Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Comparing School Websites
McLane HS, Fresno , CA VS. Highland Park HS, Dallas , TX
When comparing the school websites of McLane and Highland Park, they both are very thorough and provide a lot of information for parents, teachers, and students. At first glance, I felt that the McLane was more visually appealing than the Highland Park website because things were easier to read. The homepage for Highland Park had small lettering and links so it was harder to read. Mclane was bigger and had brighter colors which was more visually appealing. However both schools do a good job providing links to get contact information, calender, student activities, academics, and even a link to assist in homework help. Both schools also had their own server where students or parents could log in and access other information. Another thing that I noticed was the many photos that were availble to look at. I know my mom would enjoy looking at all of the pictures to get an idea of what goes on.
When comparing these two high school websites to my high school website, I again found a lot of similarities. I went to Millard North high school and on the opening page there are pictures of students. I like the friendly, welcoming look that it has to it. There are all the same links and other information available like the other websites. There is also a student and parent server where you can log in and access your grades, unofficial transcript, and other information about your classes. I may be biased but I like the look of my high school's website the best. I feel that it is very bright and welcoming and easy to navigate.
When comparing the school websites of McLane and Highland Park, they both are very thorough and provide a lot of information for parents, teachers, and students. At first glance, I felt that the McLane was more visually appealing than the Highland Park website because things were easier to read. The homepage for Highland Park had small lettering and links so it was harder to read. Mclane was bigger and had brighter colors which was more visually appealing. However both schools do a good job providing links to get contact information, calender, student activities, academics, and even a link to assist in homework help. Both schools also had their own server where students or parents could log in and access other information. Another thing that I noticed was the many photos that were availble to look at. I know my mom would enjoy looking at all of the pictures to get an idea of what goes on.
When comparing these two high school websites to my high school website, I again found a lot of similarities. I went to Millard North high school and on the opening page there are pictures of students. I like the friendly, welcoming look that it has to it. There are all the same links and other information available like the other websites. There is also a student and parent server where you can log in and access your grades, unofficial transcript, and other information about your classes. I may be biased but I like the look of my high school's website the best. I feel that it is very bright and welcoming and easy to navigate.
NETS
Technology in education is becoming ever more prevelant in schools from kindergarten to college. In the article it talks about establishing standards for all students to fullfil. These standards, or NETS have recently been re-evaluated with input from students and teachers. I think that it is a smart idea to have standards in schools for technology. There are standards on tests for everything else so technology should be included. However, I feel that to have nationwide standards is a little more difficult. It would take a lot 0f work to make sure that schools across the country are following the rules. Also, some schools do not have the same resources as others so it would be harder for them to access the necessary tools to make sure that their students are meeting these standards. It is a good idea but it is something that needs to be flexible and easily changed because the world of technology is changing every day.
When looking at the NETS in particular, I feel that they are very reasonable. The NETS for students involves critical thinking, group collaboration, reasearch, and different operations and concepts. All of these things are imortant skills for students to have and I think they are perfectly reasonable to accomplish. The only problem I have with the NETS is that there are so many standards and different things that it would be a little over-whelming. If schools can have their students practice most of them though, I think they already would be better off.
When looking at the NETS in particular, I feel that they are very reasonable. The NETS for students involves critical thinking, group collaboration, reasearch, and different operations and concepts. All of these things are imortant skills for students to have and I think they are perfectly reasonable to accomplish. The only problem I have with the NETS is that there are so many standards and different things that it would be a little over-whelming. If schools can have their students practice most of them though, I think they already would be better off.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Oh Copyright!
Copyright, oh copyright, where do we draw the line? Even after doing research and learning more about copyright I am still confused to what I copyright and what is fair use. In the article, "A Tight Grip Can Choke Creativity" it starts off talking about a case between RDR books and J.K. Rowling where she is fighting for the right for only her to be able to write an encyclopedia book about Harry Potter. In this case, I would have to agree that she has the right to publish this book because she is the sole creator. The fact that she would give the profits to charity is a side bonus. The author of the article talks about how the copyright laws are limiting people's creativity but that just does not make sense to me. If you are being creative and original then you wouldn't need to copy someone else. The point of a copyright law is to protect the work of an artist and not have other people use it and claim it as their own.
