PBS Teachers Review

1.) Quiz yourself
 On the first part of the quiz I got 8/12 and on the second part I got "Digital Tools Beginner".  What surprised me about this quiz was the amount of media that kids use. For instance, I did not realize that children used so little print media or that media is used as often as it is in the classroom.

2.) The Digital Media Landscape
What it is- I reviewed the Creative Commons website.  I was really surprised at the different organizations that used their licenses.  I would have never thought that Wikipedia and Whitehouse.gov would use the same license
How do I use it-The Goodwork Project.  I was surprised to see that their was a program that provided toolkits that illustrate how to be a responsible and happy employee.  I learned that not only do these programs exsist, but that they are available for classrooms, professionals and school-wide communities (teachers, students, parents).
Learn more- For this section I reviewed Pew Internet.  From this site I learned just how prevelant social media is in the lives of children.  I also learned why people use social media and the ways it is changing.  For example, friends lists on Facebook have started to decrease as members become more concerned with security.
Examples- I reviewed Glogster for this section.  I really liked this website.  This is one of the most creative and innovative ways I have seen for children to interact with the Internet.  I looked through a couple of these "on-line posters" and was amazed.  For example, I read a glog titled "Why We Need to Save Florida's Reefs" and was surprised to find information on there that I did not know.

3.)PBS Resources
For this section I reviewed the PBS Parents website.  Since I have a young daughter I was interested in the ways to develop healthy media habits for her in the future.  I was surprised that we already do many of the things listed in the area TV for Preschoolers.  We are already picky about what she watches and therefore record shows for when nothing else appropriate is on.  We also don't allow her to view any shows with noticeable violence in them.

4.)Integrating Digital Tools and Content
I choose number 12 which was using Google Earth.  Since I am not an education major I was looking for something I could possibly do with my daughter when she is older.  I like the idea of being able to show her different places without ever leaving my home.  I think it is important for her to understand the geography of the world as I have seen some kids not even realize where countries like China are.  I think Google Earth is a great solution to this and something we can do together.