Web Presence

The idea of a professional web presence is something that had actually not crossed my mind until I learned about it in this class. It is interesting to know that I already have an web presence through social media, although I didn't realize its significance. Especially because my only web presence is Facebook, which isn't always positive, let alone professional, I am glad that we took the time in this class to create a positive, professional web presence with Google Sites. In a world where the internet is becoming increasingly important in all aspects of society, it truly is important to have a presence online where potential employers can go to see information about you that you want them to know.
This is going to affect me as a teacher, for a couple of reasons. First of all, before I even enter a classroom my professional web presence will be used to help the school decide whether or not to hire me. Once I am hired, the knowledge of the importance of having a positive image of yourself on the web wil help me educate my students about their own web presences, as well as not putting incriminating information online.

Below is an intersting article that I found online that discussed professional web presences in different forms.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/transcript/article/878707

Social Media and Relationships

It is impossible to deny that social media is having a huge effect on the way people create and maintain relationships. I think that this can be positive and negative. The good aspect is that it is easier for people to maintain relationships with people they already know, especially if you aren't close enough to see each other every day or if they live far away. However, social media can cause people to trade a face-to-face relationship for a simple online exchange of words which may not be as fulfilling or meaningful. Facebook "poking" is something that bothers me because it makes people feel like they are connecting without even conversing. I definitely believe social media can be positive if you know how to use it for what it is, and not use it as your only way of forming relationships.
Just like with the topic of stalking and social media, I feel that it will be my responsibilty as a teacher to teach my students proper utilization of facebook in relationships. By encouraging socialization of my students, I will show them that there is value in personal, face-to-face relations.

Here is a video that I found on YouTube that discusses online relationships with Facebook, and gives tips on how to use it in a more positive way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KBW0_EcczM

Social Media as Stalking

I think it is intersting to consider social media websites as a form of stalking, because they are definitely changing the scope of what we consider to fall under that category. If someone was legitimately a stalker, there were other ways in the past that they would go about it. But now with websites such as Facebook, it would be extremely easy for a stalker to collect information about his/her victim, including pictures and if the person isn't careful with their information, location and school. What is changing today simply because of Facebook, is that normal people innocently conduct what may have in the past been considered stalking. It is commonplace in the era of Facebook for people to surf around other people's pages looking at their everyday activities through statuses, posts, and pictures. Thankfully there are ways to make Facebook safer, but few people utilize them to their full potential. Privacy settings help you limit the people who can view your facebook page, and there is educational material out in the world that teach kids not to put information online such as your full name, phone number, address, and school.
This is a very important topic for me to have a full understanding of as a future teacher. It will be largely my responsibility to educate my students about the dangers of the social media websites, as well how to use them as safely as possible. Also, due to the fact that the prominence of these sites is bound to become even greater by the time I have a class of my own, I want to be sure to be as educated as possible and be a good influence on my students.

Here I have included a link to an article in the Washington Post that is about stalking on Facebook. The fact that there are articles such as this one in legitamate news sources really shows how important the subject has become in the world.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/03/AR2009120303647.html

Distance Education

I feel that I should write a blog on distance education, because it is an aspect of 21st centurty education developments that has already significantly affected my life, and that's reach is bound to only increase. Although there are multiple forms of distance education, I have decided to put my focus on the use of the internet, whether that means classes that are entirely online, or simply have online aspects or requirements. First of all, I have one class that I feel completely embodies the concept of distance education. The class is one hundred percent online, including online lectures, homework, quizzes, etc. There are three different sites that we use. This class has beneficial aspects, like the fact that I can complete the coursework from my bedroom, however, I have discovered several things that make me question whether distance education is positive thing. My main problem is the lack of interaction with the professor. Not only do I think that it would be helpful to hear the lecture in the presence of the teacher in case any issues arise, but I find it difficult to not be able to attend office hours in person rather than online. With a subject like math, I personally need more one on one instruction that simply isn't available. The other ways that distance education can be applied, is through websites like E-Learning where class information and grades are accessed without being on site for a class. I actually find this to be more positive because it only provides additional information, rather than an alternative to classroom instruction.
It is obvious to me how distance education could affect me as a teacher, because it directly relates to education and teaching. Due to the fact that I will be teacher younger children, I most likely would not be leading an entirely online class. However considering the rising nature of the internet, I will be most definitely have some aspects of my class that will be online and not in class.

