K12

I found an article about a second grade class using a class room blog. This teacher used blogging as a way for students to discuss their feelings about a class related activity. The class went on a field trip and when they came back, they were ready to share each others experiences. The teacher thought it was a good idea to have the students discuss this in a classroom blog instead of using class time to have the discussion. This created a good learning experience for the students.

Another classroom blog I found was from a first grade classroom. This blog did not include student thoughts. This was just basically a teacher telling what is going on in the classroom. It tells different up coming events, how past events have gone, and if there is anything needed to be done.

In my opinion, the first blog, about the second grade classroom, is a very great idea. It gives the students a wonderful learning experience. Technology is such a big deal these days, students have to know how to use it. The other blog, about the first grade class, I think would be very helpful to parents. If a parent wanted to check up on their child’s class they could do so. However, it does not give much help to the students learning experience.

International

I found a blog from a middle school in Zurich. This blog was more of a school wide blog than a classroom blog. It was not students commenting on work. Mostly teachers were posting that they needed to see certain students for one reason or another. The school also used this blog to ask for help with different things.

My second website is from Amsterdam. This is a group of students discussing what respect means. This is very good for students to share their thoughts about what respect means while learning to use the web.

I think both resources are good to use. It is neat to be able to communicate with your students in that way. It is also good for students to be able to communicate with each other. This gives them a chance to talk to and hear ideas from students they normally would not talk to.

ALEX

Alex has many resources to aid teachers with their jobs. An important link is to the Alabama course of study. This enables teachers to have the course of study at their finger tips if ever needed. Many web links are also available to help teachers find the resources they need. Teachers can also use this site to enhance their lesson plans. It shows many different ways to make students more interested in their work.

ALEX provides teachers with a great search engine which takes them right to what they are looking for to help out with their class room needs. It is very helpful when teachers need to know something very quickly.

I plan to take advantage of this web site in my career. I know it will help keep me on track while planning my lessons. I will be able to know what I should be teaching and what is not as important for my students to learn.

I know ALEX will be there if I am ever stuck on my planning. I will be able to go there for a great resource. If ever I am not sure of how to teach a lesson, ALEX give very detailed examples for me to go by. This website will be extremely accommodating for both me and the education of my students.

Access

Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is a program designed to help high school students in the public school system get further in life. Its goal is to not leave any students out. All students should have equal opportunity no matter their location, background, or social standings.

I strongly support this program. All students should be able to take the classes they would like to in order to secure their future. Classes should not be offered on the economic standings of the area of a school. It should not matter whether the student is rich or leaving well below the poverty line, all students should be able to get the same education in order for them to get the job they want and live the future they want.