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According to Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. “The ease of gathering information on the Internet has a darker side. The simplicity of finding out things on the Web also makes it easy for students to cheat. Cutting and pasting text from a Web site and into a paper is effortless. So is wholesale copying or purchasing finished essays or reports.”
 * WEEK 1 **

This "darker side" of the Internet poses many temptations to our students. It's extremely important to teach them morals. Many of our students may not be taught this at home, so it becomes the responsibility of a teacher. Although a big case against Internet use in our schools can be made because of this reality, it's not a new concept. Cheating has been around for years. The only difference is that the Internet makes it easier. Students that care about learning and the harm cheating can cause to their learning will make the right choice. The reverse is true as well. It all boils down to values.

Source Cited: Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The Internet and education: Findings of the pew Internet and American life project. //Pew Internet and American Life Project.// Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf

According to Tolley, H., and Shulruf, B. (2009), “When systematically collected, appropriately analysed, and effectively communicated and utilized, data systems have been shown to accurately identify problem areas or strengths in school programmes, as well as the strengths and weaknesses in students’ knowledge and skills.” Data-driven decisions are made every day in our classrooms. In the classroom, the teacher collects data on each of her student’s progress through observations, class work, and assessments. An effective teacher uses this data to determine which groups need interventions or additional support. On a larger scale, schools, districts, and governments make data-driven decisions collected from more formal assessments. However, the data they analyze is not as accurate as the data the classroom teacher collects. This happens because their data is collected from formative and standardized tests. The same test is given to all students in a specified group without taking into account if all items have been taught to the student. Therefore scores may not be accurate. Another factor affecting the results of standardized tests is a child’s stamina. These tests are so long that a child who lacks the stamina needed to perform to their potential will receive a much lower score. Major decisions are made for these children based on data. Therefore special attention needs to be paid to how we collect data if we want “…To accurately identify problem areas or strengths…(Tolley, 2009).
 * WEEK 2 **

Source Cited: Tolley, H., & Shulruf, B. (2009). From data to knowledge: The interaction between data management systems in educational institutions and the delivery of quality education.

As I completed this week’s readings the following quote struck a nerve. Therefore I felt compelled to include it in this week’s discussion**.** According to Golden, M. (2005, July1), “…sometimes it feels like we are drowning in data because we cannot pay attention to all of the data available to us. The assessment and reporting provisions of the No ChildLeft Behind Act (NCLB), coupled with the law’s accountability provisions, have expanded the need for data collection,analysis, and reporting. Thus, the challenge for education in these first decades of the 21st century is to get beyond the profusion of data to knowledge, as well as focus on the indicator data most critical to our challenge of educating students.” As discussed in the previous weeks, data is a crucial component to making informed decisions about our students needs. However with the capabilities of today’s information systems, educators become overwhelmed with the task of collecting and analyzing endless data. “The more the better” philosophy is not always better. It’s just more. The reverse is true as well.
 * WEEK 3 **

The challenge that educators have is this data-driven society lies in the analysis of the data itself. Just like most campuses, my campus regularly analyzes data. From the information we collect and analyze, we develop a plan of action. This is probably very typical of most campuses. However, we make decisions on specific data whose reliablity is questionable. Moreover, we overlook data that may be critical to a student’s success. Let me explain a little further. We have data about a student’s course grades, assesment scores, programs, relatives, discipline, medical history, home address and phone numbers, etc. With all of this data available to us, we only use assessment data to make decsions about teaching our students. Although this may be enough to help many students, it isn’t sufficient for all. Student discipline is not addressed in the plan of action, niether is the student’s home life. Both of these factors contribute greatly to the success of our students. Ignoring it when devoloping action plans is a mistake. However if we looked at each individual student’s data in this fashion, It would be an overwhelming task. As a result, we rely on assessment data only. A district also fails to look at the teaching practices that affect the student and the lack of time a teacher has to prepare her lessons. Teachers are overwhelmed with the task of completing paperwork to fullfil the data requirement the No Student Left Behind Act has brought on, which limits their time to prepare for instruction. It’s an endless cycle.

