Does social networking promote cyberbullying?

With society being dependent on technology from a day to day basis do you think that cyber bullying is becoming an issue? In my opinion, cyber bullying has always been around but with more users on social networking sites cyber bullying has probably lead to a significant increase. According to edgewave.com, cyberbullying statistics show that "95% of teens surveyed use the internet on a regular basis, and 80% of them use social networking sites". Another statistic in the same article states that "of teens that use social media, 88% report that they have witnessed someone being mean or cruel to another online, with 12% saying that cyber bullying is a frequent occurrence". Not only are teens being bullied online but this also leads to long- lasting damage on them as well as suicide. Cyberbullying has resulted in many schools holding costly lawsuits. Schools may not have control when students are using these sites at home but they can monitor students activities within classrooms thanks to IPrism. IPrism is an internet filter that allows visibility with students online interactions. However, this device does not prevent cyber bullying but it can notify authority figures of this situation so that it will not escalate. Considering that people and the internet will always be integrated, there will always be cyberbullying. People will never truly get along but we can try to find a solution. You, being a member of a community can help decline rates of cyberbullying by spreading awareness. If more people are aware of cyber bullying then more people will be able to recognize it and stand against it. 





http://cyberbullying.edgewave.com/
http://www.internet-filters.edgewave.com/faqs.shtml

Utilizing mobile devices in the classroom

Should students' be allowed to utilize mobile devices in the classroom? If you ask me, I think that the question is a little to vague and could have multiple answers depending on the situation. Using cellphones in the classroom could have it's pros and cons. I think that if you set particular times for when to use them they could work efficiently but if you allow your students' to use them anytime throughout the day then it could lead to a lack in education. When using computers for certain classroom activities, there should be an option to use cell phones for different research and educational games as well. Another reason that I think using cell phones in the classroom would be beneficial is because it could be used to contact others for emergency reasons. However, with those being said I also think that using cell phones in the classroom could lead to negative effects as well. Using cell phones during class could lead to distractions as well as other safety regulations. Although the students' may not mean any harm it could lead to situations that may not be the best. Another con of using cell phones in class is that it could cause a lack of communication between students as well as the teacher. Learning in schools should be spent wisely and include a lot of hands on and group activities. I personally think that cell phones being used for education reasons outside of class would be beneficial because students' can communicate with each other and the teacher outside of class but using cell phones during class could lead to many other negative factors if they are not controlled and being regulated.  

Wikipedia in the classroom: pros and cons

Most students may have heard their teacher say in school, "Do not use Wikipedia as a source". However, I think that Wikipedia should be allowed as a tool in education.Wikipedia has its pros and cons, but I think that it could be an efficient tool in the classroom if other sources are involved with it as well. This website displays overall information on a topic, but for students to use this source on assignments they should have more details and background information on the topics that they are researching. 


The advantages of students using Wikipedia is that it is used as a quick source to get exact information from. Another advantage of using Wikipedia is that it consists of various information. Today, you can go on to Wikipedia, type any subject or word you would like to know about, and it will instantaneously provide the information needed in a clear, understanding, manner. When the information needed appears on screen, you can then see many other links that are related to the particular topic. Wikipedia is also becoming more popular because it provides many different languages which causes it to have a higher advantage over many other sources. 


A disadvantage that may come with the use of wikipedia in the classroom is that it may not always contain accurate information. Wikipedia pages have atually been known to be inconsistent, containing false information along with the actual facts. According to onlinelearningtips.com, " I can click the "Edit this Page" tab in Wikipedia and change an entry I'm searching on however I chooose". Therefore, if you are going to use Wikipedia as a tool to gain information from, make sure that you atleast use two other sources that contain the same information. Another disadvantage when students are using Wikipedia is that it does not contain all the sources necessary for certain assignments. Wikipedia is an overview of information, however, students that are doing an essay or any other project may need to include more details and sources. 










