Web 2.0

       Since technology is advancing faster than any normal person can keep up I do believe that Web 2.0 technology is great. As a teacher I will be able to keep a wiki open for all of my students. With that wiki I am available to my students around the clock in some fashion. Web 2.0 allows me to be able to upload websites that I believe are very helpful for my students to use. One of the main perks of Web 2.0 to me is if student's get sick I will be able to help them while at home. For a student to be able to post a question on wiki that allows me to reply with either a website or even be able to Voice Thread to help the student keep up to date. I only wish that this technology was available to me while I was in school.

Copyrights, Fair Use, Cyberbullying and Netiquette

What I have Learned

                I have always knew that I could not go to a website and just take information to use for my own. I have been preached to about copyright right laws my entire like. I did learn that as a student you are allowed to use information for school projects. I never knew that as a teacher that you are not suppose to use videos for more than 55 days after they first release. I remember as a student in high school we used to watch the same video year after year. I am sure that the school purchased the video but it is great to know how the copyright laws really work. Cyber bullying  is a huge problem in today's society. I think that it is childish for people to pick on others when deep down they just want to attention that the victim was getting. it is great to know that there are websites available to research these problems. I have always thought that you should act the same way online as you would at home. I personally think the old saying, "Treat others the same as you would want to be treated." rings true for at home and on the internet.

 

My Thoughts

                I find that the websites in the lesson will be something that I post on my classroom walls so the students know that there is information and help available to them at all times. I feel that these are great websites for not only students but for educators as well. As technology advances, we will see more and more information stolen and cyber bullying. I feel that all students should know about the right way to use information and how to treat others while online. As an older student I remember when the internet was still something that a lot of people were scared of. Since then it has evolved as a mainstream way to collect information. Which in turn makes everyone who uses the internet susceptible to copyright lawsuits and cyber bullying. I feel as long as we as educators teach our student how properly behave and the right way to use information we can keep the students safe.

Information Literacy

Before

            When I searched for information on a specific topic I have never paid attention to where the information comes from. I usually just type in what I am looking for into Google and use the first couple of sites that are listed as a source of information. I have never really thought about where the information is coming from. The MAPing activity I chose was the Victorian Robots. After briefly viewing the website I would have used this website to write a paper. While looking at the website I concluded that the website was well put together and seemed to be a legit source of information. The website has a paragraph stating that the New York Times and NASA have declared the information used as true and verified. That alone would have been enough for me to come to a conclusion on whether or not to use the site for reference information to use on a paper. 

 

After

            After completing the MAPing activity I have concluded that I need to be careful to what websites I use to compile information. While completing the MAPing activity I find out that the information on the website is a collection of information that an individual has posted on the topic of Victorian Robots. I have concluded that from now on I will verify all websites that I use before I reference them. Not only is the information compiled by an individual but the information is also twelve years old. I would have never thought that this information was so old. That could reflect on a grade if I was suppose to use information that was less that X amount of years old. I am just dumbfounded at the point that I am 27 years old and just now finding this information out. I guess will be more careful when searching the web.

 

Conclusion

            My habits of just typing a topic into Google will change from now on. I now know that not all information is validated and creditable to use. I did not realize that there are a lot of websites that are put together by individuals who might not know anything about the topic they are posting on. I will make sure that I inform my students while I am teaching that not all websites can be trusted. I will make sure that I put stipulations on my rubrics stating that any website that they use will have to be creditable. After completing this activity it has opened my eyes up now so I will be able to tell if a website is worthy of using for factual information. Hopefully while I am teaching I will have an impact on my students so they know how to check and make sure that a website is trustworthy.