Assignment 1: After having looked over these cyberbullying sites, go to your blog and respond to the following questions:

• What online resources and information did you find most useful?

I thought they were all useful. I actually send out an email to the other staff members in my building sharing the sites. Cyberbullying is so new and we are expected to teach about it this year but we really haven’t had a ton of training on it. I think we know to an extent what it is but don’t necessarily know what we can do to teach our students proper Internet etiquette and how to stay safe when online. It is funny that this was our assignment for the week because I was just discussing with my kindergarten team how we were going to address the issue of cyberbullying in our classrooms. These resources were quite useful in helping decide how to go about addressing the issue with my kindergarten students. I was a little disappointed that the link of additional resources on the National School Boards Association did not work.  I would be interested to read “The Cyber Jungle” for the American School Board Journal. The article looked like it may have some good information.

• How can these resources be used in your school to address cyberbullying?

I don’t think there is a ton of training out there yet for staff members on how to teach about cyberbullying. By having resources like these teachers can get online and resource about cyberbullying. They can find out what cyberbullying is and how to address it. Teachers can inform students about what to do if they feel they are involved in some way with cyberbullying. As I said in my other response I did pass on the websites to other staff members and I think they will be able to use them in their classrooms as well.

• How do you teach students and staff about cyberbullying?

You teach students and staff members about cyberbullying by providing resources like these. By providing resources like the ones we looked at for class staff members are able to found the information they find useful and apply them to their classroom. Especially with a topic like cyberbullying that is so new it is important to provide students and staff members with resources they can use. I also think by creating accountability for teachers to teach about cyberbullying it will help to ensure that students are getting the information they need to stay safe while using the Internet.

Assignment 1: After having looked over these educational technology research sites, go to your blog and respond to the following questions:

• Give a brief review of the research you found on these sites. 

I thought number 6, the US Department of Education – A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy was very interesting and gave good reasons for supporting technology in our classrooms and schools. I liked that it defined technology as a change agent. I think this is very true. Technology use can cause a reaction for changes in other areas such as course content, how materials are taught, how often material is taught, and the overall quality of a program. This document also touched on how technology can address many challenges classrooms today face. For example how to deliver material to students, how to provide academic opportunities for students who are not in large districts, how to help students become more diverse in their thinking, and much more.  The article also stated the importance of technology in students future employment and the importance of technology innovation for the US to maintain economic and political dominance on a global scale.

• What are your reactions to this research?

I feel like this is information that most of us know but some don’t want to believe. Some who are stuck in their ways do not want to hear about the importance of technology in the classroom or about the positive impact it can make. By having actual research to back up what we already know it makes the fight for technology an easier battle. I thought it was really interesting to read through the different links you posted. There is so much good information out there about the positive impact technology is having in our classrooms and schools.

• Is this information helpful in justifying the use and expense of technology in our schools?

The information was very much helpful in justifying the use and expense of technology in our schools. It is just crazy to me that we don’t use more technology in our schools. We know this is how our kids learn and play at home, by using lots and lots of technology. So why are we not using it more in our classrooms? There are so many good programs and so many new technology tools out there that will enhance our teaching and our students learning, we should be using them as much as we can.

Assignment 1: After having looked over these one-to-one initiative websites, go to your blog and answer the following questions:

·         What are the benefits to implementing a one-to-one initiative?

There are many benefits to implementing a one-to-one initiative. Technology is such a huge part of our students lives that why wouldn’t we be using it every day in our classrooms? In my kindergarten classroom almost always when you ask student what their favorite center is they will tell you computer center. Or if you ask them what their favorite part of school is they will tell you they love Mondays when we get to go to the computer lab. So how awesome would it be if we took their favorite part of school and used it all day every day. If we could get a computer or ipad in the hand of each student and create our lessons with the use of the technology in mind think of the things we could do! There are so many cool things out on the web today and it is sad that we can’t use them in our lessons every day. I would love for kids to be able to create things on the web, search for things on the web and just use it as often as possible. I think it would help to reach those students who are not interested in school because it is “boring”. Our kids today are used to fast paced everything so why not create our school day in the same way and get our kids excited about school and learning.

