Thursday, May 9, 2013

Internet security/Ethics

A very scarey topic to anyone with children/students or even someone with any information on the web. How do we keep our children/students safe, how do we keep our personal information safe, can we really do any of it? What are our schools doing to ensure our children are not exposed to unwanted things online? What do we need to know.

Unfortunately where there is a will there is a way, this seems especially true with the computer age. Most school district put up many measures to ensure their students are not exposed to unwanted information/pictures when they are on the world wide web. Most school districts have many firewalls up to ensure that their students vital information is not hacked or accessed by unwanted sources. Most schools ask that teachers/students and staff never open a suspicious email to make sure they do not get a virus and the information become compromised.

Backup, most schools ask that staff back up their information to ensure that vital data is not lost or stolen. In the previous school I worked in they asked that if we received something we were not sure about not to open it and call the tech person to view it first. Schools also usually have their own system that back up information and the new wave is to do this online.

Copyright laws are also important to be aware of, the next time you go make a photo copy of a book make sure you check out whether it is copy righted. Many schools will purchase "programs" that allow the schools to make as many copies as needed. Make sure you teach students to honor this law, the best way is to led by example.
As many of you know I am currently back in school trying to get my elementary education degree and with the every changing climate in education technology is even more important than ever...my question is how do you know that the technology you are using is worth using?
I am going to try to answer...
  • You need to ask yourself, does this have worth? 
  • Does it fit into the curriculum? 
  • Is it appropriate for my students? 
  • Would the school district approve? 
  • Does it meet the standards that I am working on? 
  • Does it come from a reputable source? 
  • Can I find evaluations on it?
 If you are able to answer these question than most likely it would be OK. 

How do you know the software you have on your computer is OK? for the most part teachers are given a work computer, if it is on that computer it is very likely that it has been loaded by the technology department in your school district and would be acceptable. If you do not have a tech department than it is up to you to evaluate it's worthiness. 

There are also a number of web site evaluation rubrics that can assist you in determining whether a website is appropriate for your students. 

The other point you need to keep in mind is whether integrating the technology is doing any good. Keep a journal on the engagement of your students when using the technology and when you do not include it so that you can compare.
What is your favorite new technology out there? Can it help in a school setting? There are so many things that can assist a student and teacher in the classroom...it amazes me!

I came across this in my tech apps class and thought it was perfect and something I would like to share with you all
in all areas of the curriculum, teachers must teach an information-based inquiry process to meet the demands of the information age. This is the challenge for the world’s most important profession. Meeting this challenge will be impossible unless educators are willing to join the revolution and embrace the new technology tools available.” Bill Gates

Resources

It amazes me how many different educational resources there are out there...I was wondering if any of you had any you would like to share?