My Teaching Twitter Handle

@kaittheteacher2

#2: Microsoft Word, Copyright and Fair Use, and Twitter!!

All throughout my high school, and even my elementary and middle school, career I have been using Microsoft Office's Word for many projects and papers. I continue to use it as a college student as well. What I've mostly used it for is writing essays. Typically, my teachers wanted us to use it for our papers and type in 12 point Times New Roman font. I know many of the features on Word as far as how to set up the style of the paper, fonts, and how to make other cool stuff such as worksheets and brochures. There were a couple projects I had as a student where I had to make brochures on Word. I think my teachers mainly used Microsoft Word for making worksheets, quizzes, tests, a typed out syllabus, letters home to parents, permission slips, and more I'm probably forgetting. Word is a really useful tool for in the classroom and educational purposes.

Copyright and fair use materials were used on a daily basis by teachers and students in my educational career. My teachers would show us movies on whatever subject we were learning, for example the entertaining "Bill Nye the Science Guy" to teach us all the cool things about science. They would use books to teach us with or for us to read as part of the curriculum, for example in fourth grade we read the book "Bridge to Terebithia". Using movies and books as part of the curriculum falls under the second code in Best Practice in Fair Use, "employing copyrighted material in preparing curriculum materials" (centerforsocialmedia.org). As a student I relied on copyright and fair use material to be used in projects. This falls under the fourth code in Best Practice in Fair Use, "student use of copyrighted materials in their own academic and creative work" (centerforsocialmedia.org). An example of me doing this would be using a picture from the internet in a PowerPoint presentation project or having copyrighted music playing in the background of a movie I made. As a teacher I would obviously use the concepts brought up in the Best Practice in Fair Use. I would use copyrighted and fair use material in the appropriate manner. I'd probably be incorporating a lot of books, movies, internet sources, and pictures into my curriculum and course materials but as long as they benefit my objective goal and subject that I'm teaching I would be allowed to do that. I would also teach my students the proper way to incorporate copyright and fair use material into their own creative works. I would make it very clear that they can only use the copyrighted media material in an appropriate manner just as I would have to, which means in a way that supports their own original creative works, not in a way that "substitutes" it, as brought up in the fourth code of Best Practice in Fair Use.

Before the Twitter assignment, I honestly had no clue that Twitter could be used in the professional workforce, especially in education. Obviously, Twitter is a great way to communicate and to share thoughts and ideas publicly, but now I know this can be done in the professional educational field as well as just for social reasons. On Twitter you can follow other educators and get insight from them, you can follow educational boards or teacher unions, you can network with other teachers and get inspiration from each other, you can tweet your own ideas or share other people's ideas to benefit your followers (which may be students or co-workers), and you can use it to set up a classroom Twitter page or something similar to share updates with parents, students, and faculty. I think if I were to use Twitter as a teacher I would mainly use it to network with other teachers and faculty members and to learn more about current events in education and to stay updated on all of the latest politics in education. I might also want to use it as a way to post about what is happening in my classroom and as a way to keep parents up to date on what we're currently learning about or upcoming events with the school.

#1: Computers, Technology, ISTE, and more!!

Computers are critical in modern education and need to be intertwined with education in America for students to be successful in the modern world. In education it is crucial that students are engaged and active learners, that way they actually learn the material. Getting the students to actually want to learn is a challenge many teachers face today. Computers and technology in general can give students that hands on learning they need to stay engaged. In chapter 2 of Teaching and Learning with Technology it says, "Technology engages learners, creates active learning opportunities and offers ways to interact with content at multiple levels." Technology fosters critical thinking and creativity. Those are two key ingredients to being an active learner and a successful student. Computers can be used in a variety of ways to enhance student productivity. Teachers can use them to present information on a projector, such as PowerPoint presentations or YouTube videos which give students a visual representation of information. Teachers can use computers to communicate with students and their families through social media or social networking via email, blog or forum, private chat, or a classroom website. (pg. 14 of Teaching and Learning with Technology) Lastly teachers can use computers for administrative purposes through online tools that can help with lesson plans, attendance, classroom management, and grading. (pg. 12+13 of Teaching and Learning with Technology) The main concern for use of computers in the classroom is that they are less reliable than other forms of technology might be. Computers can crash, internet can be faulty, and much more can happen when relying on computers and that takes up time that could be used for teaching. Another challenge is that computers are pricey and many schools struggle with being able to afford multiple ones. (pg. 16+17 of Teaching and Learning with Technology) I think with the progression of technology schools should get more funding to be able to afford them because they are so critical in our modern world.

