Based on chapter 9, some of the applications of technology I would like to include in my classroom are discussion groups, the internet, and video conferencing. The first application of technology I would use within my classroom is a discussion board. Should I pursue education for a career, I would like to be a high school English teacher. With this in mind, I think a discussion board would be a great way for students to communicate with one another at home about any readings that would be assigned in class. This could be a great way for interclass communication to occur, as students from all of my classes could comment on the same discussion board. This new interface of communication would make learning about literature far more interesting and comprehensible. My use of the internet in my classroom would be crucial to my integration of different types of media into the classroom. Though I would limit student access to the internet during class time for security reasons, it would be a vital tool for finding videos, information, and audio clips pertinent to what we were learning in class. Video conferencing in my classroom would be an immeasurably great tool, as I could bring my students into contact with people we would otherwise never get to have a discussion with. For example, if we were reading a book written by an lesser known author in class, I could potentially contact that author and have a video conference between them and my students. Even if I could not contact the author of whatever work we were reading in class, I am positive that I could come into contact with a person well versed in the subject that could make an excellent contribution to my classes through a video conference. Because I would be integrating technology into my classroom, I would need to have a discussion with my students about maintaining an appropriate digital citizenship. For example, I would need to influence strict regulations as to what is and what is not appropriate for discussion boards in my class. I would need to address the issues of privacy and protection of student's identities before engaging in any sort of technological endeavor. Other issues I would need to address with my students would include copyright laws, participation in appropriate ways, teaching them to write with academic language, and exercise a certain level of caution in any online activity. Because my students would be in their late teens, they should already have a grasp on what is and what is not appropriate on the web. Teenagers have the intellectual capacity to be exposed to more information than a younger child, but I would still need to exercise extreme caution with technology in my classroom.
     While working on the newsletter assignment, I developed new skills in graphic design. I have always struggled with formatting documents, but with a lot of effort put into the assignment, I was able to produce a well-formatted newsletter. Though I got frustrated with Word several times as I made my newsletter, I pressed forward on my endeavors to create my document. I would get frustrated when I would try to add more text to a part oft the newsletter and it wouldn't fit within my margins, columns, text boxes, etcetera.  In my opinion, my newsletter turned out great...especially coming from someone as technologically challenged as myself. I really enjoyed this assignment because it gave me an opportunity to develop skills I had previously never even thought to use. The only part of the assignment I did not like was the lack of clarity in some of the instructions. For example, when the assignment asked for three stories in the newsletter, I was a little confused on what to write about. I did the best I could though, with the instructions I was given. 

Blog Post 2

     As a student, I've had a great deal of experience using Microsoft Word. From typing research papers to making pamphlets for clubs I've been involved with, I have become quite acquainted with the program. My teachers have made use of Microsoft Word through the means of typing up syllabi, creating lesson outlines, and by using the program to create flyers to hand out for after school programs. The textbook gave me the idea of using Microsoft Word to create tests, puzzles, and develop organizational tools for my classroom management. As a teacher, I plan to use Microsoft Word as an aid that can help students realize their full potential within the realm of writing and creating professional documents. Fun activities such as creating a newsletter for a pretend city give students the opportunity to explore the more technical aspects of word processors, and I intend to bring activities like this into my classroom environment. Beyond assigning fun projects, I plan to show students that Microsoft Word can be used for more than just writing papers. Resumes, flyers, cover letters, and agendas are just some of the useful compositions that can be created using the word processor.

     In my educational career, I've seen nearly all of my teachers take advantage of Fair Use to present media in the classroom. Without any sort of influence from the work of others, a progression of knowledge cannot take place. This being said, it would be unethical for teachers (or anyone else) to steal the work of others without permission. Fair Use creates a vague grant of permission that allows educators to ethically use the work of others to supplement the educational process. For example, one of my teachers used to quote small portions of a textbook my school did not own. Though we technically did not one the book, because only a small portion was being used for an educational purpose, all was well. As a teacher, I would make sure I understood the guidelines of Fair Use to make sure I did not cross the boundaries of Fair Use and accidentally infringe upon copyright. I would make sure that I, and my students, did not profit from copyrighted material, made sure to make any works our own, only use a small portion of the works copied, and give credit to the original creator, among following other precautions. In creating lesson plans, I would integrate media into my presentations, allow my students to watch educational videos in class, and use images to better represent concepts I teach. I would likewise encourage students to integrate media into their own projects for any assignments I should give them. 

     Over the past couple of weeks, I've learned how important of an educational tool twitter can be. From promoting discussion outside of class, to giving students better opportunities to contact their professors, social media (Twitter especially) creates a nearly constant source for students resources. If you are following accredited accounts, Twitter and other personal learning networks can provide the latest news for any field you may be studying. Before this class, I never thought of Twitter as an educational tool. With this new knowledge, I hope that social media is further integrated into classrooms across the world. In my future as a possible educator, I will work to maintain that all my students have access to me through the means of social media and personal learning networks. Though social media is constantly changing, technology's use in the educational field will not.