Week 7- Facebook Is Going To Start Tracking You Even More Closely

I recently posted about a blog I found on the Read/Write feed entitiled, "Facebook Can Now Spy On You Surroundings Via Your Phone's Microphone" written by Selena  Larson. The article discussed a new Facebook feature where they can now automatically identify TV shows and music you are listening to in the background when updating your Facebook news feed status.Well I am back to discuss another way Facebook will be catching your personal information!

A blog posted 4 days ago entitled, "Facebook Is Going To Start Tracking You Even More Closely," again posted by Selena Larson shows that Facebook is at it again. According to Larson, "the company will now be tracking your browsing and activity on third-party sites and applications to serve you up even more personalized ads." Users will receive a notification as seen below. Facebook has always produced ads based on the pages you like or share, but now they will actually produce advertisements based on websites you visited. Can we say another invasion of privacy?

If you are not interested in Facebook being able to track the websites you visited, there is a there are do-not-track settings available on iOS and Android devices. However, Facebook does not honor the do-not-track settings that you can place on your web browsers. "According to a Facebook spokesman, the company doesn’t honor do-not-track requests from browsers because there is no set industry standard" (Larson, 2014).

Larson,S (2014, June 12) Facebook Is Going To Start Tracking You Even More Closely. ReadWrite. Retrieved June 16, 2014 from http://readwrite.com/2014/06/12/facebook-tracking-websites-ads#awesm=~oHlY1C99a95zwf

Week 6- In the Classroom: Helping Children Speak about Death and Loss

Any individual dealing with the loss of a loved one whether it be a parent, sibling, grandparent or pet is extremely difficult. However, there is just something more difficult about seeing children experiencing the emotional pain attached to death. All teachers, at some point in their career, have to deal with students who experience a loss. The blog written by Maurice Elias entitled, In the Classroom: Helping Children Speak about Death and Loss points out that "we live in a culture that does not always encourage or support expressions of loss and, frankly, expects people "to get over" grief fairly quickly. So educators may well have their own issues with personal losses. And they may also feel that are not capable of handling the raw emotions that might emerge if a door is opened to emotional expression" (Elias, 2014). I have to say I was a little taken back by this statement because I feel most teachers would not be teachers if they were not caring, compassionate, supportive and understanding. I felt this blog gave teachers little credit for the constant support we offer students. Many times we are the only support system these children have and would do anything to help ease a child's pain and suffering. At the end of the day we have children's best interest at heart.

The blog did point out that "carrying around these strong feelings is not easy and can serve as a barrier to learning. It might also affect children's relationships with peers (and teachers) as they might be pensive, anxious, or angry. without it being obvious from what is happening around them"(Elias, 2014). I do agree with this statement and think that a teacher should always be prepared and have methods of dealing with death within the classroom. The article suggests allowing students to express themselves through a range of modalities and to include activities that can help honor and remember the loss of a loved one.Visual arts can include songwriting, painting, sculpting, or collages. This can be done individually or as a group. The blog suggests that this will allow students to process and express their emotions, but also listen to and support the feelings of their peers. All individuals deal with death differently, and bottom line is that way we help children deal with death is going to vary child to child. As teachers, we can be supportive and do what we feel is appropriate to have the best outcome for the child.

Elias, M. (2014, June 6). In the Classroom: Helping Children Speak about Death and Loss. Edutopia. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/helping-children-speak-about-death-loss-maurice-elias

Week 5- The End of the Year is Near: 4 Fun ways to Leave

Now that the school year is coming to an end, it is a great opportunity for teachers to reflect on their year. We often think about lessons that went really well, implementations that did not go so well and new things to focus on for the next school year. What better way to reflect on your teaching experiences than to hear from the students themselves. The blog entitled, "The End of the Year is Near: 4 Fun Ways to Leave" by Dr. Richard Curwin, offers clever activities for students to participate in at the end of the year that at the same time helped the teacher to "understand what students learned and how they felt now that the year was close to ending" (Curwin, 2014). I really enjoyed Curwin's ideas because they were quick, easy and informative at the same time.

