I must admit I am not totally sold on the idea of blogging. I see beneficial ways that blogging can be helpful. For example blogging can be a way for teachers to help students find their creative voice. Blogging can also be an effective way to reach “digital natives” who are use to using the computers to do all of their communicating. However just as I talked about in the last post students  usually don’t use these tools as they were meant to be, and although I know that blogging can be a way to actually show students responsible use I am hesitant to introduce something new that may end up doing more harm than good for them.

Social networking is the new craze for many of the students we teach. Even though if you use the term social networking to them they probably will look at you with a look of confusion. I like the term social networking because it describes exactly what sites like myspace and facebook are really for. Unfortunately teens are using sites like these as a way to share intimate details about temselves that should not always  be shared. I think it is highly important that we emphasize to students that they need to be careful of the pictures and details that they post on line. Especially when it comes to illegal activities.  I can’t even count the amount of stories that have evolved about cases where myspace and you tube have been used to show off things that people (in my opinion) should not be proud of. In fact as we have seen in the news lately it can also be a motivation behind things they do. For example taping yourself beating up a girl to post it on you tube or my space like the recent case out of Florida. We have talked in class about the way we as educators handle this issue. For the most part schools have banned the use of most of these sites. I think that we should re-evaluate our approach to sites and talk with our students about why we have sites like those in the first place.

The title reflects my thought for the day regarding technology. I feel so empowered the more I learn in this technology class. Being informed makes me feel so secure. It raises my self-esteem because I feel that I am an asset to my school with this knowledge. The more I learn the more I can share with students and faculty and even friends and family in my personal life.

It amazes me that I would purchase a product and never know the value it has. For so long I have had my computer and Microsoft office and have looked over the many ways it can be utilized. I never realized the things that I was capable of doing with Word. Now that I know I will be able to maximize my value of this product.

There are so many programs available for teachers to use to get there students prepared for a world that is technology filled. Sadly many students in our country can barely afford books for every student. The idea for a laptop for every student is a wonderful program to help people overseas but I can’t help but wonder about the the children here in our own country, who can benefiit from having a laptop in their home as well. I know that this is an ongoing debate and many people have different view points on it. When Oprah Winfrey opened her school in South Africa the same issues were debated. Regardless of where you stand on the issue we can’t deny that even with technology many children in this country will not be able to compete in a global marketplace.