Justus and Thason

Justus and Thason

Where I'm From

Where I'm From

Copyright and Creative Commons

In week 4, we learned about copyright laws and creative commons. Copyright laws give creators ownership to their product. Copyright laws have been around for a long time, but many people feel that they are outdated for our current way of life. There is a lot of controversy these days with things like peer-to-peer sites that allow people to illegally share downloads. But the issue that I never gave much thought to was the re-creation of something. We watched a video in class that brought up some very good points dealing with copyright laws. What about taking a product and changing it? Who has the right to a remixed song, or a photo turned into a painting? These are real issues, and some people have had court cases concerning it. Being able to share the rights of a product is known as Creative Commons. Creative Commons still gives ownership to the original author, but allows others to use their product in certain ways.

As a future teacher, it is important that I am aware of the copyright laws and creative commons. I certainly do not want to get in trouble for infringing on someone’s property, and I want to set a good example for my students when it comes to these laws. Also, it is good to know what is open for public use and what is not. Many classrooms use different kinds of videos, images, books, and other items to help students learn in different ways. It is important to know what I can and cannot with the materials I would use in a classroom.

I found this video that does a good job of explaining both the Copyright laws and the Creative Commons laws.

Web 2.0

In week 3 we discussed Web2.0. I had no idea what Web 1.0 was, and was wondering how far behind I was with Web 2.0. It turns out that it is the Internet that I know and love. Web 2.0 allows participation on the web, rather than just seeing information presented on the web. This new way of using the internet allowed for people to create things like Wikipedia, Twitter, and my personal favorite, Facebook. These sites allow common people and Internet users to participate in the sharing of information, whether it is for educational, common, or social purposes.

Web 2.0 can affect me as a future educator in many ways. There are so many interactive websites that students can use these days to learn and have fun. In the classroom that I volunteered in last semester, the 3^rd graders were using FCAT Explorer to practice for the upcoming FCAT. I cannot even begin to imagine the types of resources that will be available for me to use in my classroom when I become a teacher.

We visited the Web 2.0 applications forum, and I discovered so many applications that I never knew existed. Regular people can now take their ideas for websites and make them a reality. Their dreams may be becoming beneficial to society by providing people with tools they need.

Educational Technology

The “Did You Know” videos that we watched in class were very interesting. We all use the World Wide Web, but few of us understand the vastness of it. These days, instead of using a dictionary or an encyclopedia to find an answer to a question, people Google it. For me, the videos put into perspective the role that technology plays in our lives.

As an elementary school teacher it is up to me to prepare my students for the technologically based world that they will be living in. Using technology in the education environment is prevalent, if not necessary today. It began in the 1930’s with things like audio clips and slides. Today we have classes that are strictly taught online. Using technology in different ways in the classroom can be very helpful in teaching students different things. With the trend that our world is following, it is necessary that students have a grasp on how to use technology for all kinds of different things.

This video goes through the technologies of past classrooms. It is amazing to see how far we have come. And as time goes on, more technological advances are being made. Nothing in our technology-based world will remain constant.

21st Century Skills

21^st century skills are the “knowledge, skills, and expertise students should master to succeed in work and life in the 21^st century.” It is believed that incorporating these skills into the core subjects of the curriculum will help in the mastery of the skills. Everything in this world is growing at exponential rates. The economy of our country is becoming a global one, in which we constantly interact with multiple economies. The leaders of these different economies have to be prepared for the ever-changing future. As we have always heard, today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders; therefore we must properly educate and prepare these students for the global market. But how do we do that? If technology is outdated within three years, how is a student supposed to keep up? It is up to the teachers to educate the students on how to grow with the technology.

As an Elementary Education major, I will one day be responsible for teaching tomorrow’s leaders. Implementing the 21^st century skills through the core subjects and weaving the 21^st century interdisciplinary themes into the core subjects will be crucial on my part. Helping children to not only learn how to survive, but learn how to grow in all areas is extremely important.

I liked this video, because it does a good job of explaining the kind of education that our kids are getting and the kind they need. The facts presented in the video about China soon being the largest English speaking country, and people having 14 jobs by the time they are 38 are very true and very scary. It is so important that we, as educators, try our best to give our students the most opportunities to succeed.