Sources:

"Why You Shouldn’t Use Wikipedia for Research." Online Learning Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 July 2016

Does virtual life change "real" life? Do we relate to each other differently because of technology tools or does technology merely make it possible to do more quickly what we would do anyway?

I believe that technology influences us to relate to each other differently however,  I also believe that technology makes it possible to do things more quickly that we would have done anyway. Throughout history, humans have utilized technology in a myriad of ways, but with the central purpose of making life easier and increasing our overall well-being. Technology therefore allows us to do things more quickly that we would have otherwise done anyway, but it allows us to do it more efficiently. However, with the integration of more and more technology in our lives, society as a whole has developed a reliance and dependence on our ubiquitous technology. This integration has affected the way we interact with each other by introducing new and creative ways of interacting. We can now contact anyone in an instant and watch live streaming videos of world events as they happen. This definitely changes the traditional way we interact with one another and it will continue to change with the exponential increases in technology's capacity and globalization.   

Is PowerPoint Really Evil?

            Is PowerPoint Really Evil?   

  
    Do you think that using PowerPoint in a classroom is a sufficient way to educate students? Many people are arguing that PowerPoint should not be used by educators within the classroom. Why? Well according to Edward Tufte Magazine, "The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch". However, I do not agree with these opinions. 
    I think that their are multiple benefits when it comes to using PowerPoint in a classroom. Using PowerPoint is a quick and easy way for students to learn. During lectures students have to listen or take notes on information that is usually too much to take in and learn at once. Whereas in a PowerPoint, students get bits of important information and main ideas which can help them grasp the concept easier. Students also benefit from a PowerPoint because they can engage in various styles of learning which can lead them to collect main ideas from other sources such as textbooks. When making a PowerPoint you can insert pictures which can cause visual impacts. Another important benefit that can come from using PowerPoint is that it helps students want to learn and become more focused. PowerPoint not only provides important information but can also be used to show and compare graphs.
   Although I see why people think PowerPoint could cause a negative impact on students, I think that if used correctly it would do no harm. An argument against using PowerPoint in class is that students do not do as much reading during the school day due to the fact that PowerPoint summarizes information. I think that if PowerPoint is the only source of teaching in the classroom, that is when it can become a problem. Children need many different ways of learning to help them stay engaged. No matter if you are teaching them on PowerPoint, or any other source, if you are teaching them correctly along with the correct material, then they will learn from it and succeed. 

Should Students play software games in school?

Should students play software games in school?

Whether or not students playing video games help them become more educated in schools or less educated in schools has become a very controversial topic. According to one article by Mark Bauerlein, studies have shown boys from ages 6-9 were seperated by playing software games after school and not playing software games after school. The students that played software games after school had a significantly lower score on their grades than students that did not play software games. I am neither for nor against if students playing software games helps them with school. I think that depending on the child, it can either help calm their minds to be active in school or cause the child to do poorly in school. 

I think if used appropriately, games could be great for students and help them to achieve more in school. One of the pros of children playing software games is that it can help them interact with their peers. Games that involve more than one player can help show teamwork as they reach to a certain goal. Using teamwork within games can help the children apply it in a classroom with their peers around them as well. I also think that schools can use certain education games to help children focus on learning and using more energy instead of them just sitting in class listening to a teacher at all times. 

There are also some negatives that come with students playing software games in school. A con to playing software games in school is that students may get to competitive. One of the things that I see in the elementary school that I work in is that boys around the fifth grade level start to get very worked up, anxious, and competitive with one another. I feel as if some students may zone out on the educating part and pay more attention to the winning, competitive side of the games. Another con in software games in school is screen exposure.  I remember as a little kid, my parents never wanted me directly in front of a tv, or playing on my gameboy for long periods of time because it tends to hurt your eyes which can also have affects to your brain activity. 

All in all I think that there is no significant answer to this question. I think every child is different and learn through different ways. Some students grades may rise when it comes to playing software games, while other students grades may drop.