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Blog Journal #5

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From completing the Web Design assignment, I have gained countless new skills that I have not previously had to learn due to the fact that I have never had to make a website before. For example, I had to think about the order of the website pages and the information that I was sharing; it was important that the order everything was in made sense. When designing my website, I used CRAP to ensure that the website was visible and accessible. I intentionally made sure that there was dark text on light backgrounds and vice versa. One aspect of Weebly that I did not like was that I did not tell me if it was auto-saving my work. Along with that, it was slightly difficult for me to think of what information to include because I am clearly not a teacher currently, so I did not know exactly what parents would want to see. In my future career I will be able to use website design in the same way that I did for this asisgnment- it is a great way to have all of the information for the classroom in o...

Blog Journal #4

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       My experience so far with blogging has been okay, I do not feel super strongly about it. The website and software have been relatively simple to use and learn, however, having its own website feels slightly unnecessary. I feel that the same learning and education could be met by having our Blog Journals on a Google Doc or a Canvas discussion board. I could see how Blogger can be useful for people in different circumstances, but for a class setting, I feel like it is unnecessary.      One Web 2.0 that I have personally used in educational settings is  GroupMe . This is a group chat messaging system that can be extremely beneficial for classrooms because it is a way for students to connect and collaborate. Two ways I have used GroupMe are group chats with the entire class and group chats to work on group projects. Many courses, especially in college have a GroupMe created for students to ask any questions they have regarding the course before...

Blog Journal #4

     One standard that pulled my attention was HE.5.PHC.2.3 which explains how new technology and how it is used can impact peoples individual thoughts, emotions, and health related actions and choices. One of the clarifications to this standard is emphasizing and not overlooking the fact that technology leads to cyberbullying and the negative impacts associated with that, along with how screens are becoming addicting and can lead to mental health struggles. I do feel preparent to implement this standard because of the fact that I grew up with technology in my classrooms and have been able to see first hand some of the impacts on various people and in different situations. It is imperative to not glamorize technology to the point where its downfalls are overlooked because some of the effects could cause more harm than good.       I decided to look into second grade social studies and further examine the topic of examining primary and secondary sources....

Blog Post #3

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        I believe that the creation of copyright has aided the use of technology not only in the classroom but in arguably most aspects of life. People often look for shortcuts and the easiest way to do something and thanks to copyright, intellectual and creative work can be protected. As a teacher, fair use is very helpful because sometimes it is best to teach using material that has already been created rather than having to make your own. For example, if I am teaching a geometry class it would be more productive to use resources that have already been proven to be effective in teaching the concept rather than creating your own from scratch. With that being said, it is necessary to give credit where credit is due and ensure that if you are using someone else's material it is properly cited.       When it comes to decreased productivity due to technology implementation in classrooms, it is evident that having access to such widespread t...

Blog Post #2

       I have vivid memories of my time in elementary school when we would work on the classroom computers using Microsoft Word; I was not a huge fan. I recall that after each time using Microsoft Word, you would have to save the document for your progress and changes to be saved. It happened far too many times when I would log off without saving my file, only to find out the next day that all of my progress was lost when I logged back on to work on it. Ever since then, I have always opted to use Google Docs. I know that with technology upgrades, Microsoft Word automatically saves work now, however, I still prefer Google because I can save everything on each Google platform to my drive and have it all in one place.      As the ISTE website states, the goal of these standards is to help "students become empowered learners" ( https://iste.org/standards/educators ). I believe the standard that best aligns with this goal is 2.4 Collaborator. This standard ...

Blog Post #1

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      I am looking forward to this class because my reasoning for taking it differs slightly from most students. Rather than wanting to be a teacher, I aspire to become a principal one day. In this class, I look forward to learning innovative tools and techniques that I can use to better connect with my students, teachers, and school faculty. Along with that, if teachers come to me sharing that they need help in any aspect I believe I will gain knowledge in this class that I will be able to share with them.      I currently work at a local preschool and my placement is in a classroom with children ages 1-2. For children that are young, the focus of the classroom is more play and  socialization-based, along with alphabet, colors, etc. In our classroom, we are consistently using technology, but not in the way many might assume. The school has an app that we, the teachers, use to communicate with families. For example, every time we change a diaper, ...