Copyright shock

I was very surprised about what is actually in the copyright guidelines that we learned about.  I did not realize how strict the guidelines are.  I had no idea that only 10% or 30 seconds of a song could be used or 10% from a text or only 5 images from a single author.  I also was surprised to that there is a two year time limit for teacher to get permission for the copyrighted material they use.  What was most shocking was that almost every teacher I had in elementary and secondary school had broken these guidelines.  I remember teachers copying packets out of workbooks and pages out of textbooks when we did not have the original copies available.  This will affect me in the classroom by making more aware of what I can use in my teaching material.  I do not really understand why only 30 seconds of a song can be used in a presentation.  If I played 2 minutes of a song, it is not like this will prevent students from still purchasing it on ITunes. I am not making money off this song either.  I am glad to learn about this because I would have broken a lot of these guidelines without even knowing about it.  I will save the PowerPoint presentation on the copyright guidelines to refer to for student teaching next semester. 

Google Saves a School

I watched the video "21 Century Schools."  I thought this video showed a great example of how technology can be used effectively in schools.  It was shocking that 3 years ago the grade level proficiency in math was only 9%.  Then the principal came up with the plan of using Google applications and providing each student with a laptop.  I like how he compared technology to oxygen and that student’s use technology to navigate through life so it makes sense to use it in schools.  With this new technological program, the math proficiency level rose to 62%.  That is a massive difference in only 3 years.

Where do I stand on the use of this technology?  I am completely behind it.  I do not think it makes sense to use only archaic textbooks and chalkboards when in real life students need to know how to use technology.  It seems like a lot of schools are behind the times in that area when they should be ahead of time and on the edge of technological advances.  I think having laptops and students multi-tasking helps them focus much better than before.  If students are in a classroom for an hour listening to a lecture, they will be bored.  If they are on a laptop working on multiple assignments, they will be engaged.  Yes, some students will play games on their laptops but they also have a deadline to get their work done.  Furthermore, the principal has access to what each student is doing on their computer.  That oversight is something I have never seen before.  I think that is a great deterrent for students to abuse their privileges.  This implementation of technology proved itself in this school and prepares students for the future.