Reflective Post #13:

What aspects of this course did you find most beneficial? How the information that I learned was directly linked to education and it was easy to link it to the classroom

What aspects of this course did you find did not meet your needs? This course meet my needs by addressing how technology is being used in the classroom. PLE and Web 2.0 are some ideas and tools that made an impact in my learning.

What topics in this course were most interesting to you? How technology is available to everybody and how PLEs make the students learning self directed.

What topics in this course were least helpful/interesting? "Diversity, cultural understanding, and global awareness" was the most interseting to me.  It is crazy that the whole world and be connected and learn from eachother.  "Adaptive and assistive technologies" was tough for me to connect too, to me it was too much medical talk and not educational.

How did your knowledge of issues in educational technology evolve over the semester? Did you have any "Aha" moments?  PLEs really gave the me Aha momnet.  I love the idea and how the student is in charge of the learning.

Cyberbullying Workshop

Please click on the attached link to view my professional development workshop on Cyberbullying.
https://sites.google.com/site/professionaldevelopmentwkshp/

Module 13 Adaptive and assistive technologies, Part II

Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Disability
Childhood disabilities are on the rise, and Wise mentioned that technological improvements in the physical environment need to be done to lessen childhood disabilities and injury.  Focusing on better housing, poison preventing packaging, and safer roads can help make the child's life experiences safer.  "This article investigate several specific facets of this transformation: the influence of technological change on the  definition of disability, and the ability of the current delivery system to afford access to emerging technologies designed to prevent and reduce the impact of disabling conditions in children." (Wise 2)  Technology is defined as scientific knowledge that is directed and applied to help improve life and well being. Disability is summarized as a health-related limitation that is desired by society.  Technology when first introduced can be dramatically good and bad for a persons life.  An example is the cell phone, we are able to text and call on it anywhere we want but it creates a large burden on the blind individuals. It also prevents an individual from using it who has a physical disability,that will be unable to touch the buttons on the cell phone.  Preventative technologies have helped vaccine individual to reduce and eliminate diseases that were causing disabilities.  There is also genetic screening of the fetus to identify if the fetus has a genetic disability, this is very controversial in society because many ethical and moral questions arise.  Therapeutic technologies are greatly influenced by "technical interventions, including medications, specialized medical and educational services and a variety of assisting devices." (5) 9 to 15 percent of children in the United States require prescribed medication for on going health issues.  36% of children require glasses, 5% require a mobility service, and 7% hearing care. Technical advances are reshaping children's life with disabilities.  With these technological advances, children are able to life a more independent and enjoyable life.  There are therapeutic and preventative technologies that are being offered to children that enables these children the chance to live a successful life, where in the past it would have been difficult.

Reflection
When I read about the ethical and moral issues of terminating a pregnancy, it kind of made me upset a bit.  With new technologies out there and the ability to diagnose genetic disease such as trisomy 21 and cystic fibrosis, but to my delight there are ways that this could be corrected by fetus surgeries.  It is also great to hear that technology advancements is happening all over the world and not just in the United States.  For example, in Finland 77% of families benefit  from assistive devices for feeding, dressing and hygiene.  While I was reading, I caught myself a couple of times, wondering why we are reading this article because it seemed that the audience would that of the medical background but the more I read the more I understood.  When the disability is addressed and the correction is made to their everyday life, there learning will be enhanced because the student will not be worried about the obstacles that life is giving them.  They will be able to focus more on their learning and not the disability.

WebAnywhere

At first I had no idea what the computer was saying.  The language seemed of a different language, but then I watched the YouTube video and it all seemed to make sense.  Using key commands did work effectively but it would be difficult to memorize these commands.  Figuring how to use Web Anywhere was pretty simple. Next to the word location you type where you want to go, and then use the control commands.  A blind person would be able to use WebAnywhere in a very simple manner. A few problems that would come up, would be if the individual did not have head phones to use while on a public computer, or the operating system would be different then the individual expected.  Other wise this program positively benefits the blind person, in enabling them to use the Internet and learning software.  I feel lucky that I do not have a disability that will limit my technology use, but by using WebAnywhere it made me appreciate my abilities.

Module 12 Adaptive and assistive technologies, Part I

Adaptive Technology
Computers are able to be adapted for people who have disabilities.  These disabilities could be low vision, blindness, speech and hearing impairments, learning disabilities, mobility, or health impairments.  Individuals that have a disability, benefit greatly from using computers.  They benefit by being able to access a computer for enjoyment and by working with electronic resources, such as word processors or spread sheets.  Adaptive software can be a very simple installment on a computer or it can be very dynamic.  Either way, they are used to help the people with disabilities  easy access computers.   The following are the disabilities followed by the tactics that make the computers adaptive.

Blindness - The keyboards are standard while braille and specialized voice programs are used.

• Input- dots on the key board are used
• output- speech out and braille
• documentation - scanners that can read and store material

Low vision - modify screen displays and the output of printers

• Input- large keys 
• output- large monitor and text enlarger
• documentation - scanners that can read and enlarged printer abilities

Learning Disabilities - computer software that accommodate learning disabilities in reading, writing and organization skills.

• Input- word processors with the capabilities to spell check, highlight, grammar check and predict. 
• output- enlarged screen, color contrasts.  Reading and speech systems.  
• documentation - speech output and speech output.  

Speech and Hearing Impairments - generally do not need assistant

• Input- flexible mouse, keyboard, easy on/off switch, word prediction software
• output-assistant may be needed to print materials, speech output  
• documentation - generally do not have difficulty.

Assistive Technology

With so many adaptive technologies there are bound to be some negativity that follow. Individuals with mobility disabilities may have troubles fitting their wheel chair beneath the computer.  For this problem to be fixed, there are flexible keyboards, monitors, mouses, and documentation.  There are devices that let the individual make selections without using there fingers.  These devices could be accessed by using their mouth, head-stick or some other pointing device.  There are also left and right hand keyboards that are designed for people with impairments.  For the more severe disabilities input could be done by using Morse Code or voluntary controls using the knee, finger or mouth.  Screen output is not a problem but assistance could be needed.  Low vision and blindness is made adaptive for computer use by having enlarged output, braille, color changing, and voice output devices.  Technological accommodations for people have a LD (learning disabled) are to be done by a "trial by error method."  The person who is LD is able to give advice  on what basic tools helps the individual demonstrate knowledge and intelligence.  Word processors, reading systems, concept mappings, and talking calculators are only a few of the accommodations that are able to help an individual with a LD.  Bathrooms, aisle ways, door ways and building entrances must be designed to allow wheel chairs access, if not what is the point of have accessible computers.  Positions of keyboards, table and monitors need to be able to move to accommodate the person.  StickeyKeys and FliterKeys makes the standard keyboard more accessible.  Alternative key boards and keyguards are also used to correctly push the correct keys.  Word prediction, alternative pointing systems, and speech recognition are all used to accommodate the individual.  Visual, and hearing impairments, along with limited sensitivity can be corrected by using a variety of methods even thou hearing impairments has few adaptions.  Screen enlargement, and programs titled, ZoomText Xtra MAGic are free to download are very helpful accommodation.  People with limited sensory impairment can benefit by using Dragon NaturallySpeaking or Voice Xpress to control the computer.   

