Internet Safety

The article I chose to talk about is "Let Our Voices Be Heard" by Elder M. Russell Ballard. In this talk he mentions how the family is at the heart of Heavenly Father's plan because we are all part of His family and because mortality is our opportunity to form our own families and to assume the role of parents. He also says that it is within these families that values are taught and character is built. I feel like he was saying that it is our responsibility to take care of His children here on Earth. He warns us of many different types of media that can have a negative effect on our lives if we do not choose it wisely. He says also that if we do not make good choices the media can devastate our families and even worse pull our children away from the Gospel path. Ballard warns us of cyberporn and its dangers. He says that there is a rapid increase in the act, involving sexual addiction over the internet. There are some people who become so addicted to viewing internet pornography and participating in dangerous online chat rooms that they ingore the covenants they made to their spouses and often neglect family obligations and such. Others take huge risks to maintain their perverted addiction which causes marraiges and relationships to fail and the individual loses every of true value. Before he concluded with his remarks, he mentioned a list of seven things every parent can do to minimize the negative effect media can have on our families.

1. We need to hold family councils and decide what our media standards are going to be.

2. We need to spend enough quality time with our children that we are consistently the main influence in their lives, not the media or any peer group.

3. We need to make good media choices ourselves and set good examples for our children.

4. We need to limit the amount of time our children watch TV or play video games or use the Internet each day. Virtual reality must not become their reality.

5. We need to use Internet filters and TV programming locks to prevent our children from "chancing upon" things they should not see.

6. We need to have TVs and computers in a much-used common room in the home, not in a bedroom or a private place.

7. We need to take time to watch appropriate media with our children and discuss with them how to make choices that will uplift and build rather than degrade and destroy.


I also watched several videos about internet safety before I taught me dear mother about Internet safety. I watched several videos about cyberbullying as well as predators that are online targeting really young teenage girls and it pretty much scared me. It is very important that we teach young people about the dangers that are out there. The videos I watched where the girls actually lived from this because a lot of times they don't live from getting involved with strangers online. One of the videos I watched involved a 15 year old girl who met a 22 year old online and wanted to have this guy come and meet with her, but her parents were very concerned, so her dad talked to a police friend and she gave him a video game called Missing that they could play together with their daughter. Because of this the girl recognized some similarities happening in the video game that were happening to her, so her parents were able to help her see the dangers of meeting this guy and she decided not to meet him all on her own. They finding out that this guy was wanted by the FBI and this girl helped put him behind bars. She was one of the lucky ones. These videos really opened my eyes a lot and scared me to the point of choosing carefully who I chat with online. I have been dating online and now I will take the necessary precautions to protect myself from predators as well.

I ended up teaching my mom about Internet safety. I asked her what came to her mind when I mention Internet safety and all she could think of was computer viruses and things like that, so I had lots to share with her. Once I mentioned what I had learned about, we had a really good discussion about what we should watche out for on the Internet and how to protect ourselves as well as the young people we know and love. I am pretty sure that she will do her part on educating young people about the dangers that are out there and I will definitely do the same.


I also completed steps 1-3 on the PLE for the week.

TPACK project

Bookends of War

Inside Kapunahala

The videos I was able to watch made me realize just how engaging technoloy can be when used in the classroom. I haven't been able to use technolog these teachers have used in the classroom, but I have used technology a lot in the lessons I have prepared for the students I have been working with during the practicum. It is awesome to see just how much fun the students have when technology is used and I could see that happening in the videos I watched. The students seemed to really be loving the projects they were involved in and they were learning so much about themselves and technology. Technology has always been something that seems difficult to inplement, but the more I get used to it the more I see a need for it to allow students to get involved in the learning process. I think that using technology is a great way for students to learn about what is available to learn in the world today. It was fun to see how engaged they were and how excited they were about participating in the projects given to them. They seemed to know how to use technology effectively which is what I still need work on as I prepare to be a teacher as well. I still have so much to learn and I can see that it is definitely worth it having it available to our students.

