wk 2B Web design

I have to say the three articles we were assigned this week were a little abstract for me since I am not familiar at all with web page design, or anything technology related. The first article gave some very helpful ideas about how to organize a web page. It suggest starting at the end of the page, as opposed to the beginning because starting page should provide quick user-friendly guide to your site, and just beginning a person may not completely know all that information yet.

There are ten steps suggested to organize a web page. A few of the ideas are: Brainstorm, critique the categories, page layout and keep it simple to name just a few. I found these ideas very helpful, since I stated earlier that I am not very confident with technology, a step by step plan appeals to me very much. It goes on to inform to brainstorm many ideas that would be included in the site, and then to group them into categories. Such as in a news category the following topics could be subcategorized under that heading: Homework, puzzles, calendar and student work. Under each heading the subheading would be listed beneath for easy access of topics, very user friendly.

Lastly, some ideas to consider are, who is the audience, what are the possible subjects viewers would find useful or need, what would be important to them. Also , links to useful and helpful sites is important. Listening to parents will greatly help to desing a web page that will meet the needs of both students and parents.

The next article addresses objectives for web pages that students and teachers should consider when constructing a site. Is it user friendly? Can someone that is visually or auditory challenged able to access and use? It is also important for everyone to know the difference between a guideline and a standard. A guideline addresses the assessiblity of the site, whereas a standard is a set of set regulations that apply to the World Wide Web usage.

This is all new to me, a new world, and as a teacher I will need to become as familiar as I am able to help my students, or at least know if they are doing something they shouldn't be doing appropriately on the internet.

Acceptable use Policy Importance-Debra M

Acceptable use Policy Importance-Debra M The two articles this week speak about the importance of being aware of the potential and hidden dangers of the internet. The introduction of the internet has been a wonderful and valulable tool that has opened up a world of information to all people. It allows both young and old to research any topic with just a few clicks on the keyboard, and up pop numerous sites to research. In the past, prior to the introduction of the internet, our only option was to go the library and find books, often many years old, to research a topic, or find an encyclopedia, often too many years out of date, to find information about any given topic. Now, however with amazing speed whatever we want to know can easily be assessed. Teacher's can assign their students a topic, and along with library books and resources, students can research and gather information on the internet. However, along with this powerful tool, comes great dangers. All parties involved, parents, students, and teachers need to aware of these dangers. The Acceptable Use Policy covered in the first article, speaks about the schools responsiblity to children and parents to make sure they are informed of how to appropriately and safely use the internet. As well as the boudaries associated using the internet at school. Parents and students often need to sign an agreement stating that they are informed of the correct and proper way to use the internet at school, in addition to the disciplinary actions if it discovered that it has been used inappropriately. Many schools have students complete a class on computer responsiblity prior to be allowed to use school computers.This is a very good idea. Boundaries should be established first, so it is clear what the expectations are in regards to using school computers. Schools can limit students to strictly researching and using the internet for educational purposes. Students should be aware of the dangers the internet possess, and to report any sites or contact that is unacceptable. Computers can be safe if used carefully and respectfully. The second article addressed specifically safety on the internet. It is a guide directed at parents to help them to be aware of how to make the computer a safer tool. It informs parents that the internet is a useful tool, but it also comes with dangers to their child such as, cyberbullying, online predator, and the exploitation of children. Being aware of these dangers helps parents to install filters and monitors to help protect their child. These measures are not full proof, but they do help in protecting unwanted solitations. As with anything, education and research is key. To be aware of the dangers and how to protect your child is of the upmost concern. Teachers need to be fully aware of all the dangers as well, since they are overseeing their students activities for 6 hours each school day. Teachers need to have clear classroom manangment procedures strictly in place since the first day of school, and enforce any violiations of these procedures.

6/22/11

by debrailene4

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Our changing schools wk 2

The three articles we were required to read this week were definately food for thought. The first article stated that kids today have only accumulated 5,000 hours of reading in their entire lives, whereas they have spent over 10,000 hours playing video games and a staggering 20,000 hours watching television. I remember as a child we were never in the house. From the time we woke up to the time our mom's called us in at dusk, we were outside playing hide and go seek, freeze tag or kick ball. Television was not something that was watched in great amounts of time, possibly an hour or so before heading off to bed.

I did not even own a cell phone until a number of years ago. I remember I was at the movie theater one night and I wanted to check on my children at home. I told my friend that I was going to go find a pay phone, she said that she had a cell phone that I could use. I remember standing in the lobby of the movie theater speaking on this cell phone, feeling strange, this just wasn't the place to make a phone call. Now, it is not uncommon for kindergarteners to have cells phones. They are able to text, instant message, in addition to using all sorts of technology way beyond what I and others are capable of doing.

The first article spoke about Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives. Digital Immigrants would include the older and non-tech savy persons, and the Digital Natives include the younger generation that have a firm grasp on technology. One thing that made me ponder is where the article stated that Legacy learning inlcudes the writing, arthimetic, logical thinking and most traditional curriculum, whereas Future learning is mainly the digital and technological subjects, in addition to ethics, politics and languages. This second learning the article stated is more interesting to students and should be where most of the learning should take place. But I question, should we focus more on these aspects more than the traditional. Haven't we seen that by encouraging everyone to focus on the technology that we have had an influx of to many people entering the computer fields, and overlooking other fields. I think that all subjects should be given equal attention. Mathemetics is equally important as politics, or logical thinking is as important as learning the importance of ethics. I agree that the world is changing, and education should change as well, but I feel it all comes down to the presentation of the topic, more than it is the subject itself. If presented properly, students will be engaged. I am proof of that. I do not care much for psychology, however, I had a few amazing teachers, that despite my personal opionions on the subject, have throughly engaged me in the subject, and I completely enjoyed the class.

One thing I did like from the article on Digtal Kids, was it was not so important that students memorize answers, but have been equipped to find and even invent answers. Also, that it is less important what students are learning as it is how they are learning. I agree with these two statement so completely. I have never thought just memorizing something to pass a test shows any intelligence or understanding of a topic, but to have the ability to find the answers is where the true intelligence lies. The presentation of how students are taught is the key to their success. Teachers need to rethink how they teach. They need to think outside the box, and be bold enough to change. As the article states, speak the language their students are speaking.

Lastly, some thoughts the last article gave for teachers to think about is definately something to ponder. It asks teachers to ask themselves if the technology they are currently using helps to deepen the content of the curriculum they are using. So essentially, is the technology they are using helping students to grasp, remember and gain better understand of the subjects being taught. Also, how often and when should computers be used, and when shouldn't they. This is a good question, computers should be balanced. The last thing kids need to do is spend their school day on a computer, then go home and spend hours playing video games on a computer. However, it is proven that computers engage students and do help them learn better. It is again, a delicate balance of how much and when.

It is a new world for teachers, and for those of us getting into this game later in life, and in addition are technology challenged, educating ourselves on how to teach this techology savy generation is a must.