Rules For Posting To This Blog and Weekly Blog Question

1. Only use your first name (no last names, addresses, IM screen names, etc.)
2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.

FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Information

Information can be a tricky thing to source. I personally have always been some what of a skeptic, but I would normally call myself a "realist". I take any and all information with "a grain of salt" as some would say, meaning whether I was told something or read something or heard something, I will not take it literally until it has been confirmed through another few sources. I instruct my students similarly. I inform them that things found on the internet, told by a friend, or even heard on the news, are not always entirely true. You should always cross reference any information prior to regurgitating it. It applies in reports, essays, and even social networking. I explain that they would not want several of their friend posting untruthful thing about them on Facebook just because their boyfriend or girlfriend had said it. You should always confirm your information. On the internet, if it is sourced from a university web site, a government website, or organizational website, you are typically safe to assume that the source is reliable. That does not mean not to double check it. If you check at least three site and find the same information all three times, generally you can rest assured your information is factual as long as one of the three fall into one of the earlier spoken of categories.

2 comments:

Terry said...

I wholeheartedly agree with the lessons on common sense you are stressing with your students. Skeptically absorbing and then confirming information through multiple sources is a trait every student should be taught and put to practice. Once they are out of school, this habit should be fully entrenched in them as young adults. This will serve them well as they progress into the challenging world of careers that awaits them. Keep teaching them common sense Trenton! They need it.

Unknown said...

Trenton, you make a great point about “cross-referencing.” Before the information tsunami swept us off our feet, our longing for confirmation of facts was much more pronounced. After all, we had to hang our hats on our own footwork. Twenty-five years ago, we did not have the digital components supplying the information available today. It was me, myself and I. Today, it’s me, myself and iPad, iPhone; I’ll take your word for it.
We are so quick to want to know something that Google as become a verb. “Go Google it.” Often, we put no credence into whom or what is providing the information. We chuckle at the saying, “If it’s one the internet, then it must be true.” However, we know just how outrageous that attitude is. Cross-referencing cannot be underestimated; it must become a valuable teaching tool in information literacy. Wikipedia can be an interesting source for the curious soul, but that’s as far as it goes. Academic circles do not recognize it has a scholarly source, and rightfully so. Cross-reference your “find” until you can assert it as “fact.” Yes, that is common sense. Scholarly sources are always our best bet. This requires footwork, albeit, “web-feet” now.