Blog Post 5: Driving Questions Answered

1.) Why should teachers use technology to communicate with students, parents and peers?
Teachers should use technology for communication because it is easily accessible and provides faster methods for communication. E-mails can be sent at any time of the day or night and can be received through a mobile device or once the e-mail account is opened. The best part about communication through technology is that messages can be saved and accessed through any computer or internet source. With technology a teacher has the power to contact many students, parents and peers at once or maintain private conversations with specific individuals.

2.) Which technology tools have the greatest potential to improve communication between teachers and others?
Blogs and school webpages have the best potential for improving communication between teachers and others, but only if they are used correctly. How the information is presented on a blog is extremely important in the navigation and readability of it. If a blog isn't pleasant to look at then less people are likely to view it. However productive blogs can provide an abundance of information that will give parents, teachers and students all the information necessary for success. School webpages give anyone the ability to contact teachers and staff. Also if teachers have blogs then they can provide a link from the school website to their classroom blog.


3.) How do these tools improve communication?
School webpages improve communication because they provide public information of the events that are going on within the school. This gives parents the ability to access school event information online rather than just waiting for a flyer to be brought home by their child. Also webpages can inform students and parents of emergencies such as school closures. As I mentioned before, teachers who create classroom blogs can link class blogs to school webpages. This not only benefits parents and students, but other teachers can use blogs as a means for collaboration. Teachers can post all in class material online, which not only informs parents of classroom activities, but gives students access to worksheets that can be printed at home.

Blog Post 4: In Defense of Gadgets

Defend your reasoning for choosing the gadgets that you did and how you feel they enhance your blog.

1. TEXT: "A good teacher is like a candle- it consumes itself to light the way for others," this is an inspiring quote for teachers because as an educator your concern should be for your students. It is important that teachers adequately prepare their students so they may continue to succeed, not only in the classroom, but in life. 
2. HTML/JAVA - Visitors Map: It is interesting to see how many different people are viewing my blog and what part of the world they are viewing it from. 
3. FOLLOW BY EMAIL: This gadget gives anyone the ability to follow my blog and postings via email. It can be very useful for parents, students and even other teachers because they will be notified of any updates or changes. 
4. SLIDESHOW: A correlation of elementary school pictures. If I had my own classroom I would make the slideshow of pictures from our classroom and school to display what we have been doing. It is a nice personal touch to the blog and it encourages parents to view the blog so they can view pictures as well. 
5. POLL: I made a poll to see what resources people use for research projects. This is a good tool because I can then use the information to help students find more useful resources for the method they are using. 
6. FOLLOWERS: This application would be a good way for other teachers to link themselves to this blog. That way viewers would also be able to see what other classrooms are doing.

Sustainability Voice Thread

In class we discussed how schools are struggling to create sustainability within the classroom.  It has been hard for schools to keep up with the rapidly changing technology and provide equal funding and education for all schools. Education has begun to reflect the separation of the classes within our society and our separation from the world. On Voice Thread we were presented with a slideshow of pictures that address different issues around Sustainability. Everyone in our class was able to write comments on the pictures relating the picture to sustainability.

To check out the slide show and our class comments click HERE.

Accountability Mind Map

Does technology in education HELP, HURT, or BOTH? 

Blog Post 3: Evaluating Educational Blogs

Blogging and School Administrators - NEEDS WORK!
The main reason that this blog doesn't work is that it is not visually appealing. The layout is extremely plain and the bright orange is more distracting than alluring. Also the light grey font doesn't make the entrees look very interesting. There are no pictures anywhere on this blog, except for a visitors map at the very bottom. It is hard to tell what this blog is even about because the entrees have nothing to do with school administrators. The entrees are a mix of news reports, identifying new technologies and personal posts, which is confusing for me as a reader. It is also fairly obvious that the creator copied and pasted some sections into the blog because the formatting is different. In order to make this blog better I would suggest that the person start over and clearly identify the purpose of this blog. It would also be good to add some pictures and consider the viewers and what they would find appealing. The text of the blog should also be the same color and font, with highlight on only certain words or phrases, not paragraphs.