My lesson plans

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfst25kd_1dcctswhg

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfst25kd_2ct2r8mcm

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfst25kd_47s4xjbg6

Technology videos response

I thought the videos were very helpful because they helped me see just how technology can be implemented in the classroom. Technology was planned into the lesson plans the teachers were teaching which made the lessons more meaningful as well as exciting for the students. I noticed that all the students were participating and learing so much from the projects their teachers had prepared for them. I also thought it was great how the students were helping each other in a pleasant manner, which help them to stay engaged in the process as well learn something they didn't know before. Technology use in the classroom also helps to prepare the students for life later when technology will probably be used in everyday life, even more so than it is now. I wish I would have had the opportunities to use technology back when I was their age, because I think it is very important and extremely useful in our society. Technology also allows the students to show and use what they put together as well as share it with others. This can help students more effectively apply what they are learning so the information learned stays with them longer. It is also a good way to get the parents more involved in the child's learning by allowing them to also view what their children are putting together as well as learning. I do think also that technology can be overused, so teachers need to be careful about this as to not bore the students by using it for everything they do. Otherwise I think technology is a great way to get the students involved in the learning process.

School Invetntory assingment

I am currently doing my cohort in the Provo District. The school that I am working in is Spring Creek Elementary. The teacher that I am working with is Mrs. Hansen and her classroom has technology pretty much everywhere. She has three mac computers in the back of her classroom that have several programs loaded onto them. She also has a TV, a VCR player, and a DVD player. Her classroom has access to the internet and can be access with a wireless computer. The coolest technology equipment she has in her class is a promethean board, which I have already been able to use and it is pretty cool. Another thing that they have access to at Spring Creek is computer labs. These labs, however, are traveling labs which contain mac laptop computers. These computers are used by the children to take their weekly tests. As you can see this particular school has many opportunities to use technology as part of the curriculum.

I also did complete the other two parts of the PLE assignment and those I completed last night before midnight.

Science Challenge PLE

I was able to view Melissa's, Kindy's, and Whitney's voice thread video. I thought it was very well done and it was enjoyable to watch and very engaging.

I thought this assignment was quite fun and I enjoyed doing it as well. I also felt like this assignment was not as complicated as ones in the past. I think this is a great way to add to learning in a classroom setting. One of the upsides of an activity like this would be the engaging aspect of being able to experiment with the program being used. It would definitely help kids want to be part of the learning process and they get to use the equipment themselves. A downside of an activity like this might be a loss of control in the classroom. I think it would be slightly difficult to manage students using equipment like this if they are not properly instructed on how to use it. Another upside might be to let older students make their own voicethread presentation on a topic to show to the class, because it was fairly easy to use and I think this would also gets students excited about learning. I thought that using Stellarium was a fun way of viewing the night sky and kids would have a great time experimenting with a program like that.

Science Challenge

Science Challenge

The activity we chose to do was to have students observe the stars at night using stellarium. We will have the students look for constellations that are currently in exitstence where they live. Students will then work on their own to create constellations of their own and compare the brightness of the stars in the constellations they create and the current constellations. In this activity, the teacher will be showing the students the different constellations that can be seen in the area where they live while the students watch and observe. We would then have the students look at the night sky through Stellarium and work to create their own constellations. The teacher would of course model how this is to be done so that the students will know exactly what they should be doing. The students will watch and observe while the teacher shows them how to create a constellation so they will be able to accomplish this task on their own. After the students have had some time to create and explore their own constellations, the teacher should then model how to compare and contrast the brightness of different stars located in their constellations. This can be accomplished by the teacher using the constellations he/she has created by pointing out which stars are light and which stars are dark. The teacher can then go into more detail and discuss with the students on why some stars are light and some are dark. This could be a great classroom discussion. The students would then look at the constellations they have made and compare and contrast the brightness and darkness of the stars in their constellations.

The content we are using for this activity is for 6th grade. The standard we chose is Standard 4: Students will understand the scale of size, distance between objects, movement, and apparent motion (due to Earth's rotation) of objects in the universe and how cultures have understood, related to and used these objects in the night sky. Objective 2: Describe the appearance and apparent motion of groups of stars in the night sky relative to Earth and how various cultures have understood and used them. Locate and identify stars that are grouped in patterns in the night sky.

The pedagogy is allowing the students to observe the stars by finding constellations and describing the relationships between the different stars in the sky, which would really engage students in the learning process. This goes allow great with the content we have chosen to present.

The technology we will be using is the Stellarium program which will be fun and engaging for students while they study about the stars. This will also allow the students to observe the night sky in all places throughout the world.

The representation of the content we have chosen is extremely visual and the students would be able to observe the constellations in the night sky, but alter them in different ways as well. This activity will help us reach the objective in a way that is fun and engaging that might not be possible without this technology.

