Blog Journal 2

Since I was in elementary school, I have been using Microsoft Word for educational purposes. Over the years, I have mainly used MS Word to write essays. Starting in high school, I began using Google Docs, but I am beginning to use MS Word again so I am currently relearning and re-familiarizing myself with the software.  I have seen my teachers use MS Word to give instruction by typing out what to do, printing out multiple copies, and giving them to the students. My teachers have also used MS Word to make announcement letters (very similar to a newsletter).

In an educational environment, I have never witnessed the repercussions of what someone could experience if they did infringe on copyright laws, but I know obviously that there are consequences if copyright infringement does occur. I have had teachers that copy sections of a textbook or an article and they followed the rules of Fair Use. I would deal with these concepts as a teacher by making it super clear to my students what happens if you copy something you don’t have the rights to. For example, I would require citations of a creation if it is necessary. When developing my own materials, I would protect my creations under the laws created in place to keep creations safe and if it was something of utter importance, I would legally register the copyright. I would also support my students and their endeavors when it comes to copyright laws. I would assist them to get their copyright legally registered if they wanted to do so.

Academic honesty- Regarding academic honesty, I would make explain to my students how plagiarism or being academically dishonest can ruin a student’s reputation. To fight against academic dishonesty, I would use websites such as Turnitin to make sure my students are submitting work that is their own. If they did submit something that was plagiarized, I would make it very clear that their actions were not correct. I would not give them any sort of credit for an assignment that isn’t theirs to allow them to realize their mistake.

Privacy- A solution to privacy that I would implement in my classroom is to have lessons on internet safety with my students. It would be made very clear to them that not everyone on the internet has good intentions and they need to be aware of the information they are sharing with people online. Never under any circumstance should my students share their address or telephone number to anyone online. Internet privacy would be something I would take very seriously in the classroom and the students would know just how serious of an issue it is.

Cyberbullying- A solution to cyberbullying that I would implement in my classroom would be reached by multiple steps. First, I would teach my students that kindness needs to exist in real life and online. Then I would teach them how to report cyberbullies and what to do if they are being cyberbullied, such as confiding in a trusted adult to help them. If students in my class are cyberbullying and I found out, I would not hesitate to step in and contact the principal, their parents, or whoever it should be.