Software Security

Nobody wants a virus on there computer.  The best way to prevent these things are to have a protection software on your computer.  There are many different types at different price depending on what all you want it to do.  Virus protection is a wonderful investment especially if you want to protect your files and important information.

Antivirus software works to prevent malicious code from attacking a computer by recognizing the attack before it begins when possible.  It is also designed to stop an attack in progress that could not be prevented, and to repair damage done by the attack.  antiviris is useful because it addresses security issues in cases where attacks have made it past a firewall.  New computer viruses are discovered daily, so antivirus software must always be continuously updated to be effective. 

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There is many benefits to online communication tools especailly email, which is great for communication purposes.  But with email, also come the risk of receiving a virus.  The three main viruses are: computer virus, computer worm and the Trojan horse.  Virus protection software can help identify these and work to remove them before they cause damage to your computer.  It is especially important to keep your virus protection updated and run it on a daily basis if possible.  When using email, a computer worm is especailly dangerous because it can send emails to stored contacts in the affected computer.  When someone recieves a email from you they will not know that it is a virus, when they open it, it will also affect their computer.  

In most computer labs there will always be virus protection and also firewalls which will prevent unauthorized users to access the computers.  Anytime that you access the Internet, there is always the potential for a hackers to illegally gain access to information.  Computer hackers steal passwords and use tools to gain access to important files.  This happens a lot of Facebook.  Hackers steal a facebook users password and then send virual messages to their friends which causes a big mess and makes a lot of people mad. 

To prevent viruses teachers must each students how to be safe on the Internet.  Students are more vulnerable when they are somewhere that they fell safe.  At school students are more likely to give out personal information and let there guard down.  The skills that students learn to be safe on the Internet at school will help them be safe when exploring the Internet in different enivornments.

Educational Software

The week we have learned about educational software and file management.  These are two important concepts to consider when you become a teacher.  Teachers have many choices when it come to software in the classroom to further student learning.  The seven types of softwares are: drill-and-practice, problem solving, creative/critical thinking, tutorials, simulations, image editing, and draw/paint.  One of the softwares that I will be using in my own classroom is simulation.

Simulation allows students to experience things that they would never be able to experience, whether it is past or future. One of the main simulations that I thought of when I read about this was Oregon Trail, which was also listed in the reading.  I remember playing this game when I was in elementary school and I loved it.  This game is all about helping with reading skills and problem solving. Using limited funds, players must equip their wagon with the necessities needed to survive on the trail at a fast pace.  If the player does not think ahead, eventually members on the wagon will die of thirst, hunger, fever, or other conditions.  I remember that I would always lose a wheel or something else off my wagon.  This game also allows you to go hunting, talk to Indians, and discover useful wilderness knowledge that the student would never get to do or know before have this. 

I will use this simulation in my classroom.  I feel that it gives students something fun, yet something educational to learn from.  There are many different ways to teach your students, but sometimes games such as this can teach concepts that schools might not be able to teach.  These type of games can encourage students to think differently.  One of the website that we read said that students are not interested in reading about someone or something from years ago, but a game has certain goals that causes players to have more motivation to achieve goals, most students are learning and they don't even realize it. These are just some of the few reason why I will be using simulation in my classroom.

WebQuest

I have to admit, I have never done a WebQuest unitl now or I have never really even looked at one. A webquest guides students through a project which is larger into smaller parts.  When a student sees a large project it can be very intimidating but when broken down into smaller more explained portions, the student may do the lesson with less anxiety and be more opened minded.  The individual sections of a WebQuest guide students so that they can work in groups or by themselves, and the WebQuest encourages students to work on problems like experts do.  WebQuest seem to motivate students learning process and help them collaborate better among there peers. 

My WebQuest was about Cinderella.  There are many different versions of Cinderella, which  a lot of people don't even know.  The students work in groups to read different versions of Cinderella.  Most students know the story of Cinderella, so comparing different versions should be easy for them to do.  Each day, one person from the group will discuss there verison of Cinderella that they read.  I want the group to analyze each version and chart the differences.  I was hoping that this project would help students work in groups, analyze what they have read, and involve the students in different versions of a familiar story that they have always know to show them that other cultures have different interpretations.

At first my only challenge I had was becoming familiar with the process and figuring out how to put the WebQuest together.  After I got the hang of it, the process was pretty much step by step and I could see how easy it would make a large project for students to understand

My WebQuest link is:

http://questgarden.com/132/37/6/111002111728/

Online Communicaton Tools

Technology has become dominantly acceptable in our professional environments.  Technology is always changing, always becoming better and more available.  Desktop videoconferencing, microblogging platforms and instant messaging services has made communication between students, teachers and parents more beneficial in the education scene then every before.

There are a lot individuals that look down on our worlds technology advancements it has also became a learning tool for students to experience learning in multiple ways.  Technology has become a reliable eduational source in our lives today.  Still, there are many teachers that are very uncomfortable with new technology and do not recognize that the use of it could enhance the students learning experience.  While technology increasingly transforms our way of life, there are many reasons for incorporating technologies into the classroom

I have used several communication tools while taking college classes over the years.  The main communication tool that I am most famliar with and use the most is email.  This has been a great way to ask questions, stay in contace with teachers when im away from class, and recieve proper information that I need. I have used chat forums in the past, which is a good way to see others students views and ideas.  This semester is the first time I have ever used a blog.  Blogs are an awesome way to say whatever you want to, in your style, and whatever you want to express.  I am glad that we have these types of technology because it is a great way to ask questions, get clear answers, and stay connected with teachers, peers, or parents.

