What makes a great teacher?

Teaching is one of the most complicated and stressful jobs today. It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and standards; enthusiasm, a caring attitude, and a love of learning. You must have knowledge of discipline, classroom management skills and a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. With all these qualities required, it’s no wonder that it’s hard to find great teachers. I think I just was included in a class of great teachers. Thanks for letting me be part of it all. Oh Yea, why don’t they pay you gals and guys more if you can do all that?

TEC 6/77438 Instructional Applications of the Internet

ITEC 6/77438 Instructional Applications of the Internet  Fall 2016 

It was nice to read all your papers, review all your presentations and learn from them. This class has many creative minds and I am joyful because many children will benefit with all of you in a classroom. You will be working to assist the greatest natural resource we have, our children. We started with Twitter and Blogging and now we are ending the course as we started. L I hope to see the virtual you in my next class and maybe the real you at graduation.

Steven V. Ervin

Trolling on the Web

An important sidebar of virtual internet interactions involves online deviance and trolling. These include behaviors that range from mild mischief, to offensive language, to hacking and trolling, and to expression of complex social problem, such as by social radicals, terrorist, or pedophiles. Yet I can find little research that has examined online trolling in general or the impact of gender and background on these deeds in particular.

My research results indicate that men and women react differently to online trolling. Their observations of the impact of trolling on online groups vary a great deal. Always men and women identify different motivations for similar behaviors in different communities, and they both remark that men and women trolls differ in their behavior and motivation. What do you think?

What is a Web Filter?

A Web filter is an application that screens incoming Web pages. This application verifies web pages that should be accessed by certain users. This application compares all incoming web pages against the certain information technology rules and regulations stipulated by the installer.

Sometimes these filters over block or under block, which can result in the users not finding some information, based on constant rules hence blocking a wrong site. On the other hand, filters do not guarantee that they will block all the unsuitable content either.

Most schools, businesses or companies use an Internet censorship service. By using their Content-control software that is designed to restrict or control the content a user of the school or company is blocked from some internet access. This software normally used to restrict materials that are delivered over the Internet via the Web, e-mail, or other means. Content-control software normally determines what content will be available and what content will be blocked. The motive for the censorship is normally to prevent access to content, which the computer's owners and other authorities may consider intolerable. 

What is FTP?

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, which is a standard Network protocol used for transferring files from one host to another over a network that is TCP based such as the internet.  FTP server is software that is normally a html application that is used to run the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), which is the protocol for exchanging files over the Internet. FTP is normally built on a client-server structural design, which uses separate control and data connections between the client and the server.  FTP is a program that is used widely by computer users to enable them exchange files effectively.

A computer that receives an FTP connection is called an FTP server while the deigned software that is used to transfer files back-and-forth from one computer to another over the Internet is the FTP client. It is normally installed on a computer and can be used only when there is an Internet connection. FileZilla, CuteFTP or SmartFTP are just but some of the FTP client programs. With this program uploading and downloading a file becomes an easy task. With FileZilla, it is a secure way of transferring files such as videos, mp3 files without worrying. Support is available through their forums, the wiki and the bug and feature request trackers.

Furthermore, FTP clients have extra features that can be useful to the user. For example, a download that did not finish successfully because one reason or another can be resumed, especially in the instance of slow internet connections. Nevertheless, FTP program uses go a long way, especially for website users or owners to upload, ensures secure uploading of files, and can be used to.

It’s a Terminator Future see

Most students of today are technology savvy. They know how to access technology and use it to their advantage. Educators have played a role in promoting technology, however the students have carried it too far by depending on computers and other technology to create everything from bibliography generators, grammar checkers and even spell check. This can be a dangerous pattern because the students of today will be our leaders of tomorrow. Do we want workers to go to a computer to find out how to solve problems or do we want workers that provide solutions to problems with their own cognitive powers? Some students I have worked with cannot do any intermediate or complex math problems without using computers or calculators. I do not believe that trusting a machine to solve problems is a good thing for the human race.

            Educators need to come up with a way to engage our students and have technology take a secondary role in their lives. Today, administrators and educators are obsessed with testing and put unwanted pressure on their students. Is this why students feel they have to turn to technology so they won’t get behind in homework? Educators can give students the tools they need to succeed but most importantly the self-esteem they require to help them achieve their goals. They can do this by more hands on activities and making students aware of the consequences of using technology all the time.

