Week 12 Post

First off, I cannot believe how quick these 12 weeks went by.  Hard to imagine that it's already April and exams have already begun.  However I must say that I have learned a lot from this course and want to keep moving forward in learning about being a good digital citizen and what that involves.

In terms of building a digital footprint it's not easy.  It can't be built up over night as it takes a very long time.  Just as this week suggested I Googled myself.  What did I find?  Well after learning about digital security, I changed my Facebook privacy settings so it is not as easy to find that page.  What is most important is that my LinkedIn profile is the first item to appear.  This is perfect as this platform hosts my most professional layout and would be a great first impression to potential employers who may be searching me.

I think the biggest take away after learning about the 9 elements of becoming a digital citizen are the security and etiquette elements.  It's important to share the knowledge that we have learned from this course with others and I think I would start with the two elements just mentioned.  Security mainly because it is so easy to fall for phishing and hacking attacks.  Providing people with the knowledge of what to look for could save the frustration and head ache of having credit card information stolen without even realizing it.  In addition, etiquette is important as well.  Knowing where and when to use technology is important and knowing what tool to use is also crucial.  You don't want to be spending more time then you have to on something if there is a tool made to organize or prioritize things for you.

I think blogging is going to be the best form of communicating what I have learned in this course and try to teach others.  It is important that they learn how to be a good digital citizen and I want them to learn what this course has taught me to get them there.

Week 11 Post

This week’s learning involved using screencast and podcast tools online.  I have been exposed to these online tools before but I have never used them myself.  Therefore it was quite the learning experience for me to make a screencast of my own.  In creating my own screencast I decided it was appropriate to use it for educational purposes. 

LinkedIn just released some modifications to their privacy settings and I outlined how to make the appropriate changes.  This tool could be used to share a trip by going through the photos while providing dialogue or would be a great tool for FAQ sections of websites.  Ultimately this is a great tool and is very easy to use as long as the user has a microphone handy.  To make this video I used a site called www.screencast-o-matic.com.  It was very easy to use the software as you can pick what part of your screen you want the tool to capture while recording.  You can pause if you need to take a break and continue on with your screencast. 

There are various other sites that can be used to create either a podcast or screencast.  SoundCloud is one of them.  This site is very popular in the music industry as it allows you to record and publish any form of audio. Therefore this is a great outlet for aspiring musicians to upload and share their music with the world without needing a video and posting to YouTube.

Ultimately these tools can be used for personal purposes but also have a great educational function to them as well.

Screencast

This week I tried using a screencast for the first time.  I had to do a little research on what exactly this tool allowed me to do.  Essentially a screencast allows the user to speak while using their computer screen as a reference.  In the situation below, I used this tool in an educational setting.  LinkedIn just released some modifications to their privacy settings and I outlined how to make the appropriate changes.  This tool could be used to share a trip by going through the photos while providing dialogue or would be a great tool for FAQ sections of websites.  Ultimately this is a great tool and is very easy to use as long as the user has a microphone handy.  To make this video I used a site called www.screencast-o-matic.com.  It was very easy to use the software as you can pick what part of your screen you want the tool to capture while recording.  You can pause if you need to take a break and continue on with your screencast.

I hope you enjoy my screencast!

Week 10 Post

Using Animoto this week was a great experience.  Making a short 30 second video is sometimes just enough time to get a point across in a concise manner.  This week’s topic was on copyright and finding methods of downloading material from approved sources.  Not all original creators allow others to use their work for their own purposes.  Therefore it is important to research whether or not the source has provided approval before using it. 

In terms of using Animoto for educational purposes I do not think that I would be able to use this.  I see this program as more of a tool for personal use.  This is perfect for sending out a quick snap shot of a trip or event to friends and family. 

As for the other creative tools I did a little bit of research on them.  Prezi I have used before seeing it in this week’s lesson and I have a hard time with it.  I need to spend more time with this tool in order to make sure I fully understand how to make an effective presentation.  I have seen others use this tool and it can either be created magnificently or poorly.  It all depends on if the creator knows how the program works.  PowToon is another tool that I have started to see more and more in the classroom setting.  Prezi causes many in the audience to be left dizzy as the information is flying across the screen.  However PowToon provides another alternative to presenting information through the use of animation.

Animoto

This is my video made on Animoto to explain copyright.  All photos used in the video are from sources that allow others to use their pictures.


My Animoto Video

Week 9 Post

As mentioned in my VoiceThread post below if I were to add Voicethreads to my PLE I believe it would be under collaboration tools.  There are tools I like better than Voicethreads however I do see the benefits of it.  As mentioned before I believe that this tool is best used for a teaching method and not so much the creation of group presentations for class.  Google Docs has a better platform when creating a PowerPoint for a class as it is easily transferred from the cloud to a personal computer with no formatting errors. 

As for PollDaddy this is a great tool to facilitate discussion among a group.  Presenting a situation just like in this session to a group of people and having them select an answer without being influenced by the other answers provides an opportunity to answer truthfully.  Having the comment section once an answer is submitted offers the chance to explain your reasoning and how you came to your answer.  Although I do not think this tool would apply to my education at Brock, I do think it would be useful in the right circumstances like creating discussion.

Aside from this week’s tools, I came across an article that discusses another company being targeted by hackers to gain information.  A site called Electronic Arts was hacked and turned into a phishing site where users would login with their Apple ID.  Following a successful login, they would be asked for more personal information.  This is another example of how we all have to be careful and make ourselves aware of the potential threats out in the online world.

Technology Use Scenario

John and his friend Mike both camera phones.  Mike sits in the back of the class and uses his phone to photograph the test for John, who is taking the test that afternoon.  Mike then emails the photograph of the test to John’s phone.

In this situation the student is using technology inappropriately.  The actions that make this scenario inappropriate are the photos taken of the test and sending them to John.  This is a form of academic misconduct and would result in significant consequences if caught by a teacher or proctor.  According to Brock University’s academic misconduct policies, “the penalty imposed may range from zero for the exam or the piece of work to expulsion from the University” (Brock, 2014). 

I understand that cell phones are a growing concern in schools not only for academic misconduct but also for privacy violations and cyberbullying.  That being said I believe that cell phones should either be collected by the teacher before the test in a small setting (high school class for example) or they should be turned off and placed on the floor under the desk just like during Brock final exams.  A ringing cell phone during a test or exam is a distraction and can cause some students to lose focus on the task at hand.  By having the cell phones collected at the beginning of class there is no opportunity for the student to take a picture of the test before leaving the room.  Even having the phone out of arms reach, like under their desk, is also a good option as it’s visible to the proctor or teacher and inaccessible by the student.  The consequences of cheating are far too severe to be practising actions such as taking pictures of the exam while writing it. 

Another option for the teacher is to have multiple versions of each test that they give out that way the tests would not be the same between John and Mike’s classes.  However this path does not fix the issue of having cell phones in exam or test rooms.

Brock University. (2014). Academic Misconduct. Retrieved from http://brocku.ca/business/current/graduate/academic-policies/academic-misconduct