Another point that was interesting in the article was about the J.K. Rowling case and how it was over a book. So many copyright lawsuits today deal with the music industry or the internet, you rarely hear about a book fighting for its right to originality. We live in such a technological world that we forget about those bulky things called books! Overall I just don't really understand the point the author is trying to make. Personally I would argue for clearer, easier to understand copyright laws instead of laws that do not protect people's work. I don't see any creativity being snubbed if you can't copy or use someone else's work.
Another point that was interesting in the article was about the J.K. Rowling case and how it was over a book. So many copyright lawsuits today deal with the music industry or the internet, you rarely hear about a book fighting for its right to originality. We live in such a technological world that we forget about those bulky things called books! Overall I just don't really understand the point the author is trying to make. Personally I would argue for clearer, easier to understand copyright laws instead of laws that do not protect people's work. I don't see any creativity being snubbed if you can't copy or use someone else's work.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Wikipedia
Hello and what a beautiful day today is! Well, after listening to Michael Bess from Vanderbilt talk about how he designed one of his classes around wikipedia, it was really interesting to hear his results. Today, many students love to use wikipedia and many teachers hate it in an academic sense. Wikopedia is a great tool to use when information is needed and needed fast. Personally, I do not use wikopedia and I had never heard about it until I started talking to college students. From listening to the podcast, I think it was a good idea to incorporate wikipedia in his class. He was pleasantly surprised by how accurate the information was and the discussions that were going on over controversial events. It was a clever idea and it turned out to be a great learning tool for him in his classroom. I think that when many teachers are frustrated with things that their students use today, such as wikipedia, it is smart to try to incorporate it in their lessons. Teachers need to learn to be flexible and open to new ideas. Michael Bess took a chance by using wikipedia and the information he would find and it worked out for him. The class sounded like it turned out to be really interesting and I almost wish I could have taken it. However, I agree that wikipedia should not be the main source of information for a research paper or an essay, but it sounds like a great tool to use to learn more information when you need it fast. You should also always be aware that everything you read may not be true. That is why the discussions are so great because then you have a chance to change something if you think it is false and back it up with sources and facts. It is a chance to participate in discussions of things that interest you and when used correctly it can be a great tool in the classroom.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Blog # 2
Good morning, good afternoon, or good night, it is a great day to talk some more about AUPs, the internet, and web filtering. First, I have AUP's on my mind which stands for an Acceptable Use Policy. Acceptable use policies are rules and guidelines for using the internet that many educational institutes across the country use today with their students. Each school outlines rules for using the internet, their privileges on the internet, and the consequences they would have to face if any of the terms would be violated. It is a good way to make sure that parents, teachers, and students are all on the same page when it comes to using the internet for educational purposes. I know that at my high school we had many web sites blocked off on the internet (which meant no face book checking) and if one were to break past these barriers the school would usually find out and follow through with the consequence. Also, when using the computers at school we were not allowed to check our e-mail or play any online games. My high school's web address is:
http://www.mpsomaha.org/mnhs/
The CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) requires schools and libraries to not accept a discount from E-Rate unless they have an internet safety policy and technology protection in place. They are also required to monitor the internet use of minors, implement a policy addressing, and only an authorized person is allowed to un-block a site or filter.
At my high school, I did have access to a network but it was only useful at school. If you wanted to use a computer you had to have a user name and password. I wouldn't say that it had any great impact on my education and I really did not use the computers until my senior year when I had a class in a computer lab. For doing researching or homework I usually just used my computer at home. However, I did activate an account on my school web site where from home I could check my grades for my classes. Also posted was an unofficial transcript and information about tardy and absences. Parents did have access to this but mine didn't know the the user name or password so mostly I was the one who used it.