            It is time for our students to use their brains to accomplish goals without the crutches of technology and become a successful part of our society. It is up to our educators to make this happen before we raise a society of technology driven zombies. 

Teaching and Learning

Schools that have not embraced technology in the processes of teaching and learning need to do so. Evidence from numerous reviewed literatures shows improved academic performance among schools that implement digital databases and the Internet.

The purpose of this post is to sensitize the education stakeholders on the significance of integrating technology in teaching and learning to promote collaboration and research of different tools. Research will always be a part of learning where students are given assignments and projects to work on their own or in groups. Therefore, access to web-based databases that aid young scholars in search of solutions to their classroom problems are essential. It is crucial that school administrators and teachers consider the digital aspects of education as a key factor on the way to the overall good performance of their students.

            Schools should adapt to modern digital libraries where students can access databases and the internet and carry out their research more efficiently. Research databases are an effectual tool that should be taken up by all learning institutions. The goal is we want our students to succeed with individual and collaborative research work. What do you think?

Google and Online Etiquette

I am a promoter that online etiquette needs to be taught in the classroom before students use Google tools. When on-line, students need to learn how to be respectful of other people’s viewpoints. If they should critique a viewpoint, they should also avoid personal attacks on the person who expressed the opinion, as well as the use of profanity. I think a very virtuous argument about internet privacy is, for example, if a student reveals too much about his or her identity, such as an address or other personal information, it is impossible to erase information. Teachers and families should instruct students how to responsibly guard their on-line identities. Also, age-appropriate restrictions need to be covered extensively. Unfortunately, of course, this comprises pornography and other adult materials that can be found on-line.

            I highly recommend a couple of websites that further explain the expertise that teachers should bring to the classroom with respect to Google tools. There is a Google for Education Training Center that offers “in-depth training”, and an “official Google certification before teachers educate kids on how to use Google tools properly. Consequently, it is important to educate teachers first (https://www.google.com/edu/training). In addition, another website briefly explains some of the vast array of features that Google has made available to teachers and students alike, features such as Google Drive, which allows teachers and students to collaborate in real time on class projects, using very advanced features (http://www.edutopia.org/google-for-educators). 

When I studied the various reason most authors describe the contiguity principle, it made me seriously consider what and how many visuals should be on my Mobile App screens. How they described the mental reasons as to why the contiguity principles affect learning. One proposal was that separating pictures from words is not built on an accurate understanding of the how people learn. Moreover, another psychological reason for the contiguity principle is that people need to make sense of what they see. If words, pictures, are placed separately then the learners will not create any meaningful relationship between the words and the pictures. Additionally, if they need to match up words and pictures with visual and auditory conduits to the brain. These “information channels” will become overloaded. These scarce and limited conduits are the other reason the contiguity principle affects learning. We need to understand that learners should not be using their limited cognitive capability for unnecessary processing. If words and pictures are put together, they provide the learners with paths to create important connections between the two aspects of learning. The learners need to concentrate on both aspects of learning “words and pictures” and not split their attention between the two simultaneously.

In the  https://youtu.be/aHqHkpEULFc?t=75 Montes video gives us a case of online material where the pictures and words have been used appropriately to give meaning to the content. The parts of the pictures in the material are labeled accordingly and descriptions for the labeled parts provided. In my research the description of the contiguity principle was that, words and pictures should not be separated and presented in different pages because the learners will most likely not make sense of what they see. I Must consider this when creating my Mobile App screens.

In this video segment https://youtu.be/aHqHkpEULFc?t=175 Montes reveals a situation where the video violates the principle. The contiguity principle states that spoken words are supposed to be aligned with the corresponding graphics. The graphics shown by the author, in this case, are meant to explain the events of a cardiac circle, but the spoken words do not correspond with graphics, and this violates the contiguity principle. If the author had matched the spoken words with the corresponding text, then it would have been easier for the reader to comprehend the message the author is trying to communicate.

