Week 6 Reflection

Today I complete my three blog post and discussion response. At this point, I recognize how helpful this class has become for me. The Web 2.0 tools have allowed me to share my thoughts and views in ways that I didn't know before. I plan to continue using this blog when I get frustrated and need to vent. Sharing your thoughts in this forum allows you to vent without the threat of retaliation and consequence. In one of our text, it spoke about anonymity playing a role in the online social culture. One of the most surprises aspects that I discovered today is that I have readers from all across the globe. Its crazy to comprehend that someone read my post from Iraq. Web 2.0 tools allow us to reach large audiences and that's what I should keep in mind as I move forward.  I will also continue to do Bucs chat videos through YouTube. I really enjoyed this process of creation. As I become more comfortable I will be able to make more interesting videos and become comfortable speaking on camera. I hope everyone has a productive week.

Racism caught on tape.

Over the last few months there has been an influx of videos showing black people being harrassed while doing everyday activities. All of these videos show people calling the police on people of color  engaging in normal activities.  Sleeping in a library, waiting for a business partner at a coffee shop, having a barbecue at the park, children selling water, and going to community pool are a few of the incidents that have occured. I know that we live in a climate where if you see something then you should say something however, these incidents show innocent conduct. Technology and Web 2.0 tools has allowed us to instantly share our experiences and videos can provide amazing prospectives. As a society we are addressing these for what they are. I believe that racism has no place in our society. I also believe that people should mind their own business. I think that cell phone video will continue to expose situations of injustice and people will have to ensure that their actions are in line with social norms. What do you think about these videos?

Stand Your Ground

Stand your ground for me is a polerizing issue. Florida state law declares in issues of conflict if someone believes that their life is in danger they do not have the duty to retreat or respond with the same force. They have the right to eliminate or kill the combatant. This law was first made enfamous by the Travon Martin case. In that case George Zimmerman approached high schooler Travon Martin in a alley engaged in a confrontation and ultimately shot and killed him. Travon Martin was precieved as a threat because it was dark, he was wearing a hoodie, and he was black. George Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted of all charges. Some believe that his actions since the trial suggest that he has some mental issues. A new case caught on video show Markeis McGlokton intervening in an argument between a gas station patron in his girlfriend. Markeis intervened by pushing the patron down and standing back. At that patron pulled out his gun waited for seconds and shot Markeis. Markeis later died from his injuries. My question remains is an altercation enough merit to use deadly force? I grew up in a time where people had fist fights and they never ended up in murder. I also believe that there are some racial bias regarding this law. I have not seen a high profile case where the role was reversed. I think that this will be an interesting case for the state attorney to review. What are your views on this matter. 

Last Week!

I gotta say its bittersweet to make it to the last week. This week I am going to focus on putting everything behind me quickly. I need to prepare for a new school year. I have enjoyed getting to know my classmates and participating in discussions. Before this class, I didn't have a twitter account or a blog. Now I have heavily participated in both. My goal for this class was to earn an "A". I hope that I have done enough to get there. This will focus on trying to complete everything at the beginning of the week. I want to extend a big thank you to my classmates and my teachers for their patients, understanding, and commitment. I hope that I will be able to continue to learn more about these subjects moving forward. Have a great week.

Week 5 Reflection

This week I took the opportunity to bring it all together. I am starting to plan on how I will use these tools going forward for the new school year. Even though I am still concerned about how students will use these tools I am optimistic about the value that it will bring to the classroom. My goal this year is to better communicate with students and parents. I think starting has made me see a different perspective on how it's important to share your view on different concepts. There are still some tools that I am uncomfortable using. I'm now testing snap chat which is an interesting way to take funny pictures and take interesting pictures. I also like watching the videos on TeacherTube. This gives me great ideas on activities to practice within my classes. I look forward to learning more and implementing new concepts. I think these concepts will serve me well in the future.

Pinterest in the classroom

Pinterest is a great software to use for tagging relevant content. I think that this will be a great way to get students to collect information about subjects they are interested in. They can use that information to build on their knowledge and try new things. For example, in preparation for the new school year my fiance found an interesting idea on pinterest about creating stools for students out of crates. After some additional research I was able to take some plywood and build the crates. By tagging interesting content students are able to build their knowledge and apply it in different ways. I have recently been using my pinterest account to find new information about video game programming. Hopefully I can find some new infromation to use.

Social Media in my Classroom

For the past several weeks I have contemplated how I would use social media in my classroom for the upcoming school year. Areas that concern me deal with the managing the system to ensure that students do not use it for inappropriate purposes. Even though students are told to be respectful they sometimes do not follow directives. In the past, I have used Edmodo where students can work on and submit assignments. As an educator, its a simple system for me to use to collect assignments. Students are able to create Avatars and engage in chat. Students will sometimes post internet memes that will get others off task. I think that discussion should be used in a targeted format. I will open up areas for discussion using multiple formats at specific times. What do you think will be some innovative ways to incorporate social media in the classroom.