Article Review #2 "Is Technology Just for Boys?"

In the article "Is Technology Just for Boys?" Linda Starr interviews Sherry Turkle who is one of the co-chairs of the AAUW's Commission on Technology, Gender, and Teacher Education about equity in technology. According to Turkle, somewhat of a bias currently exists when dealing with boys and girls and technology. It is assumed, because there are currently many more males entering the workforce in technology related occupations that males are more suited to these types of jobs. Turkle maintains that this is not the case. She blames the inequity on current educational practices that seem to deter girls from being interested in technology. She believes that technology material is not presented to girls in ways that would appeal to them. In order for teachers to bridge the equity gap, Turkle suggests better technology training for teachers. Teachers need to be able to choose appropriate software for their curriculum, and know how to use it to inspire their students, both the boys and the girls. I know that this is an area where I, as an educator, could benefit greatly from increased training in technology. As a female who has worked in the scientific community, I have always been interested in the topic of gender equity and thought this article was very enlightening and informative.

Article Review #1 "How Teachers View Technology"

In the article "How Teachers View Technology" by Linda Starr, statistics were reported from an educator survey conducted by CDW-G. The survey reflects current educator opinions about technology in the classroom. As expected, the majority of teachers felt that technology improves student learning as well as teacher communication with parents. I agree completely with the statistics reported in the survey. I love the Parent Access program that our district uses to allow parents to view their student's current grades, assignments, and attendance. This makes it so easy for parents to contact me by email if they have questions or need clarification. Additionally, I agree with the opinion that the biggest problem with technology in the classroom is lack of computers. I have no student computers in my classroom and it does hinder the amount of technology that I and my students are able to incorporate. I thought this article was right on the money when dealing with current educator opinions on technology.

Religion and Ethics

I believe that someone can definitely be ethical without being religious, so of course I believe that people of all religious backgrounds as well as people with no religious affiliation can be ethical. I found an article by Dr. Otto J. Helger that made me consider the basis for our ethical belief systems. He wrote:

"The existence of a final judgement (completely fair with no hidden evidence) provides a minimum ethical motivation. Further motivation would be available to those who desire to obey God from gratitude rather than for reward or punishment. This is not to imply that atheists or non theists are not ethical, but only that they do not have a rational basis for their motivation."
I found this to be very thought-provoking. Clearly, he believes that non religious individuals can be ethical as well, but the basis for their beliefs and behavior is not as clear as it would be for a religious individual. I think the motivation in the case of non religious people may come from family or community. Additionally, I think that explaining ethics to a diverse audience would simply center on a discussion of doing the right thing, the law, and the belief that most people are born with a fundamental sense of right and wrong.

http://www.leaderu.com/offices/o_helweg/professional_ethics.html

"The Blue Nowhere" Blog #1

One assignment for this class is to read the novel "The Blue Nowhere" by Jeffery Deaver. The novel is about a murderer who collects information about his victims by "cracking" into their computers. Oddly enough, I read this novel around the time that it was published several years ago. My mom and I are voracious readers and trade books. However, being such an avid reader has its downfalls, as I don't remember everything that happened in the book. Consequently, I am rereading it and enjoying it equally as much the second time around. I am not quite half way through it yet, but I had to take a break from it to work on other assignments. I find myself being scared silly by the premise of this book yet again. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that people like the character "Phate" really exist. I am not very technologically savvy and I do not understand how people are able to "hack" and "crack" into other people's computers, but I do realize that it is something real that happens and that thought is terrifying. I find myself thinking about things that I do on my computer at home that I might change to try and protect myself from people like this. I am currently working on coming up with new passwords and making sure that I am very careful with my personal information. I can't wait to continue reading!

ISTE Standards

I honestly didn't even know that the International Society of Technology in Education existed until last year when my husband was working on his Master's in Educational Technology. Through him I became a little bit familiar with the the NETS for students and teachers, but had never really gone through all of the standards and assessed where I stand with using technology in my high school Biology classes in reference to the standards. What I have chosen to do for this assignment is go through each of the NETS*S (standards for students) and evaluate where I believe myself to be within my own classroom/school and with my students.

Standard 1: I believe this standard is addressed by other courses that my students take. Basic technology skills are taught at the high school level in Keyboarding and Computer Tech I and II. Additionally, most students enter high school with a lot of prior knowledge in this area.

Standard 2: Again, I believe this standard is partially addressed in other courses. However, I definitely believe that I could address this standard more with my students. Appropriate and ethical use of technology is imperative to successful student use of technology. We discuss plagiarism as it relates to the Internet, but that is about it.

Standard 3: This standard is adequately covered in my Biology classes. Students work on several research projects throughout the school year during which they are required to share their information with peers in some format. Some students create PowerPoint presentations, some make brochures, etc.

Standard 4: I don't believe that I adequately address this standard with my students. Emailing and instant messaging is prohibited at my school, so other outlets of communication would be necessary. As I become more informed throughout this course and others in the master's program, I hope to become more familiar with tools that could be used by my students. I am already realizing that we could participate in online research projects, as well as create Web Pages and Blogs.

Standard 5: In conjunction with standard 3, standard 5 is adequately covered. As I mentioned earlier, students are required to work on several research projects throughout the year. Students collect their research from several Internet sources as well as utilizing library materials. One struggle with this standard is impressing upon students that some sources of information on the Internet are reliable, while others are not.

Standard 6: Using technology to solve problems in the real-world is one of the standards that I believe to be most lacking within my curriculum. As I mentioned above, I hope that the more I learn about technology, the better able I will be to address this standard with my students, perhaps by joining an online research project or possibly creating our own.

Overall, I believe I do a decent job of addressing the NETS*S with my Biology students, but I see now that there is much room for growth and improvement. Additionally, while looking over the NETS*T (standards for teachers) I realized that Standard IV (using technology in assessment and evaluation), in particular, needs work. Additionally, I feel that I need to become more active in trying to upgrade technology in our building. There is only a single teacher computer in my classroom. In order for students to utilize technology currently, we must travel to the library and use the computers there. However, I do realize that this is no excuse for inadequately addressing the NETS.

Purpose of Langfoss Blog

Hi everyone...I have created this blog for a graduate class that I am currently taking. The class is titled "Issues and Ethics in Technology". I will be using this blog to complete assignments and record some of my thoughts and feelings regarding issues and ethics in technology.