Montes, B. (2012). Contiguity Principle for E-Learning. YouTube. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHqHkpEULFc

The Digital Divide

In the race to converge or make compatible all forms of media, modern-day technological experts are leaving millions of people behind. American society is still hurting from unethical institutions that have deprived certain groups from social equality. We now are encountering the digital age. Most experts say the digital age will help these social equality issues. Instead it created another gap between the “haves” and “have-nots”. With these new-age industrial advancements a term commonly known as the “digital divide” has been coined to describe the uneven access particular groups have to technological tools.

Educational tool Google Sites

Introducing Google Sites to students should be done in a fun, interactive manner that captures their attention and enables learning. This lesson is to start students on their way to integrating Google Sites into designing their own e-portfolio. A tool that will evolve throughout their life and will be a connection to colleges and employers.

Non-educational Games

Non-educational games impact on any person can only be negative. Plainly, non-educational games attribute to a change in character. I think they also attribute to violence. In this case, individuals may practice the actions of their games in the workplace that may cause them to get fired. Games limit networking based on the fact that individuals do not pay full attention to their work. In this case, their reviews by managers receive low ratings. Non-educational games give individuals false expectations of life. They also limit individuals thinking and problem-solving skills. Non-educational games also lead to decreased sympathy and lower compassion. They also result in addiction. In this case, addiction is a negative characteristic since its attributes are the loss of focus and productivity for individuals. Consequently, the cost to the company is the most adverse impact of games on work time. 

Web Site Design

A professional web designer, is defined by his or her ability to prepare creative web content that would serve the purpose required. This would be done by mainly styling the site, including images and texts and laying out the pages with the appropriate content needed. The basic skills one would need to have to be a professional web designer would include; strong creative skills, one’s ability to explain complicated matters in a clear manner, great speed in terms of design and should be able to work with deadlines. Virtuous problem solving skills also come in handy when designing and being able to pay attention to detail with good working knowledge on coding HTML and CSS.

These skills however, have changed over the years as a result of the rapidly increasing number of web designers. This has also made competition intense forcing a basic web designer to work even harder and be more creative, solving even more complicated problems. Your skills package is an advantage when approaching clients for future projects.

In conclusion web design has grown significantly with the rapidly changing world and with shifting technology. Web design seems to be one of the most fastest growing careers in the next few years.

Web Site Design

Generally, websites have made a huge impact in our daily lives and have improved how most people see the world. Educational websites have assisted a great deal of students worldwide with improving their studies and basic general knowledge.

The website should be highly educational and with the right content. The website should be designed in a manner that would accommodate both the students and teachers. It should also be easy to access, allowing students and teachers flexibility and use of common core educational resources. Effectively making the website a one stop shop for anything and everything you need. Most importantly, with this current changing generation, websites should be entertaining. To get students excited about education and capturing their attention, entertainment would be key.

Having a good web design should be one’s first consideration when starting a website. The web design should always labor towards its purpose, for example business or entertainment. It should also be able to communicate quite quickly and clearly. Considering typefaces, colors, images and pattern designs would be major. A bad web design however, would not include the above and would discourage users from returning to the website.

In the development of any online course, there are certain fundamentals that need greater emphasis than others and greater importance when generating content for the targeted online learners. My task in determining whether the content is concrete and comprehensive for my target audience. The content of an online course in digital electronics is meant to create a complete pathway for learning digital electronics math, circuits, and systems. The content needed to require a hands-on approach taken through lectures and experimentations. The lectures and experimentation aimed to teach the learner basic ideas such as Boolean algebra, binary number system and hexadecimal number system practices and systems in digital electronics. What do you think? 

I was talking this week with administrators from the three school districts in my area for part of my AUP paper research. I was amazed about how little they knew about where the document they use came from. Some of the IT professionals in the districts said they had little input in crafting the document. Every district had one common theme that lawyers for the district had the final say about the AUP they used. Is this common that the lawyers for school districts are crafting the AUP documents? As I’m stating in my paper, I think teachers, administrators, district IT professionals should be crafting this Document. This collaboration team should evaluate future technology plans, technology use in the classroom, protecting users and district wide security concerns. Then you can pass the document to the lawyers. I don’t know this makes more sense to me. What do you think?

