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This video can be used in health class for 6th grade students. It goes along with a lesson using content standards 1.5.M the importance of being empathetic to individual differences, including people with disabilities and chronic diseases. as well as standard 8.2.S Promote a bully-free school and community environment.

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Facebook in the classroom?

The idea of using Facebook in the classroom does not directly relate to the age group that I will be working with. However, when I think about it in terms of middle school/high school I think that there are both positives and negatives. Facebook can be a good tool to use in the classroom because, let’s be honest, most kids are on it. So my thought process is, if they are already on it, why not let them use it for educational purposes rather than just social networking. Kids like using technology in the classroom, especially if they know how to work it; therefore I think it would have a lot of positive feedback from the students. I believe that using Facebook in the classroom has the potential to be a highly effective tool, especially for group collaboration. It is great ways for students to post questions and have other students give answers to them as well as just having an open discussion regarding certain topics in class. I have had many classes where I had to be part of an online discussion and often I would be annoyed because I had to figure out how to work another website. By having the students use something that they already know how to work, it takes out the frustration. Despite its positives there are obviously negatives to using this social networking site in the classroom. First, there are parents that do not want their students using sites such as Facebook for safety issues. Social networking sites are scary when used by younger students because they could be communicating with people that they don’t know or they could be bullying/being bullied. Personally, I know a few parents that will not allow their child to have a site such as Facebook. Also, I think that by letting students use Facebook in the classroom that they are more likely than not going to check their own page, comment on others, etc. rather than stay on task. Often when you give students an inch they go a mile, therefore it would be almost opening up a can of worms by allowing the use of Facebook in the classroom. Teachers can also get into trouble with getting involved with their students on Facebook. I think it is not professional for teachers to be friends with their students; however, there are teachers out there that just don’t care. This usually sends out a bad vibe to the parents as well as places their own job at risk. When considering the community, I mainly think back to the parents and I think that if there is a lot of negativity regarding the use of Facebook in education from the parents that it will cause a lot of negative feelings not only towards the teacher but also the school. Personally, I think that even though there are positives towards using this in the classroom, overall I think it is a bad idea to have Facebook used in education, at least for middle/high school aged students. It just seems like an idea that is asking for parents to complain and be angry about. Despite the fact that it could be effective in terms of education, I think the negatives outweigh the benefits. There are different ways to incorporate technology into the classroom such as having a class website that allows for online discussion that isn’t linked to Facebook. Overall, I think that technology is a valuable tool to incorporate into curriculum but obviously the right type of technology is important.

ITSE Standards Reflection

Content standards always make me laugh, just a little bit. Throughout my undergrad I frequently visited the California Content Standards website and I would find myself completely enthralled by all of the standards that are to be completed in the classroom. In particular, I was always surprised by the fine arts standards because I often would reflect on the fact that fine arts are typically non existent in many school districts simply due to funding. What ever happened to helping students become well rounded individuals? I guess fine arts just don't make the cut for being important. I guess I the only reason I am so bothered by this is simply because that is my forte and it makes me so angry to see it being cut out of schools. But just like technology in the classroom, without funding it is nearly impossible to provide the students with what they need in terms of those particular subjects. After reading through the technology standards I felt a bit relieved because part of me thought that they were going to be ridiculous, however, they are all very practical. The one that I enjoyed the most dealt with was the teachers role to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. Creativity is so important in the life of a child and I think that it is great to see that being brought into collaboration with technology. As technology becomes more prevalent in our society I believe that it is important for students to have some knowledge on the the subject matter. What I find so great about bringing creativity and technology together is that it allows the students to use systems such as computers in ways that are tapping into their creativity. Another part of the standards that I liked was the fact that it basically is pushing teachers to incorporate contemporary tools in the classroom. I think that the more that teachers use technology in the classroom the more positive experience it is for the children. With so much technology there is not reason to use simply a whiteboard in the class. By incorporating temporary tools it makes the learning process more fun. These standards are not asking teachers to be computer scientists, rather knowledgeable to some degree in technology.

Essential Conditions

After reading through the list there were a few points that stood at to me. It is so very true that in order to have a functional technology program within the school that there is consistent and adequate funding. Without anything consistent, it makes it hard to plan long term curriculum. Also, without funding there would be no way of supplying computers, etc. or employing technology people. Skilled Personnel is also very important because not all teachers are equipped with knowledge of technology making it hard for the program to run smoothly. Along those lines there need to be empowered leaders that run the technology program and make it a priority, not an option. With technology becoming so relevant in our society, we need to train and equip children to be knowledgeable in the realm of technology.

class is overrated

I am hoping to get out of class in the next 30 minutes. Fingers are crossed.
xoxo lauren