Comment Away!

I visited Austin's site to watch his virtual chem lab...

Then I stopped by Chris M.'s video..

Learned about how to save gas at Zephne's blog...

Earlier I watched Tanya's photosynthesis video...

Finally finished with Time on Chris's

Sharing

I have 5 little nephews, some of who are really getting into the computer thing lately.  I'm currently living with one of my brothers, his wife and their boy, so I decided to talk to them a bit about internet safety and things to think about before their boy starts to use the internet.

I think the experience went well, they of course were more than willing to listen.  We talked about why it's important to decide now how to handle computer time, and setting up parameters for what information is shared and what is not.  I think most people have some basic general ideas of what to do and what not to do, but it was good to talk specifics.

Internet Safety Part 1

1. What were the most important things I learned from the readings?
• I loved the article about secure easy to remember passwords. 
• Monitoring sites that have been visited, and having a regular routine to erase the history so that if it is erased at an irregular time it can be an indication that something isn't right
• I also like the tips for keeping facebook accounts safe and secure.
2. How will what I have read influence my actions as a parent and/or teacher of children and youth?
• I will use better monitoring techniques to help nip bad habits in the bud.
• I will also encourage the use of using different ways to search for things like on-line encyclopedias for assignments
• I will also create a list of favorites and bookmarks for my students to start their searching from
• One thing that is key is to teach students and youth what to do if they encounter something online that is unwanted.
3. How can I use what I have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on family and friends?
• I can share articles with family and friends... espeically those whose children are just starting to get interested in online social interactions
4. What internet safety issues am I likely to face as a teacher and how will I address them?
• I think that some of the issue I might face as a teacher include too much online time for my students, cyber bullying, being off task when using the technology, and potential viewing inappropriate material.
• I would assume that the school would have a filtering system, but I can be a proactive voice in my school and community for better filtering and protection on school networks.
• I think by using technology thoughfully and having activities that are really engaging I can prevent many issues like being off task and only using it when it enhances learning
• I can also encourage and assign things for students to do that is just as engaging but doesn't use technology so that they can learn to balance their time
• As for cyberbullying, I think I need to be very aware of the dynamic in my classrooms and create a safe place for any student to come, so that they have a feeling of belonging.  I will also not hesitate to report anything I might see or hear regarding bullying.

Resources I watched:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

Resources I read:
http://lds.org/ensign/2009/08/just-a-game?lang=eng
http://lds.org/ensign/2005/08/fighting-internet-filth?lang=eng
http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deseretnews.com%2Farticle%2F705372543%2FNet-Nanny-to-release-new-filter-for-Android-and-iOS-devices.html?gname=teaching-with-technology
http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deseretnews.com%2Farticle%2F705371122%2FFive-safety-tips-every-Facebooker-should-consider.html%3Fpg%3D2?gname=teaching-with-technology
http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baekdal.com%2Ftips%2Fpassword-security-usability?gname=teaching-with-technology
http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deseretnews.com%2Farticle%2F705366050%2FKids-revealing-too-much-online-study-says.html?gname=teaching-with-technology

Video

Here is my video....

I've used Imovie before to make a slide show presentation, but making a movie was a lot different. I thought I'd just jump in, and watch tutorials as I got stuck. I watched quite a few tutorials.... I can see the value of making and viewing these videos. I'm a little cautious now to have my students create one, it took me a LONG time and I'm not sure that using my content teaching time is best used teaching to use Imovie. If I had a tech. teacher willing to partner with me on a project, and all my students were in that tech. class I could see assigning the making a movie to my students as a project. It could be used as an assessment for the student to demonstrate what they know about a topic. I know I did some more research to make sure I knew what I was talking about in my video... so I'm sure students would gain a lot by preparing to make the video!