On-line etiquette needs to be taught in the classroom before students us Google tools. When on-line, students need to learn how to be respectful of other people’s viewpoints. If they should critique a viewpoint, they should also avoid personal attacks on the person who expressed the opinion, as well as the use of profanity. I think you brought up a very good point about internet privacy as well. For example, if a student reveals too much about his identity - - such as his address or other personal information- - it is impossible to retrieve those pieces of information. That is, teachers should instruct students how to responsibly guard their on-line identities. Also, as you stated, age-appropriate restrictions need to be covered extensively. of course, this comprises pornography and other adult materials that can be found on-line.

            I highly recommend a couple of websites that further explain the expertise that teachers should bring to the classroom with respect to Google tools. There is a Google for Education Training Center that offers “in-depth training”, and an “official Google certification before teachers educate kids on how to use Google tools properly. Thus, it is important to educate teachers first (https://www.google.com/edu/training). In addition, another website briefly

explains some of the vast array of features that Google has made available to teachers and

students alike, features such as Google Drive, which allows teachers and students to collaborate

in real time on class projects, using very advanced features (http://www.edutopia.org/google-for-educators). 

Engaging in any learning task assignment provides a pragmatic approach to understanding the dynamics of lesson planning as a classroom educator exploring technologies available as instructional tools. Creating the assignment, researching the available technologies, connecting the principles, and theories in the lesson planning not only provided the pertinent blueprint for a successful curriculum design but also reinforced the subjective protocols continually guiding this type of education professional caliber of lifelong learning objectives. This assessment reflection paper culminates in formative and summative experiences allowing personal efficacy in the goals set not only by the instructor but subjectively as well. This reflection draws mainly on the evaluation activity included in this assignment as it proved worthwhile as a means of getting the bigger picture of what the specifics of this project provided as learning outcomes.

In order to design an appropriate online course for the employees, I require data that will facilitate an excellent design of an online course. The methods that I will use for data collection involve interviewing, observation, and literature review. Interviewing the employees will help me in designing an online course that will be centered on their needs, which will help them improve their skills and knowledge. Observation will help me to see the most frequent problems that employees experience when they are in the line of duty. This will help me design a course that will aid them in overcoming those challenges. The literature reviews of designing online courses will only help me to identify the relevant tools for use by the learners and the mentors in the past through an extensive review of existing research and designs of online courses. For example, I will be able to understand the computing power needed for the learners and the mentors. I will also be able to understand the internet speed required to stream videos to avoid some difficulties to the learners and mentors. Do you think I missed any important parts?

YES! A social media site a dad can feel good about!

Sweety High is a social network that forcefully supports for the privacy of girls when using the internet. The site controls the content created by the kids and offers a lot of information about safe surfing. The profiles of young girls are only seen by their friends and accounts of younger users. One more great thing is, I as the parent, control their profiles. Segments of Sweety High focus on self-expression and creativity to build communication skills and more.

Thank you Sweety High!  

Do your students know that cyber bullying is a crime? I have confidence that schools are working to eliminate the threats of cyber bullying by imposing some restrictions on unnecessary use of such devices within the boundaries of school. I do not have confidence that teachers have the tools to help students understand how important this subject is. The lesson for avoiding cyber-crimes might not be included in the textbook but it is an implied objective of most computer and IT text. None of us want our student’s to labeled criminals and cyber bully’s. We need to teach our students to avoid these things at home, school and the workplace. By providing them the information they need to define what would place those labels on them. We also need to show them the drawbacks and consequences of this type of activity. What do you think about this subject?

Diversity and Online Courses

 I will start by saying diversity is a crucial way of life in the application of any online course. I say this because my target audience are employees who are ages between 21 years to 60 years and from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Also, employees with disabilities of all kinds such as visual and physical disabilities must be considered when designing the online course to ensure that every employee can utilize the technologies that are available within our organization. To enhance learning during my online courses, a computer laboratory with 1GB internet speed will be set up for the employees. Mentors will be there to help them to use the computers and applications without difficulties to ensure an equal learning opportunity. The IT staff will be provided to handle the technical problems that may occur with the computers or the internet connection. The employees will have access to the application learning online course from their home computers if needed. This will provide a platform that ensures availability and consistency to my target audience as well as enable the employees to practice on their own. What do you think about my plan?

