In class this week, we talked about ethics involved with technology. As it becomes easier and easier to download videos for free off the internet, it also becomes easy to forget about the laws of coyright. It seems as though people think very little about what is legal and illegal to download and watch, because what are the chances of actually getting caught and punished? What we do on our own time may be our own business, but when we are bringing technology into the classroom, I think it's important that we are good role-models to our students. It may even be necessary to show the students how to find the copyright on ressources and explain that even though it may be possible to use certain movies in different situations, it may not be right or legal.
It is almost important to inform students that they should not believe everything they read on the internet. One example is http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/mankato.html
When first looking at this site, it seems dated, unorganized and poorly written. However, readers assume it is real. Because why would there be a fake site? When looking more closely, one can see that Mankato clearly does not exist as it is shown in this site. The place is complete with an underground city, pyramids, whale-watching, hot springs, as well as skiing/snowboarding! Using common sense, one can realize that this seems very far-fetched. It almost is too good to be true, and that is why some people have actually gone to visit and been disappointed that it isn't real! Anybody can post whatever they want on the internet, which means that lots on the internet, will not be true. When doing research projects, this is an important point to make before sending students off to do research online. It is important for students to figure out how to find authentic and trustworthy sites, before quoting them as fact. The above site would be an excellent one to use to show students the danger of believing everything they read online, which can be expanded to believing everything that people tell them.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Saturday, 8 October 2011
BLOG 4: Podcasts and Skype
This week in class we learnt how to use Podcasts. I had never seen or even heard of Podcasts before and found them pretty entertaining. I could see kids really enjoying them since you are able to make something that is pretty intricate and could sound professional, but it would have their own voices in it. I imagine kids in an Elementary class making a newscast with it; report on the weather, the news, game scores etc. Kids could study what would go into making a newscast and then make one for themselves. The kids' news might even be what has been going on in their classroom. Maybe even every month a different group of kids is designated to report on the exciting things that class has been up to that month, and then if possible, make it accessible to the rest of the school and the parents. This could be an interesting and fun way to keep parents informed about what is happening in the classroom. The fact that you can add your own voice, and put in sounds and music makes it very fun to experiment with this technology.
We also had a guest speak to us on Skype. I have used Skype many times before, talking to my relatives in California and Australia. The delay time is much longer speaking with them and can often cause confusion since you don't realize that the other person has started talking until a second or two later, so it can be difficult to keep a steady conversation going. However, it would be very cool to bring Skype into the Early Years classroom by inviting people from different parts of the world to talk to the students. I don't know how easy it would be to find these people, but say the kids are learning about Japan. If the teacher or a student had a connection there, maybe this person would be willing to talk to the kids about their country, and maybe even take their laptop around their house to show us some of the unique cultural pieces in their home. Skype allows people all over the world to be connected in such a personable way, and this evidently could have a meaningful place in a classroom.
We also had a guest speak to us on Skype. I have used Skype many times before, talking to my relatives in California and Australia. The delay time is much longer speaking with them and can often cause confusion since you don't realize that the other person has started talking until a second or two later, so it can be difficult to keep a steady conversation going. However, it would be very cool to bring Skype into the Early Years classroom by inviting people from different parts of the world to talk to the students. I don't know how easy it would be to find these people, but say the kids are learning about Japan. If the teacher or a student had a connection there, maybe this person would be willing to talk to the kids about their country, and maybe even take their laptop around their house to show us some of the unique cultural pieces in their home. Skype allows people all over the world to be connected in such a personable way, and this evidently could have a meaningful place in a classroom.
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