Blog 3

     After reading and watching about copyright and fair use, I have a new perspective on my past teacher’s use of worksheets and materials in class. I distinctly remember teachers making copies of their textbooks to hand out for students to use as guides throughout the school year or quick workshop activities in class. At the time, it seemed like a way for teachers to share materials and save students money by not having to purchase extra textbooks or class materials. I would have never thought twice about the legal aspects of these practices and would have probably done the same thing in my classroom without a second thought.  Now, with this new knowledge of how fair use should properly be used I'll have to think about the legal ramifications that can follow because of this, and I wonder if my teachers battled this same ethical and moral argument. To avoid possible legal actions taken up against my teaching practices, I would try to utilize as many public-domain educational sources in my classroom as possible. 

    I remember a time before every classroom had a computer or every student was assigned a tablet for the duration of the school year, and I remember the time after it. As a 6th grader in the computer lab at my school, I remember the intensity of switching screens between CoolMath and the Google search I was supposed to focus on, careful not to be caught off task by my teacher. With my insight on these distractions and how they can go under the radar for a while, I want to design my lesson plans so that students can use technology in the classroom without compromising their engagement with the lesson at hand as well as not hovering over them to ensure they stay focused. By encouraging technology use with a mix of traditional learning methods, I plan to keep a balance within the classroom. This can help me realize where technology is truly needed and where it becomes a distraction. I would also consider the arrangement of the desks when implementing technology in the class and design the seating to best promote productivity. Keeping in mind when group work is least and best effective when switching between traditional and technology-heavy lessons. 

    Regarding generative AI like ChatGPT, I find it to be a useful tool for teachers but a hazard to students’ skill development. For example, a teacher might be able to efficiently generate scenarios or problems for the class to work through a skill collectively. A student could do the same; however, coming from personal experience in grade school -- if there was a shortcut to finishing assignments, I was more likely to take it. Although ChatGPT wasn't a thing when I was in school, I can imagine the negative impact it would have had on my comprehension of certain skills due to my taking advantage of the generative AI. Due to my opinions of generative AI like ChatGPT, I don't know how to approach the subject in my classroom. I do think it's important to have a conversation about the pros and cons of generative AI with my student's but I wouldn't want to encourage their exploration of the subject.     I was not a fan of doing a newsletter design on Microsoft Word. It was challenging to make things symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing using only Microsoft. Although I am proud of my finished product, I know I could've gotten a high pass on the assignment with the use of another platform, such as Canva or Adobe InDesign. At any rate, the assignment was enlightening because I realized how much thought and effort was put into all the school flyers and classroom handouts I've seen in my experience. The color, contrast, font, letter sizing, and layout are all considered. Although using a template would have made things easier for me, I wouldn't grasp how much effort it takes. 



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