A bit about me...

Monday, September 29, 2008

Google Thinking

This is CRAZY!! The internet is a helpful tool. Honestly, I don't know how I survived without it. I admit that it does make us as a society a little lazy because everything is at your fingertips, but it is not like a drug addiction. You are able to find information without having to go to the library to find a book, and you don't have to leave your home. I do not believe that the internet is this crazy thing in the world that is changing the way we think. I just believe that it stimulates our minds and lessens people going crazy and stressing out over things. I love the computer and I love the internet.

ALEX

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a resource used for teachers by teachers. It is a virtual library that allows teachers to get access and help to nearly anything they may need. Once on the site, you enter a world of help from lesson plans, to professional learning to linking you to ACCESS, which we talked about earlier in class. The information is very helpful for teachers, especially those just starting out. You can find a surplus of lesson plans that can be used to your ability. It is also a tool that can be used for students to get help on subjects that may be stumbling in.

I love the website and know that I will be using it once I become a teacher. It is so helpful and you can find nearly anything you need for educational purposes on one website. It makes things easier for people because you don't have to go from one website to the next to find things. The site is very easy to navigate and everything is only a click away. My sister has used ALEX when she was in middle school and she has talked about how helpful it has made her learning experience. I think this is a website that many people should know about.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a very resourceful learning tool for educators as well as students. On this site, students are able to take courses that are not offered at their schools and receive credit for the class. This offers students the ability to go beyond what their high school offers and take classes that they would like to benefit from. With ACCESS, students can go online and do work at their leisure. Students and teachers are able to interact with one another and video conferences give students the ability to communicate with others without necessarily being physically together.


I believe this site is very useful for students. It gives them the ability to have a sense of responsibility and get a small taste at the college life. Students are more likely to do more work and enjoy learning more when they are taking control of the way their schedules work. This is a very informative site as well for people who are unaware of what the site deals with. It gives you plenty of information that serves as a guide for parents that may have questions about what the site entails. I don't really see any problems with the site, I would just life for people that are not able to afford computers or do not have the ability to get to a computer to be able to have the oppurtunity to engage in this type of learning.