Educational Technology and Copyright Law

In today's world of technology, any type of media is copyrighted. Copyright is a law that ensures your piece of work belongs to you and no one can steal your idea. However, there are exceptions to using the copyrighted work, such as the fair use policy. Students and teachers are allowed to use copyrighted works for educational purposes. But, some types of media, such as images, can be licensed. Licensed images do not fall under the fair use policy, and if you're planning to use a licensed image, use it according to what the license says. Therefore, most images and media can be used for classroom purposes.

2/26 Weekly Tech Article

MasterCard Launching Selfie Payments 

• The MasterCard credit card company announced that they will be adding two more methods to confirm payments - face recognition and fingerprint. 
• Facial and fingerprint scans are much safer than passwords since many customers use easy to guess passwords. 
• Customers who want to try facial recognition will have to download a special MasterCard app that lets them take a photo each time they make an online purchase.
• The customer's face or fingerprint is scanned to verify that they're not a hacker or thief and it tells users to blink when taking the photo to make sure it's not a previously taken photo. 
• MasterCard is also planning to introduce other ways of confirming purchases, such as monitoring the customer's heartbeat and voice recognition. 

Do Now 2/22

I agree with Apple's position on the San Bernardino case letter. I feel that they are doing their best to protect the privacy and safety of their customers. They have every reason to deny the FBI a new iOS system that bypasses several security features, because that would allow any iPhone to be unlocked. Apple feels that is their job to protect the privacy and personal information of their customers, and I agree with them. Although the FBI may have good intentions, Apple just wants to do the best they can to be able to protect the American citizens' right to privacy.

2/19 Weekly Tech Article

This Flexible Prototype Is a Glimpse at Your Future Phone

• A new flexible prototype was made to show how the future phones will work.
• Researchers from Queen's University Human Media Lab created a device with a 720p LG Display Flexible OLED touch screen with bend sensors and haptic feedback motors.
• The phone responds to physical gestures by the way its bent and twisted. 
• When the phone is bent down on the right, pages of a book can flip from right to left. 
• The team presented the prototype at the Conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction.
• Provides a look at what the first flexible phones are going to look like. 

2/12 Weekly Tech Article

Hoboken Residents Are Fighting A Seawall That Would Protect Their Homes From Total Devastation

• After Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the city of Hoboken, NJ was completely devastated and flooded. 
• Now, a seawall has been designed to prevent that from happening again.
• A Department of Housing and Urban Development initiative is working to flood-proof the entire NYC Metropolitan area.
• The Office of Metropolitan Architecture drew up a plan for Hoboken that includes barriers to prevent flooding and a series of pumps to drain the city.
• The state received a $230 million grant to implement the seawall plan. 
• However, some Hoboken residents are not so fond of the plan. 

http://gizmodo.com/hoboken-residents-are-fighting-a-seawall-that-would-pro-1758618928

Web 2.0: Multimedia Blog Posting

          This year, I am taking US History 1. My teacher is Mrs. Gaven. When class first started, I expected to learn more about the development of the United States. I knew the class was going to be much more different than world history, which is what I took last year. I expected to be learning about history focused in the U.S. this year, rather than throughout the world.

          So far, I have learned about the foundation of our country. We reviewed the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We also learned about the period after the Civil War when we tried to restore our country, known as Reconstruction. We also learned about the Industrial Age, urbanization, and immigration. Overall, we have learned about the very beginning of our country, all the way to the history of the 1900s.
          My teacher's grading policy is comprised of summative assessments, performance based assessments, classwork, homework, and participation. Summative assessments are worth 40% of a marking
period grade, performance based assessments are worth 40%, classwork 10%, and homework 10%. One interesting aspect of the class was our project about the Constitution. We were required to make a campaign video in groups about our position on an issue related to the Constitution. My group and I did the death penalty and why it should be outlawed within all states.
          Lastly, technology is used throughout the class a lot. We use Google Classroom for many of our assignments. I find it to be easier and more useful. For example, we used the Chromebooks in class yesterday and did a classwork assignment using Classroom. We also use it for homework assignments. When we do homework questions, I just type my answers on the document and turn it in. I like doing it that way because it's easy and I don't have to waste ink printing anything out. Therefore, technology makes everything so much easier.

Click here  to access her website.
Click here to access the online textbook.

Welcome Post

Hello, welcome to my Web 2.0 blog! My name is Alyssa, and I am currently a sophomore in high school. My favorite sport is soccer. This summer, I will be practicing for soccer once the preseason starts. I also plan on getting a part-time job during the summer because I will be turning 16. I want to do my 6 hours in a driving school once I turn 16 too so that I can get a permit. I'm planning on saving for a car and college when I get a job. Therefore, my summer will be a busy one for me because I have a lot to start planning for.