Classroom Management

During lecture we discussed how to manage your classroom in different environments such as: a standard classroom setting, mini-lab stations, and computer lab rooms. Specific situations were brought to our attention-what if you found a great drill and practice activity on a computer program, but only had one computer for the classroom. My solution would be having a schedule for each student to have a 15 minute time slot two days a week with a vibrating timer to alert them when their time is up (that way they know it has been 15 minutes without distracting the rest of the class in a severe way). We also talked about how to manage a class that is working in a computer lab. There is now software to track every individual computer to see if students are on task or not. I think what we talked about was helpful however some of the ideas presented in the lecture seemed like an invasion of privacy, something I do not know if I would participate in as a teacher someday because I want to respect my students just as they should respect me. 

Addressing Issues in the Classroom

Being a teacher is a complex job-- especially when it comes to legal issues. Teachers need to follow copyright laws and acceptable use of software for both themselves and their students. 10% of a text can be used, but if more is used then a law has been broken. Programs like Turnitin.com can help teachers identify if students are plagiarizing or not. These rules are so specific and are often broken by teachers without their knowledge. However, there are specific ways that text can be distributed, used, and shared in a legal and safe way. Because the internet is so useful in obtaining information, it is difficult to put that information into your own words. Teachers need to stay alert and be cautious in reading student's work regarding legalities and with the information they present to their students as well. In todays lecture I felt as though all we talked about was copyright but addressing issues in the classroom is such a broad and important topic that I feel like the content was a little vague.