Blogging

Blogging is an interactive way to see what other peers are thinking about certain topics. It is a way for a class to communicate without verbal participation. In my opinion blogging sometimes offers freedom because some people will write things that they will not say in class. It is interesting to comment on what others blog. Blogging is also great for those who do not like to participate in front of other peers.

Kidspiration

Kidspiration is a unique software program that allows students to create web outlines that will assist them in the writing process. In my experience working with special education students kidspiration was a lot of help because when they create the web with the information the program will then create an outline for them that will further assist them as they begin the writing process. All students can benefit from this software because it is educational and appealing to students. The program is colorful and innovative. I found that the one problem at one school where I was working at was that some of the teachers did not know how to use all the wonderful features the software has to offer. I recommend that kidspiration be used in all classrooms because it can be used as a way to enhance writing skills and will get the students in the habit of pre writing.

WebQuests

As I began to create my own Web Quest with the 30 day free trial subscription from Quest Garden I found it quite interesting. Initially I thought a Web Quest was similar to a virtual tour but as I got more involved in the process I realized that it was much more informative. My experience with creating my own Web Quest was like no other. I thought the most important part was the checkpoints at the end of each section because it gave you an opportunity to go back and make corrections. Also, the "save" feature on quest garden is very helpful because the work can be completed at different times instead of all at once. Quest garden is educational and fun to use to create lessons that will captivate learners. The best thing about quest garden is that a web quest can be created for all grade levels on various subjects.

Internet Safety

Internet safety is an issue that raises many concerns for parents. The Internet can be a wonderful resource for kids. They can use it to research for school reports, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive learning games such as Fun Brain. Children who are old enough to punch in a few letters on the keyboard can literally access the world. It is important for parents to be aware of what children are typing in different search engines because a mispelled word can lead to unwanted or adult sites that are not meant to be seen by children. It is very important for parents to be aware of what their kids see and hear on the Internet, who they meet, and what they share about themselves online. Similar to any safety issue, it is smart to talk with your kids about your concerns, take advantage of resources to protect them, and keep a close eye on their activities.

On the other hand, there is a federal law, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), was created to help protect all children when they are online. It's main feature is to keep anyone from obtaining a child's personal information without a parent knowing about it and agreeing to it first.COPPA requires websites to explain their privacy policies on the site as well as obtain parental permission before retrieving or using a child's personal information. For example, a child's name, address, phone number, or Social Security number. The law also prohibits a site from requiring a child to provide more personal information than necessary to either play a game or participate in any type of contest.

Furthermore, on a popular TV show. Dateline NBC, many online predators are caught through online chatting. This show proves that there are many children who are in fact abducted by these online predators. The independent agent workers who work with the police to catch these online predators first chat online and then agree to meet the predators at a secret location where the predators are caught and arrested. These agents pose as under age children. It is amazing to see how many predators there are nationwide that are actually willing to meet with an underage child to do unthinkable acts.

NJCCCS for technology

The NJCCCS for technology mainly focus on the appropriate use of technology. It also focuses on positive, informational, and interactive ways to use technology to facilitate learning or enhance a particular skill/ability. Across the technology curriculum, technology rests upon the idea of using appropriate design solutions, the use of appropriate critical thinking methods, and creating a technological product or system using given design specifications.

The NJCCCS for technology offers all grade levels beginning with kindergarten the opportunity to excel in the technology field with programs that will also facilitate learning. Technology is a crucial part of all school systems beginning with simple features such as switiching from manual attendance taking to online attendance taking. For example, some school districts are beginning to use an online system called Power School that teachers can take attendance, record grades, and look up student information. The NJCCCS in technology helps students build upon gained knowledge in a technological aspect.

What is Educational technology & why we study it

Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.Educational Technology includes, but is not limited to, software, hardware, as well as Internet applications and activities. I feel educational technology is essential in the ongoing ever changing world; mastery of this will greatly strengthen a teachers ability to be more technologically advanced. These advancements can help save time, paper work, effort, and help both teachers and students advance far into the 21st century.

We study educational technology because it helps facilitate a large amount of the learning population such as special education students. Also, technology is effective in assisting students with disabilities. Therefore, we would study assistive technology in an effort to help individuals with disabilities have an opportunity to learn. We also study educational technology in effort to educate ourselves in order to educate students in the technological advancements that technology has to offer.