iMovie PSA NETs 3

Using iMove, a free software tool on MAC computers I was able to produce a public service announcement (PSA) for California State University San Macros. Using the iMovie software I was able to upload video footage from a video camera onto a MAC computer. Once the footage had be uploaded I was able to manipulate the length of each clip, insert various transitions between clips, freeze frames, add text, titles, and voiceovers. I inserted facts about the increasing fees facing students in the California State University system. I uploaded my PSA to my Google blog. 

Cyber Safety Collaborative Site NETs 4

Using Google sites, a free website creating software through Google that allows people to work collaboratively on the website, add attachments, upload videos and other Google applications like Google Docs, Google Calendar and Picasa, I created an informative website about cyber safety with a group of my peers. The application itself is created using a basic website template that can easily be changed with color, text, images and videos. On our cyber safety website we embedded links, pictures and videos to inform students about inappropriate content, cyberbullying, cyber predators, identify safety, piracy and plagiarism, and social networks. Each topic got its own page where we embedded links, pictures and videos to make the site interactive.  To keep our site organized and user friendly we created a side tool bar with tabs for each page. 

Inspiration NETS-T 2

Using Inspiration 9, a digital learning software that inspires students to develop and organize their ideas, I created a visual web connecting ISTE NETs to artifacts I have created throughout the semester. 

Journal 9 "Teaching Green"

Waters, J. (2011). Teaching green. THE Journal , Retrieved from http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/1105/journal_201104/#/12

John J. Water, a freelance writer based in Silicon Valley, informs his readers about teaching green through the wealth of online resource presently available. Water gives a handful of examples and briefly describes each.

The first, Classroom Earth (classroomearth.org), is a site that was created by the National Education Foundation in partnership with The Weather Channel. This sites’ objective is to strengthen environmental awareness and education in high school classrooms across the nation.

The next site, A Walk in the Woods (urbanext.illinois.edu/woods) is aimed at students in grades 3 through 5 who live in an urban setting and rarely have the ability explore nature. This site takes student on a virtual walk in the woods.

EEK!-Environmental Education for Kids (dnr.wi.gov/eek) is an electronic magazine for kid that covers a ranges of topics that is aimed at students in grades 4 to 8. This particular websites also has great feature directed at teachers.

The Ecological Footprint Quiz (myfootpring.org), created by the Santa Fe, NM-based Center for Sustainable Economy, is an online quiz that gets kids thinking about their ecological footprint.

Then there is, “one of the oldest environmental science-themed educational games”, PowerUp (powerupthegame.org). This website provide not only the teachers’ guide and lesson plans, but parents’ as well.

Lastly, Waters, talks about The US Environmental Protection Agency Teaching Center (epa.gov/teachers) site. This is a teacher-forcused site that offers an abundance of lesson plans and classroom activities centered on environmental topics.

Do you see yourself using any of the sites Waters spoke of in his article?

Yes. I was very interested in the several of them. I would love to have my students take The Ecological Footprint Quiz. I think it would be a great way for students to see how they personally impact the Earth.

At what age were you exposed to the idea of environmental issues? Was it in school or something you learned at home?

I was exposed to environmental issue early one in elementary school. It was also a topic talked about, in detail, in my household. 

Journal 8: "Should Schools Be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying?"

Bogacz, R, & Gordillo, M. (2011, March/April). Point/counterpoint: Should Schools be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying?. Learning & Leading , 38(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Point_Counterpoint_Should_Schools_Be_Held_Responsible_for_Cyberbullying.aspx 

On one side there is Renee Bogacz who argues that it is the schools that play a big role in the prevention of cyberbullying. Bogacz, who has been teaching for 20 years and presents on cyberbullying for her district, says all educators as well as parents and the students themselves must work together in order to effectively deal with cyberbullying. Bogacz believes if everyone takes an active “role in the combating cyberbullying, then we will have the benefit of seeing it diminish and move toward a culture of tolerance and respect among children and teens”. 

On the other side we have is Miguel Gómez Gordillo, an IT director for the Ascoiaión para el Desarollo Educativo (which manages K-12 schools in Guatemala), who argues that schools cannot be held responsible for cyberbullying. Gómez places the blame on the parent and society as a whole. He attributes the high number of bullying cases to the weakening of families and lack of parental love. Gómez solution is to establish close communication with the parent(s) and to develop an educational plan for each student and their family.  Gómez believes “a healthy family is the basis for a healthy society, and schools can only support that role”.

In your opinion should schools be held responsible for cyberbullying?

Like Bogacz, I think it is up to teachers and administrators as well as the parents and student to effectively combated cyberbullying. Blame cannot be solely placed on schools just as it cannot be solely on the parents. I believe that every person who invests in the lives of students most work together to rid our society cyberbullying.

Do you have any personal experience with cyberbullying? If so, please explain.

Fortunately, I have never been affected by cyberbullying

NETs For Students Presentation NETs 3

NETs FOR STUDENTS 2007 PROFILES PK-2 GRADE on Prezi

Using Prezi, an web-based presentation application and storytelling tool that uses a single canvas instead of traditional slides, I crested a short presentation on the NETs for students to demonstrate my fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

Assessment of Presentation NETs 3

Using Google Docs, a free web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form and date storage service offered by Google that allows easy collaboration, I created a form to have viewers assess my Prezi NETs for Students presentation. The ability to use Google Docs demonstrates collaboration with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support students success and innovation.