One of the ideas presented was an end of the year interview with the students. First, divide the class into small groups and have the students think of 3 questions they want to ask the teacher about the past year. They could be questions such as, why do we have to do homework, what is the best part about teaching, how do you fairly grade my paper? Let the students come up with their own ideas. Then you, as the teacher, will come up with questions you would like to ask the students within each group and have them answer fairly. For example, were my tests fair, what was your favorite activity or project of the year, what is one thing I could have done better? Conduct this as an end of the year interview and give students the right to pass if needed. this is one great way to find out your effectiveness of assessments, materials, activities and so forth.

Another idea I really liked and would be fun, yet informative for the end of the year was having the students role play as the teacher. The blog suggests having students divide into small groups, providing each group with a scenarios, and having the students act out each scenario using your behaviors and mannerisms. You should then do the same. Example scenarios might include, teacher giving a lesson, teacher getting students to line up, teacher getting class to quiet down or on the other end, students giving excuses as to why homework was not complete, students asking silly questions or students taking a test. This should be humorous, yet not offensive, and yet gives teachers a glimpse into how students see their behaviors through their eyes.

Read the blog below for other ideas.

Curwin, R. (2014, May 28). The End of the Year is Near: 4 Fun Ways to Leave. Edutopia. Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/fun-ways-to-end-year-richard-curwin

Week 4- 7 things you should know about… Screencasting

A screencast is basically a recording of the actions on a user’s computer screen that can be accompanied by audio or callouts and then streamed over a network. “In the same way that a screenshot is a static representation of a computer over a period of time” (www.educause.edu/eli). Some examples of software include Adobe Captivate, Camtasia, Screencast-O-Matic .com and Capornicus. If you have not had the chance to download a free trial or use a website that offers free screencasting tools, you should! Screencasting is a great way to show users a quick “How to” or perhaps create an entire online lesson. As an educator of utilizing an electronic medical record, screencasting has proved time and time again to be an extremely powerful tool to help end users navigate through the applications.

The article “7 things you should know about…Screencasting” points out that screen casts are significant because they “provide students with lessons they can watch at their convenience, as often as they choose, to review class material or to help understand concepts they find difficult” (www.educause.edu/eli). Through this they are able to navigate at their own speed, rewind when needed and or catch up on material they may have missed. Screencasting works great for all kinds of learners whether you are visual or auditory and can even work be helpful for students with disabilities. The content is always consistent so you can ensure all students are learning the same information. As the article point out, “the technology offers a simple means of providing a fixed presentation, one that shows the same material in a consistent, reputable form”  (www.educause.edu/eli). Since screencastings are not interactive, it will be important that teachers thoroughly think through the assessment process. The competency or assessment expected of students must be meaningful and reflective of the material presented.

7 Things You Should Know About Blogs | EDUCAUSE.edu. (2014, January 1). Retrieved on May 28, 2014 from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-screencasting

Week 3-Facebook Can Now Spy On Your Surroundings Via Your Phone's Microphone

This week I poked around on the ReadWrite news feed on feedly and I stumbled upon the article "Facebook Can Now Spy On You Surroundings Via Your Phone's Microphone" written by Selena  Larson. I have to say I was so infuriated by this article and I think everyone should be aware what Facebook is doing. Recently a new Facebook feature was announced where they can automatically identify TV shows and music you are listening to in the background when updating your Facebook news feed status. "Any identified music you share will give your friends a 30-second song preview. Facebook will also post the exact season and episode of a show you're watching if you share it, although the social network also makes the oddball claim that such sharing will somehow allow you to “avoid any spoilers and join in conversations with your friends after you’ve caught up” (Larson, 2014).

Facebook claims that they will not store any sound in their data collections. Meaning they are not recording any conversations you may be having. I find that extremely hard to believe! They do admit that the capability is there but they are choosing not to do this. This is a complete violation of privacy. In my mind I would categorize this feature as spyware, just another way for the government to control society through social media. Unbelievable. Consider this article the next time you are using Facebook.

Larson, S. (2014, May 21). Facebook Can Now Spy On Your Surroundings Via Your Phone's Microphone. ReadWrite. Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://readwrite.com/2014/05/21/facebook-spying-mobile-microphone-music-tv#awesm=~oFbEeedB9Mp1n2

Week 3- 7 things you should know about… Flickr

Flickr is a photo sharing site that allows its users to upload and manage their photos on the web. Before reading the article “7 things you should know about…Flickr” and signing up for a free account, I had really never heard of the site. I have to say I will definitely consider using this for my personal use and can imagine how it can be utilized in a classroom setting. I spend most of my time taking pictures with my phone, like so many other people, then uploading them and saving the photos to my computer. Some of the features include the ability to share photos, comment on photos, assign tags, select copyright settings and create photo sets.

