Internet Safety Assignment Reflection

I read an article from the Ensign called "Tangled in the Web." It was a story about a woman who went from casual internet use to becoming addicted to chatting with people online. She talked about her struggle with overcoming her addiction and how helpful the Church leaders were in helping her beat it. At the end of her story there were a list of things to do when using the internet and a quote from Elder L. Tom Perry about avoiding internet addictions.

I watched quite a few of the videos on the resource page. I saw a lot of videos that told stories about people who got into trouble because of their chatting and agreeing to meet people that had met online. I really liked the Frontline videos about how the internet influences the classroom and how parents are viewing the internet. It's interesting to hear about the fears that some parents have and how those fears affect their children.

I learned from reading and watching these videos that it is important to use moderation in all things. When we let chatting or gaming or whatever on the internet begin to take over our lives, there are going to be problems. The tips that were given are helpful and can be an excellent guide. The internet is a wonderful tool, but we need to be aware of its bad points, too. It is important to be careful about how you talk to your kids about internet safety. You don't want to become so fearful about the internet that your children start hiding their activities online from you. It is important to teach them the dangers and set limits, but ultimately you have to trust your children to use their agency. I think the most important thing to do is stay informed about the internet. Learn how to use it and listen to counsel from Church leaders.

I talked to my sister about internet safety. When I asked her about what she knows about internet safety, she said that she knew that she shouldn't chat with people online that she doesn't know. I talked to her about addiction and about some of the videos I saw about how easy it is to find information about someone just based on their screen name. We talked about Facebook and how sometimes time is wasted while mindlessly playing around on it. We talked about how setting time limits for using Facebook might help to stop the time wasting that sometimes happens. She was surprised at how easy it can be to find information about somebody in a chat room. We talked about how important it is to monitor what kind of information you post online. Once it is out there, you can't take it back. I think our discussion got her thinking about how she uses the internet and that she will be more careful about what she posts online and how she shares information.

**I completed both course evaluations and I checked my grade.**

El Ed TPACK Report

TPACK Project-Planning

Language Arts-Informative Text

Math-comparing and ordering numbers

Science-hurricanes

Video Response

The most important thing I learned about using technology with young students is that technology offers many different uses and benefits for teachers and students. Before, I didn't really think that I would want to use a lot of technology with young kids but this helped me to see some easy ways to implement it and enhance student learning. Even something as simple as a disposable camera can be used to help students become engaged in their own learning and become excited about any topic. Technology helps the class to be able to communicate with other classrooms. I liked in the “I love Spiders” video that the class was sharing their pictures and information with a classroom in another state. That helps the students to get a broad view of a topic and it helps them to become excited about the subject. Just giving students exposure to technology will be a great benefit to them. Young children are naturally curious and by giving them access to a computer they will explore and learn new things. I thought it was a great idea to do a whole class slideshow or movie where each student does a page and contributes some how. It is important to teach students how to research online and inform them about copyright. It would be a good idea for the teacher to find specific websites for student use that will not infringe on copyright laws. The use of technology is increasing everyday and it is vital that we expose students to technology at a young age so they can become comfortable using it.

Initial Observation of Technology

There is a pretty good amount of technology available to the classroom I am working in. There is a TV and VCR, 4 mac computers for student use, a macbook for the teacher, a CD player, and a Promethean board in the classroom for use. Each of the computers is equipped with Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word, as well as with some games for the students to play. The class also has access to mac carts that the teacher can sign up for. My mentor teacher has the computers come in at least once a week. A DVD player,projector, digital camera and video camera are also available for the teacher to checkout. The two main technologies that my teacher uses everyday are her microphone that she wears around her neck and the Promethean board.

I completed the midcourse evaluation and consent form.

Science Challenge

Voice Threads I Viewed and Commented On:
1. Alyssa Hipps
2. Lauren MacDonald
3. Chelsie McCage

I learned that almost any science topic can be taught by using fun programs and tools. There were a variety of science topics and tools used in the voice threads I viewed. Kidspiration could be used to make activities for most science topics. The digital microscope is a great tool for observing things that are too small for the eye to see: soil, cells, small insects, etc. Stellarium is great for learning about stars, planets, Moon phases,etc. There are also a lot of different probes that just plug into the computer that would be very beneficial for experiments or observations of temperature, weight, etc.

Science is not one of my strong subjects and by exploring these different tools I was learning science.If I would have had access to tools like this when I was in elementary school I may have understood science a little better. I see how beneficial these tools can be in the classroom for students. They help the students to be engaged and take control of their own learning. I realized that the science tools are relatively easy to use and implement. If applied effectively in the classroom, students and teachers can learn and internalize the material.

Phases of the Moon, by: Elizabeth Rodriguez & Natalee Biggs