The document discusses various topics related to technology use in classrooms. It describes how clickers are being used to engage all students in polling questions during lessons, but that overuse of clickers could shift the focus from learning material. iPads are also discussed as beneficial for presenting clear material on a large screen, though they may not be best for long writing assignments. The document addresses debates around filtering the internet in schools to block inappropriate content versus limiting access to educational resources, as well as issues of internet piracy and illegal music/movie downloading.

1. Jessica Bradley <br />EDU 290 Thursday 4-7<br />February 14 2011<br />Filtering of the Internet<br />Teachers and Filtering of the Internet<br />Internet filtering in schools has been an issue for a while now, and there are two sides to this argument. Filtering the Internet is limiting the access of information that children have when searching the Internet (Lamb, Jonhson). Schools and libraries install soft wares to control which websites children are allowed to access. Under the Children’s Internet Protection Act, schools and libraries who receive federal assistance for their Internet must have a policy that blocks pornography sites, or sites that put the children in danger (Lamb, Johnson). This seems like a good way to protect children from harmful sites, but there are some people who think all of this filtering is actually damaging to schools. Mitch Wagner, a blogger from computerworld.com, wrote two blogs about filtering the Internet in schools. He stated that he believes filtering the Internet is being used too heavily and is now limiting students on finding educational information. He says the filters actually block sites that students should be able to access. Wagner gives an example from Doug Johnson, a director of media and technology in Minnesota. Jonhson told Wagner a story of how a school system blocked the website delicious.com (a website used for bookmarking) because it was possible for students to look up porn when in reality any search engine could be used (Wagner). Another problem that is involved with filtering the Internet is that blocking pieces of work or information violates the First Amendment. Generally the First Amendment allows Freedom of Speech, so in the sense people say that filtering and censoring the Internet is blocking the speech of others. To most people keeping children safe from harmful sites is very important for when children are searching the Internet on their own. However some believe that filtering is violating the First Amendment of others, or they believe that the filtering is making the Internet too limited. Who will be responsible for deciding which is more important; keeping children safe or possibly violating the First Amendment? <br />Jessica Bradley<br />EDU 290 Thursdays 4-7pm<br />February, 14 2011<br />Movie and Music Sharing and Piracy<br />Internet Piracy<br />Piracy is defined as the illegal sharing and downloading of copyrighted files (Computersight). This can be downloading movies, music, TV shows, or software. One of the most common forms of piracy is downloading music off of programs such as Limewire or Frostwire. The main issue is that most people don’t see downloading music as illegal since most people don’t intend to sell it for a profit (Computersight). Anyone who downloads music is liable to be charged. Rosalie King says downloading music is just like stealing a CD from a store. Another is problem that some people don’t realize is that when downloading music, this increases the computer’s chance of getting a virus that can’t always be protected by Antivirus soft wares. People who are repeatedly convicted of downloading music can face up to six years in jail and may be charged $150,000 per download (King). College campuses are increasing their policies when it comes to students downloading music. Repeated offenders may be suspended from school. Since technology is becoming more complex, ways to stop Internet piracy is becoming more difficult. The main problem is people don’t want to pay for their music. People also download movies instead of paying for them. Downloading illegally off the Internet is damaging to these industries and decreasing profits. Most people do not realize the consequences for downloading illegally and those who know of the consequences most likely think they will not be caught. People who are convicted face expensive fines and possibly jail time<br />Jessica Bradley <br />EDU 290 Thursday 4-7<br />February 14, 2011<br />Use of new Technologies in classrooms <br />Technology in Classrooms<br />With the new developments in technology, schools and classrooms are becoming more and more adapted to using different technology in their learning. Students of the 21st century are much more tech-savvy than those of previous generations. Schools everywhere are developing new ways of using technology in their learning. One example of this is the new Clickers that are being used in classrooms. Clickers are being used to help teachers get every student involved. In every classroom there are one or two students who always want to be called on. These clickers can make it so everyone has a chance to answer. The clickers register the students and allow the teacher to easily see who understands the lesson. Another benefit is that sometimes these clickers can be connected to the whiteboards and can display the results almost instantly. Then students can look at the responses of other students which will lead to another discussion. However some classrooms might not always benefit from the clickers. Some people believe that the clickers can become the main focus of the lesson instead of the material being taught. Another problem that can develop from the clickers is time, they take time to register and get started. Clickers and technology may not be for every classroom but they are certainly becoming more widespread. Another device that is being used in classrooms is the iPad. Using the iPad can increase a student’s motor skills because of the large touch screen, also since the screen is so large it can present the material in a very clear way. The battery –life of this device is also a great benefit and the easiness of turning the iPad on and clicking on an App right away. A downfall of this device is when students type on the iPad they didn’t really type long educational documents, they were used to writing emails or short chat messages. Technology may not be needed in every classroom but it has shown to be very helpful even if not yet perfected. <br />Works Cited<br />Lamb, Annette., and Larry Johnson. quot;
Information Access & Delivery: Internet Access & Filtering Issues.quot;
The School Library Media Specialist. N.p., 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://eduscapes.com/sms/access/filtering.html>.<br />Wagner, Mitch. quot;
How Censorship Harms Schools.quot;
Computer World. N.p., 26 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://blogs.computerworld.com/15823/how_internet_censorship_harms_schools>.<br />Wagner, Mitch. quot;
Internet Filtering as a Form of Soft Censorship.quot;
Computer World. N.p., 19 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://blogs.computerworld.com/15823/how_internet_censorship_harms_schools>.<br />Levine, John R. quot;
Does the First Amendment Forbid Spam Filtering?quot;
Internet And Email Policy And Practice. N.p., 12 July 2010. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://jl.ly/Email/filter1st.html?seemore=y>.<br />King, Rosalie. quot;
Consequences for Downloading Music Illegally.quot;
EHow. N.p., 27 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/list_6131665_consequences-downloading-music-illegally.html>.<br />Magan, Christopher. quot;
Schools Step up Efforts to Combat Campus Piracy.quot;
Dayton Daily News. N.p., 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/schools-step-up-efforts-to-combat-campus-piracy-887802.html>.<br />No Author. quot;
Piracy: a Seemingly Innocent Illegal Action.quot;
Computer Sight. N.p., 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://computersight.com/computers/piracy-a-seemingly-innocent-illegal-action/>.<br />Delisio, Ellen R. quot;
Hand-Held Technology €�Clicks’ with Students.quot;
Education World. N.p., 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin620.shtml>.<br />Roscorla, Tanya. quot;
The Impact of the IPad on K-12 Schools.quot;
Converge. N.p., 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.convergemag.com/classtech/Impact-iPad-K12-Schools.html>.<br />