3 Sometimes it is not the design but the user

     It is hard for me to fairly evaluate a website. This is not necessarily because of the design of the website but the fact that i struggle with navigating websites. Lets take what someone would consider a simple website by design http://www.fsu.edu/. I was given explicit instructions on how to navigate this page yet I still found it difficult. I personally am I  a visual learner so for me having the most detailed instructions on a very simple to navigate site does not do much. Other aspects of the website I can critique would be whether it is credibly or not. When looking at websites I often am not on them to explore them but to get information for research papers. A website must have certain features for me to consider it credible enough to get background information off of it. I look to see if it has an author, what the ending of the URL is and when it was last accessed. These are all small things to look for that could save a lot of time in the long run because the source could always turn out to be not very good.
     As we get further into this class I begin to realize how much of a need technology really is in education. After spending time in my mothers classroom I believe I would like to to use Skype with my class. I took an education class last year and we learned about how classrooms all over the world were connecting with one another via Skype. The classes would talk to each other and discuss the differences between their educations. Along with that I would also use Classdojo. I think Classdojo is a beneficial way to promote good behavior. Many of the classes I have been in use it and the kids get to the point where they are in competition with one another and try and see who can be on the extremely best behavior and get more points. The age range I am looking at teaching is kindergarten. With this age group I feel like it would be hard to have the students use glogster or a type of social media due to their age. Maybe as a class we could have a glogster or twitter so that their families could see what the class was up to.
     New skills I learned from the Newsletter Design Assignment were all the different ways you could format it. I had already had some of the basic knowledge of how to use Word but the times when I would just play around with word art, shading, and shapes was a long time ago. This assignment was kind of relaxing because it allowed you to be creative but then at the same time it was a pain. I kept running into problems with the columns. They would work and everything would be good then next thing you know all of my pictures are off of the paper and there is writing where there should not be. I feel like my Newsletter is not exactly how I wanted it to be because of formatting issues with word.

2 Word, Copyright, and New Skills

     Microsoft word is one thing that I have had experience throughout the time in school. Most of the time it was only when we had to write papers or do assignments for class.  I do remember back in late elementary school and early middle school getting on Microsoft Word and just messing around figuring out what you could do with a picture or trying out every kind of word art there was. Way back then we got on Microsoft Word for fun. Now I dread having to open it up because more often than not it means I have to write a five page paper. Until I got to high school and into my first year of college my teachers never really used Microsoft word. During this time they would use it for typing up notes as we went along with class, to type up our syllabus and make revisions to it, and to give in class assignments.

     Until listening to the pod cast, reading the article for class and being in class for the power point today I never have really known much about copyright or fair use. After learning so much about it today I wish I would have been taught about it sooner. There are probably many times that I have violated this solely because I had no idea I was doing anything wrong. What we were always taught was as long as you gave credit to the originally person everything was fine. After today I see that is definitely not the case and that there are many more things to look at to see how you can use materials correctly. As a teacher I would want to be taught what I can use in my classroom. I want to also teach my students that in the classroom certain things in fair use are okay because of the educational purpose but once they are no longer in school the same things are not always aloud. I believe it is important to teach kids young what is and is not aloud with copyrighted material. Until today I had never heard of the Four Factors Test or even the TEACH Act. I think power points like the one we were shown in class should be part of a mandatory workshop in every country. That way teachers will know what they are allowed to do as well as know what to teach their students to do.

     With my life as busy as it is I never wanted a Twitter. I still don't. So I am not going to lie having a Twitter has been stressful. I don't know what to post on it and am constantly realizing that I forgot to post on it. Out of the entire class I feel like I am the only one struggling with that. Most people my age would be thrilled that they are being graded on posting to a social media account. Me? I would choose just about any other assignment. I see how a Glogster or other semi private account that is more focused for school could be used in the classroom. Maybe in high school's a twitter assignment would be a good way to get the students interested but I am looking to teaching kindergarten and do not really see how my twitter page could be used with kindergartners.