Reflective

It is great to see that technology is able to serve anybody with any disabilities.  I was really impressed with the abilities of the computer to serve the the blind.  Having Braille key boards is a wonderful invention that helps.  Society has made technology available for anybody to use.  I noticed that the adaptation can be used by anybody with different disabilities.  Screen enlargements, and voice recognition is able to serve people with visual, mobility and learning disabilities.  It is also great to think that the program Dragon can be used by any individuals, disability or not.  Many people can talk better than they type, so Dragon would be helpful in this scenario.  While reading these articles, I kept think about Stephan Hawking and his disabilities.  I believe he uses a head stick to communicate and he communicates entirely through a computer.  Technology is helping him continue successful life.  I wounder if there centers or libraries that are technology catered for people who have disabilities mentioned in the readings for this module?

Module 11 Troubleshoot basic software, hardware, and connectivity problems

Computer Troubleshooting for Teachers and Students
This website gives 5 topics that will help the individual trouble shoot problems that arise while using computers.  The five topics are Common Input/Output Devices, Internet and Networking, SmartBoard and Projectors, Microsoft Office Applications, and Printers and Scanners.  After clicking each link it will give you the information that will help you fix any problem that comes up when using these items on the computer.  Having the information and being able to fix the errors yourself will free the technology coordinator's time, so he or she will be able to focus on helping the teachers use 21st century skills in the classroom.

A Computer for Every Student and Teacher: Lessons Learned about Planning and Implementing a successful 1:1 Learning Initiative in Schools

Every teacher and student in twelve high schools will receive a laptop with wireless connection to the internet. The goal for this initiative is," to improve teaching practices; increase student achievement; and better prepare students for work, citizenship, and life in the 21st century."(Corn,Oliver,Hess, Halstead,Argueta, Patel Tingen,Huff 1). This study started in 2008 and lasted 3 years. Surveys, focus groups, and classroom observations were used to assess how well the initiative was going and what needed to be fixed to make it better. Teachers received the laptops first so they will be able to receive PD, while the students received them on a later time. Wireless access was a problem, because many schools had to be redesigned with wireless access. Lenovo, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell were the brands of laptops that the schools choose from. These computers had the access to learning tools such as Word, Web page editors, E-mail applications, and Video editing tools. Schools incorporated guide lines that were set up to govern student usage. Support personnel were utilized to help students and teachers. The support personnel had the duty to, "conducted professional development, troubleshooting equipment and software issues, modeling technology use and co-teaching. They also reported maintaining open communication with district technology staff as part of their regular routine."(11) Professional development was offered to teachers in a variety of areas, examples are; lesson planning sessions, classroom management and policy issues, and differentiated levels. Students were excited with this initiative because it gave them the chance to interact with peers more, engage in educational websites and games, access to study assistants, and to gain information for research projects. Students having the computers were preparing them for a society where it is more globally connected, and technological advanced. 

Reflection
    A simple restart of the computer will fix the problem that pops up in the classroom. Teachers should know the simple fixes for simple problems. Teachers need to know how to fix the common error in Microsoft Office and the everyday technology based problems in the classroom. The reason why I feel so strongly about this is that the technology coordinator may not always be present immediately and if the teacher is able to solve the problem, the classroom flow will not be interrupted by the technology coordinator entering the classroom or the error presenting itself during class.
    I would love to be part of a pilot program that would place 1:1 with student to computer ratio. I think this would be enjoyable because the teachers are part of the culture change of education, it is giving the students the tools to educate themselves and go at their own pace. In other words, giving the students freedom to educate themselves. I especially love the note taking and video editing tools that are programmed on the computer. I also loved the idea on how to overcome the problem if the student doesn't receive a laptop or forgets their's at home. The way this will be fixed is by a term they used called "laptop buddies".  This is where a student can borrow a laptop from another student, or that student is grouped with other students who also do not have a laptop.

Activity

Problem	Solution and student solution
There is no sound coming out of the speakers on the student computers.	Make sure the speakers are plugged in and the power is turned on.  There should be a green light that shows the power is on.  If there is power and still no sound coming from the speakers, you should then go to the control panel and locate the icon, “sounds and audio", following the advanced prompts.   If neither of these works, contact the technology coordinator for a new set of speakers.   I am able to teach the students the proper way to connect the speakers if this needs to be done.  Most computers have internal speakers and there should be no reason why students need to change this.
I can't connect to the network.	Double check that the FJ-45 cable is plugged in and the green light is shown. Make sure you are typing in the correct username and password, and that the CAPS button is either on or off.  Most passwords are case sensitive.  Be sure that you are not logged into another computer; most networks allow you to be logged onto one computer at a time.      Educate the students on the correct way to join the network and to memorize their username and password.  The students should recite the correct username and password and steps to the teacher before they get the computer.
My computer keeps freezing up on me.	The computer is usually low on memory and you should contact the technology coordinator.  A simple patch could fix the problem.  A plug-in such as Adobe Flash, Javascript, and ActiveX could be used to fix the problem.  If neither of these fixes work, then malware or a virus could be in the system.  Running an anti-virus program can solve this problem.     The network should be updated with the latest anti-virus programs and students will not need to worry about the update.  If the computer keeps freezing up for the student he or she will need to contact the teacher or contact the correct   teacher that will help them solve the problem.
My printer won't print.	Make sure the cables are connected, and consult the program manual to see what cables are needed to connect the printer and computer.  Also double check the correct printer driver is up on the computer.      Tell the student to double check that they are selecting the correct printer to print from. Also check the printer to see if it needs paper or toner added to it. They should have a printer that is their default printer, so all printed items go to the same printer
My SMARTboard pens aren't working.	Make sure the light is green and if it is not you need to reset the SMARTboard by placing a pencil or pen into the small hole and holding the red button down until all 4 pen holders blink and the red light turns to green.  Make sure all the pens are in the tray and pick any color and use on the board. Model for the students how this can be done, and students can do it when you are teaching.  This will limit classroom distraction.  Name one of the student to be the “go to person” that performs the duties to reset the SMARTboard when needed.

   
Self Assessment
Summary paragraphs - There is one summary paragraph per reading. Each paragraph is substantial and well developed. . Good   5/5

Reflection paragraph(s) -One or more reflection paragraphs are substantial, well-developed and show deep thinking about the readings.    5/5  Good

Quality of Writing - Writing contains no more than 1 spelling or grammar mistakes. Writing is very clear and the organization is superior. . 5/5   Good

Connections to readings - Reflection paragraph(s) make a strong and coherent connection to each reading.   5/5 Good

Module 10 Using digital communication and collaboration tools to interact globally with students, peers, parents, and the larger community

Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Youth to Engage the World 
The global economy and the demands of work have changed because of the speed of the Internet, lowering import tariffs, and foreign investment by the federal government. Employers are looking for more competent and reliable workers who are are willing to work wherever the job is located.  Jobs that are completed by using simple techniques are being completed by robots, where as jobs that require expert thinking and communication are on the rise.  High levels of mathematics, reading, writing, literature, science, history, and arts will be essential in the future employee generation. Future jobs will require employees to imagine and create things that will be able to be used in everyday life.  Examples are writing books, movies, imagining new types of software, and developing creative sales techniques. In order for the students to understand the deflated economy, they will need to be willing to improve on their own work and have the willingness to change. With globalization changing the workforce, students will also need to understand the foreign market.  For workers to be competitive, students must understand the global significance. Topics that are imperative for global significance are engineering, science and business, which require the student to think and act like an expert. A change in demographics is happening all over the world and in the United States it is no different.  214 million migrants are living and working around the world, and 50 million are estimated to live within the United States.  The migrant population is responsible for giving back $338 billion dollars to their county of origin.  Besides the money aspect, migrants also send back to their home country social ideas and know-hows.  A growing number of migrants are able to communicate with their family back in their home country because of the technology revolution. In order for students to succeed in a world of unprecedented migration we have to provide students with positive examples when cultures meet.  They can meet in the classroom, society, or virtually.  What can help the students compete in the changing global economy is the use of Common Core Standards.  Common Core gives the teachers flexibility to create learning experiences in working with the global economy and work force.  Competent global students must be able to recognize global perspectives.

