Parenting Online

What is Cyber-Ethics?
In a nutshell, cyber-ethics can be thought of as responsible use of technology. Activities such as hacking, threats, bullying, stalking, copyright infringement, and virus distribution, are all unethical and many young people do not see the harm in them.

Advantages of the Internet
According to Parry Aftab, creator and Executive Director of WiredSafety.org, there are “wonders around every cyber-corner.” The internet can answer any question, allow you to communicate with people near and far, display your artwork, research your family tree, and much more! Try Yahooligans!, an internet search engine for kids.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
R- respond politely
E- engage in proper use
S- send positive messages
P- protect yourself
E- educate yourself and others
C- carefully explore
T- tell adults about problems

Common Sense Rules for the Internet
1. Don’t talk to people you don’t know.
2. Do not bully others online.
3. Don’t share personal information.
4. Set family rules or guidelines.
5. Ask for help from your family or teachers.
6. Don’t copy other people’s work.

Technology Tools
There are some easy ways to be cyber-safe cyber-citizens. First, everyone should use a search engine with good filtering options. Second, a list of family-friendly sites can be found at Wiredkids.org. Next, online safety can be learned at wiredkids.org, stopcyberbullying.org, internetsuperheroes.org, and playitcybersafe.com. Lastly, parents can put blocking software on their computer to help keep children out of unwanted places.


Internet Rules List

1. You may only use the internet with a teacher’s permission.
2. If you have signed up for a time slot on the computer, please be sure to log off when your time is up.
3. You may only use the sites contained in your “Favorites” to research or explore.
4. While researching, use your own words to write notes from the information, and be sure to cite the author and other bibliographical information.
5. If a form comes up on the computer, do not enter your name or any other information. Get the teacher.
6. If something inappropriate comes up, get the teacher to help, or immediately hit the ‘back’ button.

Internet Safety Sites

Internet Applications

www.wiredkids.org/parents/parentingonline/parentingonline.pdf
www.cybercrime.gov
www.cybersmart.org
www.wiredsafety.org

The Education Podcast Network

I was excited to discover the podcasts at this network. I first listened to "The First Ammendment Minute." It is great. The podcasts are truly one minute long and both interesting and succinct. I listened to 2 one-minute podcasts about freedom of speech in television. I listened to one about divorce and religious freedom, another about billboards and censorship, and lastly about church buildings. I have a short attention span, so this network is perfect for me.

I searched on and found "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." Here I found Jim Crow stories, shared by people that lived in the south during this tumultuous period. I listened to Wilhemina Baldwin talk about not being able to drive her Cadillac, so instead had to buy a Chevy. Blacks had curfews then, and in theatres, they had to sit upstairs. I also listened to George Kenneth Butterfield, Jr. as he spoke about when his uncle died because the white doctor did not arrive until more than eight hours after the accident. It is amazing to be able to hear these first-hand accounts.

Enhancing Museum Content

I recently took my fourth graders to Ellis Island. I was thrilled to go, as I had not been there before. Once there, we had a fabulous tour guide that made the trip worthwhile. Some of the other teachers went on a different day and had a different guide. I bring this up because one never knows how good a tour may be. At Ellis Island, there was computer technology being used. You could order your relative's name to be put on "The Wall." You could also look up your ancestors on a data base. My students also had the opportunity to play a Jeopardy game that was on a SMARTBoard or other projection-type device.

In order for the experience to be the best, research should be done ahead of time. People can go on www.ellisisland.org and search the passenger manifests. The students that had the opportunity to look up an ancestor, were much more invested in this trip. Scholastic has a great website on immigration at http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm. The activities and photos can be used as a pre-trip activity and a post-trip activity. I wouldn't want to take away any of the excitement and sense of wonder by sharing too much of Ellis Island with them ahead of time. On the other hand, if they go there with no background information, it is just a big building next to the Statue of Liberty.

Some of the technology from the Sony Wonder Technology Lab could be integrated into the Ellis Island experience. There could be a virtual experience/simulation in which you could choose an immigrant that you would like to "be" and follow them throughout the program as they go through all steps of the actual immigration process. They could have choices about their belongings, money, occupation, health etc. Another idea would be also simulation-based. You could "be" one of the inspectors at Ellis Island. You would then be presented with a virtual immigrant. You must decide which tests to perform. Another type of technology could be a video-timeline of the immigration era.

