Blog Journal 2

Blog Journal 2

By Jamie Rudden

As a student, Microsoft Word has always been a vital tool in helping me to complete my school work efficiently. I first learned how to use Word in elementary school during a writing and typing elective course. As I continued to progress in school, more and more of my assignments required the use of Microsoft Word in order to complete them. Because of this, I have become fairly skilled in the use of Word when writing documents, designing pamphlets or creating a digital birthday card! I have always found word to be a very useful tool for me as a student and a creative person. Teachers also utilize Microsoft Word very often in the classroom and when creating or editing documents. I've seen many teachers use word to construct worksheets, organize lesson plans as well as many other uses. Microsoft Word is a very popular software because it is so effective in its use to help people write and demonstrate their creativity.  

Copyright and plagiarism are two issues teachers constantly have to keep under control. As a student, I have always noticed teachers to be particularly strict when it came to the topic of plagiarism. Since as long as I can remember, the majority of my writing assignments have always had to be turned in online through a secure database called "Turnitin.com". I think this is a very useful tool for teachers to ensure that students' work is 100% original. If I become a teacher one day, I would definitely ensure that my students turned in their assignments through this website because it will provide me with any evidence of plagiarism when I read the paper. I feel it is very important for students' work to be authentic, because if they rely on others to write it for them, then they will never learn for themselves. 

1. Copyright- One solution to the issue of copyright in the classroom is incorporating the use of the online secure system known as "Turnitin.com". This website checks students writing assignments for any signs of plagiarism and reports back to the teacher the percentage of copyrighted information. I believe that if all students were required to turn in their assignments through this website, there would be no more issue of copyright because any student that attempted to do so would be caught and punished immediately. 

2. Cyberbullying- I believe one of the biggest issues with cyberbullying is that adults are not usually aware of the issue until it is too late. As a solution to this problem, I propose that teachers and faculty monitor their students' social media accounts every so often to check for any signs of cyberbullying. With this solution, I hope that teachers are able to notice any online bullying and address the perpetrators before it can escalate to something severe. 

3. Digital Divide- Technology in particular, creates an even larger age gap that exists between teachers and students. In order to solve this "digital divide" I propose that teachers spend time learning the technology and social media that their students are so engrossed in. Teacher workshops or conferences that discuss the new technology trends in students should be implemented and required fro teachers to attend a few times a year. I believe if teachers were taught to understand the new technology, they would have a much easier time connecting with the students in their classroom and could even incorporate the use the new technology in an educational setting!