Blog #3

Copyright and Fair Use are very important concepts in society and in schoolwork. Copyright is the legal right one has to the work they've created. It ensures their work can't be stolen or reproduced in a way that they have no approved. However, some works can be used in certain ways without approval, through the concept of fair use. As long as one only uses a portion of the work, if the work is not fiction and is based in fact, it isn't just being reproduced but is changed so the product is different, and the new product does not negatively affect the original creator, the work can be used under the premise of free use. This can be used in circumstances such as a parody, academic works, when commenting on/critiquing something, or when reporting on something. In my classroom, I would use the website Turn It In, which screens submitted assignments for plagiarism. Before asking students to submit to this platform, we would spend time discussing copyright and free use, as well as the ethical side of using someone else's work.

Two technology implementation issues that are important to me are decreased productivity and cyberbullying. When tasks are easy to complete and incorporate technology it can be easier to procrastinate the assignment or to not do it altogether. If an assignment is not physically present on the desk in front of them it slips out of mind, it's a problem I struggle with myself. To solve this I would set aside class time to go over and complete online assignments while in the classroom. I would also make use of the app Remind, and send out reminders about the online assignments so students are better able to stay productive and parents are aware of what their student needs to be keeping up with. The issue of cyberbullying is harder to tackle. While I couldn't begin to take on the task of monitoring all of my students online interactions with one another due to social media, I would do everything I could to make our online assignments a safe space. I would be active on any platform where they interact with one another to make sure harmful things weren't being said. At the beginning of the year when we start to use said platform, we would have a discussion about respecting others in person and online, and I would make them aware that there would be consequences for not following those rules.

Through the newsletter assignment I learned many things about Microsoft Word. The thing I learned most about was how to align and position the pictures and graphics I wanted to include. It was very irritating when they would not move where I wanted, or even move at all. It took some time to figure out and a lot of fiddling with different settings, but I have a much better grasp on it now. It was so fun picking a theme and getting to be creative with it, and I'm glad I know that I am able to create something like that without a template.