Google Earth

I have explored Google Earth in the past, as my own children have shared tours and explorations with me. For this assignment, I decided to look at my hometown and various other towns that I have lived in. I also searched out famous places like Stone Henge and the Eiffel Tower. Once this assignment was given to us, I searched where I was born, Johnson City, New York, and then searched Pleasantville, New York, which is where I live now AND is one of my favorite places. I found out that these two places are 182 miles apart, and would take roughly 3 hours and 12 minutes to drive. While exploring, I also found the Route 66 Tour and followed along the trail for a bit.

When trying to use the Google Touring, I got very frustrated. I spent some real time in Alaska two years ago, and I decided to Google Tour the area. I began to put placemarks on the certain sites that I had been to, and I got confused. It seemed that my placemrks had moved. I got quite frustrated and vowed to try again.

Google Maps

I was not familiar with Google Maps. It was fun to explore, measure, and view maps on Google Maps. I can see many classroom connections, as the students learn to read maps and learn about directionality. Google is a wonderful tool.

TappedIn

I joined TappedIn and was immediately given a welcome and guidance at the reception desk. I creted an office and checked the calendar. Since there weren't any Social Studies Forums any Time soon, I explored a few other places.

Last night, I joined the Social Studies Forum. It was nice to "see" that Mike, Ciro, and Maggie were there also. Things started out slowly as introductions were made. There was a great deal of lighthearted banter. I quickly frustrated due to the fact that I was behind on my assignments, and I really needed to get some work done. We received some invaluable website information but it took one hour for me to get a listing of 4 websites. A list would have taken 20 seconds.

I am not that quickly deterred, so I won't give up. I certainly will give TappedIn another try.

The websites shared:

http://www.ourmedia.org
http://www.educationalsimulations.com/
...the first is an audio/video storage sharing site... the second is a software where students may live a life from birth to death in any country.

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/teachers/lesson3.html

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/teachers/lesson8.html

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/

Discussion of "Darfur Is Dying"

I love to play games, board games, computer games, hand-held games etc. I was quite excited to try out the game "Darfur Is Dying." I listened to the "All Things Considered" segment on NPR called "Game Peers into Life in a Darfur Refugee Camp." I also read the Simon Parkin article at eurogamer.net, "Darfur Is Dying." I was even more excited to play the game after listening to and hearing all of the information about the game.

I have always felt that videogames and characters from these games could be made to be more educational. I was so excited that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles used the names of famous artists, however, I was disappointed to find that that's where the education ended. I know that I have already said this, but my son, and many other kids were able to memorize 150 Pokemon characters. What if these were the Presidents of the United States or elememts on the Periodic Table? It seems that we just need to get the kids' attention.

I love the title of the conference "Games for a Change." I think that we can raise political awareness in our children. In many cases, the parents will follow. Many people shy away from the news and documentaries, due to the depressing nature found there. I agree with Susana Ruiz, designer of "Darfur Is Dying" that we have a "new" form of media and it with behoove us as educators not to jump on this band wagon.

The game is an oversimplification of the problems in Darfur. There are different levels of this oversimplication. The characters in the game and the levels of their movement are very simple. The options and choices are also limited. Answers to questions aren't there. How did this whole problem begin? What is being done?

The fact that there are many questions raised in this game, leads to the idea that this game could be a perfect jumping off point for a discussion about Darfur. Students can be listing questions they might have, while playing the game, or watching others play the game. These questions could lead to student directed learning, a great example of Cognitive Flexibility Theory. The things that the students learn in this discussion, can transfer into other learning and discussions of conflict and problems.