I think that the ISTE standards are really important for students and teacher's in modern society. They not only present what skills the students and teachers are molding, but they also essentially give a reason as to how they can apply those skills and if you read into them a bit more you can understand why those skills are important for students and teachers in America to have. I actually have two favorite ISTE standards. My first is the second ISTE standard for students that says "Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others." (source: IST via iste.org) I think this is a critical skill for every student in America to have because the United States is a "melting pot" and knowing how to work and collaborate with all types of people from a technological standpoint is crucial in education, the workforce, and in everyday life. Section 2c illustrates my point, it says, "Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures." (source: ISTE via iste.org) My second favorite ISTE standard is the first one for teachers that says, "Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments." (source: ISTE via iste.org) I believe that teachers are meant to inspire, nurture, and craft students' creativity. To do that they need to know the material they are teaching and incorporate technology into their curriculum because that is what students will use in the real world. A standard that seemed out of my skill set is 2d for teachers. It wants us to give students "summative assessments" for data and I have zero clue of how I would go about doing that.

I do agree with the term "digital native" because people who are born into anything are natives to it. That means by definition people who are born into the modern era of technology and digital information are native to it. However I don't believe this means digital natives automatically know how to use modern technology. I think they are more likely to learn it faster because typically children pick up information faster as they would a foreign language, but I think digital immigrants (people who were around before modern technology) are equally able to know how to use and incorporate technology into their lives. I have seen an equal mix of situations where teachers know more about technology and how to use it and when students know more about it. My grandpa who was a professor at our local college knows way more than I do when it comes to all the latest technology, such as how to use all the new updates and applications on the newest iPhone. He usually teaches me how to use it and tells me when all the new cool gadgets are coming out. On the contrary, my mom is a teacher who is less fond of technology and usually has to ask me or my dad for help on how to use certain applications on her laptop for class. I think she is an amazing teacher though because she still tries to incorporate it in her classroom as much as she can. She knows her students like it, even though she struggles with it. To me, that is what makes a good teacher, putting aside how you personally feel about something if you know it benefits the students. I'm more like my mom where personally I kind of repel technology and it can be a bit of a headache for me, but I know its importance in our society and want to incorporate it as much as I can in my classroom to hopefully benefit my students and help them grow.

0: Tech and Learning

I have a pretty good amount of prior experience in technology. I took a technology class in middle school where we learned how to use a lot of Microsoft Office, mainly Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. My dad has also taught me a lot about technology because he uses it in his work. He trains people how to use software in his company. He has taught me a lot of tricks to use in Microsoft Office as well and how to use applications on Mac.

I hope to expand my knowledge on how to use a wider variety of technology in this course. I really want to know what technology is used most frequently in the elementary classroom and focus on that. I want to learn how to use applications like Prezi and learn how to incorporate different media, such as video and music, into presentations. I also want to know how teachers use social media for work, such as this blog or Twitter, and how it benefits the students.

I learned that I am an active, intuitive, visual, and global learner. I didn't realize how much of an intuitive and visual learner I actually am. It makes sense that I'm intuitive and that was my highest score because I love creative and abstract thinking, especially in subjects like science. I love theories and coming up with new ways to think about different topics. I am suprised I'm a visual learner because I love music so I thought I'd be more of an auditory learner, but I do have better memory when it comes to remembering pictures over what someone says word for word. I'm glad I got better insight into my learning style because I think this can help me a lot throughout college.