 As I started by saying diversity is a crucial way of life in the application learning online course. This was because my target audience are employees who are ages between 21 years to 55 years and from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Also, employees with disabilities of all kinds such as visual and physical disabilities will be considered when designing the online course to ensure that every employee can utilize the technologies that are available within our organization. To enhance learning during the online course, a computer laboratory with 10 Megabytes internet speed will be set up for the employees. Mentors will be there to help them to use the computers and applications without difficulties to ensure an equal learning opportunity. The IT staff will be provided to handle the technical problems that may occur with the computers or the internet connection. The employees will have access to the application learning online course from their home computers. This will provide a platform that ensures availability and consistency to the target audience as well as enable the employees to practice on their own. What do you think about my plan?

I am sure that on-line etiquette needs to be taught in the classroom before students us Google tools. When on-line, students need to learn how to be respectful of other people’s viewpoints. If they should critique a viewpoint, they should also avoid personal attacks on the person who expressed the opinion, as well as the use of profanity. I think you brought up a very good point about internet privacy as well. For example, if a student reveals too much about his identity - - such as his address or other personal information- - it is impossible to retrieve those pieces of information. That is, teachers should instruct students how to responsibly guard their on-line identities. Also, as you stated, age-appropriate restrictions need to be covered extensively. Of course, this comprises pornography and other adult materials that can be found on-line. What do you think?

The Middle East region has been the subject of more scrutiny in matters concerning online freedom. Religious tensions have risen as more people connect with each other through the internet. The majority of Muslim countries are using internet censorship to restrict their citizens from accessing global materials and ideas. Islam is not the only cause for internet censorship. Other causes include developmental and political differences. The Middle East blames the internet for the causing massive changes within the region. How or can we bring peace to this region? Is the internet really a problem or just a misunderstood opportunity for global communication then understanding then peace.

Steven V. Ervin  @ SteveTechV on Twitter

The flipped-mastery model is a new approach to teaching in the classroom that allows school teachers to focus a larger percentage of their classroom time on assisting students with understanding the subject in an interactive and one-on-one basis. It does this by shifting lecture time to videos watched at home. In turn, the “homework” that the students previously carried out at home is instead done in the classroom setting (hence the name “flipped-mastery model”). This approach to the teaching process provides a number of significant advantages for students, teachers and parents. It has been demonstrated in empirical studies to lead to significant improvements in student performance and grades. The following examines how this process can be introduced into the classroom. It also describes how the students and the teachers can use this technique most effectively, such as by introducing question-and-answer sessions based on the at-home lectures and by improving note taking skills. What do you think?

My father Floyd N. Ervin passed away.

My father was not a perfect man but none of us are. Like all of us, he was given gifts by god. In the good times he was a creative man. He was a welder, built furniture, built homes, treasured powered model airplanes, raced and built his own stock cars and prized his workshop. His wife, my mom, Lois Ann Ervin passed before him but he has six children still on this earth. They are Teresa, Steven, Tammy, Tina, John and Angie. The scriptures should always be our guide throughout are time on this earth. This passage has always helped guide me.

Galatians 5:22-23, the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Rest in peace dad.

WebQuest Title: Networks, Traveling through time in the Physical layer.

Our team WebQuest will be extremely graphic. The web is a visual medium, and our presentation will be stronger if it includes sites with lots of pictures, animations, and sounds. These are teaching tools that keep students interested and involved. The students must also have a WebQuest site that is easy to use.

Steven V. Ervin

All WebQuests also must have a catchy introduction. The simplest is the collection of facts and information from the various sites that make up the quest. The student or team with the most information then becomes the winner. These introductions can be more elaborate, your imagination as a teacher is your only limitation. and Since the introductions are an important motivating factor, you should use your mind's eye in creating incentives for your students.

Benefits of using blogs in business

There are numerous advantages of using blogs while undertaking a business, since blogs can simplify a business’s prosperity. Even if it might seem difficult to write a productive blog, you can argue that this will undoubtedly boost the chances for success. The most important thing the blog does is that it offers more opportunities for any business to advertise a product to any potential clients. Also, blogs make the brand look more personal, they give a business an opportunity to distribute information, and help while building inward connections. Apart from that, blogs make it possible to receive useful feedback and to keep the business up-to-date.