Blog Post #2

            I have used Microsoft Word for all of my schooling and writing until this school year when I got a MacBook. For the most part I still use Microsoft Word but have found that Pages on Mac is easier and simpler. I have always used Word to write my essays and to do projects. As far as how I have seen my teachers use it, I have not explicitly seen it used by teachers in class but most of my syllabi are in Word documents and any other documents they send out are for the most part in Word.

            I am familiar with many middle schoolers who do not understand the concept of plagiarism and copyright. I have had work stolen by them on the internet. Teachers need to reinforce the concept that copyright respect is important and plagiarism is wrong, and that there are consequences for infringing on copyrights. If they spent more focus on this in schools, then plagiarism in college would not be as big of an issue as it is. As a teacher I will explain to them what copyright and plagiarism mean and tell them the consequences of not respecting other people’s work. Also I will explain to them why I am able to use certain copyrighted materials in the classroom, and how I am able to do so. I will give a test on copyright to my students so they can understand it better.

            Some new skills I acquired from learning about Twitter are how easy it is to connect with other students who are wanting to also be educators and to reach out to them when it is needed.  Also I learned how straightforward it is to connect with educational companies as well as other personal learning networks who have a Twitter account. I can use PLNs in my future career by keeping up with new technology to stay up to date and keep my classroom technology from becoming outdated as many software updates come out often. PLNs are great for sharing new ideas as well.