Source Cited:

Golden, M. (2005, July1). Making strides with educational data. //THE Journal.// Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from []
 * WEEK 4 **

According to Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., and Smythe, T. (2009), “Technology tools that are part of everyday life for many students and working professionals should be seen as core tools of the teaching profession that teachers are required to master as any professional would master the tools of his or her trade. However, making such a profound shift in a well-established system is a difficult challenge. Professional development, intellectual interactions with peers, adequate training, and preparation time — all scarce resources for teachers — are necessary in abundance for such a shift to take place.” This quote covers the source of the problem in a few short sentences. That is, technology should be part of an everyday classroom just as a whiteboard/chalkboard, student and teacher desks, textbooks, etc. I agree that the scare resources mentioned in the quote are part of the problem. The question then is how do we make this shift? I realize that funding is always an issue and it affects almost every aspect of change. For most districts, the funding to make this type of shift is not available. So, what other options are there? Changing the attitude of educators with respect to technology in the classroom is a start. Let me explain. When a teacher views technology as a negative (such as more work or useless), they resist training. Even worse, they will not implement any training in the classroom even when the technology is available. Now let’s take a look at the educator that views technology as an imperative tool for teaching and learning. This type of educator takes advantage of training that’s available. When the training is not available, they seek it out. They may turn to the Internet, college courses, or other external sources to learn more. We are a perfect example of this. We’ve gone out of our district to learn about technology in education. This attitude makes it possible to begin moving forward, because we’ve chosen to take on the responsibility of funding our own learning. This reduces the need for professional development and funding for the school districts. According to Super Jobs Online “ The positive state of mind is very important to achieve success in life.” Moreover, the website provides tips on how to become a positive thinker. To view these tips go to []. Changing the attitudes of negative thinkers can make a big difference in the shift toward a 21st century classroom. Sources Cited: Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., and Smythe, T. (2009). //The 2009 Horizon Report: K-12 Edition.// Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. []
 * WEEK 5 **

According to Careless, J. (2007), “… the purpose of a Web filter is "to keep good people good," Josupait says. For students, this means preventing them from logging on to sites with themes that are sexual, violent, gambling-related, or simply non-educational. For staff, Web filters prevent access to inappropriate sites that could not only interfere with their jobs, but might also cause considerable embarrassment to their employers should such surfing become public knowledge.” Student and staff safety is the top priority for all school districts. Students are influenced very easily by their surroundings that include people, technology, and overall society.

For example, a few weeks ago I received a call from one of the kindergarten teachers on my campus. She mentioned that one of her students was having trouble accessing a web-based reading program in our computer lab. When she went over to help him, she discovered that pop-ups where causing the problem. As she investigated further, she realized that there was a mile-long list of pop-ups from inappropriate sites. Since my fourth grade class was in the lab just prior to hers, she naturally assumed that one of my students was trying to access these X-rated sites. The kinder teacher promptly reported this to the principal. It turns out that it was a fifth grader that was there prior to my class. I don’t have anyone assigned to that computer or the one next to it, because it is more difficult to monitor from where I stand during my math intervention lesson with a small group of students. In this particular case, having a good filter protected several students from sites that were inappropriate.

However, having a good filter comes with a price. That is, it limits us from accessing many sites that could be beneficial to teaching and learning. So many times I’ve tried to access videos from Teachertube and Youtube, but could not. I get a message that displays the district policy for accessing inappropriate sites. In order to get access to the video on this site, I need to complete a form and submit it to the technology department. They review the site and provide access to it if they deem the video appropriate and deny access if it is not. This process can be somewhat time consuming, so it eliminates these sites as real-time teaching tools. This is a high price to pay to keep our students safe, but obviously a necessary one.

Source Cited:

Careless, J. (2007, April 20). The filtering challenge. //Tech and Learning.// Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7212