blog#8 correction

When I first wrote blog number 8 Ithought that it was due last monday, so I wrote about what I had learned about wikis. So to complete the assignment correctly I must discuss what I learned from the powerpoint lesson last monday. I did not realize that there were so many different options involved in the process of making a powerpoint presentation. I learned that one could download a picture from the internet and allow that to be the background of a presentation. I also learned about the different options related to animation. I also learned about the different ways to include graphs, outlines, and other symbols and figures within the powerpoint presentation. The possibilities seem endless when it comes to designing a powerpoint presentation. Powerpoint is a very useful tool for classroom teaching. I also learned that a teacher can attach a notes section that can only be viewed by the person looking at the computer screen. So a teacher can write down hints or notes about the topic that he/she is presenting without the students being able to see. This can allow for the teacher to give more instruction without cluttering the slide or overwhelming the students' vision. Powerpoint is a good tool for classroom notes, explanations, as well as a tool for a student project.

blog#8

In chapter 8 there is discussions pertaining towards security, ethics and the emergence of techonology in education. This is a very important subject since it is essential for teachers to have good ethics, be a good example for students and to have good security for his/herself and his/her students. There are many computer crimes and the chapter discusses the possibilities of being affected by some of them. One that can seriously affect the technology in a classroom are computer viruses (boot sector, file, macro, worm, trojan horse, logic bomb, time bombm and michelangelo). Chapter 8 gives effective tips in how to detect, avoid, and remove such viruses from school computers. It is important to have antivirus protection on a computer as well as a rescue disc. Another computer fear are those presented by hackers or unauthorized users. Thus it is critical for preventing this to obtain access controls, particularly user identification and password verification in order to enter into a school controlled computer. Other hacker preventions are possessed objects (an item that must be carried to gain access), firewalls, and proxy server. Another thing to worry about is theft and vandalism. There are methods to lower these chances of occurence as well, including alarm systems, deadbolt locks, and cable locks. The best safety measure for a computer is a backup in case of theft, damage, or destruction. There are also ethics to consider and of which students should be aware. Some of these are copyright laws, privacy laws, internet laws, and child protection laws. Ways to minimize the breaking of such rules is having filtering software, teacher observance, user policy, and websites by the teachers themselves.
The last class I gained useful information pertaining to wikis. These would be beneficial to my educational career by allowing me, as a teacher, to give my students, their parents, and the school access to a web page developed by me. This would be helpful in allowing me to discern which websites are appropriate for specific topics in my class that my students may visit and putting them on the wiki for them to view. This would save the students and myself a lot of unneccessary stress and concern over the appropriateness of a certain website that the student wishes to cite. It would also give the parents and the school administration ease in knowing that I have already screened what is to be viewed by the students. I can ensure that the rest of the public does not view the classroom wiki and can allow access to it for the parents and faculty so that they may view it and give their approval over it.

blog#7

Chapter 7 discussses evaluation of technology. There is a cycle of evaluation in regards to technology integration into education. It transitions from before intstruction, during instruction, after instruction, evaluate and revise and back again through the same cycle. What is important to note is that evaluate and revise enters into all of the other phases of the cycle not just before instruction but also during and after instruction. It is essential to evaluate software applications and web resources prior to using them for instruction purposes. It is also good to evaluate how effective the integration of technology is towards the learner, the learning objectives, and the learning process. The chapter also focuses on the best method of evaluating a technology-based student project. Since students are presenting their knowledge and information more frequently through technology, it is important that the teacher has a good idea on what should be required and expected out of such a project or presentation. Finally the chapter presents appropriate and specific information for each subject area that a teacher may focus upon. In my situation the chapter was helpful in discussing technology integration into a language arts curriculum which will eventually become my field of teaching expertise.
In the last class I learned how to make a wiki. I had heard of a wiki before but was unsure of what it really was, how to obtain one, and who could get one. I now know that it is open to use by anyone who so desires and also that it can be private or public. A wiki can also be shared with a specific group and one can link their wiki to another's and a main page. I learned how to develop a wiki and enhance the details on it. It would be useful if I wanted to provide a personal web resource for my students to go to and possibly to add information. I can give the students information pertaining to the class and list helpful websites and class agendas on the wiki.