Post #4

My early experiences have so far been pleasant. I followed a handful full of history twitters that, while maybe not useful for the class, are quite interesting. I've retweeted a few things from edutopia and I've been keeping up with events in the politics of education, something I was not particularly interested in, via the Department of Education. Especially in this sense, using my twitter for work could definitely help me stay up to date with my field.

The digital divide refers to the fact that not all students have the same accessibility to software as other students. In the case of application software, like presentation software, students may find themselves falling behind if they do not have these software available to them outside of class. Even if a teacher does not require or expect students to do so, students with plenty of access at home can spend more hours practicing what they learned in class, as compared to a student who has little to no access outside of the classroom. In an example for graphics software, take my little sister: growing up, she had plenty of access to computers both at home and at school. When she came home after school, she would open up the Paint program and make characters and scenes by using the basic tools. As time went on, she became more practiced and picked up on the more nuanced skills that one can use in Paint. She now wants to create video games. If she hadn't had early access in which she was able to hone in her abilities, she might not have as much potential as she currently does. A similar situation can apply to imaging software. A student who has helped their parents fix family photos via photoshop at home will potentially have a greater success in an assignment calling for the creation of a fake magazine. Even if the students can only work during class, one student may have years of experience where another student is starting the project with a blank slate. Reference software can also pose similar problems. When I was growing up, it was an internet game to go to a random location on google earth and try to find the nearest airport while on street view. Part of the fun was that, since google earth's street view had just been released, it was a bit difficult to navigate. Now, while finding the airport may still be difficult, I know the basics of using Google Earth. Others who did not have ready access to computers at home might not be able to say the same.

When evaluating websites, it is important to see if you can find the author(s)'s name(s), because this implies some level of accountability for what the site does, says, etc. Bias should be taken note of, because any bias changes how a person should use the website. Content, of course, is very important, because you're relying on the content to be correct and right. Design is important especially when discussing a topic in which images are heavy and/or necessary. Technical effects might not be the most important, but a poorly set-up website could imply that it might not be the most reliable source. Personally, when looking at a website, I like to see if it mentions the last date it was updated. New information is constantly coming forward and I need the most up to date for my research. I also check for affiliations. Something affiliated with a government department, for example, would probably be more credible than one affiliated with a news network, which can give bias.