Practical Issues in Incorporating Technology in the Classroom In my experience, one of the unanticipated challenges of incorporating digital technology into my classroom has been the additional amount of time necessary to establish the policies, procedures, and protocols necessary to control its use and ensure that it is a productive tool rather than a distraction. On one hand, students are typically excited and enthusiastic about the opportunity to use digital media and other technologies in their studies (Luppicini, 2008; Mcmillan-Culp, Honey, & Mandinach, 2005)
Already, plagiarism has increased dramatically as a function of the tremendous expansion of the resources available at the click of a mouse in conjunction with the ease with which sources can be copied through copy-and-paste functions. According to some of the available literature, digital technology in contemporary education has also introduced issues, especially in relation to distance learning programs, of students misrepresenting their participation, such as by having friends and even paid accomplices complete assignments by sharing passwords and other identification information and system keys (Mcmillan-Culp, Honey, & Mandinach, 2005)
"Good citizenship, therefore, means more than going to work everyday and fulfilling one's contractual obligations. Indeed, it means exhibiting characteristics of 'the good soldier syndrome' and is characterized by these attributes: altruism, helping, conscientiousness, prosocial behavior, neighborliness, sportsmanship, and civic virtue" (Bruhn et al
Generally, they must be taught as part of a formal professional education or learned in some less formal way (for example, by copying what others do in a workplace). (Davis, pp
As the Secretary of the Army stated: "In the recent Global War on Terror, the Army has, more than ever, become an advocate for American values - fair play, equal treatment, and respect for rule of law. In conducting Army missions, we must be mindful of the ethical values which are the foundation for our roles as America's representatives to the world" (Harvey, 2005, p
292). Furthermore, the traditional concepts of the role of ethical educators in the United States are fundamentally different from those in many other countries today (Gutek, 1993)
Finally, the research was absolutely consistent in emphasizing the need for an understanding of this assigned mission and the individual soldier's responsibility for accomplishing it. Some general recommendations that can be use to help achieve these goals include the following: People must seek to broaden and deepen their command of many sources for ethical standards to enlarge the resources for guidance in decision making and communicating; People must sharpen their ethical sensitivities so that they may identify and understand the issues and problems calling for ethical judgment; People must develop a set of ethical guidelines to use for confronting ethical dilemmas; People must deepen the will to communicate with increasingly high ethical quality; and, People need better insight into themselves, to perceive their values clearly, to be willing and able to engage in self-examination, and to strengthen ethical commitment (Jensen)
In this regard, Kienzler suggests that there is a certain "lead by example" quality necessary for effective ethical instruction: "Many of us now teach ethics, but we also need to think about our own ethics. I think we do not ordinarily do this" (Kienzler, p
These are clearly desirable attributes, but Davis (1999) emphasizes that such ethical instruction must be conducted in a formal classroom setting or learned "on-the-job" because they are industry-specific. It should be noted, though, that some observers question whether teaching ethics is even possible by maintaining that it is too late to begin ethics education at the university or college level because most students come to a higher education institution possessing a firm set of values that are not likely to change; in addition, some critics suggest that ethics courses cannot be effective because values are formed early in people's lives and "honesty" is not a course that can be taught (Sims, 2002)
Military ethics is about knowing whom and what we owe. That is exactly what is meant by 'service before self' (in the Air Force), 'selfless service' (in the Army), or 'commitment' (in the Navy and Marine Corps)" (Toner, 2003, p
Special Considerations for Ethics Instruction in Military Classrooms The issue of military ethics is certainly not new. In fact, the philosopher Epictetus developed an ethical manual for the Roman field soldier entitled Enchiridion (Wakin, 1986)
A large amount of debate surrounds the issue, which has also resulted in the evolution of language teaching methods to include several new approaches. One of these is for example the integrated method, by which school children are taught a foreign language not only in the language classroom itself, but also via their other school subjects (Novotna & Hofmannova, 2007) the college introductory level, this is however not likely to be an option
When for example teaching Slavic at the college introductory level, a variety of methods are available to the teacher. Integrating these effectively can be a challenge, as students at the college level bring with them a variety of issues, including their purposes for learning the new language (Pufahl, Rhodes, and Christian, 2001)
Differentiated, in which the teacher examines each student's uniqueness, then tailors and "colors" the lessons for each student's needs and skills. Critical Transformation in Teaching Experience Tomlinson's realization that she really did not know the student upon whom she relied for affirmation and that it was far more important to understand the students rather than knowing "the theory behind preposition and conjunctions" (Tomlinson, 2010) reminds me of my assumptions about a group of 6-year-old children
Differentiated, in which the teacher examines each student's uniqueness, then tailors and "colors" the lessons for each student's needs and skills. Critical Transformation in Teaching Experience Tomlinson's realization that she really did not know the student upon whom she relied for affirmation and that it was far more important to understand the students rather than knowing "the theory behind preposition and conjunctions" (Tomlinson, 2010) reminds me of my assumptions about a group of 6-year-old children
Therefore, differing opinions on methodological issues, and consequently a plurality of methods, seem to be unavoidable. (Heyting, Lenzen, & White, 2001, p
In other words, to be compatible with what has been learned through brain research, the learning environment and the curriculum should be structured loosely enough to allow the growth process to take place. (Kaufold & Kaufold, 2009,-Page 159) Difference in home and learning environments is an aspect that differentiated instruction acknowledges
Any discussion on the social aspects of Huckleberry Finn will arrive at the subject of race. Commonly teachers spend a great deal of time addressing Twain's portrayal of racial issues (Bollinger 32)
Particular attention should be paid to the early pages of the book in terms of humor and irony. From the very beginning Twain introduces Huck's innocence as humor (Carter 131)
However, a topical discussion of the nineteenth century, including the development of slavery and Southern society is useful to students. Since setting is critical to Twain's novel, students should discuss and address how Twain's choice of location and setting affects the story as it develops (Edgar and Padgett 164-166)