Favorite Google Reader Site

(I didn't realized we were supposed to put this on our blogs as well as on the class wiki). My favorite Google Reader site is called English Raven.

This site has a lot of useful information about teaching English (as language and as literature, etc.). He gives useful tips for being in the classroom and handling discipline issues. He also talks about ways to use the internet to teach and give ideas for different units and lesson plans, etc.

And a major plus is that the guy who writes the site has an interesting voice, so it is not boring to read his stuff.

Internet Safety Conversation

I chose to talk to my mom about internet safety. I was happy to talk to her about what I learned. I think she can use the information to help my little brother, but even more, I learned a lot from her about the topic. She has had a lot of experience in dealing with internet safety and teenagers. She gave me great advice, and I am so glad I had this conversation with her.

She told me, "Don't be afraid: we need to have a spirit of faith, not fear."
She told me that it's like teaching your kids about anything else--that you teach them what is right from the time they are young. Set boundaries and then check on them. Sit down with your children and talk to them about the consequences. Repetition is a big thing. It is really important to talk to your children frequently. And do it in a spirit of love.

Also build trust with your children so that later they will realize that you always give them good advice and that you will never lead them astray.

She also said that they have filters on the computer. She and my dad protect our home as much as they can and teach their children what is right to cover the rest.

Recently, my little brother got a desk in his room so that he could do his homework.Then he moved the laptop into his room. Then he stayed up late online (breaking the family rules about being online late at night). The computer is not in his room anymore. As soon as he broke the family rules, he lost those extra privileges. Plus, it's just a good idea to keep computers in a public place and not in the bedroom.

Internet Safety Response

For this assignment, I watched the frontline video, Growing Up Online. It made me nervous, and I wish that they had talked more about solutions. They spent plenty of time on the problems. The stories they shared about stalkers, cyberbullying, fake identities, cheating, and internet sexuality definitely show how important it is to be careful with the internet. I don't want any of these things to happen to my little brother or to my future children. It is all very frightening. I just have to tell myself to calm down and remember that nothing bad has happened to me, and I've been using the internet and social networking sites for a long time. The end of the video talked a little bit about teaching kids how to use technology responsibly, but I wish that they had given more details. They did say that the answer is not to get rid of everything and throw away the computer (even though sometimes you might want to). What I got from this video as far as answers is the importance of keeping open communication and of being understanding, especially as a parent. Don't be overbearing, be supportive, and be involved.

I also read Elder Bednar's CES fireside talk, Things as They Really Are. This article also offered chilling examples of the dangers of cyberspace. Elder Bednar reinforced some of the things that the video expressed. In the video, a teenage girl said, "When I'm online, I'm the real person," and went on to explain that the people at her school and in her family did not know the real her--she was fake with them and could not be herself. Elder Bednar warns against this kind of over-invovlement in the online world and disconnect from the real world. This is a long quote, but I think it is worth repeating:

"If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, ear buds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience."

This kind of situation really worries me. My little brother and my husband both love to play video games. So far, they just play for fun every once in awhile, and I sincerely hope that it never gets to the levels that Elder Bednar warns against.

I like that Elder Bednar offered some solutions instead of only the problems. It helps me feel more hopeful. Again, I quote him:

For your happiness and protection, I invite you to study more diligently the doctrine of the plan of salvation—and to prayerfully ponder the truths we have reviewed. I offer two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying:

1. Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?
2. Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

"You will receive answers, inspiration, and instruction from the Holy Ghost suited to your individual circumstances and needs. I repeat and affirm the teaching of the Prophet Joseph: 'All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him.'"

I love that he is able to put the internet into a gospel context and show us how the spirit can help us in that, as well as every, area of life.

Copyright Assignment

For this assignment, I watched a parody of Hamlet in form of a CSI episode. I think this video is fine as far as copyright goes. The creators of the video actually use video from the television show CSI: Miami. However, they do not use very much of the show (less than 3 minutes), and they don't even use the sound at all. They have a voice over to make it look like the CSI characters are investigating the murder several of the characters in Hamlet. For the sections on Hamlet, the creators of the video act out the scenes themselves. I don't think they need to worry about copyright, since Shakespeare plays are in the public domain. Even so, they don't quote the play exactly word for word, and they only act out short portions.

The only place they might get in trouble is by using the CSI: Miami theme song, by The Who. They probably don't have permission to use that much of the song, even though it is not the entire song. Overall, they did a good job of conforming to copyright law. Also, I'm sure this was for educational use (students probably had to create some sort of interpretation of Hamlet after they read it to show that they understood the play).

(I could not embed this video, so here is the link.)
Video #1: Hamlet Parody

For the second video, I found a version of Hamlet told (or sung) in 3 minutes. I'm pretty sure this one is okay according to copyright law. The guy who made the video wrote and sang his own song with his own words. For the images, he used stick figure drawings, but they had cut-out photographs of celebrities' heads on top of the stick figures. He also used a cutout of Mufasa's head from the lion king and a cutout of the BK King's head. The list from the copyright lesson says that it is okay for students to use images in a multimedia project as long as they follow the multimedia guidelines. This video would be okay to use for educational purposes, and even if it was created for entertainment purposes, I still think it is okay, because only a portion of the pictures were used and the rest of the work was original.

Video #2: Three Minute Hamlet

Finished!

I'm finally finished with the IIC competition! What a relief. I'm glad I decided to participate in the competition, but I am also glad that it is no longer hanging over my head. I had awesome group members, and we worked really well together. We worked hard and long, especially on our video, but now we have something to be proud of.

Check out our video pitch about using Diigo and Mindmeister to teach the persuasive essay.

My Storyboard

It was a little difficult getting pictures for the storyboard because most of the video (for the competition) will be our group explaining what we have done for our submission. I am hoping that we can make our video pitch more interesting with relevant pictures, and I think it will be helpful to show how we are actually using technology by including a demonstration in the video.

I have posted my storyboard to google docs.

We are still working out a few details, so the script will change a little bit. This is a good overview of what will be in our video, and we will smooth everything out in the next couple of days.

Weekly Participation

I have not completed my copyright assignment yet because I have been working on my project for the competition.

However, I have still been participating in learning new technology. For another class, I am starting to learn Photoshop. I've always been terrified of working with Photoshop, and even more so after I tried to learn it last semester and failed miserably.

This semester, I am learning it better, but I am still a beginner. Here is a before and after picture (but like I said, I am still learning, so the photograph has not been fixed as well as other people could have done it--but it's a good start for me).