     1. Recognize and express their own perspective on situations, events, issues, or
     phenomena and identify the influences on that perspective.

     2. Examine perspectives of other people, groups, or schools of thought and identify the
     influences on those perspectives. 

     3. Explain how cultural interactions influence situations, events, issues, or phenomena,
     including the development of knowledge.

     4. Articulate how differential access to knowledge, technology, and resources affects
     quality of life and perspectives. (Jackson and Mansilla, 36).

A school in California and a learning center for the poor in a slum in India engaged with each other with the concern for awareness of living conditions.  The project encouraged the students to think for themselves, and see how the majority of the world lives. Students communicated by using Skype and blogs and reviewed each others' work.  The students review of the work from their counterparts in India turned into contemporary art, and the work of the students in India turned into a mobile classroom that could be used for a place of meditation and study.  Diverse workplace, academic study, and civic participation is must for the 21st century students.  Connections with other cultures will overcome stereotypes, and develop intercultural understanding.  Learning about other people's culture forces the students to develop intercultural awareness.  

Sister Cities and Sister Schools
Pen pals are now maintained on a blog level and no longer with a pen and paper.  Sister Schools use blogs to express ideas, experiences, and histories. By using three examples it has created a worldly connection. Blogs are also being used for students introducing themselves to other foreign partners, communicating about field trips and allowing administrators to provide information to each other about their schools.  Blogs are being used primarily by teachers, but student use is on the rise. The only draw back of students blogging is that teachers are not able to consistently monitor their blogs.  PowerPoint, Keynote, and Slide Shows are all programs that help provide visual representation between global communities.  Skype is used through a PC, whereas FaceTime is used with a Mac device.  Both help with the understanding and communication with peers face to face.  Problems arise when the broad band, time zones, and cameras prove to be a speed bump when trying to communicate.  Wikis are used to collaborate information about the topics of discussion. Users are able to edit the information that is presented.  Blogs and wikis are generally used by administrators, teachers and sister city leaders and can be used anytime, in any time zone.  Again, adult supervision is a concern with wikis because the supervision maybe not be available at all times.  YouTube is used to exchange visit reports, introductions to sister schools, and documenting community information.  Lack of video equipment can be a road block when accessing YouTube, but on the bright side it can be done whenever and wherever, no matter the time zone.

Virtual Field Trips - The Hershey Company
All the cocoa beans come from other countries, and they are shipped to Hershey, Pennsylvania. The reason Hershey Pennsylvania was chosen to make chocolate is because of the lush land for dairy farms and abundant spring water.  Milk is valuable but the beans are the most important. They arrive daily. Once the beans are cleaned, they are sorted by country of origin. The beans are then shattered and the nib, which is the inside of the bean, is used to make the chocolate. Nibs are then changed to chocolate liqueur, and then when the nibs are ground up, the result is cocoa powder. Constant grinding gives the chocolate the fine texture, and this takes several hours. 100 pounds of chocolate is created each day, with almonds from California being used to make candy bars.

OERcommons
OERcommons is a free resource that teachers and students can use.  Open Educational Resource (OER) offers "courses, modules, syllabi, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world."  The feature is Wikipedia, the feature network is OLNET Evidence hub, and there is an app for training, also. There are tabs that give the user guidance around the website.  A road map is presented for leaders, teachers, and students.  There are yearly meetings, and the meeting places are all around the work. The groups where people can meet are from Hawaii, Arkansas, and UC Berkeley.

Reflection

It is impressive that globalization is uniting the work force and creating a more centralized businesses. Twenty-first century employees will need to understand different cultures in order to effectively work together.  I wonder how the communication began with the school in California and the learning center in India.  What a great experience for the students and teachers.  I bet friendships were created and bonds formed.  I would venture to say the students from California gained more than educational knowledge.  I would think they feel lucky and blessed to have such a simple and easy life at home, compared to the students  in India. Sister City and Sister Schools was interesting in that technology is their only way to quickly stay connected.  With wikis, YouTube, FaceTime and Skype being used for communication, the schools are able to create bonds and relationships. It is wonderful how all of these items have surpassed the "pen pal era".  OER is and can be a great resource; I am teaching patterns to my fifth graders and I am stuck at the moment, and I have already found information that will help me teach math patterns to my class.  There are over 312 items to look for! Great resource.

Virtual Field Trip to See Where The Battle of Gettysburg Took Place
I have always been curious about the Civil War, and more importantly Gettysburg.  There is a large amount of information and multimedia concerning Gettysburg on the web.  The amount of information was so much that it was difficult to decide what to use and what not use. My virtual field trip will explain the important significance of The Battle of Gettysburg and the events that happened that made this battle a deciding factor in the war.

Following are the links for the virtual field trip:

-What started The Battle of Gettysburg

- Picketts Charge

- General Lee's last ditch effort to win Gettysburg

-  Horrifc images of war

- The Gettysburg Address

Module 9 Using digital-age communication and collaboration tools to interact locally with students, peers, parents and the larger community

Tweeting the Night Away: Using Twitter to Enhance Social Presence 
The following article starts off saying that learning management systems are beneficial in the classroom because of grades, course work, and announcements, but they miss what happens during breaks, out of classroom experiences, and faculty interaction.  Social importance plays an significant role in learning because it raised the cognitive level of interaction to learning. The more the interaction in a social setting the higher the level of thinking happens. Your typical LMS can increase your typical day to day communication, but many challenges arise with the typical day in and day out routine. Of the many challenges, one is that there are many lost opportunities to communicate during the day. A second challenge is "losing the informal, free-flowing, just-in-time banter and chitchat that we have with students in our on-campus courses"(Dunlap, Lowenthal 2). Twitter is the Web 2.0 microbloging tool that would connect the gap of communication.  "According to the Twitter website, Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"(3). Besides giving people constant news, Twitter is also up to date with a refresh of the app, so the news and information is in real time. In addition to the classroom, Twitter is used in public relations, project management, and medical education. Twitter was used during a class experiment, and it proved to be helpful in the following examples.

1. Students had questions from the readings
2. How to embed music into a slideshow presentation
3. Communication between team members using the private message format
4. Retweeting funding information regarding higher education funding. 

Twitter made the interactions between the teachers and students more authentic and real because they did not have to log into a system and find the discussion board.  In addition to the update function and time sensitive material, Twitter also plays an important role in addressing student issues in a timely manner. That includes clarification of an assignment, emergency, or other important and serious issues. Twitter also makes, you the writer, be more sensitive with the information that you are presenting.  You are able to connect with authors and present questions in anticipation that they will reply back to you. A final positive from Twitter that students may acquire is informal learning on Twitter during their free time.  For the large amount of positives, there are always negatives. A limit of 140 characters per tweet, bad grammar can be practiced, and Twitter can be time addictive. Cell phone plans may not be supportive of Twitter and your data usage might rise, in effect, creating a larger cell phone bill at the end of the month. Five guidelines were presented when using twitter with students, and a list follows:

1. Tweets need to be relevant to the course work
2. Clear expectations for the students
3. Model the guides lines
4. Build and assess Twitter results
5. Actively tweet and read tweets.

