Language Diversity

I have read quite a bit about language diversity in the classroom, but I had a difficult time finding a good and up to date article about the issue online. I found that strange, because this is such a growing issue as more and more people from other counties move to America. I did find one website that did describe some techniques and ideas for approaching the language barrier in the classroom. One thing the article suggested is having books not only written in English, but also in the language of some of your other students who are not native speakers of English. I think this is a good idea. It makes the students feel included, and maybe they will have a chance to try to teach some of their friends what some of the words mean. The article also suggests integrating songs that are native to the culture of some of your non native students. This would be most appropriate in the early elementary years.

Language Diversity

Fair Use

Fair use refers to the use of copyrighted material being used in the classroom. I found a website that gave clear guidelines, or questions you should ask yourself in deciding whether the way you are using a document would be considered fair use. The questions you should ask yourself are; What is the purpose and character of the use? What is the nature of the copyrighted work? What is the amount and substantiality of the portion used? What is the effect of use on the potential market for the copyrighted work? In other words, if you are written the document how would you want someone else to use it? You would certainly not want them to take credit for it, or publicize it without giving you credit or asking for permission. By putting yourself in the shoes of the author of the document is one of the best ways to determine if you are using in a fair way.

These are some examples of fair use that the article gives:

A chapter from a book (never the entire book).

An article from a periodical or newspaper.

A short story, essay, or poem. One work is the norm whether it comes from an individual work or an anthology.

A chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper.

The article has many more helpful tips on fair use and how to avoid improper use of documents. This is just a quick summary of all the invaluable information the article provides, because there can be harsh consequences for violating fair use with a copyrighted document.

Fair Use

Acceptable Use Policies for the Internet

An acceptable use policy is a document that states the correct way that the internet should be used at that institution. The document explains what is accepted and not accepted when using the internet at that school or other work place. If these regulations are violated, the privilege of using the internet may be taken away from that person. It is important that a student follows the rules stated in the AUP so that they do not lose their privilege to use the internet. The rules are set up as a safe guard for the students using the internet and to keep them on task while at school. For example one very important rule that an AUP has is to not give out any personal information about yourself over the internet. This of course protects the student and gives their parents a peace of mind that they are safe on the internet at school.

AUP 

Gender Gap

In several recent studies it was found that men spend more time on the internet than women. Women are not far behind men though. Men and women are found to be using the internet for different ways or purposes. It says in the article referred, that men would rather use a site that has several short videos such as YouTube while women would rather use a site with longer videos such as Hulu. This may encourage the thought that women have a longer attention span for one topic on the internet while men like a variety of different topics. From what I have observed while watching others on the internet, men are more likely to be drawn more towards playing a game or looking up scores from the latest football game. While women on the other hand are more interested in shopping and socializing with friends. Men seem to like more interactive sites while women prefer more informative ones.

Internet Gender Gap

The Digital Divide

In the United States there is a ratio of 585 to 1,000 people who own a computer. This seems like a lot, but it is not everyone. As a teacher this needs to be taken into consideration when requiring children to do projects online or that require the internet. It is also a concern when sending e-mails of newsletters and other information about the classroom by using the internet. Not every home may have a computer, so a teacher needs to decide how they are going to reach or accommodate the homes with children who do not have access to a computer. There is, as I have been told by teachers in the past, free access to computers and the internet at a local library. This can be helpful to some students who do not have a computer at home but, just going to a library is not always an option. A teacher again needs to find a way to reach both types of homes, ones with and without a computer.

Digital Divide

Child Safety on the Internet

The most important thing to tell your children before they are free to use the internet is, never give out personal information about yourself! Child safety blocks on the family computer are a great tool for keeping children from seeing inappropriate material online. As the article I have referred here says, it is very easy for a child who is looking up Lego to type in legs by accident. The child may have no intention of looking at inappropriate pictures, but with this simple error that is exactly what may come up as a result. Internet safety for children does not have to be a worry for parents if it is handled early and correctly. Children should be showed the correct way to use the internet, and to ask an adult about anything they come upon that they are unsure about. An informed child and a security system for the internet can keep the internet safe for children.

Kids Health