Blog Journal #3

·         Copyright and fair use was a new topic that I was able to understand when coming to college. During high school I was aware of plagiarism, and academic dishonesty, but I was unaware of the laws surrounding copyright until more recently. When dealing with this topic as a teacher it is important to stay informed on current laws and do additional research on the material you are presenting in class and how you can use it while abiding by the copyright regulations. For example, if you are teaching a high school English class, and you are asking them to cite information from their textbook, it would be helpful to give a class on how to use citations, the importance of giving credit to the author, and how to use references. It is also important to teach students the limits of using other people’s work, and how much is appropriate for use. While giving my own instructional material, I also have to set an example on students and demonstrate what proper copyright use looks like, by also using reference and giving credit to the right authors and owners of the material.

          As we move into a more modern age, technology implementation issues also begin to arise. There are a variety of technology issues that face current classrooms today. Academic dishonesty is a big problem in today’s society as AI tools develop, paid essay writers are more accessible, and information online is easier to use. When talking about academic dishonesty, it is important to be aware of the consequences of using plagiarism, sharing your work, or falsifying information. There is a fine line in receiving outside help to create a stronger essay and using outside help to write your essay. It is okay to use extra information to help support your points in an essay while making sure to reference and cite these individuals. It is not okay to copy paste, or paraphrase information without giving credit where credit is due. In my future classroom, I hope to be clear to my students about the importance of academic dishonesty, while also giving them the resources to be able to use outside sources responsibly. For example, if they want to work in groups, instead of having one student copy off another student, an instructional workshop on how to work as a group may help them understand the concept of teamwork while steering away from academic dishonesty. Keeping my students informed on ways to get help online, while remaining honest is an excellent way to inform students on academic dishonesty while giving them resources to complete their work responsibly.

         Implementing AI in the classroom can be both an asset and a weakness. On one hand generative AI can create good essay templates, they can spark ideas, they can help a student who may be stuck and can provide excellent academic support. However, irresponsible use of AI can also have consequences, like academic dishonesty, or plagiarism. Since AI is a powerful tool, it can help students understand concepts that they may have missed in class, or need extra academic help in but it can also do all the work for them which is counter productive in an educational setting. Teaching students how to use AI productively can help learners excel in the classroom and understand harder academic material. 

        Last week in class we had to complete a Newsletter using Microsoft Word software and Canva. This was a very interesting assignment, and I learned a lot about how to navigate around Word and use it for classroom instruction. In the future, I would like to be able to add more graphics, work more on spacing, and even play around with different themes and colors. This assignment taught me a lot about how to use Word for optimal classroom instruction and will help me in the future when addressing students and teachers. Learning how to use different technological software is important and a helpful skill to have in any profession you choose.