Blog Post #3

As a teacher, I would do a unit on the importance of giving proper credit and encourage my students to properly give credit to avoid copyright issues. As I'm teaching younger kids, I'd find a book to assign my students to read to help them understand the concept of crediting work they use. Then, I'd do an activity to show how to give proper credit similar to the one we did in class. I'd continue to implement these concepts in the projects and assignments we'd do throughout the year to ensure they can properly grasp these ideas I'd also give credit on all of my material I use to teach to further show them the importance of doing this.

I didn't know there were several different kinds of Creative Commons licenses, and it was interesting to learn about the different types and what they mean and protect. I also was unaware how easy it was to create your own license too, it was fun to make one in class.

One thing that I believe everyone struggles with is a decrease in productivity, and this can stem from a lack of motivation to struggles with time management. This can lead to copying and using sources like ChatGPT to complete work for students. I will create an environment where my students can come to me and ask any questions they have, and feel comfortable if they need help with their assignments. I'll encourage my students to do their work in class when they complete their work early so they won't have to complete it outside of the classroom, and give the first few minutes before the assignment is due to answer any last minute questions and look over their work to make sure they are on track. If they are still struggling, I will meet with them and try to figure out ways that I can help them remain productive. I'll teach my students how to build good time management skills, and send reminders to their parents to help make sure they are encouraging their child outside of the classroom. This should lead to an open classroom where they feel safe to learn and motivated to produce original work instead of using copied material when using technology for assignments.

I enjoyed building a newsletter, and this assignment has definitely strengthened my skills with Microsoft Word. I never knew how to properly fix the images and graphics so they could sit over the text, and will be using this in the future for other assignments. I hope that when I choose a career to be an educator, I will use these skills to make pretty newsletters as well as other papers for my classroom and for lessons with my students.

If I were to make some changes, I would figure out how to fill the empty space. I feel as though I was unsure what else to add and used fall themed graphics to cover the space. It made things look better overall, but personally I thought it looked crowded and too much was on one page.

Image Attribution Post

 "2012-259 A Writing Six-Word Story" by mrsdkrebs is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Blog Post #2

As someone who grew up using Microsoft products, and then converted to Google products, I am honestly fine with both platforms. I do prefer things like Google Docs and Slides as these are the ones I have used most recently throughout my high school career, and I am grateful for a refresher on how to use Microsoft since it has been some time since using it. Thankfully, the memories of Microsoft software is coming back to me quickly, so it hasn't been that hard of an adjustment to switch back. I do appreciate how straightforward Google Docs is in terms of margins and presentation, as I have struggled in the past with the formatting appearing weird after submitting assignments that visually looked fine on my end. It led to some unnecessary stress as I could lose points for formatting issues.

After viewing the ISTE Standards, I believe that the standard of being a leader is the most important one out of the list. As an educator, you are the one your students turn to in search of knowledge, guidance, and learning. You are the example, especially for the younger learners. Some kids are in situations inside and outside of the classroom that need someone to advocate for and guide them through. I saw on the website that it mentioned an aspect of this standard was leading colleagues through new digital resources, and this was one that I had never considered. I was questioning how this could relate to leadership, and then realized how fellow teachers can lead older and new teachers that need guidance. I think it is great that not only are educators leading in the classroom, but also to their fellow teachers and administration as they are all helping one another learn and grow too.

The term of being a digital native is something that I think can accurately describe the majority of today's generation. As someone who had limited access to the internet and didn't have a phone until the age of 14, I felt out of place with my most everyone I encountered that had access. Though it would appear that I would be considered a digital immigrant, I consider people in similar situations to me a digital hybrid. As a digital native is described as someone who grew up with technology and are familiar with how to navigate it, I think that even though a small portion may not have had access right away, but has experienced technology and are more quickly to adapt than a digital immigrant as they have been exposed in some settings.

I remember my peers in school helping with technological issues that occurred when our teachers were unsure how to proceed. Most older digital immigrants got frustrated easily when they didn't understand how to fix these problems, and were amazed at how us students easily were able to fix it. Students from my school worked with the IT department and helped aid teachers and staff with technology questions and issues too. As technology continues to advance, I think it is to be expected that one day I will be the teacher asking for help from my students with technology, and being amazed at how their generation can use these sources so easily.

Blog Post #1

 In this class, I hope to learn about different resources available to teachers and students. I am considering becoming a teacher, and these resources are good ways to educate students and get engagement in the classroom. I have only been exposed to certain common websites that my past educators have used, so it is exciting to see what else is available to help teachers. As I have never used these new resources, I hope to become familiar and master these websites and other forms of technology so I can continue to use them in my career.

I have some prior experience with these resources we will be discussing. As a student, I have used websites like Notion to make to-do lists for assignments, Canva to make flyers and presentations for classes, and MS Teams for some class spaces. I've used learning resources like kahoot, blackboard, and Quizziz as well. Despite having surface level experience with these sources, most of these websites are quite new to me. I'm hoping the knowledge from the sources I have already will translate to these new sources!

I have several Personal Learning Networks, ranging from educational ones to the hobbies I have. I decided to do my PLN Map on the book I am writing, so currently some of my spaces and tools include digital and off-line sources. I am a new author, so I am always open to new websites and spaces to grow. Some examples of my current resources include social media to connect with other authors, Google Docs and Reedsy to write and save my work, and Pinterest to visualize the characters and setting on my novel. I utilize my family and friends for moral support and motivation, and my previous educators in the writing department for critical reviews and feedback to help improve my writing. I will continue to use my current sources and explore others as well as my learning continues.