The article points out several benefits of using Flickr in the classroom. First, it gives students the opportunity to share their experiences and build relationships with other students through comments and feedback. Therefore, students form a sense of a community (www.educause.edu/eli). In addition, it houses images that would not be stored anywhere else, since they are owned by individuals. This means that “the range of visual resources for a specific topic is enormous” (www.educause.edu/eli). This provides students the opportunity to explore many interests. There are also a downsides to the use of Flickr in the classroom. For instance, comments are not controlled, therefore both positive and negative comments can be shared. Also, Flickr’s tags are subject spelling mistakes or incorrect tags since they are reliant on the users which may make it more difficult for students to search and find what they are looking for (www.educause.edu/eli).


The article thinks there is a bright future for Flickr and thinks that many of their features will expand by continuing to partner with other companies to create scrapbooks, calendars and so forth. It is also believed that the site may “put pressure on colleges and other universities to develop tools that are similarly attractive to students and faculty” (www.educause.edu/eli).

7 Things You Should Know About Flickr | EDUCAUSE.edu. (2014, January 1). . Retrieved May 24, 2014, from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-flickr.

Week 2- 7 things you should know about… Blogs

Today millions of people are using blogs to share their stories and passions with the world. “Estimates suggest as many as 50 million people are now blogging (www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-blogs,2014).” It seems that the use of blogs is a way to bring innovative uses of technology into the classroom. The great thing about blogs is that they are straight forward and easy to use. It gives students a voice and the power to be heard on the web to include “knowledge sharing, reflection, and debate, they often attract a large and dedicated readership” (www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-blogs,2014) It also serves as a collaboration tool within the classroom amongst peers. 

 

On the other hand, blogs can include a lot of fictional and biased information. This can be challenging when it comes to using blogs within the classroom. Students may often take the information as the source of truth, when in fact the information is completely inaccurate. It is also important to keep students respectful of the intellectual property. All information included within the blog must be properly cited. Teachers should always make sure that students have a clear understanding of the proper uses of copyright laws.

“Put into practice with an understanding of their benefits and limitations blogs are increasingly accepted, blogs are an increasingly accepted instructional technology tool” When incorporated effectively into the classroom, it can be seen as a new opportunity for student exploration.

7 Things You Should Know About Blogs | EDUCAUSE.edu. (2014, January 1). . Retrieved May 19, 2014, from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-blogs.

Week 2- 5 Tips for Avoiding Teacher Burnout

Teaching can often times be stressful between state testing, constant changes to curriculum, behavioral issues amongst students and perhaps worrying about those students who do not have love or role models they should at home. In order to prevent a teacher “burnout” it is important that they learn to deal with these internal and external stresses. The Edutopia blog entitled “5 Tips for Avoiding Teacher Burnout” written by Mary Beth Hertz discusses important factors that cause teacher burnouts and tips to prevent them.

First, it is important to maintain your “other” life. Sometimes we as teachers can get so wrapped up in being the best teacher we can be which may entail many hours of research, preparation, grading and sleepless nights. The blog suggests to spending “some time when you are not thinking about the classroom and stay connected to your support group of friends and family”

Another good point this blog discussed was nurturing peer connections. Many teachers feel isolated and alone when they are not given the opportunity to work with their colleagues. At times teachers are spread thin often to do other duties outside of the classroom. Administration should build time within the week for teachers to connect, understand what other teachers are experiencing, and share their ideas with one another. “Feeling part of a team, knowing what others are doing in their classrooms, and seeing how your work fits into the bigger picture is motivating, inspiring increases feeling of self-worth” (Hertz, M.B., 2014)

These are a couple of highlights from the blog “5 Tips for Avoiding Teacher Burnout”. Check it out!

Hertz, M. B. (May 15, 2014). 5 Tips for Avoiding Teacher Burnout. Edutopia. Retrieved May 18, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-tips-avoiding-teacher-burnout-mary-beth-hertz

Just getting started!

Welcome to my blog! Looking forward to the next 8 weeks of class.