Blog Post 4

1. Video: I made a video playlist on YouTube with three videos relating to technology and education in general and one addressing the digital divide. These videos captured my attention because they are short, well made, and knowledgeable.
2. Links: I provide three links to educational journal or magazine websites that are highly respected in the education field. Education World, the U.S. Department for Education, and Edutopia are excellent resources for anyone who wants to learn more about a wide range of topics in education.
3. Visitor Map: I used the visitor map gadget so that viewers can see where else people live who are accessing my blog. As more people visit the blog, the density of the red dots increase and it becomes more apparent where people who read my blog are from. If my students viewed my blog, this could create an interesting discussion about demographics or a project about graphing the regions of the country that viewers live. 
4. My Blog List: I used a link to another blog that relates to mine. Her blog discusses the same issue mine does, accessibility so it is a good resource for viewers to use for more information.
5. Picture: The picture at the bottom of my blog as a simple, easy on the eyes component on my blog. The picture shows the connection between learning and technology in a simple way. I placed it on the bottom of my blog because it provides a nice ending to the blog that is enjoyable for the viewer to end with.
6. Polls: I asked my readers "Do you think each student should have a computer in an elementary classroom? This gadget gives readers the chance to vote on their opinion on this heated issue that is discussed in my final project blog.

Sustainability

We learned how to use VoiceThread and made comments about pictures regarding sustainability in education.

Accountability

How does technology help or hurt educational efforts?
(click to enlarge)

Blog Post 3

SAS Pudong MS PE & Health Education is an effective blog because it is enjoyable to read and pleasant to view. The blogs design is easy to look at because it is well organized and not too much is going on. The blogger does a good job with using tags with "Filed under" so you can navigate the blog easily. It is beneficial to include pictures of the activities because it gives the reader a better understanding of what the students are doing in class.  It would be nice if the text had boxes around it because it would separate the area, making it easier on the eyes. The content is engaging and informative. The exercises explained are supplemented effectively with pictures and websites. However, the blogger should use hyperlink to use websites instead of URLs. Also, the subjects are broken up into smaller paragraphs, which makes it more inviting to read.

The blog made by Mr. O'Brien did not work as well as the first blog. The blog contained too many videos and some of the videos were ten minutes long so it was unlikely that they would be watched entirely. The pictures and videos may be relevant to the classroom, but there are too many and no captions under the videos. Also, the videos do not have boxes or white space around them. Basically, this blog needs to be adjusted to be easier on the eyes. Also, the blog needs more text so it is easier to follow because it is hard for the reader to know where to look and what they are supposed to take away from the blog. The layout is not great because the main space where the videos are is as skinny as the sidebars so it is not a good use of space. Additionally, the clutter on the sidebar is hard to follow and the reader will not want to deal with all of the information.

Accessibility Discussion

1) Is it important for all people to access to the internet? Why or why not?
2) Will eliminating the digital divide create new global, national and/or local social problems?
3) What might these new problems be?

Blog Post 2

1. Is it fair to scrutinize teacher’s private lives? Explain/defend your position.

In some cases, it is fair to scrutinize teacher’s private lives such as when teachers post inappropriate pictures and content on webpages that are accessible to anyone. For example, the teaching assistant Keath Driscoll posted “sexually suggestive” pictures and references to women as whores on Myspace. This content was viewed by many students, teachers and members of the community. I think that his actions should have received a greater punishment than a three day suspension. Mr. Driscoll and other teachers in “The Whole World (Wide Web) is Watching" typically deserve to be scrutinized. They clearly do not think about their actions of putting inappropriate material on the Web, which students and parents see. If my child’s teacher had inappropriate pictures or content on the internet, I would not feel comfortable leaving my child with that teacher all day.

Source: The Whole World (Wide Web) Is Watching

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?

Teachers should be able to maintain a presence on social networking sites under extreme caution and knowledge about privacy. Most teachers are normal people who lead social and extra curricular lives and they should continue to connect with friends over social networking sites like most of America does. Teachers should create a separate Facebook page for their professional lives and one for their personal life. Parents, students and coworkers will be able to see their professional use Facebook page. To protect yourself from criticism, do not become friends with anyone in your professional community on your personal Facebook. Also, if you choose to make a separate professional and personal page, do not post anything inappropriate on your personal page because even if you don't have professional friends on your personal Facebook, anyone can figure out how to access any information once it is posted on the internet.

 Please visit "The Paranoid's Guide to Facebook" on PC World for more information on Facebook.

Blog Post 1

1. Tech Past: I have had continuous experience with computers in the classroom throughout my schooling. In elementary school, all students took a computer tutorial class and typing lessons. In fourth and fifth grade, we played educational games such as "Oregon Trail" and exciting speed typing games. My district students were introduced to computers and the educational benefits early on in elementary school, which helped us in the long run. In middle school, we learned how to research and use different databases and tools. In high school some students brought their laptops to class and we went to the library on occasion for research but students were expected to be proficient in using technology for education. Also, in junior and senior year we used wikis for at home discussion boards. 
2. Tech for Teachers: I would use Microsoft Office to communicate with students, parents, or peers because it has many different functions and I am familiar with it. I would use Microsoft Excel to keep track of grades and attendance. I would also use Excel to show trends in student's grades and performance. I would use Word to create newsletters and emails to send to parents and students about current events and updates. I would use Powerpoints in class and post them on a website so students can follow my lesson plan and go back to it at home to make sure they have notes on all topics. Additionally, parents can access the Powerpoint presentations to see what their students are learning about in class.