Computer Lab Favorites

I just got finished sampling the Computer Lab Favorites site that Professor Luongo posted on her blog, and I was really impressed with it. I feel like it could be a really great tool to apply to the classroom. I found it particularly great how well the web site was organized. You can organize the wheel by subject as well as by grade level. The site is bright and eye-catching to young children, and it seems like a program that students can learn a lot front while also being entertained.

It is extremely important, especially with the younger grades, to supply students with activities that are going to keep their attention, and they are going to enjoy. I believe that a student would get much more out of a program like this than they would a simple pencil and paper worksheet.

I also thought it was great that you could randomize the lesson that the students were to complete. This is a great way to assign problems to different groups or even to different group members. In general, this site really impressed me, and it is something that if used correctly can be a vital tool to learning in the classroom.

Teachers' Myspace Article

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4791295

I thought that this article was very interesting and relevant to education today. With information being as available as you want it to be on the internet there if very little privacy anymore. Teachers need to be extremely careful with they way in which the depict themselves online.
I thought that it was interesting that in this particular case the woman was denied her credentials by the university she was attending. When I had seem on another student's post that the teacher had been denied a job because of a photo online I had assumed that it was a school that she was applying to for a job that had rejected her. Is it for the university awarding the credentials to decide that because of these photos that this person is unfit to teach anyway? I guess in this case it is. I am curious though to know if the university had awarded her the credentials if the picture would have resurfaced when the woman began applying for specific jobs.
Overall this was a "eye opening" article that shows that aspiring teachers need to be very consciencious of the way that they are representing themselves on the internet.

Internet Safety Videos

I thought that both Internet Safety Videos had value in their own way. The first video was more of an informational video about why internet safety is important and what to do in order to ensure interent safety. In the beginning, the video seemed to be more for teachers and parents to get an understanding of why internet safety is such a concern today. At the end it provides some information for children on what to do if they are being harassed on the internet.
Although the first video provides some information regarding internet safety, I believe that the second video is a more powerful tool in understanding the dangers the internet can present. The second video shows instead of tells the audience exactly how easy it may be for a predator to trick a child into releasing information such as their address and when their parents are typically home. Overall, I felt like the first video provided some good information, but the second video is a much more effective tool in alerting parents, teachers, and children to the dangers of internet.

NJCCCS

I found the NJCCCS website to be extremely informative and insightful. It also made me happy to see that these guidelines and standards have been set for all to see (administrators, teachers, students, parents, etc.). I believe that it is equally important for students to be efficient in computers and technology as it its for them to be efficient in math, reading, and writing. The world that these students are growing up in is one dominated by technological advances such as computers and cell phones. It is the responsibility of the school systems to ensure that students are adequate in the basic features of technology especially with regards to the computer. It is a great thing to see so much attention being paid to technology in the classroom.

When I find myself in the classroom I will be sure to incorporate as much technology as I can. I believe it works in two positive ways. For one, it is speaking in a language that many of the students can easily understand. These students have been brought up in a time dominated by technology, and that is what they have learned. The other positive thing is that technology in the classroom can further the students knowledge of things like computers. Overall, the NJCCCS website was informative, and it is extremely encouraging to see this kind of attention being paid to technology in the classroom.

http://www.nj.gov/education/cccs/s8_tech.pdf

First Blog - Introduction

Hi, my name is John Lucas, and I am currently employed in the social services industry as a youth worker in a group home. I am in the process of making the switch over from social services to education, and this will be my first class on the road to certification in secondary education social studies. I hope to be completed with the program by Fall of 2009. I have a general background in technology, and I am excited to learn more from this class. I am also looking forward to my first class in the hybrid format. My Saint Peter's College email address is jlucas@spc.edu. I look forward to working with everyone.