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.