·         What are some potential barriers to implementing a one-to-one initiative?

I think there are some pretty big barriers to implementing a one-to-one initiative. First is the issue of funding a one-to-one initiative. We all know that right now it is a difficult to for schools. Budgets are tight and adding technology is not the first priority of most school districts. Getting everyone one board to support an initiative like this will be tricky. Second, having teachers on board to use the technology in their classroom could be another barrier. Of course you always have those teachers who are excited to try new things and use technology in your classroom. But for the number of excited teachers you have you will also have those who are resisting the change. Either because they are scared to use the new technology, think things are great the way they are and don’t need to be changed, or they are close to retirement and do not want to learn how to use the new technology because they are almost done. Finally, just giving staff members the knowledge they need for the district to successfully implement a one-to-one initiative. This will take training and time to effectively implement a one-to-one initiative.

·         How does the teaching and learning process change when every student has a laptop computer, or mobile device?

It changes a lot. I think it goes from our ‘old school’ way of feeding our kids the information they need to know to them going out and searching for it on their own or interacting with it and learning from it. It becomes a lot more student driven instead of teacher driven. It will be way different from how we do things now. Students can have chat groups for call outside of the school day where they don’t have to meet in a central location. Students will have more freedom (with guidance and rules of course) with how they learn the material. Teachers will have to change how they are running their classrooms. Lessons will look different from what they do now who students doing more of the searching of information themselves instead of it being given directly to them.

·         At this point in time, how would you respond if a school board member asked if your school should implement a one-to-one initiative?

I would say I think it is a great idea. I know money is tight and it is not the best time financial to do it but the amount of return you would get on student success would make it worth it. The benefits greatly outweigh the negatives.

Assignment 1: In your blog, reflect on these questions concerning copyright.
• Does your school district have a Copyright Policy?
As I said in our class blog, our district just briefly touches on the topic of copyright. Technically it is in our policy handbook under the technology section but there is just one brief little blip about copyright. It reads under section 8 of the technology portion, "The following uses are not permitted:

h. to violate copyright or other protected material laws;" That is all that is mentioned in our staff policy handbook about copyright.
• Does that Copyright Policy need to be updated to reflect technology issues?
I definitely think we need to have more about copyright in our policy handbook. I think copyright is one of those things that everything things is just an 'understood' thing about what is copyright and what is not. I think staff members should have more training on what copyright is and what will be accepted by the district and not accepted by the district. We usually briefly touch on the subject of copyright in a staff meeting throughout the year but that is the extent of it. With the use of technology happening everyday in the classroom it is probably time for our district to update their copyright policy in our handbook and give staff members more training.

• Does your school district follow copyright laws?
It is in our handbook but I don't think anyone is really enforcing copyright laws. I could be incorrect though and be in my own little kindergarten bubble and things could be completely different in the middle or high school. I just don't feel as if we talk about copyright laws very much.

• What are your feelings about copyright laws?
I think with technology being used each and every day in our classrooms districts should probably have a good copyright policy in place for their staff members. They should have specifics outline of what is acceptable and what is not and then training for staff members so they are in the know as well. I think as teachers there are probably times we are breaking copyright laws and don't even know because it just is a topic that isn't discussed often enough.

Technology Applications for Schools Districts (EDU 615)
Fall 2012
Quiz 1

1. Why should a school district have a website? What should be on that site?
The main reason a school district should have a website is for communication. To stay connected with staff members, students, parents, community members, and potential new families coming into the district. There are many important things that should be on a school website. Some of those things include school calendar, lunch menu and a place to check account balances, building specific information, district information, school board information, polices, test data and scores, and pictures and videos that showcase your student talents. The school website is where most people go for any type of district information. As a teacher I am constantly on the website looking at data, policy, etc. Potential new students will also use the website to check out the district and see how it compares to other districts in the area.

