Blog Post #2

1. There is not one single other software application I have used more in my academic career than Microsoft Word. Especially within the last year and a half of being in college, MS Word has been used for everything from taking notes to submitting papers. These tasks are done every single day and it is impossible to submit a paper unless it has been typed up. While instructors in the college system are more prone to using PowerPoint, I have seen my teachers use MS Word before. Most of the teachers throughout my primary and secondary school education have used MS Word to type up assignments or display activity instructions. Instructors use MS Word in college to create assignment instructions, but not as much as they use PowerPoint.
2. Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of the rules and consequences that deal with using someone else's work. For a while, I have fancied the idea of being a Patent Attorney. They specialize in patents like the title states and patents are very similar to copyright laws. But this has helped to remind me that people take their work seriously. When someone's work is copied without permission, and they become so upset that they sue the thief of their idea, it reminds me how I would feel if I was betrayed like that. I keep the same mindset when researching information from the internet. Not that I have a choice in the matter because the consequences of plagiarism at this academic level are very serious. I would make sure that my students are not only aware of the consequences of committing such a crime, but I would try to get them to understand how it would feel to be ripped off. Unfortunately, I think it is very hard to create instructional material that hasn't already been generated by someone else. Of course, you can make your own PowerPoint, but the information you put in the PowerPoint usually has to come from someone else. By using their information, you have to give credit to them, but that is also good to display to your students as a reminder to give credit in their own work.
3. Three issues that I found particularly important from Chapter 9 were Privacy, Cyberbullying, and Freedom of Speech. Privacy is so important, especially when dealing with younger, naive students. It's always important to make sure students are aware that everything they post to the internet is there forever. Without firewalls in school computers, children would be able to access websites they may not need to be on. While they can possibly access these websites at home, it is important to enlighten them on the consequences of giving out personal information, sharing inappropriate pictures, or any other activities they shouldn't be participating in. Parents can also be reminded to pay attention to their children's internet usage. Cyberbullying is an illegal offense. As a teacher, if a student shows signs of being cyberbullied or shares information about it, you're required to report it. I think it's important to always remember this as an instructor. It's also important to remind students of the effects of cyberbullying on their peers. Privacy relates to cyberbullying because while a student may think they are protected by being behind a screen, the bullying is not private and will be used to prosecute the bully. Also relating to privacy is the concept of Freedom of Speech. The information and pictures you display for the world on the internet can be a deciding factor in whether you get that job. While you may have the freedom to say what you want, saying something distasteful on the internet may turn off a future employer. Students should be reminded that there are limitations to freedom of speech when you enter the front doors of the school.