Journal 2

In high school I was never formally introduced to MS Word. It was just something that I had basic knowledge of. No teachers would make us do anything extensive on Word. This caused me to never learn even half of the functions that Word has to offer. This is the first class where I have done more than just type an essay in Word. I was familiar with word art and tables but I never knew about applying borders or any other functions that were required on our newsletter assignment.

As a teacher it is very important to inform your students of copyright issues and plagiarism before starting any big projects that requires them to develop their own opinions. This is especially needed when research projects are introduced. Many students believe that simply changing words around dismisses them from the act of plagiarism. The teacher should make it very well known that if the idea is not yours you can not treat it as such within their assignments. As for copyright while being a teacher, yes teachers may get inspiration from other sources but the same rules apply. If the idea is not originally yours you should use the proper citations in order to credit the creator of the original content.

As much as technology has been used in my high school years and even in college, lack of productivity has never been an issue and I think it is because of how the teacher sets up rules and expectations in the classroom. When using technology teachers have need to be willing to be strict and not budge on their rules. If the lesson plan says that students can use phones or computers to research then the teacher should make sure that that is what the students are doing. Of course there are some students who will challenge the teacher and at the point the educator will have to assert their authority to let the students know that they are serious when it comes to using technology.

As for cyberbullying, teachers should also inform their students that cyberbullying is a crime according to the law and will be dealt with accordingly. Teachers should monitor all educational social media accounts such as Edmodo and Schoology in search of cyberbullying. If/When cyberbullying is reported the teacher should take the proper actions to make sure that the bully is punished for their actions. Providing the bully and the person being bullied access to the school counselor would also be a good idea. I believe that counseling sessions are important because school does put a lot of pressure on students and often times they are going through issues at home as well which causes them to act out in school. Of course this is no excuse for the act of bullying but in the end of it all, it is important to make sure that each student walks out of the instance in a better situation than when they came in.

Journal 1

As time has progressed and technology has continuously improved there have been discussions about the use of technology in the classroom. Most believe that technology offers undeniable benefits in the classroom that can not be overlooked. A lot of teachers have decided to incorporate educational technology in their classroom in order to encourage independent learning within their students. Many students already have technological devices in their possession and these devices have the answers to almost any question they could ask. With the guidance of a teacher they could be put to use in order to facilitate the best learning experience possible.

I believe that standard 6 of the ISTE Standards for Educators is the most important because it states that the educator should help their students take control of their own learning while also creating learning opportunities for them. This is important for educators to do because feeding students the information will not help them comprehend and recall it in the long run. By making sure that the students are learning while also being avid in finding the answers that they need, the educator is building an independent and confident student. The standard also says that educators should "model and nurture creativity." This is important because encouraging students to be creativity will help them become better problem solvers in the future.

The term digital native in my opinion is kind of useless. Of course there are generations of children who have grown up using technology so they can navigate the basics from an earlier age but it does not mean that they necessarily understand how or why technology works. Most people who have advanced and built new technologies are from a generation that did not grow up using technology at all. Anyone can learn how to use it so I do not think that the term "digital native" should really be used when addressing people and their understanding of technology. Navigating basic systems can be done at any age and is a learned behavior. Between me and my teachers there has not been a major difference in the way that we use technology that I have noticed. They might honestly have had more knowledge on some technology than I have. If I were to be an educator I am sure that my students would be confident when using new technologies but as an adult I would have the same or even more access to that same technology so it would not be necessarily foreign if I put in the effort to learn it as they have.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Jaedan Mack. I am a first year student who is studying History at Florida State University with a minor in Education. I was born and raised in Saint Augustine, Florida which is about 35 minutes from Jacksonville. My hobbies include binging TV shows, cooking, and doing makeup. My favorite TV show at the moment will have to be either The Office or Unreal, both which have sadly been discontinued. My favorite genre of music is alternative pop and my favorite song as of now is Evil Woman by Eric Grooms.

My experiences with technology before this classroom has been very scarce to say the least. In middle school I took an advanced technology class where we mainly focused on photoshop and building rockets however my skills on photoshop were very mediocre because I would just spend full classes making posters of my favorite celebrities. My teachers have used technology to play games such as Jeopardy and Kahoot which were very popular in the classroom and kept the students engaged. In elementary school I remember using smartboards which were probably the most advanced technology I have experienced in a classroom.

Since social media and technology is so prevalent in today's generation and the generations to come I hope to learn how to use these to a teachers advantage in order to engage students in classwork and while also making the classroom run more efficiently. I am considering being a high school teacher and that is where technology would probably be more useful in the education system since teachers are also trying to prepare students for the real world. I have never experienced a teacher using social media to engage their students even though I feel like since we spend so much time on them it would be a good way to capture your students' attention.