Blog Journal 2: January 29, 2019

          Throughout my education, MS Word has been the software that I use most often and that is most important to me. I remember learning how to use Word for the first time when I was in third grade. Since then, I have typed numerous essays, research papers, and pages of notes on Word. I use it almost every day. I've seen my teachers use Word to type up hand-outs, quizzes, and syllabi. Some of my teachers in high school had Word documents projected on the board to show us how to use correct formatting.
          My teachers have always stressed the importance of citing sources properly in papers. However, I've seldom learned about copyright and fair use as it pertains to media, like when to give credit to images used for projects. As a teacher, I would stress that credit needs to be given to the creators of all types of intellectual property, not just sources for papers. I would show students exactly how give proper credit, and how to find media in the public domain. I would encourage students to "put themselves in the other person's shoes" and think about how they would feel if someone else used their creations without giving them credit. Additionally, I would encourage students to create their own works through assignments that allow them to get creative, like with a poster that they have to design themselves.
          In order to ensure that students retain academic integrity, I would work to limit situations that tempt students to plagiarize or cheat. For example, I would stress to students how important it is to start assignments early so that they don't have to plagiarize the night before in order to turn something in. For big assignments, I would make numerous deadlines for different steps so that students do not do it all at the last minute. To help students keep their privacy online, I would encourage them to be careful what information they post online. I would show them examples of how random people can find out so much about you from what you post, like how on Instagram your photos reveal your location when your photo map is on. To alleviate the digital divide, I would make sure that any assignments I give would be accessible to students without access to computers or printers at home. For example, I would give in-class time in the computer lab or create assignments that can be completed on a phone.