Internet Safety

Internet safety is a serious and realistic problem for most computer people, even the most savvy. It is important that you understand how to protect yourself against identity theft and have the most up to date protection software! Ways to protect your computer include having a secure, unique password. Combine a variety of numbers and letters that would be difficult to hack into and make sure that your passwords are different for all of the sites where you have accounts. Another smart way to prevent viruses from harming your computer is to not click or download unknown or unrecognizable links. Protection block software and firewalls can aid in defending your system. A serious threat to children and teenagers takes the form of chat rooms. Predators stalk their victims and contact new ones through virtual chat rooms, BEWARE........always know who you are talking to and do not offer any personal information. Parents keep computers in an open area that allows you to maintain site of what places children are searching. Honestly, you can never be too safe when discussing the internet, so be smart and be careful!

Raoul Wallenberg

What is the difference between effective and ineffective media in the classroom?

For one of my education courses I have been going into classrooms and observing the teachers. The first school I visited was an elementary school and surprisingly I LOVED it! One particular thing I appreciated was the different forms of media used in the fourth grade class. Bill Nye the Science Guy made evaporation, condensation, precipitation and all other kinds of weather fun. School House Rock aided the students in learning their multiplication facts with catchy tunes. When I taught I used a smart board so the students could interact with maps and follow the Dominguez-Escalante Trail. At Walden, a unique charter school, technology played an integral role.

The internet was indispensable, especially Youtube. Video clips, photographs, and music enabled students to understand the creative side of education. However, in many situations the technology distracted the students from their real assignment and while it was entertaining they did not extrapolate the meaning of a particular principle. Technology can visually recreate a period, an event, or a person but it remains important to read and ponder the significance of history. The human element of teaching can be lost and be replaced by media.