Blog Post #3

    As we all may know, copyright is a form of protection for one's original work. When most individuals think of the term "copyright" they probably reflect on creative work such as movies, however, this could be applied to intellectual work such as textbooks or academic journals. With copyright, the distribution of the work is at the dispense of the owner. With this in mind, teachers must be aware on how to properly cite/gain authorization of work that is copyrighted, especially textbooks. This not only applies to work such as textbooks, but also the work that an individual teacher creates. They, as owners of the work, can decide if they copyright their work and how they would like others to distribute her work. This also applies to student work as it is created in terms of educational purposes. This follows the concept of fair use which allows individuals utilize certain copyright work for educational purposes, however, it has to be within reason. Within reason means how the work is being utilized, how much of it is being utilized, etc. 

    Although technology proposes many advantages to incorporating it within the classroom, it does come with its disadvantages in terms of its negative impacts. One of the main issues that come with technology being incorporated into the curriculum is the challenge of academic dishonesty. Given the circumstances that the world is currently in, many students are at home completing their assignments and exams. Although completing these types of work online is beneficial in terms of easy grading and saving the planet, it gives the students an easier opportunity to commit academic dishonesty by cheating. However, there are ways to combat academic dishonesty in classrooms. Software extensions such as Honorlock can be utilized to complete these types of work. With extensions like Honorlock, students will be required to show a 360 degree video of their work space and allow the extension to access their camera and screen in order to allow for live recording to occur as they work on the exam. Another disadvantage of incorporating technology into one's curriculum is the lack of funding that some schools offer. This is especially prevalent in low-income areas as the schools in those districts do not have enough funding to allocate technology for everyone in the school. This not only applies to the schools themselves, but also to students who do not have easy access to technology due to financial reasons. Thus, as a future educator it is important to be aware if students do not have easy access to technology at home. Rather than assigning homework through online platforms, it is important to assign work that can be completed by utilizing paper and pencil. This ensures that students are able to complete their homework assignment at home without worrying about how they would be able to complete it. 

    Creating the Newsletter Design assignment was one of the most challenging yet creative assignments I have done to date. Prior to completing this assignment, I was under the impression that I knew how to utilize Microsoft Word as effectively and efficiently as possible. However, creating my own Newsletter without the aid of a template was a challenge in itself. Although I knew how to create columns and bullet points, it was quite difficult to effectively utilize these functions and make it look aesthetically pleasing. The skills I have acquired as a result of this assignment include being able to utilize Microsoft Word without a template and successfully find resources that aided me in how to properly use certain tools that is available on Word. Although I tried my best in creating my Newsletter, there is definitely room for improvement for future Newsletters. For this assignment, I took more of a simplistic approach to my Newsletter because of how unfamiliar I was with creating a Newsletter from scratch. However, next time I can utilize more colors and graphics in order to enhance my Newsletter. These skills that I have acquired can aid me in my future career as I would have the confidence to create something similar to this assignment if I need to provide updates to my audience such as parents and students. Below, my Newsletter is attached to this blog.