International Classrooms Using Bloggs #1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3804773.stm
Childern as young as seven are using blogs in their classrooms in one British school. They claim that these little bogers are preforming better than those who are not utilizing the blog. The childern love to blog that they are willing to do extra work for the class on their blogs. An after school club was set up and nearly half of the students participate durin the sessions. The students that are participating have been scored at levels of high school students with regards to researching ability an Information Technology knowledge. This seems to be having a positive impact on the students.

Blogging in US Classrooms #1

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?ex=1250654400&en=df535dc1863105e8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt
This article starts out talking about a second grade field trip to an Indian park, and instead of their teacher leading a classroom discussion on what they experienced she instructed them to blog about it. The teacher reported that blogging seems to level the playing field, those students that are shy and quite during classroom discussions come alive on their blogs. Blogging allows the students to continue what was being discussed in class if the discussion was cut short. They report that it allows the student to interact much faster. It really sounds like these students are well on their way to a cyber education.

Debating the power of Google's Wave

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10256471-2.html?tag=mncol
A new application from Google, it is very interesting. I'm new to all this Google stuff, and there is more being created that I need to learn. This article talks about WAVE, an application that looks to be a hybrid of e-mail, instant massaging and google docs.

Changing the way we think

I do believe that the Internet and these large search engine have changed the way we think and the way we expect things to be, notably instant gratification. The speed of the Internet has made us as a society impatient, unwilling to do the hard work, like look in a book, to get answers to questions. I find my self experiencing what Carr was talking about when he explained how his mind drifts after only a couple of pages. There does not seem to be any end in sight in the reprogramming of the way we think. We as a society will just have to learn to adjust to this new way of thinking. I'm sure there is a pharmaceutical out there that can help us get focused, more of that instant gratification.

Google plans to make PCs history

Google's plan to kill the need to have a PC at your house looks to have some promise. There are a few good points to having a centralized database. We won't have to worry about losing data no matter what may befall our computers. We will be able access our file from any web based portal. The big negative that looms large over this golden egg is the fact we will be putting all of our eggs in one basket. If the database goes then we all will be out of luck. Not to mention all that data being in one centralized location. I'm not convinced that Google's grand plan will totally kill off the personal computer.

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS)

Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a useful program that allows high school students to have opportunities that they might have missed out on. There are a lot of good aspects to ACCESS with a few down sides. The ability of students to take classes that may not be offered at their school and participate in Advanced Placement courses is a step toward bringing equal education to all students. It exposes students to technology which will prepare them for their future. A point that can be taken as a pro or a con is the fact that the number of teachers will be reduced. With regards to fiscal policy in the way of saving money and the fact that some subjects are hard to find teachers for then it can be viewed as positive. On the other hand it could put some teachers out of work.

Alabama Learning Exchange

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) looks to be a treasure trove of usable resources. This is my first look at ALEX and I was impressed with the available resources and links to even more available resources, all for free. ALEX homepage has eight "buttons" that allow one to navigate the site. The eight "buttons" are: Course of Study; Web Links; Lesson Plans; Search; Personal Workspace; Professional Learning; Distance Learning; Help. A few of these buttons are self explanatory. The "Course of Study" and "Lesson Plans" buttons allow teachers to search for lesson plans. ALEX offers a place for you to get a "Personal Workspace" which allows you to; find a lesson plan, create a lesson plan, or create a teaching page. It also shows the number of approved lesson plans you have submitted. The "Professional Learning" button opens up yet another treasure trove of web links that look to be very useful in advancing knowledge for teachers. The "Distance Learning" button opens up a link to "Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide" (ACCESS).

Again this is my first look at ALEX and I am impressed with what this seems to have the potential for me as a prospective educator. I know I will be using this site as a resource in the future. There is a lot of features that will take time to learn, but they look useful.