Journal 2

I have used MS Word for almost my entire academic career. My very first memory using MS Word for school was my third grade biography on Edgar Allen Poe. However, come to think of it, I remember that it was required for the paper to be typed, but we had never had any in-class instruction of how to use a word processor like MS Word. We had computer labs, but up until third grade we only played academic games on them; we did not learn how to type or any of the programs you could use to do so. I was fortunate to have a computer at home and a parent to teach me how to use MS Word, but I wonder about my classmates who did not have the same privileges. This definitely speaks to the digital divide and how those around me were probably affected. I continued to use MS Word for the rest of my academic career, but I never had to use many functions other than changing the font, size, spacing, and adding photos. It was not until this semester in EME 2040 that I have had to use many of the functions such WordArt, borders, and columns. I had used these before in creating my own non-academic projects with MS Word, but this was the first time I had to do so in an academic sense and it was very interesting.

In an educational environment, it is important for teachers to set a good example by respecting copyright and fair use rules. As a teacher, I would try to stick to these laws as closely as possible. At least from my own experience as a student, my teachers always seemed to get by easily with using public domain material when necessary, so it should not be a problem. The limitations of copyright and fair use would challenge me to be more creative in developing my own instructional materials, but I believe that that would benefit me as a person in exploring my own abilities as well as benefit my students in encouraging them to explore their abilities and creativity as well. Originality is important in academia and I would want to encourage my students to be as original and authentic with their own work as possible.

Cyber-bullying is an issue that many people with internet access in my generation have experienced, ranging from petty messages on anonymous message apps to legitimate threats and harassment. Cyber-bullying typically happens on social media which, as a teacher, I would not have the jurisdiction to control, so the way I would combat it is serious conversations with my students about treating people with kindness on the digital plane. I do not plan on teaching a technology class, so I would not be able to tackle cyber-bullying in my daily lessons, but I would definitely dedicate at least one class day to specifically talk about using social media responsibly and not hurting each other. In a guided discussion, I would ask my students about their experiences with interacting with other people online and the types of harassment they may have faced. Before the discussion, I might even ask them to write on a piece of paper (without their name or any other identifying information) about a bad experience in order to discuss it with the class. In the discussion, I would tackle the topics of gossip, body shaming, "slut" shaming, violent threats, harassment, the consequences of bullying through anonymous messaging apps, and any other forms of cyber-bullying that the students of the future may be experiencing. I want the students to share as much of their thoughts as possible because I feel like that would help them connect with each other and better empathize with their peers online if they share their thoughts face-to-face. To end it, I would remind my students that if they are going through anything, whether it is cyber-bullying or anything else, that I am someone they can come to, as well as any other resources that are available to them.

Lack of funding is an issue that as a teacher I would fight for outside of the classroom, with the school's leadership, the school board of my district, and with the government at all levels. However, in the classroom, I would tackle lack of funding by making as much time possible for my students with technology in order to keep them on track with the school's standards. I cannot let my students fall behind, no matter how biased the system, while fighting for more funding. However my school handles technology, whether it be with shared laptop carts or a computer lab, I would request that my students get their hands on technology at least once a week, or even more frequently around time for computerized tests. I would want my students to get as familiar as possible with the technology because even with lack of funding, it is my responsibility to give them the tools they need to be successful. I would also encourage the students to speak up about the issue with funding if they wish to do so, because it is their future and their education at stake, and I want to empower them to fight for what they want.