Grassroots Professional Development: How Teachers Use Twitter

By using surveys, analysis of tweets, and interviews of teachers, knowledge regarding the educational use of Twitter came into view. Besides talking about their classroom ideas and practical information, Twitter gives the teachers ways to connect with like-minded educators. Social capital is the terminology regarding the value of social relationships via Twitter. With this ever ongoing social communication, professional networking and sharing of resources has increased. In addition to Twitter, blogs, Wikis, and microblogging are becoming more familiar with everyday life adapted for educational and professional use. The article continued to survey people on Twitter using the hash tag marks #edtech and #edchat. Of the completed surveys, 78% of the educators have been using Twitter for a year. All grades K-12 were used in the survey.  High School teachers were most represented followed by primary school.  63% of the teachers surveyed taught at a public school and 62% had a masters degree. Four basic themes were discovered after all survey was coded and analysed. These were professional development, classroom exercises, policy, and Internet Safety. Teachers became connected with professionals that they had previously met either at prior schools or conferences. These networks between teachers became resourceful and motivation for new classroom practices.  A random sample of tweets were referred as "meforming" and "informing".  "Meforming" are people who just update their posts to tell things about themselves; 80% of people on Twitter are meformers.  Twitter still isn't fully accepted by schools and parents.  Many believe it still isn't safe, and that is where you have to communicate with the child the expectations of the use of Twitter. Using Twitter is a grass roots reform and it is bridging the gap of trusting the student and teaching them to communicate using Twitter to gain and share ideas.

What Parents Want in School Communication

Communicating with parents can be a tricky issue. A recent survey found that parents prefer to be contacted by e-mail. Other use of communications were telephone, school website, and newsletters. At one time, letters placed in the students folder were sent home, resulting in communication. The grade age of the child doesn't change the way parents want be contacted. The same priorities for the parents still exist. These are "updates on their child's progress or insight on how they improve, timely notice when performance is slipping, information on what their child is expected to learn during this year, homework and grading policies"(O'Brien 1).  47% of parents would like an update as soon as a decision is made, and the schools need to decide on what method of communications best suits their parents. In regards to the 1st grade teachers' website, it was exceptionally well done. It was updated regularly, with titles of the books that were read in class, classroom parties were mentioned, and the teacher even had links for games for the kids to play.  Reading, math, phonics, spelling, and other subjects each had current information from the teacher. On top of that, reminders for the parents were visible.

Five Steps to Better School/Community Collaboration

Brendan O'Keefe starts off by saying that for education to be real and valued it must have strong connections within the community. The local, state and federal government are unable to fix the problems that we face at a local level; it is up to the individual communities to fix these problems. O'Keefe found 6 themes that helped transform schools. There are "community/business school partnerships, parental collaboration, curriculum connected to real world experiences, student voice, cross generation learning, and locals designing solutions to local problems"(1). When respect is being practiced between the community, ideas will move quickly in a positive environment. To ensure to a positive school community relationship, a positive idea must be envisioned. A great way that O'Keefe mentioned to build a positive relationship is to have community walks.  Go to businesses around the community, and knock on their doors and try to connect with the businesses; this will also build positive relationships within the community.  Another way to connect with the community is to set up the curriculum in a way that the local businesses will be able to connect the business ventures to what the students are learning in class.  It's great to see an organization called, "Chicago Students Organizing to Save Our Schools" being formed by students to save their schools. On the Facebook page, there are other comments from students explaining and voicing their right to a good education. Videos and pictures also have been updated to express the students' opinions.  Besides videos there are news articles talking about issues with the Chicago schools.

Reflection:
I love Twitter; while reading the article, one of the positives they mentioned was the up-to-date and constant information.  That is the number one reason why I like Twitter so much.  I can get news, sports, traffic problems, or weather reports at anytime. It is also fascinating to see the connection you can get from famous and important people.  It is almost like being able to text anybody you want, regardless of who they are.  The article talking about the grassroots aspect of Twitter was interesting in the fact that many teachers use this to connect with colleagues that they have worked with before.  Many times it mentioned that they won't share resources or URLs but brainstorm about ideas and topics.  Its a great idea, because we have different ideas on teaching various topics.  Dealing with the topic of communication with parents; at my school the parents want the information as quickly as possible.  For example, if there is a pending snow storm, parents at my school need to know ASAP because they need to find childcare because many times both parents are working.  We will have our school name scrolling on the bottom of the TV, and also have a "call blast" that will call all the parents pertaining to whether we have school or not.  I really enjoyed Mr. D's website.  The information was updated and organized in an user friendly method.  Parents even had the opportunity to provide feedback.  What a great website to model mine after!  The bar has been set high.  Connecting the community with school is very important.  The school I teach at has a tough problem with gaining support within the community. Community walks, maps, and curriculum can all be modeled to bridge the gap between the local businesses and my school.

Module 8 Diversity, cultural understanding, and global awareness

The New Literacy: Scenes from the Digital Divide 2.0:A Short History of the Digital Divide

In 1991, the "High Performance Computing Act" funded a project that would utilize high speed fiber optics, becoming known as the "Internet".  Without the connectivity to the Internet, home computers would have been glorified typewriters.  From 1991 to 1996 personal computers being used at home rose from 300,000 to over ten million. With the rapid amount of households using the Internet, jobs too began to be affected.  According to Rappaport, "60 percent of all new jobs were going to require fluency, not just on computers, but on the Internet as well."  During the Clinton Administration, the term "digital divide" was coined to express the divide between people who have access to the Internet and people who do not.  A story was published that told of the divide between two schools in California.  Students at a low impoverished school had to work with six year old computers at school, while students at an affluent school were able to go home and work on their Apple Macintosh.  Other reports came out saying that only 9% of school classrooms had Internet access. As the early 2000's came around, the digital divide was becoming less of an issue in society.

A Tech Prophet Predicts

"Smart Mobs" are "future generations with the tools of digital literacy and social networking increasingly wired into the brain."  These groups are able to form and adapt with ease to new ideas in society.  Examples of problems in society could deal with political, social, and economic. Howard Rheingold thinks that teaching social media will revolutionize education.  Students will learning how to get the facts and not memorize the facts that will be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. 

Who Will Organize All of This Data?

Mike Wesch created a YouTube sensation called “Web 2.0". Wesch has won numerous awards, such as Case Western Reserve University's U.S. Professor of the Year award, and has been called "the explainer."  His video explains the importance of Google, Flickr, and XML, and lets the viewer know that we are responsible for organizing all of the knowledge that is available to us.

The Ultimate School Reform

There is a large shift in education from instruction improvement to the world of digital learning.  According to Rappaport, "A recent MacArthur Foundation study shows that each day, 80 percent of American teenagers use a computer. Half of them are creating digital-media content, and a third of them are sharing that content on the Internet. The research found that rather than replacing television or books, digital media will increasingly be the cross-platform driver."  It continues to say the classroom is the digital divide, because students regularly visit Myspace or YouTube.   If we ignore the shift in educational focus, another divide will arise, and that is the one between the students and teachers.