I viewed Melissa's, Heather's, and Kindy's virtual tours and left a comment on each of their blogs. They were all really good and I enjoyed watching each of them. I found this assignment extremely challenging, as you know and I truly appreciate your help. I don't think I could have completed it without the help. It was a fun to learn how to use google earth and I am glad I had the opportunity to do this assignment. I think that one of the upsides of using this technology in the classroom are one, the students can literally explore the world and all the many places located on the earth. It is a very fun program to use and anyone can use it. I also think it is a great way for students to learn about subjects the study in school and it is a fun way to learn it. One downside of this tours, I think, is how to navigate through the tour. I had difficulties navigating through some of the tours I looked at, but that might not be saying much. Young students might have slight difficulties navigating through them as well.

Earth Surface Tour

I chose to make my google earth tour for fifth graders. I chose to use standard 2: Students will understand that volcanoes, earthquakes, uplift, weathering, and erosion reshape Earth's surface. I chose objective 2: Explain how volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift affect Earth’s surface; a. Identify specific geological features created by volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift and b. Give examples of different landforms that are formed by volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift (e.g., mountains, valleys, new lakes, canyons). I chose to do my tour on the these locations because I thought they are very interesting examples of how these types of incidents reshape the surface of the earth and students need to learn this and this is a fun way to learn about them where they can get involved. I think it is a great way for kids to learn because they actually have the opportunity to see videos or pictures which I think makes learning more meaningful as well as easier to understand. I know that I learn better when I visually see things and I think children learn better that way as well. It gives students a way of becoming engaged in a subject that might not be interesting to some children to begin with.

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Grand Canyon	The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. Activity: Ask students what they think may have formed this canyon and have them use the ruler to measure its size in comparison to the San Andreas Fault.	http://www.soultones.com/canyon/canyon5_LG.jpg http://www.aegweb.org/images/Geologic%20Hazards/GrandCanyon.jpg http://travelover.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/grca_grandcanyonhdr.jpg
2. Hawaii	A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot magma, ash and gases to escape from below the surface. Activity: Have students write a journal entry about what is might be like living close to a volcano.	http://www.unr.edu/nevadanews/articlefiles/4744-volcano.jpg http://library.osu.edu/sites/geology/National_Parks/images/hawaii_volcano3.jpg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hec9yK-QQ4o http://ursispaltenstein.ch/blog/images/uploads_img/how_volcanoes_work.jpg
3. California (San Andreas Fault)	An earthquake (also known as a tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Activity: Have them watch a video of an earthquake and write in their journal about what it might be like to be in an earthquake.	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-62Ti5_6s&feature=PlayList&p=C1275B07614C59B3&index=6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcoHJHo8d6k&feature=PlayList&p=C1275B07614C59B3&index=8 http://mail.colonial.net/~hkaiter/earth_science_images/San_Andreas.gif
4. The Alps	The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west. Activity: Show students pictures of the Alps have them discuss what may have caused the mountains to form. Ask them what types of activities you can do in the Alps.	http://steelhead.aecom.yu.edu/France2006/images/015%20Top%20of%20the%20Alps.jpg http://www.imax.com.au/content/blog/pictures/TheAlps_pic1.jpg

I think that one of the most difficult challenge for me in implementing a digital story telling project would be making sure you cite things correctly because of all the copyright laws. I know that I have a difficult time remembering to cite the pictures and other ideas and things that I seem to find on the internet as well as other places. So I think that will be most challenging for me is remembering to cite and citing my sources correctly. It was a very fun project to work on otherwise and I liked how well our video turned out.

TPACK is all the different types of technology available combined. Each are able to accomplish differents tasks depending on what needs to be used. I don't really understand a whole lot about TPACK, because computers ideas and topics are really hard for me to understand. I think it is important for teachers today to know about this technology and know that it is available to use in the classroom. I think that today's students can greatly benefit from having this technology available to them for their learning. I think that it is great that we have this type of technology available so we can easily access more and more information that can be of great use for teachers in teaching their students.

I have to say that I really struggled with the project we were required to complete last week. I am so completely frustrated with technology right now and I hope that working with it becomes easier in the future. I sure hope that I did the assignment right, because it is way too difficult for me.

My technology experience

I have very little experience with technology. When I was young I rarely used a computer for anything, so I grew up not knowing how to use a computer. I first started using a computer in high school just for typing assignments like reports and essays and things like that. I also took a class in high school which taught me how to use Word Perfect, which I really can't remember how to use now. However, I did become a little familiar with Microsoft Word, which I used most of the time with writing papers. After high school or several years later, I finally started my own email, but hardly ever used it, because I was really too scared to use it. When I started back at college, I had to take a computer class for my degree, so I was then forced to learn how to use a computer and technology. I can now use technology a little bit, but not effectively as most people. I still need major help on using the internet and all of the resources that are available.