Lastly, I think web filtering is a really smart thing for a school to have. Children and teens can be immature and if they had the opportunity to go to sites where they were not supposed to they would. Also if face book and my space were not blocked, many students would just go on that instead of doing work or listening to the teacher. After looking at the article it is upsetting to teachers to know that there is information like how to bypass a school filter. It would also be naive of a teacher to not think that there is that kind of information out there. As long as the teacher is monitoring her students and warning them about the consequences of breaking the AUP, I think that they would be able to use the internet without a problem. I would like to think that some students are too lazy to go through the whole process of breaking their school's filter, I know I would be!
http://www.mpsomaha.org/mnhs/
The CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act) requires schools and libraries to not accept a discount from E-Rate unless they have an internet safety policy and technology protection in place. They are also required to monitor the internet use of minors, implement a policy addressing, and only an authorized person is allowed to un-block a site or filter.
At my high school, I did have access to a network but it was only useful at school. If you wanted to use a computer you had to have a user name and password. I wouldn't say that it had any great impact on my education and I really did not use the computers until my senior year when I had a class in a computer lab. For doing researching or homework I usually just used my computer at home. However, I did activate an account on my school web site where from home I could check my grades for my classes. Also posted was an unofficial transcript and information about tardy and absences. Parents did have access to this but mine didn't know the the user name or password so mostly I was the one who used it.
Lastly, I think web filtering is a really smart thing for a school to have. Children and teens can be immature and if they had the opportunity to go to sites where they were not supposed to they would. Also if face book and my space were not blocked, many students would just go on that instead of doing work or listening to the teacher. After looking at the article it is upsetting to teachers to know that there is information like how to bypass a school filter. It would also be naive of a teacher to not think that there is that kind of information out there. As long as the teacher is monitoring her students and warning them about the consequences of breaking the AUP, I think that they would be able to use the internet without a problem. I would like to think that some students are too lazy to go through the whole process of breaking their school's filter, I know I would be!
Monday, January 21, 2008
My First Blog
Hello! Please just call me Carolyn. Again, I am from Omaha, Nebraska and I plan on majoring in humanities to go on and do the five year education program here at Trinity to teach elementary education. Some of my interests include baking (which is hard to do here at school), watching movies, going out with friends, and in the summertime I like to read for fun. Some of my activities here at Trinity are pretty sparse for my first year, but currently I am going through rush and plan on joining a sorority. Also, next year I hope to become involved with the mentoring program because by then hopefully I will have a car! I am not used to having so much free time on my hands because for the last four years of high school and the last 11 years of my life I played competitive softball. I loved it and all the memories and experiences I gained from playing but I decided my senior year that I did not want to play in college so I would have more time to try other things. Now about my technology background, it is not very good. I took computer skill courses in high school but working with computers has never been my thing. I know how to use word, power point, and most of excel but when it comes to all the other stuff I tend to struggle a lot more. I hope to learn a lot in this class so I can be more comfortable with computers and all the cool things you can do with them. As my interests in the field of education go, I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. I played school all the time when I was a child and teaching also runs in my family. I decided on elementary because I love children and I always have. I was the first girl cousin born on my mom's side and I am the fifth oldest of 20 so from the very beginning I was always taking care of and playing with my younger cousins. Junior and Senior year of high school I worked at an after school program in an elementary school and loved it. In addition, during the past three summers I have been a nanny for my aunts and have greatly enjoyed doing that. Now I am excited to learn so much here at Trinity in preparation for having my own classroom one day.
I really enjoyed reading the article from Time magazine. It was really intriguing and really made me think about what our lives are all about these days. By having a lap top, the first thing I do every time I open it up is check Face book or my email. Our world really is revolving around technology and we are becoming so much more impersonal by it. I always think to myself, what else is there to invent? What big thing are my children going to be obsessed with that I am going to be so clueless about? It is kind of scary to think about but it is something we are going to have to accept and work with. The internet is the new age and I think there are as many positives that come along with it as there are negatives.
I really enjoyed reading the article from Time magazine. It was really intriguing and really made me think about what our lives are all about these days. By having a lap top, the first thing I do every time I open it up is check Face book or my email. Our world really is revolving around technology and we are becoming so much more impersonal by it. I always think to myself, what else is there to invent? What big thing are my children going to be obsessed with that I am going to be so clueless about? It is kind of scary to think about but it is something we are going to have to accept and work with. The internet is the new age and I think there are as many positives that come along with it as there are negatives.
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