Infographic on The MotivAider

Lesson Plan Supplemental Materials

Lesson Plan Summary

The students will be creating Springtime Photography Books. They will be using digital cameras to take pictures of things they see during Spring. They will be using Microsoft Word to type captions to the pictures they take. The students will then paste the pictures and captions onto construction paper to create photo books. The purpose of this lesson is to work on writing complete sentences and using the six senses to display their knowledge of the Spring season.

Standards

The first standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6, addresses students being able to use digital tools to produce and publish writing. This is done when the children use Microsoft Word to type short captions for their photo books with the help of the teacher. The second standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3, addresses students being able to recall events, describe thoughts and feelings and use temporal words. Students do this when describing what they learned about Spring when taking pictures outside and using their five senses. After the pictures are taken, they use their notes to create their captions. The third standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5, addresses focusing on a topic and strengthening writing. The students do this as they type out their captions. With guidance from the teacher, they edit their writing. The fourth standard, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8, addresses recalling information to answer a question. They do this throughout the lesson plan when the teacher asks them open-ended questions about what they saw. Also when they typed their captions, they had to do this.

End of Lesson Expectations

The children should be able to successfully use a digital camera. They should also be able to type a written document on Microsoft word. They should have a more in depth and descriptive idea of what you can find in Spring using the five senses.

 Links to Tech-Based Supplemental Materials

 A post test the students can take after completing the lesson.
A link to a KWL chart the teacher can use to find out what children know, want to know, and have learned about Spring

KWL Chart on Spring

A  crossword puzzle the teacher can use to pretest the children on their knowledge of Spring.

My Technology Lesson Plan

Assignment 14/15

Growing Up Online

This documentary talked about how the rise of technology and social networking has affected today's teens and children. It talks about the good and the bad. There are many dangers involved with the internet. The two main dangers are cyberbullying and sexual predators. Teens are beginning to be so consumed with the internet that they are shutting themselves out of the real world. Technology has definitely changed how people interact with each other and is now mainly used by teens.

Cite some reasons why parental support for their children’s independent internet use is decreasing. Why do you think the number of parents who reported the Internet being a good thing for their children has decreased?

I think one reason parental support for internet use has decreased is that children can get onto about any social network site that they want with no problem. They can talk to whoever they want, whenever they want. This leaves the risk for children to be prayed on by sexual predators. Another reason is that children are losing their connection to physical interactions when using the internet. Kids are on the internet sometimes all day if not monitored by parents. Parents have a hard time talking to their children and even have been shut out by their kids like the parent in the movie. She took action to protect her child and other children and that cost her relationship with her son. A third reason is kids can post pictures of themselves or others in seconds and that can be damaging. Once a picture has been posted and seen, it is hard to remove. A final reason is that cyberbullying can be invisible to parent until it is too late. Often kids hide from their parents they are being cyberbullied to avoid embarrassment and the parents do not discover it until it is too late. Like in the video, the mourning father who had no idea about his son being cyberbullied which eventually lead to his suicide.

I think that there have become more cons than pros to the use of the internet. Yes, there are many educational opportunities available to children on the internet. However, as children get older and enter their teen years they lose interest in the educational internet resources and focus solely on social networking which is where most dangers of the internet lie. Also, I think this is because the internet has evolved over the years. There are so many new ways for kids to face danger on the internet than there was when it first came out. Chat rooms and blogging sites are great ways for kids to communicate and express themselves, but it can also be a hunting ground for predators and bullies.

2. More teachers are using tools to try to detect cheating or deter students’ inclination to cheat. In the program, we see the use of plagiarism-detection tools like Turnitin.com and writing assignments completed during class time to make sure students do their own work and generate their own ideas. How can we as educators stop students from using material they found online as their own work? Should that be considered cheating, in your opinion?

I think that tools like turn it in are the best option for stopping students from plagiarizing. I know as a student, I always triple check my work to make sure everything is cited correctly. I feel anxious turning in my papers even though I know I used my own words and cited authors where appropriate. I think these tools hold students accountable and that’s what keeps students from plagiarizing. They know that their work will be checked and so they will make more of an effort to use their own words. I do believe that this should be considered cheating. This shouldn’t change just because so much has evolved with the internet and technology. It is the same as taking words from a book and using it as your own.

3. One student claims he "never reads books" but relies on summaries and annotated notes he finds on Web sites. He confesses that he feels guilty about this, stating, "I feel like I kind of cheated it." In your opinion, should he feel guilty? Why or why not?