Website Review

I found it very difficult to choose a website to review. Many of the sites that I tend to use, didn't review well. I chose Social Studies for Kids because it seemed appropriate for my fourth-grade students. The site didn't take long to load and the pictures were appealing and indicated exactly what could be found when choosing the link. The reading level was appropriate for my students and the interest level was high. I was disappointed that there were ads on the site. Some of my students would be distracted or confused by these ads. The site is easy to navigate and student-friendly. As I looked for the items that my students and I would use, I was pleased with the information, its presentation, and the links to further this research.

www.socialstudiesforkids.org

Sony Wonder Technology Lab

What a great museum! My husband, son, and I had a wonderful time. The gadgets, buttons, etc. made learning fun, like playing a game. I feel that our schools need more learning games. All of the new technologies out there make these games and fun learning possible. Students can learn the names of 150 Pokemon characters, and what they change into, but have troubles memorizing their multiplication tables. When given an opportunity to work on the computer, they always think it is fun. It also puts the student in the driver's seat. They are in control of their own learning. The Lab gave the visitor the chance to work with music, art, robotics, earth science, television, games, movies and more. It was all entertaining and more of this technology should be in the schools.

www.sonywondertechlab.com

I Support Hillary Clinton!

I selected Hillary Clinton for this assignment. I looked at her webpage, blog, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and Flickr. There is so much to learn on these sites. A teacher could use these sites to teach government, politics, current events, geography and so much more. I believe that the candidates have to be careful and make sure that their sites are kept up to date. They also need to have great visual appeal. Due to these new avenues, I think there is a greater chance of having more younger voters in this election.

Campaign Ads Have Multiple Goals

Campaign advertisements are as diverse as the people that create them. In studying the ads from just two different years, the diversity in the perspectives, tactics, and creativity is quite apparent.
I chose "Weapon" as Case #1, from 1964. When Barry Goldwater ran against Lyndon Johnson, Johnson had the advantage of being the incumbent president. His experience was one of his strengths. He used Goldwater's weakness of being blunt, against Goldwater in this ad. Using Goldwater's own words against him the ad shows that Goldwater claimed that the atom bomb was just another weapon. Since the Vietnam war wasn't yet an issue, this ad was effective in criticizing Goldwater. One of Johnson's main weaknesses was that he was not telegenic. Most of the ads that Johnson's campaign produced, did nor include his presence.
I chose "Nearly" as Case #2, from 2004. In this election, George W. Bush was challenged by John Kerry. In this ad, Bush's experience as the incumbent is used to his advantage. His weaknesses in foreign policy and business are not mentioned, and positive economic facts are the focus.

del.icio.us

http://del.icio.us/suzteacher

Field Experience

I propose to interview and work with the computer teacher in my 3rd-5th grade building. I would also like to try to meet with other technology professionals in my school/district. I am also considering sitting down with the Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, and sharing what I have while finding out what she might think we need.

Social Studies and Technology: Comments

Comments on "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts."

This article was quite thought-provoking. The concept that we ignore information that contradicts what we believe is very interesting. The idea that history is studied by psychologists is a new concept for me. History is something more complex than dates, facts, and events, however, I never went deeper in my own thinking, to include more than just the reasons for the occuraces in our past. The idea that we learn from our mistakes is what I thought of as studying history more thoroughly.

It sounds very intriguing to study people from the past in so many different lights and from so many different perspectives. I believe that most people like life to be clear-cut and either black or white. The reality is that life falls into the gray area between black and white. We can't compartmentalize events and happenings into neat little packages where everything has a label. Thinking about Abraham Lincoln as being racist is something that I never would have understood. Reading the article made me realize that when we read quotations it is important to understand the context in which the quotes were spoken. It makes me wonder about all events in history, and what we really know for sure.

Social Studies and Technology

First Assignment:

What questions/comments do you have after reading the Spiro & Collins article, and looking at EaseHistory?

I feel that searching and using EaseHistory is an excellent example of the "Cognitive Flexibility Theory." The website affords the user with a "nonlinear and multi-perspectival organization of material." By using visual and auditory information bits, different peoples' learning styles are addressed.Viewing history through photos, video clips, and political cartoons allows our minds to integrate new information into our schema, process the information, and learn from the new perspectives the information offers.

Blog Search

http://technorati.com/

School Website

ces.mtplcsd.org

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This blog is an experiment!

I want to know as much as I can about blogging. Since I have added to others' blogs, now it is time for me to create my own.