Copying any computer software without authorization violates the U.S. Copyright Law.  It is a federal offence with as much as $50,000 and criminal penalties.  The law for copyright data was extended in 1976 to the length of the life of the author plus 50 years.  Therefore copying software is not innocent, it’s wrong and illegal.  Multiple copies for teachers has four conditions.

            Brevity – not more than 10% of the text.

            Spontaneity – needing to use it immediately without getting the length process of                                   permission.

            Cumulative effect – sum total from one author should not exceed one article or                                   two excepts, no more than 9 instances for one course during one term.  No              copying workbooks, exercises, standardized test, test booklets.

            Repetition – no copying shall be repeated with respect to the same item by the                                     same teacher from term to term.

Piracy should be taught to our school children and modeled by the teachers. A school without a moral center of some perceptive sort is simply not a school community.  Do The Right Thing – should be our motto.

Blogs have already been discussed in my June 21^st Blog.  I can see using this for my brainteaser problem of the week. ( I do have a question on how I can insert one of my documents from Microsoft Word without a URL address.)  I do think that sending notice about proper etiquette and procedure in a blog would be necessary, as would a permission slip by the parents.

RSS is very new to me.  I can understand what it is (rich site summary or really simple syndiucation) and the need to create an aggregator account to save time.  Google Reader seems to be a great choice for me and I would consider doing this if I find some websites that interest me.

Wiki is a website that can be edited by other people.  A wiki is more interactive than a blog and can be used in a classroom.  I can see using this to review for a test by making study guides for math chapters.  (I know that my nephew loves wikis and adds to them often – although sometimes with erroneous facts that he waits for others to correct. It’s somewhat a game for him.) I’d like to experience one in class. I have yet to use Wikipedia, but will do so ASAP just to see how it looks like and works.

• Web 2.0 is interactive and is a new way to communicate vs. the old Web 1.0 that only can inform one of information.  Web 2.0 ignites curiosity, encourages clear, effective & creative expression.  It fosters community through collaboration. and engages the learning in a different way then ever before. UNLIKE WHAT I THOUGHT BEFORE, BLOGS CAN BE GOOD!

• Edublogs.com   Designed for teachers.  Students may view this if they are on your list.  Mine is cheryllenz.edublogs.org
• Some examples of Web 2.0 are:  You Tube, Flickr (photos) Delicious (bookmarks). Slideshare.net. Bloglines, google Reader, Edublogs, PBwiki, wikispaces, jumpout, pienik, bubbleshare, video thread, gcast, My Space, Facebook,  Skype, Bubble ply, Slideshare, Voicethread . . .
• Great Websites to check out

1. Worldmathsday.com  – Wednesday, March 4, 2009 is world math day.  Compete against schools from 157 countries all over the world.  Levels are K-12 and math facts are geared for those grade levels.  Student sign in and get a password and avatar to compete against 5 other similar age students from all over the world.  Great way to have fun while reviewing math facts and geography.  Free and can be bought by school for early practice.
3.  http://youtube.com/youchoose - Face the candidates and their issues.  Great for election info of candidates.
4.  http://www.ixl.com/ Math site – (I excell) – Not free
5. http://retailmenof.com/ great place to get discount coupons for online purchases from stores
6. http://zamzar.com/ changes files from one language file to another (example -pdf to html)
7. http://kiva.org/ loans that change lives – micro financing – you become a lender to a third world country individual
8. http://www.flashpaint.com/ Free painting for younger children.  Can be printed when finished.
9. http://teachersfirst.com/index.cfm  A website for teachers, by teachers.  Search engine.  Can show a matrix for different subjects and levels.
10. http://typingpal.com/ A typing site that’s not free
11. http://www.keybr.com/ A typing site that’s FREE
12. http://allmyfaves.com/  Has all types of great sites that are by category
13. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ Reviews of movies in the theatres and on DVD’s
14. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-Address&rlz=1I7ADBF&q=delicious%2Fschalman&btnG=Search  Lynn’s favorite sites for education