The only scenario where he should not feel guilty is if his workload in school is so heavy he does not have time to read the whole book. However, I think he spends so much time on social networks and not enough on school work. He chooses to use spark notes to avoid having to spend any more time on school than necessary so he can be on the internet and talk to his friends. So in the case I do believe that he should feel guilty. Reading books is one of the most important parts of education. The benefits are endless. Can the same be said for spending hours on end on a computer?

4. Before the Internet, in order to be seen by the world, you had to be portrayed in some form of mass media, and you had to be famous in some respect -- in the news, in politics or as a celebrity. Now anyone can be seen online by anyone else in the world. Some people have become famous for videos or photos they’ve posted (such as Autumn Edows). In your opinion, should people like Edows, or others who become “ famous” through their online presence, be considered “celebrities?”

Has the ability to create an online persona, and receive worldwide attention for it, affected our cultural values?

I think it has already been proven that people should be considered celebrities from online presences. For example, both Justin Beiber and Taylor Swift started on the internet posting videos and now they are two of the most famous people in the world. Another example is the fairly new application Vine. This is an app where anyone can post short video clips. Several people on Vine have had the opportunity to be seen worldwide and have met several legitimate celebrities. They have millions of followers and are treated just as celebrities would be.

5. Shows like "To Catch a Predator" on Dateline NBC (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/10912603/) contribute to parental anxiety about online media. It is obvious that certain elements of programs like “To Catch a Predator,” and even this documentary, will likely increase parents’ fears. Cite one current event from the past year where a young person has been affected (positively or negatively) by being active online. (find a link to a news story, describe it in your answer to this question, and provide the link as well).

http://www.freep.com/article/20140306/FEATURES01/303060154/Colin-on-GMA-Friday-morning

This is a story about an 11 year old boy who said he did not want to have a birthday party because he had no friends. With the help of his mom, they created a “Happy Birthday Colin” Facebook page with an overwhelming response. His page now has over a million likes and because of it he has received so many positive messages from complete strangers to let him know he has friends all over and to stay strong. He was even invited on Good Morning America because his story spread so fast and far. His page received such constant support from Colin’s internet “friends” that they have now changed the pages name to “Colin’s Friends.” I chose to showcase this positive message of how bullying can be turned around through the use of the internet. There are a lot of cyberbullying stories out there and it’s good to know that the internet can be used for good too.

6. Teasing, lying, gossiping, threatening, spreading rumors or harassing online (and offline)can severely affect people’s self-concept and self-esteem and have an impact on their emotional state. In the program, we see one girl who describes flirting with boys and then revealing she was just kidding. She explains: "You wouldn’t do that to someone’s face, but online is completely different. ... No one can do anything. You’re at your house, they’r e at their house."

In her quote, this teen is describing Suler’s disinhibition effects. Which one do you think it is, and why?

I think this is best describing Suler’s anonymity. This is where you can do anything and everything you would never do in real life. You are anonymous, you have no identity. You can say whatever you want, no matter how hurtful or cruel, and receive no repercussion for your actions. There is no sense of being responsible for ones actions. The sad part is I think this has begun to dehumanize today’s young adult and teen population. They have become so immune to others feelings and have completely lost respect for human life. It is definitely scary to think about how this is going to affect society twenty years from now. If our kids are disconnecting from important values such as respect, self-worth, and human life, what are we to expect from them in twenty years?

7. At the end of the program, Greg decides it’s time for him to "disconnect" by going to the Coast Guard Academy, where he will spend seven weeks without cell phones or the Internet. Have you ever thought about "disconnecting" from it all? Do you think it would be easy or difficult for you personally? What would you enjoy or dislike about disconnecting?

I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to disconnect from it all. I don’t think I would want to because the majority of my friends and family do not live close enough to see face to face, so the internet/technology is how we stay connected.  I think it would be difficult for me because I am on some sort of device almost all day. I have noticed how it has negatively impacted my life. My parents and I will go out to dinner and they will both be on their phones and I am just sitting there feeling completely invisible. I find it odd that I would be the one noticing this since I am the digital native, not them. Sometimes I wish it was illegal to have phones in restaurants, then I would actually get quality time with my family at a meal! I know when I have a family there will definitely be limits to phone/technology use. I do not want my relationships to suffer because of a hand held device.