Weekly Blog Number Five

This week in class we learned about internet safety. We learned how to spot a website that has true information. We also learned what we need to look out for when using the internet, when teaching our students.

This week was a lot less stressful than last weeks' assignment. It was helpful to know how to identify a good website from a bad one. It is good to know that a reliable website will usually be public. I also learned that a reliable website will have information given by an expert on the subject. I had no idea that online bullying was such a big issue. It is nice to be aware that the Internet doesn't have to be a scary thing. The Internet can be used to help teach and make subjects come alive to students.

I plan on teaching first grade, so I don't know how much computer time as a class we will get. I do plan to utilize the Internet, even if it is just used to play educational games to get children used to using the Internet and the computer. If I don't teach first grade though, I would have the students use the Internet regularly. We could have groups go on the Internet to find out as much as Benjamen Franklin as they could. We could then have the groups present a fact to the class. It would be a fun way to introduce many different subjects of study. As a teacher I will pre approve sites that the students can get their information from. I will have a program on the computers that I can set to keep dangerous and inappropriate material off the computer.

The video I watched this week was from Teacher Tube again, the url address is:

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=838&title=Why_Let_our_Students_Blog_
This video was a short little video about why we should let our students blog. Basically the video said blogging is a good way for children to learn and express creativity. Blogging is a good way for children to connect the process of learning to write with the online world. As a first grade teacher, I think it would be fun to have a classroom blog to post pictures and events that both parents and children can access.