The New Literacy: Scenes from the Digital Divide 2.0

"The term ‘digital divide’ was coined in the mid-90s to label a growing gap between those with access to computers and those without."  This gap was narrowed with cell phones and digital platforms.  72.5% of US citizens, which is nearly 220,141,000 people, use the internet.  "Students and teachers who are facile with Web 2.0 tools, including wikis, blogs, micro-blogs, Twitter, linking, tagging, podcasting, forums, video sharing, vlogs, Drupal-based group blogs, social bookmarking, and virtual worlds.” If teachers are not using these tools, a divide will come up again. 

The Participation Divide: Content Creation and Sharing in the Digital Age

Developments on the web have eased the way people are able to share their views and ideas.  It does not cost much, and it gives the creator a high chance of being noticed by millions on the web.  The paper is written to decide if women or men contribute more content to the Internet.  A person’s socioeconomic status plays a large role in if they are likely or not likely to create content on the Internet.  A large factor that comes into play as to whether or not items are posted online is the writer’s "user skill", and you are not able to tell from the writing if it is from a male or female. 

Finding a Place in Cyberspace: Black Women, Technology and Identity

Three different venues are being talking about in this paper.  "The current discourse on race and technology (the digital divide), the experiences of black women who work in technology, and the figuration of race and gender on the Web"(Wright, 2).  What links all three of these together is whether or not black women can find their own place in cyberspace.  Latinos are the number one users on the Internet, followed by African Americans.  African Americans make up 13% of the population, but only 9% make up Internet users.  Whites use the Internet to keep up with family and friends, while African Americans use it to find houses, for religious reasons, finding a job or for hobbies.  In recent years African Americans’ use of the Internet has risen because of the price drop of hardware devices.  Websites such as "javanoir.net, Afamnet.com, verythingblack.com, sistahspace.com, new.blackvoices.com, bdpa.org, and africast.com" have been created to help the ever changing World Wide Web.  The number of black women attending college has risen over 400% and colleges such as UCLA, Notre Dame, and Yale have seen a rise of African American females.  Of the black websites, black men are dominate on the webpages.  They are historical figures or literary creations.

Slamming the Closet Door and Taking Control: Analysis of Personal Transformation and Social Change as

LGBT Podcasting Blazes a Trail of Democratization of the Media

This reading starts off mentioning that we are the creators of the Internet.  We are able to express our view points, ideas, and experiences by using YouTube, blogs, or podcasts.  No matter your age, experience or gender, you are able to voice your ideas by creating content on the web.  King "documented the development of the podcasting movement from a participant observer perspective and identify a clear pattern that the two largest segments in this first wave of podcasting is music, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) podcasts."  King used a mixed research method approach which uses "data reduction, data display, data transformation, data consolidation, data comparison and data integration"(King 2). "Podcasting is the distribution of digital recordings via RSS-feed directories. That is, individuals record audio content with computers or digital recorders, post it on the Internet on a publicly available server, and create an XML script RSS-feed to string it together and deliver the episodes." After the podcast is reviewed for appropriateness and accuracy, it is then made searchable and it can be freely viewed.  Besides the podcasts being heard on the computer, they can also be uploaded to MP3 players and listened to based on the individuals’ own agenda.  Podcasting’s strength is that the user does not have to search for new podcasts every time.  Whenever the user wants a new podcast, they simply go to a podcast directory and it will "push" or refresh to the most update-to-date podcast.  The first wave of podcasting was music and the major group was the LGBT community.  With the LGBT population becoming "wanna be" disk jockeys, the positives that came out of this movement "developed empowerment, confidence, voice, and focus. As a group, many LGBT podcasts had matured from hesitant attempts to unbounded confidence, from self-talk to public education, and from self-indulgence to activism."(4)  Podcasts are beneficial in adult education by the means of ESL, French and Spanish pod casts.  Digital Natives had a problem adjusting to podcasts for information because they referred to radio, CD or cassettes for their educational needs. The negatives of podcasts is the amount of time needed to professionally and effectively produce one.  Personal and social change can be created by using podcasts.  They can be used as "design formats of small group dialogue, learner created media, class presentations designed as global resources and instructor created media; genres of: critical reflection, historical narrative, debate, first person narratives, storytelling, performances, and role playing; assignments as: in class, outside of class, individual, optional formats, group projects and continuing/long-term."(5)  The only limitations of this research prove to be the study could have lasted longer and a larger amount of LGBT participants could have been interviewed.

One Laptop Per Child mission

The goal for this organization is to create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children.  The laptop referenced is low cost, low power, and rugged.  This lap top is called "XO". 

The 5 core principals are:

1.  Kids keep the laptop

2.  Focus on early education

3.  No one gets left out

4.  Connection to the Internet

5.  Feel free to grow and adapt

Education is the foundation of all the other solutions.  It is low cost so a large amount can be made, low energy so it may be charged with alternate sources.  The screen can be also read in direct sunlight because for many students, their classroom is outdoors. 

Can One Laptop per Child Reduce the Digital Divide and Educational Gap? Evidence from a Randomized Experiment from Migrant Schools in Beijing

40 countries and two million laptops later, there is still little evidence that OLPC is working for the better. Computer skills rose by 0.33% and math scores by 0.17% after a 6 month study.  OLPC helped students’ computer skills and self-esteem rise, and time watching TV was lessened.  Three hundred 3rd grade students in Beijing were studied and before the experiment started, the students were given just one intermediate course.  The end of the study proved that the government should not put forth the financial support quite yet, because time and more study still needs to be put forth.  With the noted improvement, there are still ways for students to better themselves by using OLPC.  These improvements are for the computers to be updated with a "carefully designed package, including software and hardware, that can help them continue to learn (and learn effectively) at home"(Rozelle 26).

Reflection

"June 2008 Library of Congress speech now uploads more content in six months than all three of the major American television networks have presented in the past 60 years."  This stat is unbelievable!  There is a large of amount of television being watched, with Netflix, Redbox, and Hulu at our fingertips.  But the US government puts out more uploads.  Would this be a form of propaganda?  I would think so.    72.5%, which is nearly 220,141,000 US citizens use the internet. What about the other 23 percent?  What is the reason they are not using the internet?  I would venture to say poverty, location, and religion is playing a reason for this.  With people getting addicted to the World Wide Web, I see religious groups viewing this as a sinful act.

    The article "Finding a Place in Cyberspace: Black Women, Technology, and Identity" was interesting in the fact that an increase of over 400% black women are attending top universities.  This is great to see, because it is closing the gap between the poverty in the inner cities. I wonder if a divide is increasing or decreasing between white and black females.  

    I love podcasts; iTunes has a wide variety, and the one thing I enjoy so much about this is that they have "Push Technology".  Every time I connect my phone, the podcasts are immediately updated.  Watching the video on "XO" really motivated me.  I think it is amazing how technology can work for everybody. I loved the five reasons why it was created.  Each reason proved to be exact and efficient in supporting "XO".  If it can work in Beijing, I don’t see why it can’t work for the impoverished areas in Columbus, Ohio, such as my school?

Google Site

https://sites.google.com/site/professionaldevelopmentwkshp/references

Activity #6: Case study on fair use in a high school Biology class

Introduction of the problem

Students were creating a virtual zoo, and using photos off of Flickr.com.  The creator of the photos emailed both the teachers and principal. The students were referred to as "pirates". The email creator was "shocked that the school is also teaching children that theft is morally justified."

