What I have learned week 3

Facebook is an impressive tool.  This being said, it is similar to any other online tool for education, it has the possibility of acting like a double edged sword.  In the event that something is misconstrued, there can be many questions raised about the integrity of the teacher.  Now more than ever the public opinion has the highest demands while the respect for our profession remains minimal.  The profession that I once loved is becoming a side show for nothing but testing.  While our leaders would like nothing more than to cut our pay pensions and power to negotiate, they hide behind the curtain of lies stating all is in the name of education.  My only problem with this is if the government truly cared about education, then why do I still have 30 kids in a lab class with only 28 desks?  The government cares more about money than education and until their mindset changes, I fear public education getting worse.  While many individuals applaud the government for cracking down on mediocre teachers, it seems every time a story breaks on education within the news, it is discussing a situation involving inappropriate behavior.  One teacher costs everyone their job.  While Facebook might be an invaluable tool, because of all the tip toeing, no teachers at my school district are allowed to have Facebook accounts with students past or present. 

Week 2

This week I have learned about some wonderful ideas in incorporating wikis and making them useful.  With the idea that something can be created with the use of collaborative efforts all while being helpful to my students engage into newer technology simply proves how greatly technology is advancing education.  The use of wikis has pushed the boundaries to outside the normal classroom walls, allowing for more engaging access to knowledge with students that have access.  Many of my students have data on their smart phones and are discussing how exciting it is to get hints on homework assignments online.  I have also learned that while these technologies with reward also come with great sacrifice in not only planning, but for students who do not have access to internet, this creates a horrible unfair advantage.