I plan on using email in my future classroom.  Email makes communication skills easier and a place to communicate more clearly and direct.  I want to take advantage of every online communication tool that I can use in my classroom.  Parent are an important part of the students education and I want to do everything that I can to make their learing experience the best it can be. I can use email to send partents important information about the students and remind them of upcoming events.  I can also use it to send out reminders of what homework is due for the week and any special projects that we might be working on. It also makes me more available to the parents that have any concerns about their child.  I think technology will keep changing and keep becoming more advanced for our learning world which will benefit us all to greater ourselves.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint can be one of the most powerful tools for providing information in the classroom.  PowerPoint can accomdate all learning styles and needs.  PowerPoint can be fun for the students to watch when used in moderation.  You don't want to overload a students mind with too much information at once.

Even though I am not teaching yet, I did have the opportunity when I was in one of my teaching classes in EKU to make a powerpoint and present it to a kindergarten classroom while doing observations.  The powerpoint was over ABC's! Simple and fun for the kids!  The presentation was very bright, very animated and lost of colors to catch there eyes.  I did not use the simple A is for Apple and all that stuff.  What I decided to do was different.  For each letter, I used a photo that had been taken by me, either of a person, place, or object.  I came up with creative matches to a letter, something real life, something that they could be familiar with.  I also felt that this presentation was personal to me, it showed the students my life and some things that were importatnt to me.  One of the letters that I really had to be creative on was U.  I searched for something unsual and the only thing I could find that was different was U is for Upside down house.  I had taken a picture of the Wonder Works in Pigeon Forge, TN because it was so crazy and it was somehing that you didn't see everyday. The children loved it and said that they wanted to go see it.  I could see there little minds trying to figure out how this house was really upside down.  Also, on each page I had the option to add sound.  I decided to add how you say the letter and what the letters sound like.  At the end of the presentation I had a little game where I would randomly say a letter to see if they remember what picture went with the letter.  Some letters where harder for them to remember but some of the funnier pictures they would remember really well. 

One thing that I really like about powerpoint is that you can print it out and give it to the students so they can go back and look at it.  I think this presentation turned out really well, it placed a letter to a picture that had something in it that started with that letter, so when you say the letter the image will pop into there head; at least that is what I was going for.  I'm really proud of this, if I had it to do over I would just probably update some of the pictures and come up with some different memory games for them to play at the end.   

Technology in the Classroom

After reading and veiwing all the videos for this week it really made me realize how much I would be implementing technology into my own classroom one day.  I remember when I was younger, if the teacher used an over head projector you really thought they were using something special and when you think about being a teacher you still seem to have in your mind a chalkboard, posters, bulletin boards, but times have changed.  Each child learns differently and by using different technology techniques in the classroom may help stimulate a childs mind and help them to start learning beyond what they ever would have without technology.  One thing that reallly stood out to me that I keep thinking about is handwriting and grammar.  By having the opportunity to use word processing software a student has more freedom to express theirselves in writing then they normally would due to poor handwriting or spelling skills.  I absoulty do not want my students to be technology dependent but I do want them to reep the benefits. Because of advances in personal computer and digital devices these can serve as promising learning tools for all types of different students espcially for diverse learners.  Some of the more useful technologies that are in classrooms today are: smartboards, scanners, digital cameras, microphones, pen input devices, wireless devices, e-book, touch screen devices, and graphic tablets.  I can't imagine how my learning experience would have been if these resources where available when I was in school.

I am currently not a teacher so I used a flyer that I made for my churchs' Hot Rod Sunday that we will be having.  Why I used this was because the first thing that catches your eye when you see this is the car and the motorcycle.  The reason for this event is to get people in a church setting that would normally not go to a church.  This is appealing because its about old cars and motorcyles', and anytime somebody can show off there car that they have spent many countless hours on, they will show up.  It is also a wonderful opportunity for the church to tell someone about Jesus in a different kind of way.

Spreadsheets and Databases

I came across this wonderful website and I cannot believe all the ways that it gives you to use spreadsheets; www.belmar.k12.nj.us/public/everyday_spreadsheets/.

Spreadsheets give you the easiness of editing, organized, inputting data, using charts and producing professional reports.  I was like a kid in a candy store going through the different types of ways that a spreadsheet can be used in a classroom.  One thing that stuck out to me most was the example that they used to teach students how to read spreadsheets, the game battleship.  Who would have ever thought that game could help show children to use a spreadsheet?  It teaches the students how to go to the cells and what it means when you go to different cells and different columns.  Another thing that I loved was a spreadsheet of the homework schedule to send home to parents.  I think that is an awesome way to show organization and a good way to keep your students on track.  Some other really neat ways to use spreadsheets in the classroom is; lesson plans, class schedules (lunch and break times), grades, scope and sequence, attendance, and a calendar.  Another good use to spreadsheets is to actually let the students use spreadsheets for there lessons, they have some really neat ideas on the website such as the whole class keeping track or basketball teams averages, total scores and percentages. I will definitely be using spreadsheets in my classroom when I become a teacher.  I think they will help me be more organized and keep up my classroom.

Database is software that some teachers use.  Most teachers don’t use it because it may be a little bit more complicated or time consuming.  I like the fact of using a database because it helps you to organize data, sort information alphabetically or numerically, search for information, create reports or summaries and merge with word processing documents.  I think one really good way to use a database is to keep track of students addresses and a way to contact there parents when sending letters.  Students can also use databases to keep track of items they learn in class.  They will be able to pull up the items easily and file information by categories. 

Spreadsheets and databases are something that I really want to have knowledge of.  By the research that I have done, I can really see that these two tools will benefit me tremendously when I become a teacher.  They will also be a tool in showing my students how technology is important in life and if they use it in the right way it will help enrich there learning experience.