I understand that I have mainly focused on the negative aspects of distance education that affect me, so for this reason I have provided below a video that highlights positive aspects as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADau3hrMYmw

Open Source Software

The entire notion of open source sofware was, until this class, something that I had never heard of, and frankly did not think even existed. I did know that some programs obviously were free, but it just seemed like any prestigious program that you can buy cost money for a reason and that the creators were happy to keep it that way. Contrary to my beliefs, open source software has been created, thanks to the Open Source Definition which determines whether a sofware license can be considered open source. If a programs falls under this definition, that means that the source code that is normally reserved for copyright holders is made available for the public to use, change, improve, and redistribute the software. This helps the public not only economically, but also in the sense that we may receive better quality versions of programs like Photoshop and Microsoft Office Word.
I certainly think that knowledge of the existence of open source software will benefit me in the teaching profession. It goes without saying that I will want my students to have at their disposal any computer program that will enhance their learning. And because there is such an economic burden on teachers for their students' resources, being able to access software that is equal to the expensive ones for free will allow me to share that information with my students and use the programs on my in-class computers.

http://www.getpaint.net/

The link I have provided above goes to a website called GetPaint, which I think is something I can use as a teacher. It is an example of an open source software that allows you to edit images. Because my goal is to teach younger children, I would use this to create exciting images for lessons that will help to get my point across, and even to teach my students to use to increase their computer skills.

Bubbl.us

Photoshop

Photoshop is something that I have been interested in learning about ever since I first saw what it could do. I am at a disadvantage, however, because I own a PC rather than a MAC, which photoshop is created for. I have also discovered that it is a very complicated process. Contrary to what I had imagined photoshop would be like--more like cutting, pasting and editing--photoshop really is about layers. Each layer can be worked with independently, which allows for a flawless finish if done right. One of the positive things I learned about this program was that there are thousands upon thousands of tutorials floating around the web to help users create shockingly professional-looking works of art by giving step by step instructions. This is very helpful in my case due to the fact that I am not particularly computer savvy.
I am so glad that this is one of the skills that I have begun learning in this class. I know that I can continue to grow and become more talented at it, which is a great skill to have as a teacher. The possibilities of what I could do with this program are limitless. In addition to the basics such as decorating a classroom that will stimulate the interest of my students, I can develop images to teach lessons that will engage kids in what they are learning and make it fun. Even outside the classroom I am excited to use this new skill by making presents for friends, birthday cards, and even recreational projects.

http://psdtuts.com/web/20-insane-comic-book-style-photoshop-effects/

I've included this link to photoshop tutorials involving comic-book looking images to demonstrate how I could engage children of younger ages with something that they may already be intersted and can reach them even though I might use it to get a point across that they might not be intersted otherwise.

Web 2.0: Pandora

As I have already mentioned in a previous blog, I am extremely into the music scene. And as great as I thought the other website was, I found Pandora, which offers an equally incredible and unique advantage to collecting music. Pandora is an online radio website that creates unique stations that are tailored to your preferences in music. The user simply needs to enter an artist name, song title, or composer, and Pandora will create a radio station using that artist, and other artists that are similar to the one you selected. This is very exciting for me, because I always am frustrated that the only artists I know are either ones I've known and loved for years, or ones that my closest friends have told me about. Now a whole new world of music will be opened up for me.
Similarly to Blyper, Pandora doesn't have a literal application to the elementary school setting. I still feel strongly, though, that helping students learn about tools such as Pandora will inevitably help them become more cultured and well-rounded people as they grow older.

http://www.pandora.com/stations/27cceb41dd9b1afb0d10f69ab632d6e6fc083eb2d8dfd754#

The link I have provided is my first created radio station on Pandora. The artist I chose to have Pandora find similar bands to was MSTRKRFT. I was pleased to find that Pandora not only gave a description of the type of music I asked for, but also created a great list of songs that I loved!

