Things that bring me joy!

Cyber Bullying: Definition and Help

Cyber bullying Defined: A form of internet use in which one party seeks to prey upon another party; The use of internet to put-down, minipulate, tease, or belittle another person; being cruel or overbearing to another through the use of texting, internet, and the like; the act of computer hacking or misusing the information given by another.

Cyber bullying is a growing problem in our world. Here are some helpful sites to battle it:




http://www.isafe.org/imgs/pdf/education/CyberBullying.pdf

http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying

Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNumIY9D7uY

http://www.cyberbullying.us/

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is a very important part of a successful educational system. I believe it is important to live with integrity and this is something I will teach my students. I will teach this to my students through, first, helping them understand my boundries for my classroom and enforcing those boundries regarding academic dishonesty. I will teach my students that academic honesty is a value for life. Honesty in their education will carry over to future jobs and families. Living with integrity may not be the easiest road to take, but it is definately the most rewarding. I believe that students need to learn life lessons in the school setting. There is no better place to learn them. I will seek to equip my students to be honest, loyal, and truthful citizens as well as students.

Digital Citizenship for Teachers

Digital citizenship for teachers is quite a bit different than that of students. A teacher should be knowledgable and wise about technology for many purposes that students do not have to worry about. Here are a few of those reasons: (1)they need to have boundries for social networking; (2)they need to be knowledgable enough to catch students misusing it; (3) and they need to be knowledgable in order that they might plan for and accomodate students needs. Expanding on the reasons above, (1) boundries are extremely important for teachers on social networking sites because those sites are not private. Your employers, students, and the public in general can all see what you are saying. Time and time again teachers have been fired for what they say on their facebook. These sites are not as private as we may think! Be cautious and wise. (2)Students often misuse technology. Because we live in a technology dependent world we often will find that students are overusing, misusing, or even abusing technology. We need to be able to catch these acts and teach them to think for themselves and to not be dependent on technology to think for them. (3)Planning and accomodating for students is a huge part of education. Technology is an amazing tool for teachers while trying to teach in a school where inclusion is valued. Students may often need help from technology and through a knowledge of it teachers will be able to assist and provide ways in which it can be helpful. Students with disabilities have often benefitted from the use of technology as well as those who do not have disabilities. Technology is a wonderful tool for teachers. Through knowing it, we will be equipped to use it properly.

Philosophy of Education

My philosophy of education is as follows:
I believe that our minds are a gift from God. This being said I believe that we should use them for the purposes God intended. Education is just one way we can use our minds to glorify God and give back to Him through using His gift to us. Education allows us to become better individuals through broadening our minds and looking outside only what we see and experience and looking to what others see and experience. This is an awesome tool for growth!
Also, education is an area which is beneficial to all. Not only do we grow from a good education but, also, others can grow through our participation in bettering the world. Our minds are powerful things. When we use them to our full potential there is no doubt we will change the world for good. In my future classroom, I want to instill in each student a realization of their minds potential and the things that they can do with a good education. I want to teach my students to have a love for learning and a good work ethic to match.

Digital Citizenship for Students

Our world screams for us to use technology. We use technology to communicate, research, teach, learn, the list goes on. Everything we do seems to be becoming more and more reliant on technology. Digital citizenship means that a person knows how to use technology and is efficient in the skills required to use it appropriately. Digital citizens are self-feeders when it comes to the world of technology. They are not affraid to use it and have succes in doind so. Students benefit from this skill in many ways. Technology is a tool that can enhance learning. It is important to teach digital citizenship concepts because we are members of this world and certain responsibilities come with that title. If our students do not have digital citizenship they will not be able to reach their full potential in partnering with future employers, in college, or in furthering knowledge.

http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Resources.html

Checking for Site Validity

Educational information needs to be accurate. When using sites as references it is crucial that you make sure they are valid- are accurate and have up-to-date information. Legitimacy is something that is not always easy to find on internet websites. This age of technological advancement makes it possible to find anything online. What is legitamate though? I could post something about biochemistry without having enough knowledge to even know what it all entails. Why should you believe me? This has happened to me several times. I read how this remedy for colds works amazingly on one site and then on the next how this particular remedy is detrimental to my health. What do i believe? This is why it is a good idea to check for validity.

Here is a site that will hopefully help you in determining whether a site is valid or not.

http://www.solonschools.org/students/ValidityTest/Website_Validity%20_Test.pdf

Fair Use and Copyright

Fair use and copyright are very important things for teachers to be aware of. Not only will they affect how you use materials but they will affect what happens if you misuse them. For many, these laws seem unimportant. Would someone create something without giving us permission to use it? In fact, authors do want us to use their work, but we must use it within the boundries of respect and integrity. We cannot claim credit or money for others' work, we cannot steal materials, we cannot diminish the value of others' work. These standards should be especially evident for those who call themselves Christ followers. We are commanded to respect those who are in authority over us. this means following fair use and copyright laws. God is our witness and we should live lives of righteousness and integrity know that our actions reflect our Savior.

I want to be a teacher because...

HELLO!!! If you are reading this blog you are obviously a blog genious. Not being a blog genious myself, I would probably have no idea where to find this blog! Yes, this is my first blog, ever. To start, I suppose that I should tell you a little bit about myself. I am a girl who is working her way through college to become an elementary teacher. I want to be a teacher because I love kids and feel that I am energetic enough to keep up with children and feel that their energy should be used for good, specifically for the good that education brings. Also, I want to be a teacher because I love learning! I want to instill in my future classroom that learning is not just something that we do at school, rather it is a life long practice that will affect our success in many aspects of life. I want to equip my students to face the challenges of life while being confident, determined, resourceful, and positive. Educational content is definately important but the reality is that head smarts will only take you so far. It takes wisdom to take learned knowledge and apply it. I want to equip my students to do just this.