Analysis of the response

Yes, the teacher was justified and correct in allowing the students to use and site the photos off Flickr.com. The students were adding value in transforming the work.  According to Section 107 of Copyright Law,"The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes" fits within the parameters of this project.  The students were working on this educational project to understand and learn copyright laws, in addition to incorporating science into the project.  

What would you have done if you were the adult in charge in this situation? 

I would have done the same thing as the mentor did.  She has the knowledge and background to make sure the kids were using the appropriate sites, such as Flickr.com.   Creative Commons (CC) was being used to place the students in the correct area to safely use photos from Flickr.com. Creative Commons main responsibility is "helping the students by providing a free, public, and standardized infrastructure that creates a balance between the reality of the Internet and the reality of copyright laws."  I also approved of the teacher having the students give self reflection.  Many students realized how cool it would be if somebody was using their own work.  

Module 6 Legal and ethical uses of digital information and technologies

The Official Government Explanation of Fair Use

The owner of the copyright has "the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords" (U.S. Copyright Office 1). This is found in sections 107-118, with certain limitations in the copyright law.  In section 107, one of the most important limitations is titled "fair use." Court decisions over the years have changed the meaning of "fair use." Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, "such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research"(1). There are 4 factors that state whether the use is fair or not fair.  The "use" is either for non-profit or commercial nature, nature of the copyright, the amount used compared to the whole document, and how much value the information has that is being used. Deciding whether something is fair or not fair is not easily determined.  There is no specific rule that will say if something is fair or not fair.  Even if you site the course of work, it does not grant you permission for use.  In summary, the following gives you freedom of fair use:

1. quotations around the experts' review, and clarification of the observations,
2. summary of quotes or news articles,
3. reproduction of damaged copy, reproduced by the library.

The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use: A five-part series

Copyrights were developed to protect the author from others trying to copy their work.  They were also created with the goal to compensate the author when other writers wanted to use the original work. "According to Dictionary.com, the exact meaning of  the word copyright is "the legal right granted to an author, a composer, a playwright, a publisher, or a distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work."  Authors do not need to register his or her work for it to be copyrighted, all it needs to be in is tangible form.  Copy right does not protect you against facts showed in work, systems or ideas, but it does protect the authors' expression of ideas and opinions.  When there is no way to obtain permission to use the copyright issued document, you should avoid using the writing at all.  If there are questions and answers that need to be addressed, you should contact an attorney.   There is a large amount of work that is copyrighted, and only a small set that is not.  Items that are not copyrighted are slogans, ideas, short phrases, or discoveries, to name a few.  There is a rule of thumb that experts go by on deciding whether or not a writing is copyrighted; "when in doubt, assume a work is copyrighted and ask permission to use it."  There are many loop holes in society, and this goes for getting around copyrights. "The fair use doctrine was created to allow the use of copyrighted works for criticism and commentary, parody, news reporting, research and scholarship, and classroom instruction."  Many educators claim this amnesty, and it is safe when you are using the information for instructional use.  A few guidelines as an educator to follow are; the reading must be only one chapter, working can't exceed two pages or 10% of the work, and a poem must be 250 words or less.  There won't be a prison sentence if you violate copy right issue, but if you do interfere with the authors' income, there will be some legal issues.  The internet is not in the public domain, and it is the code of the websites that is copyrighted.  "Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works" is a global governing body that watches the internet, but every country has different laws on copyright and the internet.  When using website you should avoid copying the site's HTML code and downloading graphics.   School use has its "cannot" also.  You cannot install shareware software on school computers, make copies of software owned by your school, and alter freeware for commercial use.  Part four mentions that educators have a set of guidelines go by when using multimedia projects.  Projects that are copyrighted can be used for face to face instruction, peer workshops and conferences, and directed student self study.  The reading continues to say to make sure you give credit to the source when it is due.  If you are worried that you have used the source on the web too much, the best to check it out is to compare it to the original source, and make sure it is not copied word for word.  Nancy Willard states that, "school districts are liable for any copyright violations committed by their staff, and the area with the greatest potential for liability is the district's public website."  Willard continued to give 5 steps the district should take to combat copyright infringements:

1. Establish a process to ensure that all materials on the district website are closely evaluated.
2. Provide professional development for teachers and instruction to students about defamation, invasion of privacy, harassment, and copyright law.
3. Include an immunity provision in the policy.
4. Take prompt action if accusations are made.
5. Be prepared to stand up for staff or students if false accusations are made.

Besides teaching the students new skills to help serve their society, teachers need to inform students on what a copyright is, and the duty on not breaking copyright laws.  

About Creative Commons

"Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools."  This nonprofit organization helps you set up your work so others people can view and use your work.  It gives you flexibility and freedom to let people edit your work, or use your work free from copyright infringement.  Songs, videos, scientific and academic materials are located on this site.  Allowing your work to be freely used gives you the power to let your ideas help other people and the people who have used your material can building upon their ideas.  Having everything centralized  will show the full power of the internet while not breaking any copyright laws.  

Creative Commons as it Specifically Relates to Education

Many schools do not have the financial responsibility to get updated text books.  So the teacher is teaching outdated material and in effect, the student is learning outdated material.  Open Education gives the teacher updated information and the information is continually updated by various teachers.  Open Educational Resources that reside in a public venue that have been released under an open license allow anybody to use and view them.  

Reflection

I originally thought that if you wanted to safely use information from the original document, you can go through the US Copyright Office, however I was wrong.  The safest way to obtain permission is to contact the copyright owner. I am curious with the steps and the amount of time this will take.  Towards then end of the reading on copyrights it mentioned, "it's important to recognize, however, that when you buy or download software not in the public domain, you do not actually own the software; you merely acquire a license to use it in accordance with certain conditions." I don't agree with this statement; if I purchased the software and the owner gained a profit with my money, I deserve to use it how ever I want.  They mentioned you will only get in trouble if you hurt the the creators profit.  I am helping the creators profit, not hurting it, so should be able to call the software mine.  Creative Common sounds really interesting.  I like how they mentioned that you have the choice about what people can do with it, whether it is editing or expanding their ideas on that particular topic.  Open Education is a great idea!  I really appreciate that it is free and teachers continually update the information that is presented.  Very impressive that the Obama administration plans to put two billion dollars into Open Education to make it accessible and a valuable resource in today's education.

Rubric Evaluation
Summary Paragraphs: Good,    5 points
There is one well-developed summary paragraph per reading.


Reflection Paragraph: Good     5 points
One or more reflection paragraphs are well-developed and show deep thinking about the readings.


Quality of Writing: Good      5 points
Writing is clear and contains no more than 1 spelling or grammar mistakes, with clear progression.


Connection To Readings: Good     5 points
Reflection paragraph make a strong and coherent connection to each reading.

Acrivity #5: Response to Email Scenario

Scenario 5

You set up blogs for your class so that they may journal about their learning in class and dialogue with one another.  All blogs are private and only students with a password may see what is on the site.  Although it is a choice to monitor all comments between students, you choose not to as your email inbox would be flooded with daily conversation.  Instead, you visit the blogs periodically and ask students to tell you about any potential problems.  Partway into the first quarter, you receive this email.

