Jonathan 03/27/2008http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Copyright Confusion Is Shortchanging Our Students

By Renee Hobbs

This article speaks to one of the fears that teachers have using media in the classroom. When we want to use something creatively we are afraid of becoming one of those high profile cases of copyright infringements with tens of thousands of dollars to pay. We, as teachers are also afraid of letting our students use media and stifle their creativity so that we can be sure that they are safe. However, there is a lot of misinformation out there from media producers to institutions of education. The fact is that there is a fair use law, which states that, “Copyright is designed not only to protect the rights of owners, but also to preserve the ability of users to promote creativity and innovation”. I don’t know if this is the exact letter of the law but it is a really clear definition that the article gives. I know that I have sort of lived in a fear about this. I’ve seen the misinformation and have, as most have, played it safe out of fear.

The implications for the classroom are that we should be clear on what the copyright laws are, and fair use. We need to give our students and ourselves as much creative wiggle room as possible. If our goal is grater creativity then we will naturally be in a safer place anyway and not stealing or doing little for the fear of getting fined.

Reading #8

Critical Issue:
Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction

This article serves as a guide, of sorts, for integrating technology into a school. It includes some of the pitfalls and arguments. It addresses the roles of participants.

This would be good for a team or leader type person trying to implement technology tools in their school. I got to be honest though. This was a very dry and poorly designed article. It comes off, as something written by some one writing something they are forced to write with in a time constraint. I would really not recommend it, unless you need something to put you to sleep at night.

Reading #8

When the BOOK? When the Net?

What a great evaluation on Internet research from the trenches. I agree with much of what he has said. Stick me into a library any day. With a good book I can find the kind and quality of information that indeed fast. The Internet is like a treasure hunt with rich maps and poor treasure.

My balance argument is this: if you know how to use the Internet it can unlock lots of good material. The problem is that you kind of due have to have advanced searching skills and a real sense about what to look for, and when you find information you have to sort through it differently. What I d think is that the authors experience is what most people, even those who often use the net, experience. In the end, you need searching and evaluation tools and skills, and you just need to get a good old book now and then.

Class 7 Readings

Classroom Instruction that Works

This is a good resource for both teachers and schools. When you draw a blank over how to use technology for a given objective then you can go to a list like this one. I think this could really win over teachers and administrators who see little application and value in technology.

I think this could become a habit. Once it is teacher will not feel like they are adding technology to a lesson. Teachers will simply ask them selves what tools to use and technology will most always offer great ones.

Class 7 Readings

Critical Issue:
Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom

The question of how to successfully implement a technology plan in a school is very much a current and central issue in schools today. How do you keep teachers trained, and provide the necessary support for the technology and training. I liked a lot of the debate over whether or not technology is good in schools. Given that students think so, and that they are users combined with research, yes, we need to have schools that use and move with technology.

I go back and forth with this one. I agree with the idea of using technology, but I see too much emphasis on formal operational tasks over concrete ones. Students will make the leap if we do a good job with basic skills and concrete activities. I think that technology is the greatest tool to these ends. Part of the solution is accepting technology into the culture of our schools. I think that in time, especially with young teachers entering the field, schools will inevitable move in step with technology. Technology will become a natural part of the educational landscape.

Week 6 reading #2

My reaction to: The Perils and Pitfalls of Wikipedia

This explains why there is a bit of a controversy surrounding the use of Wikipedia as a resource. There are some good arguments to its validity given that anyone can fix an inaccuracy. There are some good arguments to its invalidity given that anyone can add inaccuracy.

Lets face it, you will never find a source written by any human being, and inspired by a human being, that is not subject to inaccuracies. I myself trust and use Wikipedia as a valuable source of information. I have no qualms about recommending it to students. I have not yet found information to be false. I think that given the high publicity of some inaccuracies proves that Wikipedia works and is a reputable source.

Week 6 reading #1

My reaction to: COPY AND PASTE LITERACY? LITERACY PRACTICES IN THE
PRODUCTION OF A MYSPACE PROFILE by DAN PERKEL

This is an academic paper with the sole intent of making the use of sites, especially like MySpace, as a form of literacy. He draws on the opinions of experts in defining literacy and his own field research. He looks at the elements of literacy and then relates that to the creation and maintenance of a MySpace account. People interact, share, and create content: they are consumers and producers through a network of friends who all share, copy and paste content to create new hybrids.

I think that the author, Dan Perkel, has a point that I will not attempt to refute. However, I will challenge the value and significance of his paper. I don't really see this as a new form of literacy, though I would agree that it is literacy. People have been behaving this way for all time. It is the nature of man to copy and paste. People form identities, and self-expression, through relationships with other people. If you like an expression that another uses then you take it as your own, and no one accuses you of being a thief. When you take a little from here and some from there and mix it together you have a new product. What is new is that existing literacy is now expressed through a new medium: MySpace. I would also like to add two points, if I may. One, there is little skill and less rigor in using MySpace, so literacy is not nurtured and does not grow. Two, traditional literacy is still important and I would say more so. If students can't read, write, and communicate effectively then we have lost something. Society is loosing in literacy, we have lowered the rigor and expectations associated with literacy. The average kid today, with all the tools of expression, is at a loss for how to articulate who they are, what they want, and they have even less social and conflict resolution skills. If we are to move forward then we need not water down our children, we need to give them tools and expect them to be used.