Something Old, Microsoft Word
In my time as a student, I've used Microsoft Word more times than I can count. Most of my time with Word has been used to simply write essays and research papers, but I've utilized its other features as well. I've had projects in the past where I've had to create trifold pamphlets, so I'm thankful for Microsoft Word's brochure template. I've created a couple mock newsletters as well. In high school, I used Word quite a bit to create artistic and professional resumes. In my EDF1005 class I had to create a lesson plan for the first time, and I used Word for that as well. I'm only just now finding out that under the "miscellaneous" template tab, Word has a lesson plan template -- that would've been nice to find two semesters ago...
I've received many a document from teachers over the years that I assume were made with Microsoft Word. All of the newsletters I've been sent home with, all of the tests I've taken, and all of the instructional sheets I've been handed were created with Microsoft Word. As far as college professors' relationships with Word, all of the syllabi I've read so far have been neatly typed with Word. From .doc to .docx, I'd say Microsoft Word has always been an extension of myself in my educational career.
Something Borrowed, Copyright and Fair Use
So there's a lot of jargon involving this concept that I'm not really following. I think what it's saying is simply that if you are using copyrighted material within a closed classroom, you can't be penalized for using it without explicit permission from the creator.(?) As a student, I've always been taught that any time you're using a copyrighted photo or piece of text in your paper, powerpoint, etc., you must properly cite it. I've had the fear of plagiarism deeply instilled in me.
As I make my way into the teaching profession, I'm thinking I'll need to seek out some seminar where a person more well-versed in these concepts can explain it all to me so some men in suits don't break into my classroom to take me away to copyright infringement jail someday. Once I am familiar with all of these concepts I will do my best to translate it to my little digital natives so the develop a sense of good digital citizenship from an early age.
It was interesting looking at this topic from the standpoint of a teacher creating their own instructional materials because I feel like every teacher I've had has said "Excuse this typo, I didn't make this test" or "Don't worry about this slide, I wouldn't have put this information in here if I made this presentation myself" at one time or another.
Something New and Something Blue, Twitter
I think the hardest skill to learn when using Twitter is how to convey an idea in 140 characters or less. I love the concept of creating a network through Twitter where you can connect with teachers, parents, and students (depending on the age) at any time. The most exciting part of it is the practically limitless wealth of information you can gain from other educators and organizations! Just in the past week I've found and favorited many profiles and links that I might save forever so I can utilize those specific technologies and project ideas in my own classroom someday. I find that the most creative/innovative educators are the ones sharing their ideas on Twitter, and those are the educators I want to connect with. From my experience as a student, I can say that being able to communicate with a teacher via Twitter is super beneficial and makes students a lot more invested in the class. My AP Psychology teacher in high school had a course Twitter that he used to remind us of tests and assignment due dates. He would also post articles or TEDTalks that he thought we would find interesting. Sometimes students would even tweet him asking what he though their weird dreams might mean and he would interpret the dream as best he could. It was hilarious. He was a great teacher and I think his investment in communicating with his students was a really huge part of that.
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