Dear Miss Ross,

My daughter, Ally McDonald, has been participating on your blog site and she enjoys the work very much, but lately another student has been leaving her mean comments.  They aren’t terrible or slanderous; they are more like underhanded nasty statements disguised as reasonable comments. For example, in the book you are currently reading, Logan jumped into the water to save Ben and Ally commented on this.  This student then said, “You are so insightful, Ally.  I’m sure no one could have guessed that would happen.  I wish I was as smart as you.”  Could you please look into this and let me know how you can help diffuse the situation?  Ally is quite upset by it.

Dear Mrs. Patton,

Thank you for communicating this dialogue to me and I am sorry that Ally is upset with this matter. Ally is delightful student and she is working hard on her dialogue with the book.  

Before the students were allowed to blog, students individually viewed a website on cyber bullying, and were forced to answer a set of questions, ranging from what it is, and how it is prevented. We came together as a class and talked about the questions they were to answer. I will do a refresher with the class on cyber bullying, and make sure nobody is cyber bulling anybody else on our blog. I plan to also talk to the individual who is responsible for the comment and make sure they understand what they did is wrong and considered cyber bullying.  

Thanks again for communicating this matter to me and I will do all within my power fix the problem. I have included below the website that talks about cyber bullying, so you can view what the students have learned. Please contact me with any questions and concerns.

www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/  

Thank you,

Miss Ross

Post #5: Safe and Healthy Uses of Digital Information and Technology

"Digital Citizenship in Schools (Second Edition)" by Mike Ribble Summary
     Ribble broke down 9 elements of digital citizenship, and these elements are used to "provide a framework for understanding the technology issues that are important to educators"(15).  The first element is digital access.  This is when the whole society has access to technology.  My individuals do not have access to technology by reasons of socioeconomic status, physical location, or disabilities.  Administrators and teachers need to be aware that technology will be the future basis for all students.  Appropriate examples of digital access are, "district administrators work toward providing technology opportunities for all
students within their schools"(5) and "technology leaders provide technology to students for use in school and out, such as a one-to-one laptop program"(5).
     Digital Commerce is the second element of digital citizenship.  The definition of digital commerce is electronically selling and buying goods online. This element is the worst to address in the classroom because educators don't believe they need to teach the students on how to be careful and informed educators. According to Riddle, "In 2009 America’s youth ages 8–24 (Generation Y) spent $220 billion online. Digital commerce plays a large role in students’ lives, so they need to understand all aspects of these online transactions."  By not talking to the students about digital commerce, it will leave the students vulnerable to get scammed and getting their identity stolen. Examples of appropriate digital commerce are safely purchasing items online and searching for the best price on an particular item.
     Element three is digital communication.  Cell phones, social networks, and texting has changed the way people communicate.  Digital communication provides the user with quick and accurate information.  Positive examples of digital communication are when teachers and students use devices to communicate all while not disrupting what is going on in the school or classroom.  Blogs and social networking sites are a positive digital communication because they can be used to relay to parents the happenings with classroom activities.
    The forth element is digital literacy.  Digital literacy is "the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology"(13).  Online courses are an example of digital literacy.  They are designed to keep the student interested in the material.  Teachers are giving students new, innovate ways to locate information when they are away from the classroom.
     Digital Etiquette is the fifth element, that is defined as the electronic standards of conduct or procedure. The problem lies in that parents are not informed on what is and is not appropriate.  Many times parents and kids are on the same level on how to act when using technology.  Technology school teams are the answer to teach the students on the appropriate digital etiquette.  Examples of positive use of digital etiquette is when teachers and students decide on what information can be shared using cell phones or netbooks. When communicating in chat room users know the rules before starting.
     Elements six and seven are digital law and rights and responsibility.  Digital law is the responsibility for actions and deeds.   Sexting, downloading illegal music, and bypassing firewalls are all negative ways where students can break the law.  Students need to become aware of the rules and regulations of technology.  Rights and responsibilities is the freedom and requirements for everybody in the digital world.  Educators are to explain to the student their rights when using digital technologies.  Students are to share the right and responsibility, to site the website or other digital media source when they use the information presented on the site.
     Digital health and wellness is element 8, and element 9 is digital security.  The definition of wellness is "physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world"(25).  Teachers learn how to promote health and wellness using technology, and model digital safety in the classroom; as a result teachers expect the students to do the same.  Digital security is to have precautions to guarantee safety.  Virus software is updated and maintained to protect personal information..  Parents and teachers talk to students about the dangers of giving out personal information to the digital world.

www.stopbullying.gov/www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying//

    Cyber bullying starts with sending mean and inappropriate text messages or emails to individuals.  Mean rumors, fake profiles, rude pictures or videos are also versions of cyber bulling.  Cyber bullying is different because besides getting bullied in person, the child cannot get away from it because it happens online as well.  Cyber bulling can happen 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  It is difficult to trace who the bully is because many posts can be done anonymously.  Kids getting cyber bullied has gone up from 6% in grades 6-12 in 2009 to 16% in 2011 in grades 9-12.  Parents can prevent bullying by knowing the sites their kids go on, telling your kids that you might view the sites that they look at to make sure they are safe, ask for their passwords, ask to be friend or follower on their social media sites, and to encourage their kids to communicate to them if they feel they are getting cyber bullied.  To report cyber bulling, immediately block the bully, don't respond to the bully, and keep evidence of the bullying, for example, date, time and the description of the event.  

When Playing Video Games Means Sitting On Life's Sidelines

    Located in Seattle, Washington, a rehab clinic named "Restart" helps young men kick the addiction to video games.  The clients take care of chickens and a garden, has a huge tree house with a zip line, and a large grassy back yard.  "Restart" treats all technology addictions but primarily those addicted to video games.  Many addicts come from the same type of family life.  Parents are split up, and they move around a lot, shy and lonely.  They will find escape with the laptop by playing video games and watching movies.  Many people can hide behind video games and feel like a a person again.  Gaming gives these people an opportunity to act different from who they really are.  Being addicted to the internet gives the addict a high or a sense of relief.  Unhealthy addicts started to game at a young age, with a compulsion that has been growing for many years, and have been building relationships online rather than going out to socialize with others in person.  When the students go to college, parental support isn't there anymore, so the addicts are online all the time.  Some don't even know how to cut a tomato.  One addict has a tough time finding a job that doesn't require using a computer and the internet.  When they must use the internet they will set a time frame for use. Other activities that help addicts recover are reading, exercise, having a job, and a social life.

Reflection
    In connection to "The Digital Citizenship in Schools", it surprised me that over 220 billion dollars was generated over purchased products online, and this statistic only includes 8-24 year olds. Clearly there is a large age group beyond that that makes online purchases as well. I know that I also used online sites to purchase items and I am 31.  In reference to how to act when using technologies, many parents have the same skills are their children.  I agree when Riddle said that it is the duty, as teachers, to teach the parents and students the same skills.  Cyber bullying is a big problem.  There have been appropriate steps take to prevent bullying.  You are able to report cyber bulling to online sites, and to law enforcement.  I think that is a great idea to get the law enforcement involved.  Because as a teacher, we can encourage and promote safety online, but when the student goes online on their own time, we cannot tell them what to view and not view. Stopbullying.gov is a great resource to prevent bullying.  It has many resources to prevent and correcting bullying, and if the need presented itself, I will pass the site along to a parent.   "Restart" was a great NPR segment. DSM is used by doctors to diagnose the technology addiction.  It is shocking that these males will play on a computer for 48 straight hours!  I also never knew that 80% of social interaction deals with non-verbal communication.