2. Describe the concept of Total Cost of Ownership? What implications does Total Cost of Ownership have for technology planning/budgeting/purchasing?
When looking at cost of technology for a district there are many things to be taken into consideration. How much will it cost the district to implement the new technology and what will the gain be from using the technology? Will it be worth the cost to the district? Districts need to be aware of the start-up costs of new programs and then how much it will cost to maintain the technology. Meaning, how much will the program licensing cost, how much to train staff members, how much time will it cost the district to train and effectively implement the program, and how much will system updates cost the district. Another important thing to keep in mind is often districts are given a rock bottom start up cost and then in a few years the cost of keep the technology skyrockets. A school district definitely needs to do their homework to make sure a program will work with their budget not only for this year but years to come.

3. What school board-approved technology policies does your district currently have? Are these policies adequate for your district? What policies do you need to update or add?
All of our technology policies are listed on our school website which I listed in a prior post. One thing I really took from class this morning is that our technology policies are kind-of forcing us to be web 1.0 instead of 2.0. Most of our policies are not geared toward interactive Internet usage. We don't allow social media sites unless you have been pre-approved to use it in your classroom. We are not uploading videos or having live chats. Our policies could definitely use some updates. I do think that we should start allowing the use of cell phones and social media in the classroom. If we did this we would need to set a specific cell phone and social media usage policy for the protection of both the teachers and the students.

4. What implications are there for students using mobile devices (cell phones, ipads, and ipods) at school? How should schools handle social media with students and staff?
First and foremost if you are going to allow the use of mobile devices the district has to put together a well thought out usage policy. This way both staff and students will know what is considered acceptable usage and what will not be tolerated. They also need to have in the policy what will happen if the technology is not used correctly for the protection of both the staff and the students. There are so many cool things that teachers could be doing with cell phones/ipads/ipods in the classroom. I know I love playing the trivia games where you buzz in to answer with your cell phone so why not use this sort of system in our classrooms? I think the kids would love it and probably get a lot more out of it. Also for students to be able to quickly look up information and look it up for themselves instead of the teacher spoon feeding it to them is going to make the teaching/learning more interactive, authentic and more effective. I think the use of social media websites should be allowed again as long as there is a policy in place to protect students and staff. I really like the idea of having a facebook website for my kindergarten parents where I could post pictures, videos and it could be an interactive dialogue between myself, the parents, and the parents with each other. I think school districts need to be more open to the idea of this.

5. How do administrators and school boards keep a current vision of technology and the future?
Administrators and school boards keep a current vision of technology and their future because people will follow their lead. If the administration places importance and value on having up to date technology and using technology in the classrooms the staff and community members will buy into the importance of it as will. If the administration does not value technology and it is the first thing to get cut or the last thing on list of importance it will not be of value to staff members and community members. The administration and school board members need to set the example for everyone else that they value the use of technology in their school district and everyone else will follow suit.

Assignment 1: After having looked at these articles on cell phones, go to your blog and explain your thoughts about cell phone use in schools.

I would say I am probably one of the people these articles are written for. I like using technology in the classroom but I'm just not quite sold on using cell phones yet. I mean I like the idea in theory but just not sure about how it would actually play out. I liked what the article 'From Cell Phone Skeptic to Evangelist' said under the question, 'How can administrators promote cell phone use in class while keeping students from unacceptable uses?' By promoting mobile literacy education. I don't think kids have any idea that what they text now could come back to haunt them. I think many kids think that the texts they send are private since they are from their phone but the reality is that everything they sent to one another is logged and can easily be pulled up. I think if kids knew this, that they could be checked up on, they would be less likely to use their phones inappropriately in class and more likely to stay on task. Also the fact that they are able to use their phones in class instead of having to hide their phones would probably make them less likely to be using it inappropriately. If they are told that it is a privilege, not a right and that it can easily be taken away if it is used inappropriately they would use it correctly. I also liked that this article went into some detail on the subject of students cheating with their cell phones. I agree that no matter what some kids will just cheat, whether they have their cell phones or not if they are going to cheat they are going to cheat. By letting kids have their cell phones it does not increase the likely hood of them cheating. I think many teachers have a fear of this happening. I do see some fun ways that cell phones could be involved in classes. You could use they to look information up, to play review games where the kids buzz in with the correct answer by texting the teacher and so forth. I think that whether we like it or not cell phones will very soon be a part of an everyday classroom and just like anything it will just take some time to get used to the switch but in the end it will do more good than harm.