Teaching a foreign language is difficult because of the limited exposure students get to the language. More than likely a student will never get the opportunity to speak or practice it outside of the class which is why it is important to engage these students in web based sources so they have that extra exposure outside the classroom that they don't have in their everyday lives. For example finding videos and online worksheets can improve a students listening and oral skills. 

Using the internet to support student research is useful on the circumstances and on the method of research. Using internet databases to find scholarly articles for an academic paper is useful; using wikipedia to do last minute brush research on presentation, not so much. As long the research is credible and being used to better understand or come to a complete understanding of a subject then internet research is useful. 

When I initiate a search on a subject or topic I usually start with typing in the topic in a search engine, usually google. From then I evaluate websites much like the podcast mentioned. I check the credibility, if the content is related, and I make sure to be wary of sites that look unstable or have off looking advertisements. This has helped me to sift through many sites which saves me time and makes my academic work better. 

The web hunt assignment was pretty straight forward one of the main things I learned was that a website is not all that it seems and that sometimes content on a website can be hidden. So, I had to search past the search engines into the website and click through several links to sometimes find what I was looking for. 

Web Hunt Challenges: 

Find a website for free online textbooks. 

Find a picture of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat

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To do a visual critique of tumblr.com is special because one has to consider the two different types of people that go on tumblr. Overall tumblr has useful features like the search bar at the top which is always available, the post are in linear order, and the useful feature of the recommended blogs on the left hand side which is catered to specific people. All of these elements are visually pleasing and have a purpose. At the top right corner there is a line of symbols which look really cool but for a inexperienced tumblr user is somewhat confusing like the lightning symbol, it does really give much of a clue as to what it's for. On the right hand side there is also the Radar section which is kind of like an ad. Most people agree that ads are useless clutter and that is correct in this situation. Overall tumblr is not too overcrowded and has a great general layout where everything can be found on the main page.

In my career as a teacher I can use infographics and videos in many ways. I can use videos primarily to show outside content in French. A major struggle that students have when using their linguistics skills outside of the classroom is they understand accents other than their teacher so exposure to accents in the form of videos enhances a students listening skills. They're also fun to watch and good break form regular classwork. The use of infographics is a good way to show the class and the administrators progress. The information presented on them can also be useful to show information regarding different french countries.
The newsletter design assignment was an interesting one because it wasn't the first time I had to create a document with different elements other than a basic academic essay but it was the most elaborate one that I have done. One of the new things I learned was how to use template. I am used to creating works with a blank document but for this assignment I decided to use a template so I learned how to manipulate the elements already provided for me. A challenge that I had in this assignment was the way my textbox and pictures were layering. Because of this I figured out how to use the reorder feature which I thought was really interesting and helped my newsletter look more together.

Blog Post 2

MS word has been mostly beneficial to me in my academic writing. The formatting, spelling, and grammar check make it easy for me to only worry about the contents of my paper. I have occasionally  used it in my technology classes or my computer literacy classes to show proficiency in MS word with features other than that of writing. My teachers did not use MS word much unless they used it to create a document that they later printed out for us to have. In my intro to education class when I would go observe teachers I noticed that teachers will use MS word and project it onto their smart board so they are able to post directions and change things on the board without having to go to the computer. It seems like a convenient method to present things and is something that I would use in my classroom.
I took English Comp 2 last fall semester and the main issue that we discussed was originality and if anything was truly original. We came consensus that nothing was original but then that brought up the issue of copyright and whether or not it was even valid if we take everything from something. Regardless everything that we as students write should have citations or bibliographies but there has  never been much of an emphasis on citing graphics or pictures. As a teacher I plan on explaining to my students plagiarism and the importance of not taking credit for another persons work. I also plan to emphasize citations in all academic work.
I have always been an avid Twitter user but what some people don't appreciate about it is the aspect of communication. Most people just go on Twitter to follow celebrities and their friends but outside of that there is a real network of people putting themselves out there, communicating their ambition to the world and making connections with others that can make this happen. I plan to be a French teacher and I still haven't decided whether I want to do public school or some kind of private tutoring but a way in which I can use Twitter in either aspect is using it as a communication base with my students. They will be getting constant updates on things involving the classroom and assignment. Its a good way to keep everyone up to date.

Blog Post 1

In an age where almost everything can be done with the single click of a button on a computer it is of the utmost importance to include computer and other kinds of technology to the educational experience. As much as some try to disconnect students from technology it is almost impossible to do so these days and it's only going to get harder later on; so including computer science education in a curriculum is a great way to facilitate the benefits of technology toward learning. Teachers and students now have a way to monitor progress inside and outside of the classroom, and they have a myriad of resources now available at all times of the day that help with the advancement and enhancement of subjects. Of course there are concerns that come with including technology in the classroom. One of the main ones is cyber safety. Luckily this is an easily correctable problem where teachers can explain and model the correct ways to navigate the internet and how to avoid problems like cyberbullying and viruses. Although we are heading toward a time where everything is digital we are not there yet so it is important for teachers to have a balance in their lesson where they can teach their students to solve situational problems even without the help of technology.
I very much want to be a french teacher and a lot of the things involved with teaching a foreign language has to do with listening which means my classroom will not have a big focus on technology. But opportunities in which I can use technology would be for simulations. For example a major problem with teaching french in a classroom is that students don't get to here all the different kinds of voices and accents that one would in encounter in a french speaking country like France. Having computer programs which allow for that kind of exposure would be a great help for a complete comprehension of spoke french. There are also programs that allow for audio recorded assessments which would be great for me as a teacher so I can listen to my students progress. In this class that I'm taking I'm hoping to learn good research methods to provide my students with an optimal range of audio and visual resources.
To be a digital native is to be a person who has never known a time without technology, or someone who considers technology an extension of themselves. This is an accurate label to describe today's youth because now very young children can be seen holding the newest iPad, or having the newest gaming system and even now app developers continue to throw out apps directly for children. One of the main differences between a digital native and a digital immigrant is how dependent they are on technology. I personally don't leave my house without my phone or my laptop at any given time because I feel weird without it but my mother consistently forgets her phone in the house because she's not used having it as a part of herself. For the most part my teachers have a pretty good grasp of the technology used in classrooms but some of my older teachers if they encounter a problem during the lecture they sometimes have great difficulty trying to fix them whereas my younger teachers can easily resolve them. I feel as if when I'm a teacher I will struggle with the new technology because I constantly get frustrated at the ones here and now but I'm hoping I have tech savvy students that can help me out.