How have you applied your understanding of the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools in your practice as a teacher?

Students, as well as teachers, have strengths and weakness as well as previous experiences that affect their learning.  As an educator we have responsibilities to our students, the profession, and the community. (State Dept. of Ed., 2oo6)  Some students come to school hungry, some come with emotional baggage from home, some come from ESL families, some come with limited social skills, some come well above the academic levels of their peers, and some don’t come to school at all.  (Ormrod, 2oo8)  A plethora of circumstances define how a student differs from another, but in my experience students tend to explore learning with what they perceive as their strengths.  For example, a good reader will often resort to books to figure out the sex of a class frog while a socially adept student will interview a number of adults and peers to find out.  This being said it is important to provide the widest range possible of opportunities, and appreciation. Backing up for a second, it is important to realize that technology needs to be adaptable for each individual student to be accessible. OSHA's computer workstation e-tool is a simple way to start. McLaren's (1989) critical pedagogy is a great framework to incorporate this philosophy into my classroom. The Equity Index is just one of the sites that addressess some of the cultural diversity within a classroom. I learned the hard way about posting videos on YouTube when a colleague noted that our video was linked to an inappropriate "froggy style" clip.   Now we have moved the video of our class pet eating to Teacher Tube. Another video related problem that has arisen dealt with providing permission to be photographed or video taped. The process has begun to have this and other permission forms available online through the school website..            I am excited to become involved with Global SchoolNet.org this year.  The website will hopefully make other countries and people more realistic to my kindergarteners.  I am also looking forward to some virtual field trips that coincide with our Cultural Arts Week.  Last year we traveled to Korea, this year I'm hoping for India because some peers and I made a culture quest to India in a class. My part of the page was Classical Music of India. I also can't wait to introduce a kid friendly virtual tour of their bodies.             In my time as a kindergarten teacher it is safe to say that the students in my classroom have not committed any overt acts of copyright infringement.  Unfortunately, I have seen a number of copyright violations by my colleagues. I try to model appropriate use of materials and share the the worksheets and templates I create with my colleagues.  Equity Index.(2ooo). Equity Index.  Retrieved July 14th, 2oo8 from http://equity.4teachers.org/index.php . Global SchoolNet.org, (199o-2oo7). Global SchoolNet.org: Linking kids around the world. Retrieved July 5th, 2oo8 from http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.cfm. McLaren, P. (1989). Life in schools:An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations of education. White Plains, NY; Longman, Inc. Ormrod, J. E. (2oo8) Human Learning 5th Edition. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. State Department of Education. (2oo7).  Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility.  Retrieved July 2nd, 2oo8 from http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/Cert/ethics/tchr_code.pdf.

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