Course Reflection

The idea of being safe online is of course something that I am aware of and I often worry about when I purchase items online. However, I had not given copyright and plagiarism much thought. After taking this course, I now worry that I have crossed the line of plagiarism many times without even realizing it. I now feel that I am starting to understand what copyright laws are and what I can do to protect myself from getting into trouble with the law and also protect my personal information. I still think that I will violate some of these law by mistake, but at least I am more aware of what I am doing.

Privacy Online: Is there such a thing as privacy online?

Yes there is, or at least there should be. With the amount banking and shopping we do online, there has to be programs out there to protect our privacy. I feel like there is a different between posting your information for social or even educational networking and private Internet usage. I purchase all my flight tickets online and I often buy books or music online as well, but that does not mean that everyone out there has the right to my passwords and credit card information. Now if I post a picture of myself and add a phone number or another piece of personal information, then yes, I have set myself up for allowing others to collect my information. I guess I am not too concerned about my photo floating around in someone else’s page (as suggested in the article Beware: the Internet could own your future by Husna Najand) because I’m not sure it matters. While I agree that we live in an era where candid camera shots can easily passed around, I’m just not sure that it’s so dangerous. Maybe I’m just naïve and want to believe that people and perhaps future employers will take those kinds of information with a grain of salt. Getting back to the idea of privacy online, I suppose that there is such a think as privacy online but I guess we have to then go onto defining what privacy means.

Understanding Web Connections : Where does the power of the Web lie?

I have used voicethread and blogs with my kids and they think it’s terrific. I was also recently introduced to a program called Story Bird. I love it because we can send it to family and friends overseas and they get to experience a little of what goes on in the child’s classroom. I think the power of the Web lies in the fact that we can stay connected with people far and wide in so many ways. Students regularly skype with grandparents and not only do they get to hear each other’s voices, they also get to see their faces. I have students who love playing with Google Earth and look at the streets that they used to live on. I have yet to show my kids how collaborate learning can truly exist, but I think that would be real cool and help add a whole new dimension to the online world for my students.

Student Safety/Bullying : Who's responsibility is it to teach students to be safe online?

If my students are using computers in my classroom, it is my responsibility to teach them how to be safe and also how to be accountable for their actions and comments. Our jobs as educators should be to teach and prepare kids to become safe and responsible digital users. When I teach my first graders how to read, I also have to teach them how to take care of the books and teach them how to choose ‘just right’ and appropriate books. When I teach them how to work in groups, I first have to teach them how to communicate properly, how to take turns, and how to listen respectfully to one another. The same rules apply for working with the Internet and computers. Students should learn that working alone or collaborate online is not much different that working together face to face. All the rules we have for face-to-face meetings should apply when working online. Parents of course play a big role in helping us teach students to be safe online, they are the ones who get computers for their kids; they are the ones who buy the software and games. They need to make sure they themselves understand the ramifications of cyber safety and cyber bullying so that they can better educate their children.

Copyright Usage and Plagiarism : What's our role as educators in copyright usage in schools?

We so often say, “well we live in China, who cares about copyright and plagiarism?” The kids here are so used to walking into a DVD store and picking up the latest Hannah Montana or Ben 10 movie. It seems so natural to them but I wonder if many of them understand truly what is happening here. They might just think that this is how movies and music are produced and disturbed. This issue is on course something that should be discussed, but more importantly I think is for schools to make sure they are buying authentic software and not copied versions (even though it is very tempting and easy in a place like China). We have become so dependent on the Internet that I think many students (and adults) do not realize they are infringing on copyright laws and plagiarizing. It is important that we teach our students how to properly use and cite information they collect online. This will become increasingly more important as they continue to use the Internet to do research projects or other kind of work.

Digital Footprint and Digital Profile: When and where should we be teaching students about their digital footprint?

Students should always be aware that what they view on and what they post up on the World Wide Web can be traced. As soon as students are introduced to the Internet, they should simultaneously learn about their digital footprint. It has to be presented in the right way though because it is quite an abstract concept for the little ones. I could see my students confusing it with the Carbon Footprint, and thinking that digital footprints somehow relates to the environment. It would make for an interesting lesson to discuss and compare the natural environment we live in and the digital environment that is all around us.

Reflection on the process of creating your final project

I really like teaching about weather and I feel like I finally have sometime more to offer the kids. In the past, whenever we studied weather, the kids are just naturally excited because there are so many natural phenomena that occur with weather and air. However, as I was completing this project, I started to gain a whole new perspective on how I can facilitate their learning and keep them engaged throughout the unit. This project that includes a real life scenario and Voicethread is the perfect way to grab their attention. Last week, I tried out a program (2Create) on our computers at school where kids had to record their voices to match an illustration they had made. I was so surprised just how trilled they were to be recording and playing back their voices. While I was looking through the ISTE NETS, I really had to be careful about what my goals were. Since this is the first time I am creating this kind of project, I wanted to cover them all! I ended up only selecting 3 standards and I still think that I am being overambitious. I am getting ready to do this unit with my kids this year; I plan to use it as an assessment for my weather unit and I look forward to seeing if I over did it and how the students will respond to it. I expect that this project will motivate students to do some research about their weather condition and also the Voicethread component will provide an venue for kids to practice reading and fluency. My only concern is that my kids will be unfamiliar with Project Based Learning and may find it too overwhelming. But we’ll see…