Betty's Timely Teacher Talk - Works 
This blog is nice and clean with clear titles to each entree. You can easily navigate this blog and see previous or popular entrees that have been posted. Each entree has a different story about something Betty has encountered or a topic she is particularly passionate about. She is very opinionated, but she never speaks negatively about anyone else or incorporates names within her stories. They are all good entires that provide useful information. Another good source of information on Betty's blog are the multiple Navigation and Educational blog links that are down the left column. The layout is pleasant to view and the color scheme complements the class room photo on the header. It is easy to read this blog because the text is consistently the same color, font and size per section. A nice addition to each post are the links leading to other helpful websites. This blog is very helpful in its simplicity. 

Accessibility Word Cloud

1.) Is it important for all people to have access to the Internet? Why or why not?
Yes, because everyone should have a fair chance at accessing the resources. If not it creates a bigger gap between gaps. If people came to America and weren’t up to date with the technology we use, they’d be at a big disadvantage. But there also is the issue of illiteracy, if they cannot read, how can they use it. But, how can they use it if they don’t even have the opportunity to use it. There are many factors, prices, accessibility, priorities… 

2.) Will eliminating the digital divide create new global, national, and/or local social problems?
Yes, we need to lessen the separation between the US and other counties that is created by the digital divide. It would greatly affect the US, and it could empower people. If people have full access to the Internet they have more access to learning and finding resources. As for the people that don’t want to use it, despite access, we need to do a better job marketing it to them. It is a source of information and should not be feared or seen as an inconvenience.

3.) What might these new problems be?
It would create social problems. If the digital divide was eliminated, it could upset people who are opposed to Internet. If they are against the idea of the Internet and the entire town becomes Internet dependent, they could be upset. But, once the older generation passes, all other generations are raised familiar with access or at least knowledge of the Internet in the United States. Another problem is that it is a distraction. If a family is focusing on just getting enough money to stay alive, the distraction of the Internet could take away from working, thus hurting the family. One disadvantage of technology is that many people misuse it or abuse it and this can cause disruption to their learning and their lives.

Blog Post 2: E-sponsibility Follow-Up

1.) Is it fair to scrutinize teachers' private lives (either online or offline)?

As a teacher you obtain the job of being a role model for your students as well as your peers, but I believe that it is not fair to scrutinize teachers for their private lives. Everyone is entitled to a break from their day job in order to kick back, relax and enjoy their interests in life. However as a teacher you must uphold a certain professional appearance. It is your job as a teacher to find a balance between being a role model and what you do in your personal life. By this I mean that it is unacceptable for a teacher to create a romantic or deeply personal relationship with a student via email or outside of the class room. The same rules for interacting with students in school should still apply to teachers outside of school. For the teachers that are posting inappropriate things or acting out in public, then it is fare to scrutinize and punish them. They should be more concerned about their public appearance because they are a role models for our children and known throughout society.

2.) Should teachers maintain a presence on social networking sites? Why or why not? As a teacher, what steps can you take to protect yourself from criticism and/or sanctions when using social media sites?

I think that teachers should be able to maintain a presence on social networking sites because it can be another helpful method for students and parents to contact teachers. If a teacher is worried about sharing too much personal information they should be allowed to have a separate Facebook or blog. They can make a private blog for family and friends, then an open one for anyone to see. This is so that they have the ability to keep their work and personal lives separate. As a teacher it is all about thinking before you act. Just think, 'would this be acceptable to post for everyone to publicly see, or should I keep this private and to myself?' and 'how would this post, picture, comment, video, etc. affect my job?' If you are concerned with posting something, then don't post it! Teachers need to be more aware of their actions when they are in public and they must then act appropriately.