Self Evaluation

Summary Paragraphs  5/5  Good
There is one summary paragraph per reading. Each paragraph is substantial and well developed.  Used facts from the reading to support thoughts and ideas.  

Reflection Paragraphs 5/5  Good

Made connections to the readings, and showed a deep understanding. 

Quality Writing   5/5 Good

Proof read multiple times and didn't find any spelling errors. The writing was well organized and easy to follow.

Connections to readings  5/5 Good

Reflective paragraph has strong connections to all the readings and media.  

Collective Intelligence Reflection

    It is very interesting to view each other's ideas on education.  All of the input plays an important roll in education.  My fellow classmates talked about making a connection with society and education.  Besides making connections to society, there were also quotes and pictures that motivated the teacher and student. A quote that really seemed to fit education was, "to educate a child, means to turn walls into doors."  It represents that by being a teacher, you have an opportunity to help an individual reach their dreams and goals, and that even though there are obstacles in life, everybody has a chance to be successful.

    The collective intelligent group would be beneficial in the classroom because it gives a chance for each individual to express their ideas and view the other students as well.  By viewing the comments from other students, it forces to you view other opinions, and possibly change your views to help society in a positive way.  Besides viewing others opinions, a collective intelligent group also can prove to be a motivation because you want to put in as much time and thought as your other classmates have.  Putting your best effort will not only help you, but it will force your classmates to make well thought out statements concerning the topic being discussed.

Reflective Post #4: Collective Intelligence and Personal Learning Environments

Collective Intelligence: What it could mean for Education

     Bullock starts by saying that we tend to teach on how we were taught while growing up, according to the social patterns.  Tyack and Tobin referrer to this as "grammar of schooling." Wiki's, blogs, and social networking have the potential to drive a powerful educational reform of improving students’ quality of learning in the classroom.  Bullock makes a reference on digital immigrants and digital natives.  "I find the distinction between digital natives and digital immigrants unproductive at best, and ageist at worst." He states the reason for this is that the faculty uses Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or instant messaging to help organize one’s personal life, which can cause a lack of engaging the student in learning opportunities.  Creating a blog to share one’s personal life is different from working with others to share and create knowledge. However, there is radical change, referred to as "Web 2.0".  Bullock states, "that humanity is in the midst of a period of major social innovation as a result of the digital technologies often grouped together as Web 2.0."  Society of all ages is able to communicate, socialize, and share experiences.  There are four types if interaction that people use for social interactions; sharing, co-operation, collective production, and collective action. “Traditionally, the education system in North America has been geared toward individual achievement and the completion of individual tasks," states Bullock.  There have been failed attempts to change in education. Jigsaw-group work and co-operative learning were attempted in the schools but the overall consent to these strategies were disagreed on.

How Collective Intelligence Redefines Education 

     Ilon begins by saying, "Google, Linex, Wikipedia and numerous user help centers are accessed constantly as learning tools throughout the world – in business, civic life, government, social circles, religious communities, home life and personal growth. Some schools even allow their access." But their overall effectiveness isn't used as a learning tool, it is used to find the information.  The reason why these tools aren't used for teaching is that many teachers are receiving the training or technical skills.  Ilon goes on to mention that change doesn't need to start with the educators, but with the over view of the system change, or the culture of education.      "Formal education systems were designed to give people the knowledge and skills

that they could not obtain in their everyday environments" (Ilon, 3).  It is said that knowledge passed down was from educated adults, who had all the expert knowledge.  Functional education systems were also adopted.  This is when a set of guided lines and procedures were adopted by a central government and were passed down the line to the educators.  Schools were to be controlled by the government because people were afraid that companies would control schools, and be more worried about a profit rather than a social development of a student.  Knowledge can be found, tested, and mastered.  It can be found in textbooks and websites, and it is highly respected when mastered.  "Thus, collective intelligence cannot create knowledge unless the people behind that system are fully vetted as experts" (Ilon, 3).

    "Outcome Defined" is another major characteristic in formal education.  This can only be mastered, and success rated, on a standardized test.  Facts are used in these tests, and facts prove to be knowledge. "An efficient educational system finds ways of delivering educational content for lower costs without deteriorating test scores or serving fewer children" (Ilon, 4). It does not lead to higher test scores, it only leads to different way to teach skills on more creative and time management budget.  A main problem that Ilon stated has to do with "underlying economics." If the schools take a second and look at the students’ primary learning rather than test scores, there is a possibility that the school is doing well after all.  Value is being created all through our society.  Things are getting easier to obtain because many wants on are on the internet. "The chance to improve our lives through e-government, social networks, medical data files, email, global news networks reminds us that the word ‘industry’ is outmoded to capture where value is created” (Ilon, 10).  If the government can run and serve our economy better by placing services on the internet instead of opening offices, they are offering a better value by doing this.  

7 things you should know about... Personal Learning Environments

     Personnel Learning environments are also known as "PLE"; services the individual needs.  The individual needs are self directed learning targets and educational goals.  A typical "PLE" student is leaner-centric, might incorporate blogs, and their ideas may be drawn from experiences on the web.  Universities such as University of Mary Washington in Virginia, Penn State, Baylor University and University of British Columbia offer housing where students can use PLEs to share and return too.  These universities provide a framework for the student body to use.   A desktop applicator or a web based service can be used to collect the students’ workings and social contacts. To every positive, there is always a negative.  The downsides to PLEs is that they are still very young and new to education.  The student must be extremely self driven, and as the article mentioned, the student must be mature.  Another tough challenge for PLE is the reflection of tools and learning processes that best serve themselves.  PLEs will force the student to reflect on their learning targets more, and that will turn out a student who will have a more engaged and deeper understand for content that they are learning.  

An example of a PLE by a 7th grade student

     The student had her PLE organized, with her blogs and Facebook account across the top and her school icons on the bottom.  When she enters the class, she will check out her science agenda to see what is going to happen during the day.  There are videos to watch, other assignments to complete, but she decides what she can do.  For her writing assignments, she publishes the work on Google Docs so everybody can see it. She uses a note taking strategy that helps keep track of all of the information on the internet; since there is a large amount of information, her note taking also keeps track of where she found the information.  The student has emailed professors asking them to give her a peer review on her projects and also has used Skype to ask scientists questions.  

Reflection

     Bullock stated in the 2nd to last paragraph that internally motivated me.  He stated, "Teacher educators have a golden opportunity to disrupt the effects of mass acculturation through traditional schooling by using digital technologies that are likely to contribute to collective intelligence."  Now is the time that technology can be used in the schools, because the large student mass have the abilities and knowledge to accept it as the part of the classroom.  Since Bullock stated, "we tend to teach as we were taught according to familiar cultural patterns", it only seems fair that we teaching using technology, so that the future educators will teach the way they are taught. 

     Ilon stated, "Thus, collective intelligence cannot create knowledge unless the people behind that system are fully vetted as experts."  I disagree with this; you can have high knowledge on a topic and you don't have to be an expert.  For example, my nieces love their American Girl Dolls; are they experts? No, but she does know everything about them.  So she can still create knowledge on a topic that she isn't an expert in.  I love the concepts of PLEs.  It will force the student to take a more active role in their education because they have to reflect on their learning.  Using PLEs also forces the students to utilize blogs, social networks, links, and web tools to locate all of the information on the web.

   My reflection and opinion towards the example of the PLE from a 7th grade student really changed when she said she feels more responsible because she knows that there is so much information and resources on the internet, that she can choose when and how to do an assignment.