BLOG ASSIGNMENT #2

What are AUP's and why are they necessary?
AUP’s are acceptable use of internet policies. They are necessary at any working or academic environment because it sets the rules for exploring the web. These policies are used to create a respectful and good use of the technological tools. Because people often have very different ideas about internet use, if they belong to a school or working environment they are expected to stick to the AUP policy.

Compare your HS/district AUP with the guidelines discussed in the resources above. Give the URL of your HS website.
My high school did not a specific AUP, or at least it wasn't called that way but there was a student code of ethics which included the good use of internet resources.
HS website:
http://www.itesm.edu/wps/portal?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/EGL/Eugenio+Garza+Lag%C3%BCera/
or www.mitec.itesm.mx (students webpage)

What does CIPA require of schools and libraries?
It requires schools to have strong policies about what minors are able to see at any of these places and also to be constantly monitoring all activities from minors on the web. These activities include chat rooms, webpages, electronic mail or any other type of computer based communication.

Did you have access to a network at your HS? If so, how did you use it? Was it helpful?
Yes, it was really helpful because no matter what computer you used the documents saved on the Y drive were available from any computer on campus. The thing I didn't liked much about the technology services at my high school is that we weren't very familiarized with the use and benefits of the network.

Did your parents/guardians have access to information about you through the school/district website? If so, what?
Yes, we had a webpage designed specially for parents: www.padres.itesm.mx. They could access everything about the school, from tuition pay to grades and all kinds of things.

How do you feel about web filtering and its relationship to school networks? Look at this article. What would it mean to you as a teacher?
I think web filtering is necessary and a basic stepg for successfull school networks. There will never be enough teachers to be watching what the kids do every minute so as a teacher it meants a lot. It makes teachers feel comfortable because they know kids are looking only at the things they are supposed to at school, and it makes kids' experience with technology more educational.

First Blog Assingment - My presentation

Hello everyone! My name is Andrea Flores, I usually go simply by Andrea. I was born, raised and have lived all my life in Monterrey, Mexico (before coming to Trinity of course). Therefore my first language is spanish, I love it. My whole family lives in Mexico. My main interests are music, fashion, culture, traveling, some politics and I love to spend time with my family, friends and boyfriend. In case anyone is interested Monterrey is a beautiful city, very modern, and about 5 hours driving from San Antonio, which is not too bad. I came to Trinity because I know it is a very well recognized school, it has an excellent business program, and because it's close to home. I am most likely majoring in business with a minor in international studies or chinese. My campus activities so far are mainly academic (classes), going to the gym every afternoon, I am part of the International Club and Latino Exchange.

I have good technological background/skills. I took very good technology courses at school from 7th-10th grade. I have worked with Word, Excel, Power Point, Fireworks (if it still exists), Photoshop, Windows Movie Maker, Html. I learned to use all these through tutorials. Step-by-step activities which lead to the creation either of a document, graphics or webpage. Even though I've worked with all these applications I know technology is constantly changing so I might be a little behind on the new updates. I am a little bit concerned about using html, I remember I had a hard time building my webpage.

To be honest I'm not very familiar with the education field though I think it is interesting. It is the first course I take that focuses on education. I hope I can learn new stuff and also be able to apply it in many things.

About the Time article, I couldn't agree more. It is true that the people is building this new virtual community. It is impressing how through the web everyone can share their thoughts and creativity. Not only through written means but thanks to this "revolution", someone in Argentina can easily listen and see someone in Japan. I think that we cannot even imagine or think what is coming next, because thanks to this effective web creativity is reaching its highest stages. There will be people sharing new ideas through the web that will eventually make it better everyday. The only ones who will make this possible will be the people like me sitting here and posting on my blog.