Blog post #3 ethical issues related to using internet in the classroom

The issues that pose for teaching and learning using the internet in the classroom are vast. However these issues are those that can be avoided by taking the steps necessary. With the ethical issues we see in our media today dealing with the use of free content on the internet verse using licensed material that is also found on the internet or publishing material you may publish on the internet yourself can be difficult as an educator. For using content found on the internet is where you run into issues you see in the news like the one dealing with the story and tragic death of Aaron Swartz. The challenges we face as educators is making sure students understand who is the publisher of the material we are using and how students use it in the classroom and in their work. To make sure we dont have the issues of plagiarism and/or the issue of a student or teacher using the material and claiming it as their own. Creative commons explains how we are a sharing culture and that only recently we have put restrictions on sharing on the web and Creative commons explains how they give the ability of their work to be used in many ways but the author gives you the permission of what can be done and how it can be used outside of their own uses. So it allows for people to extend their own identity and create the ability for others to make their work better. I personally believe this is how all content in education and on the internet should be used on the internet because it allows for the author to put the restrictions they want on their work. As a teacher it gives the freedom for students and teachers alike to grow and build on their own work or others without having such legal issues as we saw in the Aaron Swartz saga which lead to something we want for no human being. With E-Books they are changing the hemisphere of academia of books. E-Books answer all the questions I had issues with while i was in school like size and weight of text as well as the availability to students and teachers at any time. But the issues with E-Books are still looming dealing with the availability of text to electronic media. It restricts the material students can get outside of the classroom. "Publishers have at last begun to uncouple print and electronic sales of textbooks, making it easier to choose one or the other as desired. In some parts of the world, DRM restrictions still impede the adoption of electronic textbooks; titles that are released in one country may be unobtainable in another, or available only on certain platforms. Until electronic textbooks are divorced from reader-dependent formats, broad adoption will continue to be problematic for universities." (2011 horizon report) With this dilemna We have the issue of using these because it does not allow for the availability at certain levels and in certain countries. So for this being the future of education it leaves the dilemma for teachers and professors alike of whether this is important for their classes. In closing my only issue with anything electronic is the issue with social media and the ability of students to communicate between each other so by allowing the use of smartphones, Ipads and other smart devices. That is my only dilemma in using material that is available to the internet. So as an educator it can be frustrating to know the availability to information when using such devices.

In the clouds

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/35592/lakers-found-the-formula-can-they-repeat-it

Being an avid sports blogger I chose to go with something other then education due to my Lakers struggling this year.

IN THE CLOUDS

This weeks lesson was the first time I have ever been introduced to the concept of cloud computing. As cloud computing becomes more popular you start to see its impact in education. It does make the transfer of data easy also it allows you to store large amounts of data. Diigo is a neat cloud computing website however it is already not my favorite. (only cloud computing site I have ever used.) Not a fan of having to add another toolbar to the browser.

Going through the applications on the cloud website a couple of them stuck out for uses I feel I would find beneficial to my educational experience. http://en.educaplay.com was one of the first sites that interested me as a cloud based website. It is an interactive multimedia website that allows for teachers to create activities so that the students can interact with each other using the different activities. This is a site where teachers can collaborate together to find ways to use these activities on a distance learning website such as blackboard and Epsilen used at UT. So this is for the use of our educators to collaborate together to find the best interactive ways to educate students which I think is great for education.

 As you go through the different sites you find those that interest and some that are just kind of have a boring presentation. The second one site I found is http://edufire.com It a cloud based learning community that allows you to take your classes so that it can fit your busy schedule. You register for class as if you were a regular student but class is facilitated by a video conference by a teacher that is assigned to that subject. On the website our the lessons and assignments for use to get done at your pace and turn in all on one site. The site has multiple languages as well as multiple subject matters and information regarding these subjects by students who have used this cloud computing source before.I think with secondary education this is the way education is heading in this direction.

The last site I found http://www.thinkbinder.com/ AS a another tool for students to collaborate in a online setting. It is a real time study group that allows for students to complete assignments together outside of a classroom setting. It has all the features to facilitate a study group it has all the capabilities needed to chat and finish classroom work but online. We were required to follow a group on Diigo so I chose to follow Edtechtalk group. As I have only recently began to learn about cloud computing and other internet ventures I have began to see that this group can help with the learning of the tips and tricks of the internet. From this group I feel i can grow my knowledge on education and how technology is continuing and growing in the school environment.It is going to be interesting to see throughout the semester to see the ideas and concepts that people are implementing in a education setting.

As i continue to read about cloud computing since it is new to me I find that it is unlimited to the amount of server space that we can use. It is a great resource for different type of learning environment. I believe this is the evolution of education. Cloud computing is the future of education it is something we as educators need to start in cooperating because it will be the future of education.