Valsamis,+Catherine


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Journal # 5 Final Reflections** Honestly, I did not believe that I would learn anything about technology in just two weeks. I felt very rushed trying to produce decent products from technology. However, as I reflect back on these past two weeks, I realize that this class helped me become familiar with technology. This class was not suppose to make me an expert, but I learned just enough that I can experiment with web 2.0 tools on my own time. Besides, there are so many technological tools that I will not be familiar with, but with the beginning stages of understanding learned in this class, I can figure it out with time and patience. As I move onto my teaching practicum, I would like to see the technology used in my placement site. I feel comfortable with technology that I can learn more from it. I’m still a little nervous to welcome technology with open arms, but I need to realize that technology is every where. Lectures are not working anymore and learners need to be motivated with lessons. Hands-on activities work well with learners, including technology. I remember writing in my first journal response that my life story is not great or exciting with technology. I always liked computers because of e-mail, on-line games, and Facebook. I don’t think my views have changed with technology. I’m a little bit more open to it to use it in my future classroom, but I won’t know until I’m actually in a classroom. I’d like to learn how to use a smartboard. Besides the technical problems, I hear it is fun to use and the learners really like it.

I always knew that copyright protects a creator's original work from misuse. In college, my partner and I had to ask permission from a Psychology professor to use one of his charts in our presentation on college students and stress. I know that people should never take someone else's work and try to make it their own because that is not fair to the creator. Also, I know that ideas and facts that are in public domains cannot be copyrighted. What I did not realize was that government works cannot be copyrighted. I assummed that anything the government does is protected under copyright. My fiance works for the government and there are some things that he cannot say to me. He works on projects that cannot be discussed outside the base. Also, I didn't realize that educators and nonprofit organizations get a break when it comes to fairuse. After reading these articles, I understand because it is hard to come up with original lesson plans for the classroom. Sometimes, it is okay to use a lesson plan from another teacher, just as long as you stay within the fair use guidelines.
 * Journal # 4 Copyright**

There are some Web 2.0 tools that I use everyday. First, I always check my e-mail through Yahoo! and my Towson account. Since my family lives in New Jersey, I like to stay in contact with them. When I can't call them, I try to e-mail them as much as possible. Another tool that I use every day is Facebook. In the beginning, I signed up for Facebook because all of my friends had an account. Today, I use Facebook to keep in touch (more importantly, keep an eye) on my young cousins. Also, I am friends with my cousins in Greece. It's nice to talk with them through Facebook. It's cheaper and faster. As a future educator, I have to realize that we are living in a world of digital learners. Lectures and powerpoint presentations are not working with these 21 century students. Teachers must find a way to implement Web 2.0 tools during their lessons. Students feel "disconnected" in the classroom because the lessons are too boring and do not motivate the students to learn it. I remember reading Hamlet in 12th grade. My teacher tried to make it interesting, but the language was too hard to understand. In the middle of the lesson, my teacher brought in the movie to show us. Movies are not web tools, but lecturing was not helping the students understand Hamlet. But, bringing in new ways to introduce the lesson can help students become motiviated to learn it. Students learn electronically. Teachers feel uncomfortable teaching with technology because they do not understand it. If schools hire tech-efficient employers, then they can teach other people how to use technology. [|**10 English Websites**]
 * Journal # 3 Synching up with the iKid**

//I am not familiar with different types of technology, but I do not see a problem integrating technology into the classrooms. Today, students are digital learners. Lecturing does not work. Teachers must incorporate different learning styles in order to engage students. I do not recall how technology was used in middle or high school, but some professors in my undergraduate courses really liked using powerpoint. Lecture was predominantly used, but powerpoint provided funny pictures. All of my psychology professors used powerpoints, but the English professors loved lecturing and calling on students to respond. I am not a big fan of lectures, but I had professors who only thought of technology as a tool for writing research papers. I do remember in my Cognitive Psychology class, we had to pick a popular song and play it backwards to find subliminal messages. My partner and I picked Missy Elliot's "Work it" song. The professor provided us with a website that could play any song backwards. Our goal was the to convince the class the there was a subliminal message in the song, but there really wasn't. I liked this assignment because there was enough evidence to say that there was a subliminal message when there really was not a message. It was neat to find a tool that played songs backwards.//
 * Journal # 2** **Technology integration beliefs and experiences**

​​Journal # 1 = **Technobiography** My life with technology is not the greatest. I wish I had a cool or exciting story about technology, but I don't. My first memory with a computer is in elementary school. My class would have to walk to the computer lab to practice typing on the keyboard. I remember the technology teacher walking around the room saying, "Keep your fingers on the keyboard. Try not to lift them up." Honestly, I hated that. I wanted to type the way I wanted to, but I guess it paid off. In middle school, if I needed a computer, then I used the computer at school in the library or walked to the public library down the street from my house. At home, we did not have a computer until I was in high school. My brother and I had to share a computer since my parents refused to buy us two. Back then, AOL was popular; everyone had a screen name. Since my brother and I had to share the computer, we had specific time limits. My brother received more time on the computer since he was older. Eventually, I don't think time on the computer mattered to my parents as long as my brother and I finished our homework. We had other types of technology that my brother and I played with everyday. My brother has every gaming system known to mankind. First came Atari, then Nintendo, Sega, Playstation 1 & 2, and XBox 360. At no one time during my childhood was I ever bored. When my brother went away to college in 2000, he bought himself a new computer and I used the "slower" computer. When I was a freshman in college in 2003, I used my brother's old laptop computer. The screen would not work, so I had to plug an old computer monitor into the laptop. The laptop was huge and the computer monitor was very heavy. Let's just say I went to the library often to use the computer. All of the girls I lived with had new laptops that performed faster than my old, crappy laptop. In 2007, my parents finally agreed to buy me a new computer because of my good performance in school. I loved it. I was finally "caught up" with society. That is my life with technology. I'm not friendly with technological tools. The only programs I know are Microsoft Word (2003) and Power Point. I don't know how to use any other tools. I can surf the web easily and check my e-mail. I would like to learn more technological tools in order to become an effective teacher. Also, I think a toddler knows more about computers than I do. I'd like to change that, if I can.


 * __Personal Homepage:__ **

​1.) Why are you taking ISTC 501? Besides the fact that this class is a requirement for the MAT program, I think it will be useful for me to take a technology class. For the most part, I do like technology, but I don't know how to use it. I'm okay with surfing the net and checking my e-mail, but I'd like to learn more than Microsoft 2003.

2.) What are three important things you hope to learn from this course?  3.) How can this course help you with other college coursework and future professional practice? This course will help me present assignments in an organzied manor. For example, instead of always using Microsoft Word or Powerpoint, I can use other tools to present information. When I become a teacher, I know that my students will have a better understanding of technology than I will. I would like to at least pretend that I know more than my students.
 * Learn more tools in technology
 * Understand "computer jargon"
 * Find safe and appropriate websites, scholarly and informational

4.) Interesting, basic information about me... After I graduated from Widener University with a degree in Psychology, I decided to work in the family business. At the same time, I worked at The Olive Garden and tried to study for the Praxis II for English. After one year, Dave proposed to me and I eventually moved down to MD with him. I applied at Bertucci's Italian Restaurant and decided to work there while I attended Towson. I always wanted to teach for a few years in a classroom, then become a guidance counselor.