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I have used Microsoft Word a lot as a student. I write a lot for my major, so I am very familiar with operating Word. I like Microsoft Word because it is very simple and helpful as a tool. A lot of my teachers use word for informational purposes. They create flyers, syllabi, and other informational materials through Microsoft. 

I have had a moderate amount of experience with copyright and fair use. It is a big issue right now especially in academia. The consequences of plagiarism and not giving credit where it is due are becoming more and more serious. As a teacher I would educate students about proper citation. I never really got instruction on how to cite properly and when its appropriate or not. I think children just need more education on how to do it correctly and emphasis on them creating their own works instead of just telling them its wrong to copy someone else's.  

The digital gap is a big issue in the classroom. Some students don't have the chance to succeed the way others do because of the availability of technology in their homes. I think I would make sure that all assignments that rely on a computer are completed as class activities and not homework. If homework requires a computer, I would let students stay after school or discuss the issue with me and find some sort of accommodation. Privacy is also a concern in the digital age. Children in my class would not be able to create accounts with their real name and would not have to worry about their assignments becoming public attached to their identity. Cyber-bullying would not be permitted under any situation in my classroom. I would definitely take precaution and monitor my class to be certain that nothing is going on that would make any student feel uncomfortable. All dialogue would be monitored by me and a child will face consequences if they are negatively interacting with a student through technology in my classroom. 

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Blog 1

For teachers, technology assists in completing many administrative tasks. It also helps support teachers who need to address unique learning needs of any student trying to master a certain concept. Teachers use technology to make learning more effective for students. For students, technology allows for the interaction with material presented to them. Technology also reviews, reinforces, and expands on content that teachers want students to learn and provides a one-on-one environment. Teachers dont have the time to prepare and implement complex lessons and technology can help foster critical thinking for students and help teachers with time constraints at the same time. Also, students have diverse backgrounds and unique needs. Technology helps teachers address students individually while maintaining consistency in the classroom. 

I am really impressed with the ISTE standards. I support the idea of standards in education even though it is an unpopular opinion. I believe that it is important that all students have equal opportunity to exceed and that guidelines are put in place to ensure at least some level of success and preparation. I think that the standards give teachers relative freedom, but also provide a sense of structure. It is really important that children in this age are prepared for the future and can adapt to new technological advancements. My favorite standard was "Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity" and one I felt a bit challenged by was "Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility." I like that the standards are emphasizing creativity and individuality with the first, and with the latter I don't really understand the terminology and I am a bit unfamiliar with correct technological etiquette. 

I do agree with the label "digital native" for today's youth. The children of today have not lived without the internet or technological devices that improve and aid communication. Digital natives are individuals born into the digital world. I am much more familiar with technology than my older instructors. I am also much more comfortable with it. I find that some of my instructors act as if they are allergic to technology or they are scared of it. I still learn well even with teachers that do not understand technology well, but I find that a lot of time is wasted in class and is spent on them trying to figure out how to share something with the class. I think that future students will become more and more familiar and comfortable with technology. At this point, I prefer learning environments without an overwhelming amount of technology, but I anticipate that future generations will prefer the opposite and will learn better in more technologically advanced environments. 

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Blog 0

My prior experiences with technology are only basic interactions in the classroom. I have only used tools by Microsoft to complete projects and have been relatively timid to even try Prezi. I really enjoy the layout and structure of Microsoft applications and feel very comfortable with them. However, Microsoft is essentially the extent of my technological education. I have tried to educate myself on HTML code, but my skills are very, very basic. I am trying to get comfortable with writing code in the humanities field, as it is becoming increasingly important.

In this class, I hope to gain a better understanding of presentation tools that I can utilize in a classroom setting. I am very familiar with what I need to know for completing assignments for class, but I would like to learn special tricks that make it easier to use the software. I would also like to refresh my memory of how to use Microsoft Excel because it has been years since I have had to use it last. Essentially, I want this course to increase my comfort with educational technology.

My learning style results told me that I am a 1 reflective learner, 11 intuitive learner, 9 verbal learner, and 5 global learner. I have a pretty solid balance between active and reflective learning strategies, but I am not balanced in the other categories. I suppose I was aware of the process in which I prefer to learn; however, I did not have words to define me as a learner. I would agree with the results in that I prefer a setting where I can talk or read through situations and ideas in order to learn, and I very much prefer to learn ideas rather than facts. Only after I can comprehend the grand idea of an abstract idea do all the little details make complete sense, and this moment of comprehension is what makes learning enjoyable for me.