EME2040 Blog

      Within the world of teaching, copyright and fair use can pose more of a unique obstacle than one would think. While in most cases, someone who wants information or learning material can simple look it up instead of buying a license for it, this isn't the case for teachers. Since they have to distribute learning resources like textbooks to a variety of students, they must do so under a purchased license instead of illegally distributing material. While it's good that copyright laws protect the intellectual property of authors and educators, it can be frustrating to deal with within the classroom. However, something I didn't know before is that technically, teachers can distribute their teaching materials under the protections of "fair use", specifically in cases for nonprofit educational material. Having said this, it is important to consider the context of the situations teachers use their materials in, since not all situations are protected fully by fair us...

      My experiences with Word started fairly recently- even though I had both Google Docs and Microsoft Word available to me throughout grade school, I always used Google Docs, since my school provided me with a separate google account for schoolwork instead of using my personal account. It was only in the later years of high school and starting college that I started to use Word primarily over Docs. Though I now prefer Word's interface and extra options to deliver a more finely formatted and detailed product, whenever I have to work on a document with a team, I always use Google Docs, since the cloud storage and online editing benefits multiple people working at once. If not for the fact that FSU provided me with a Microsoft account (just like my grade school did), I would likely still use Docs for individual projects as well.     Of the several ITSE Standards for Educators, the one I value most is the role of Collaborator. I've always felt that in my own expe...

      As I begin to immerse myself in my Introduction to Educational Technology class, I've started looking forward to what I hope to accomplish and learn as a result of the content I learn. Even though I don't necessarily plan to pursue education as a career, I still think that there is value in understanding the logic and manner in which I can teach someone something. Regardless of professional application, I think that the skills that this course will teach me will either aid me as supplemental material in other endeavors, or it will serve as an important base for further understanding other technologies, since I'd already have experience with technology thanks to this class. As long as my digital literacy and ability to explain/teach expands in this class, I will be satisfied with my progress.     Having said all of this, I am already starting at a decent advantage thanks to previous experience with technology in past courses I have taken. A few years ago, I...