Web 2.0: Favorville

Another of the more unique online tools that I found on Web 2.0 was Favorville. Most basically, this is an online community where people can exchange favors. The site is free, and the user simply needs to register and enter the city that they live in before they can send requests and answer requests for favors. The favors done on this site really can vary. They could be simply to borrow a ladder, get a ride somewhere, or even get advice on an issue. Once you've gotten/done a favor for someone, you can rate them. In additon, that person permanently becomes on of your "connections": another feature of the site. This allows you to build lasting relationships with helpful people in your community and in the world. You can also add to your connections by inviting members, who immediately become a part of the connections list.
I think this site is not only genius, but also can be extremely helpful as an elementary school teacher. Favorville can help me acquire materials that might be expensive that I don't want to buy but simply use once. I also think I would be able to even have speakers come in to speak to my class if there are people who are particularly qualified on a certain subject that I am going over in class. I feel that the possibilities are endless with favorville.com, and as someone who doesn't mind at all helping others, I know I would benefit greatly by becoming a member of this onlne community.

http://favorville.com/miami/ride%20share/postview.aspx?id=10524&p=1

I chose this link to favorville.com because of how simple it was to find, and to prove how easy it can be to benefit from favors people offer. By simply clicking on the city of Miami, which is near where I am from, I found an offer for a ride to Gainesville after the end of this semester or to transport belongings here. This obviously really applies to anyone living in the Gainesville or greater Miami area, which is many people who may even be in this class.

Web 2.0: Blyper

Music is one of my greatest passions. I dream of collecting all of the music I love, but I always feel like I am so far behind in acquiring it, and am falling farther and farther behind all the time as more albums come out. This is why I was delighted to come across Blyper on our page of Web 2.0 tools. There are a lot of music websites out there, but I have never come across one like this. Blyper.com is a website that allows you to type in the names of whatever musical artists you like. Then, the website will notify you anytime those artists are coming out with a new album. The website boasts that it can notify you about any band, regardless of their mainstream popularity. This is a great advantage to have because the only music releases that you will most likely hear about will be in the papers and on MTV and a great number of the artist that I love are not famous enough to be on MTV.
I have had quite a difficult time trying to figure out how I could use this online tool in my future as an elementary school teacher. I really think that music is extremely important for children to learn about. I would like to think that I will be the type of teacher that will broaden students' horizons in more than the expected ways. So in this sense I could utilize this website to give my students the most up-to-date information about music releases. However in general, this tool is really for my own benefit so that I can have my dream music collection.

http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/

Due to the fact that there are no real examples to show on the blyper.com website, I decided to provide this link the MTV's The Leak, which shows upcoming album releases. The point of this is to show the limited selection that is found on websites other than Blyper, so you can appreciate what this website has to offer.

Web 2.0: Storybird

One of the first of the Web 2.0 tools that caught my attention was the Storybird website. This is a collaborative storytelling page where children as well as adults can create short stories, and even work together with others to have two people's input. After I took the online tour, I was extremely excited by how easy to use the site is. After you sign up for the program, the website will give you your own personal dashboard home page. This includes unpublished stories that you have started by haven't yet finished, stories you have already published, as well as your reading list which is your own collection of stories you've read and want to have easy access to. There is also a public library on the site where all published stories can be found. When you click on a story, lots of information becomes available such as the author's name, the illustrator, the age range, and comments. When creating your own story, you have the opportunity to look through all different sorts of illustrations, and can become inspired by them to write a story. Your story can have a theme and be customized to look how you want it to. Creating stories is extremely simple. All you need to do is drag and drop illustrations and type text using your individual creativity!
Because of my major which is elementary education, I am very positive that I will have lots of opportunities to use this website in the future. Regardless of what age I end up teaching, I know that this site is user friendly for kindergartners through fifth graders. I cannot think of many better ways for students to be creative in writing stories in such a simple way in our age of rapidly growing technology. This website could be employed as an activity for the entire class, or even during free time at the students' discretion.

http://storybird.com/books/i-love-my-family/

I chose to add this link to one of the published stories on storybird.com called "I Love My Family," to allow you to see an example of a story that I thought was very sweet and great for younger children. Feel free to notice all of the details of the story that I went over that will help judge what age the story is geared toward.

Ethics & Technology