Week 4

Wow I'm a little late. This week was yet another hectic one. Ending one school year and getting ready for summer school seemed to pose a problem along with my Master's Program. I think I have more on my plate than I can handle. But gotta keep movin' on huh? Anyway, I did not seem to gain a lot this week in class. The safe internet essentials were something that I was already aware of and the Second Life deal was a joke. I did learn a little about the privacy laws on the other hand that were interesting. Most importantly I learned that I am not doing anything illegal when I borrow or use stuff on the internet.

ED 520 Blog 3

This week I had a lot of fun working with my group again. It is very interesting to see where we all agree and disagree. For the most part we are all on the same page. For our group project we had the opportunity to investigate many different web sites which have potential to be useful in the classroom. Most of the tools we looked at were interesting and include: 280 slides, poll everywhere and Google forms. Others were unimpressive (Ta-da lists)... honestly what a waste of time.

Not much else to say this week. I am trying to close out the end of the school year and am exhausted!

ED 520 Blog 2

This weeks learning was a little on the uneventful side. Because we covered search engines in the last class in such detail the thought of it alone is enough to bore me. (Not you fault John, Louie was excessive with it!) Also, as far as the Wikipedia debate is concerned... I really could care less. I have no personal peference to the site at all. Yes I do use it however I would not use it as a credible source for a meaningful assignment. I would also not let my students use it as a research reference. Wikipedia like global warming, is something that can be dabated on for days. Personally, it is not worth my time. Till next week!

ED 520 blog 1

This week was not very new to me. I have had to evaluate websites before so the concept was old. However, it was interesting to look at all of the different types of evaluation tools out there. With that said I look forward to introducing these tools to my students so that they can do some of the leg work for me. It takes a lot of time to find credible resources out there. They students will also learn responsibility of finding what is credible and what is not.

Thank God... The Last Blog!

A light at the end of the tunnel. These last few weeks have been straight from hell! I have had no idea of where I was going or what I was doing. With each project came a big headache and a lot of beer. (The headache was not from the beer!)

With that said.... I have learned a lot! I know how to protect myself from potential disasters and I even know how to purchase my own computer without the help of a sales representative. All of a sudden I feel so grown up!

Blog 2 - Future of Desktop Computing

The future of desktop computing can go a few different ways. As I looked at the Linux system I began to wonder why I was spending so much money on programs that were free online. I also wondered why I have such an expensive computer when I do virtually nothing on it that does not pertain to the internet. I have come to the conclusion that I do not need a fancy computer. I can spend a very little amount of money on it and still accomplish the same tasks that I do now. All I need is a link to the internet.

I may or may not be the exception to the computer industry. There may be plenty of people out there like me who do not rely on the computer itself but on an internet connection specifically. On the other hand there are more creative and artistic people out there who enjoy music, gaming, and aesthetic programs that allow for creations and design. These people would have a difficult time functioning on a minimal computer.

With that said.... I am not sure where our future lies. Everyday there are more and more programs out there online that are free. The internet is everywhere which makes it easy to access these programs. On the flip side the programs come out as software generally before they make it to the online world. The deciding factor could very well be "can the internet incorporate online programs faster than the companies can produce the software?"

Blog 3- What would I lose?

MY MUSIC! That is it. This is all that I would lose. Not because I do the right thing and backup my computer but because I do not store anything on it. My photos are on an online photo gallery and my important information for work is on a flashdrive. That is all I need. It sadly makes my wonder why I paid so much money for my laptop...