The Questions posed:
How important is your data.? What could you afford to lose? What could you not afford to lose?Lets take a look at it from two angles, personal and professional.
My Answer:
On a personal level, I could not afford to lose my grad school data and my personal finance information. My taxes are saved on TurboTaxes servers, so I can retrieve previous years taxes at any time. I have moved to keeping all of my grad school information (papers, assignments, etc.) on Google Docs, so again, those are pretty safe. I would be heart broken if I lost all of my music or photos but it would not be the end of the world.
On a professional level, I would be lost if I my lesson plans were lost or my student progress data was lost. I do all of my lesson planning digitally and also record all student grades and progress digitally. My data is saved on the school server which is backed up nightly, but if some catostrophic event happened that they were not prepared for happened and my data was lost, I'd be in big trouble. I think I might have to print a paper copy of everything after writing this post! I cannot afford to lose anything that I keep digitally for work.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Blog #2 for 510
What is there in your computer at home and at work that you just could not manage without? How did you handle this stuff before computers? Is there a way you protect your "stuff" or do you just worry about it. Or maybe you just don't worry about it until something bad happens.
I could not manage without my internet connection. I use the internet to pay my bills, keep in touch with friends, read the news, complete work, read my emails, and as well as play games and learn about new things. I have had a computer since I was 18. Before then, I any bills I had, I paid by check through the mail. I called my friends on the phone or actually met up with them to keep in touch. I watched the nightly news and read the newspaper that came to my apartment. I played board games and had hand held games as well as a Nintendo Entertainment System (the original NES) to keep me entertained. When I wanted to learn about new things, I went to the library or the bookstore and read a book to gain new knowledge.
Right now, every month or so, I back up my files on an external hard drive. I have been using a lot of Google tools, so most of my important document, images, etc. are backed up by Google. I just started using DropBox to back up the few documents I do have on my computer and to back up the music and photos I have. I have become much more proactive in protecting my data over the years.
I could not manage without my internet connection. I use the internet to pay my bills, keep in touch with friends, read the news, complete work, read my emails, and as well as play games and learn about new things. I have had a computer since I was 18. Before then, I any bills I had, I paid by check through the mail. I called my friends on the phone or actually met up with them to keep in touch. I watched the nightly news and read the newspaper that came to my apartment. I played board games and had hand held games as well as a Nintendo Entertainment System (the original NES) to keep me entertained. When I wanted to learn about new things, I went to the library or the bookstore and read a book to gain new knowledge.
Right now, every month or so, I back up my files on an external hard drive. I have been using a lot of Google tools, so most of my important document, images, etc. are backed up by Google. I just started using DropBox to back up the few documents I do have on my computer and to back up the music and photos I have. I have become much more proactive in protecting my data over the years.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The future of computing in the classroom
What will computing in the classroom look like in the future?
I think that in the future our classrooms will be rich with technology. I think all students will have a laptop or some similar type of device for note taking, completing work, and collaborating. I think that students with special or exceptional needs will have an easier time integrating with the general classroom environment through computer technology and assistive technology. I don’t see a need for paper, as students will create and display their work on computers. I think that computers will continue to get smaller, faster, and more inexpensive making all of this economically feasible for schools.
How will this affect you and your students?
I think that more technology in the classroom will be great for learning. Students will be connected on a more global level. Students who would normally not be in the general classroom or who need to be challenged will be working together and be reaching their full potential. I see all of this as a great means to differentiate instruction and maximize student learning. Research thus far shows that students learning from computer programs learn better and perform better than traditional students on standardized tests. This research article is extremely informative and looks at all aspects of the future of computing in the classroom.
What might you be doing to prepare people for this future?
As a computer teacher, I work every day to make my students more tech savvy and independent on the computer. I help staff in the building learn new technologies as they become available. I will be teaching professional development classes in technology this year to help staff better use technology to enhance student learning. I will continue to keep myself up to date so that I can help others do the same.
I think that in the future our classrooms will be rich with technology. I think all students will have a laptop or some similar type of device for note taking, completing work, and collaborating. I think that students with special or exceptional needs will have an easier time integrating with the general classroom environment through computer technology and assistive technology. I don’t see a need for paper, as students will create and display their work on computers. I think that computers will continue to get smaller, faster, and more inexpensive making all of this economically feasible for schools.
How will this affect you and your students?
I think that more technology in the classroom will be great for learning. Students will be connected on a more global level. Students who would normally not be in the general classroom or who need to be challenged will be working together and be reaching their full potential. I see all of this as a great means to differentiate instruction and maximize student learning. Research thus far shows that students learning from computer programs learn better and perform better than traditional students on standardized tests. This research article is extremely informative and looks at all aspects of the future of computing in the classroom.
What might you be doing to prepare people for this future?
As a computer teacher, I work every day to make my students more tech savvy and independent on the computer. I help staff in the building learn new technologies as they become available. I will be teaching professional development classes in technology this year to help staff better use technology to enhance student learning. I will continue to keep myself up to date so that I can help others do the same.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Computer History for Sarah Musil
My first experience with a computer was in my third grade class(1989). We had an Apple IIe and when we were finished with our work early, we could go on the computer and play Oregon Trail. I loved that game, even though I usually died of dysentery. I remember the command line and and how, looking back and comparing it with my computer(s) now, it was so user unfriendly! I worked really hard to finish my work early every day so I could play that game!
My next memorable experience with computers was in high school, when we got a real computer lab. I came from a smaller district with little focus on technology. I took my typing class in 9th grade on a typewriter! I was really excited when we got the computer lab because I was a fast typist and could get my papers done much faster typing than writing.
I got my first computer at home in 1999 when I enrolled in the AS of Computer Programming/Analysis program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. It changed my world. I went from computer novice to savvy in a matter of months. I started doing all of my work on the computer and found lots of game sites and began using AIM to keep in contact with friends.
My next memorable experience with computers was in high school, when we got a real computer lab. I came from a smaller district with little focus on technology. I took my typing class in 9th grade on a typewriter! I was really excited when we got the computer lab because I was a fast typist and could get my papers done much faster typing than writing.
I got my first computer at home in 1999 when I enrolled in the AS of Computer Programming/Analysis program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. It changed my world. I went from computer novice to savvy in a matter of months. I started doing all of my work on the computer and found lots of game sites and began using AIM to keep in contact with friends.
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