Blog #3

     Copyright is an automatic protection of original work that requires others to legally purchase or get permission from the owner to use and/or distribute. A few examples of what is protected under copyright are movies, songs, and books. Fair use can only be determined by a judge and there are four factors that are considered: purpose, nature, amount, and effect on market value. For example, it might be fair use to download a graphic for a slideshow. As a teacher, I would make sure to use resources that provide non-copyrighted materials such as the Creative Commons website and give credit. To ensure my students create their own works, I will teach them about these concepts and point them to helpful resources to avoid problems.

     Technology implementation issues include academic dishonesty, cyberbullying, decreased productivity, lack of funding, and student privacy. Some of these issues may be harder to tackle than the others. To solve academic dishonesty, I would implement a rule in my classroom that each student can revise their work for a better grade. This takes the pressure away from trying to get it perfect the first time and hopefully steers them away from academic dishonesty. I would also use a plagiarism checker on assignments they turn in. If a large portion of their work is plagiarized, they cannot revise the assignment and do not receive credit. To help solve cyberbullying, I will promote positive positivity in my classroom and educate my students on how to work word filters, block bullies, and report any bullying or harassment. 

     I learned several new skills from working on the Newsletter Design assignment. I learned how to utilize the column function, create hyperlinks and email links, and how to create a banner. I could improve my newsletter by using better graphics and making it a little less “busy.” I feel I could also improve the general flow of my newsletter. I can use all of this new information in my future career to do exactly what this assignment required – creating newsletters for my class’s students and parents! I feel I have also learned skills that would help create engaging PowerPoints and assignments for the students to complete.

Newsletter: assignment1.pdf