Final Post

This class has taught me many things that I think will be useful to me in the future. It was so nice to see and learn about things that I can use to teach and in my daily life as well.

It was so nice to learn how to create a blog and insert hyperlinks and pictures to that blog. This was my first time to create a blog and I thought that it was very interesting and can be very useful if I use it as a teaching tool. I learned so many things from the research that we had to do for our blogs. I thoroughly enjoyed the video of Randy Pausch's last lecture and the "Did You Know" video that we had to write about. I also learned so much about the ALEX and ACCESS programs that I didn't know. It may sound sad, but I had never used iTunes or the iStore before I had to in this class. I always just expected my husband to take care of things like this for me. I also found many websites that I will use and I really liked the site by Alice Christie.

I created a podcast for the first time. I did not enjoy this project very much because it makes me nervous to know that what I say at that moment will be saved and put on the Internet for everyone to hear. However, I think that this can be useful and was interesting to learn about. I realize that I may use this tool one day to share information and I am glad that I learned how to do this.

I had previously learned how to do a spreadsheet in Excel, but I did learn how to do new things with it and it was nice to review and refresh the things I had learned before. I learned how to use more of the tools that it offers and learned how to make graphs with the information that I include in the spreadsheet. My husband uses Excel to do our household budget, so it will be interesting to help use this tool at home.

I learned how to use Google Docs Slide show and many other things about iGoogle. I created a slide show presentation in Google docs and with the Microsoft Office version. I have created a Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation before, but I also learned about other features that this offers. I liked using the Microsoft Office PowerPoint better than the one on Google Docs, but definitely can see how it is easier to share documents and PowerPoint presentations using Google Docs. The slide show presentation was a little more difficult because it was slower and would "freeze" up easily.

I have made many Word documents, but it was nice to learn another way to use it in the classroom. We created documents by combining information from different websites into one document. I think that this will be a great way to share information from the Internet with our classes. We also learned how to insert pictures, hyperlinks, and make it look neat and organized. I think that I knew how to do all of this, but seeing it all used together to make a single document will help me when trying to do this for my class.

As I mentioned in my blog previously, I have taken this class before when I was in Undergraduate school several years ago. They allowed me to take this again to renew my teaching certificate and I now see why. So many things have changed because of our fast changing world and the Internet. I thought that I would only learn a few new things, but I learned SO much more! Only a few things were the same as when I took the course before and even they have changed some. I enjoyed taking this class and learned many things that I will use. I can not think think of anything that I would have liked to learn or think should have been covered because it contained so much more than I expected. I was very challenged by the material and this course definitely exceeded my expectations!

The Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village

The Edible Schoolyard and A Night in the Global Village are both videos that you may watch in iTunes U. These were found in the Edutopia section. These titles were created by the George Lucas Educational Foundation and they are part of a What Works in Public Education series. Edutopia was created to show and share learning environments that promote innovation and interactive learning. They have shared this in a magazine, a website, and videos.

The Edible Schoolyard is a video about Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, CA. The Edible Schoolyard was created to help improve school lunch programs in 1994 and now it has become a great learning tool for the students at this school. They use this outdoor classroom to teach students math, social studies, and science while getting the students to work together and communicate. This has been a great program to teach students where our food comes from and many other things that may help them in the future. They use the garden and kitchen lab for teaching life lessons and tasting the things they grow. In my opinion this is a very successful experiment that would be great for any school to have.

A Night in the Global Village is a video about Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. This foundation has five acres and offers a hands-on campus to educate the world about poverty, hunger, and possible solutions. The program allows individuals to visit for a two-hour tour or up to a week long camp that they created to allow them to see and experience how people live in poverty. They have created homes that imitate those in Thailand, Guatemala, Zambia, Appalachia (urban slums), and refugees. The video shows Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning attending for one night and how they handle not having food, water, fire, or even being able to communicate with any language skills. They draw numbers to determine where they will spend their night at the Village and what materials they will start with. It shows a little about how the students struggle and the problems they may face if they were in this situation. I think it was created to show young people in a very fortunate world how things are for many other people around the world. I think this program is very powerful and probably enlightens many young minds about the people that need help.

I think that these podcasts are a great way to help teachers learn about how to promote innovation. Hopefully, these videos will inspire teachers. It made me think about how other teachers and schools use hands on activities in their schools and about how important this is for students. I think that it a great way to show teachers that things like The Edible Schoolyard are possible. It may mean more time and effort, but they are worth it.

I also think that the video about A Night in the Global Village is a great way to share an experience with students in a classroom that may not be able to visit the actual ranch or place like this. It is wonderful that you can share these things through a podcast and allow your students to see what takes place. It may not be as powerful as if they had the experience themselves, but it can be very inspiring to see what students their age are doing. I think that this video in particular is very informational and would be a great addition to a classroom lesson.

These were great examples of how powerful and useful podcasts can be in K-12 classroom. They have many great podcasts available for free in iTunes U. People put so much time and effort into these programs and videos and it is a great tool for teachers and students.

iTunes University

I was very impressed by how much information you can find at iTunes University. I thought you would probably be able to find some podcasts from University classrooms online, but this was much more than I expected. I was also surprised that so many well-known schools participate. Many schools had great lectures and short speeches that were very easy to access.

When I visited the iTunes U, I found out that iTunes has the largest collection of free educational media for anyone to use. They have over 100,000 audio and video files available. A few of the colleges that participate are Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Oxford, Texas A&M, and many more. I thought that it was great that they have it set up where schools can choose if they want to share information with only students, everyone, or only certain files that require usernames and passwords.

I looked at Carnegie Mellon's available podcasts and videos and they have so much available. They have videos of Randy Pausch's lectures, information for prospective students, information about the different departments, and they even have videos of the presidential campaign visits. I think that it is great to have so many videos and podcasts available for people that are attending the college or just interested in certain things about the college. I believe that all colleges should participate in this great program that is available.

Another impressive part of iTunes U was that they also have audios and videos for K-12 schools. I looked at several of the videos from the WBGH teachers' domain and believe that I could use this in an elementary classroom. I think that students will enjoy watching most of the ones that I watched were very short, but informational. I think that I would be able to use these for the classroom as a group or for individuals. The group of files from Edutopia are more for teachers. It gives information and examples of things that teachers may want to do in their classrooms.

iPods in Instruction

I read in an article about how Duke University is using ipods in the classroom for instruction now. It said that the number of courses has doubled and the number of students using ipods has quadrupled in the second year of trying to use this technology in the classrooms. During Duke's Digital Initiative (DDI) in 2004 the university gave out free ipods to all new students and then changed it the next year to give only the students that enrolled in these courses that required them. The university claims that there were only a few minor problems in the beginning, but everyone has adapted very well and they have been a great success.

I think that this is very interesting that schools and universities are beginning to use this kind of technology in the classroom and think that this can be very helpful. I found a great website that has lesson plans and other helpful information about ipods in the classroom. It is http://www.apple.com/au/education/ipod/lessons/. It includes lessons for History, Math, Science, Languages, and more. It also includes a few movies. I looked at one lesson plan that was for Early Elementary age that practice letter sounds and a lesson plan for singing math facts to learn them. This was very interesting and helped me see that this type of technology may also be used for the elementary age students.

Dr. Christie's site

I think that Dr. Christie's website would be very helpful for teachers. I think that the section that I would use the most would be the "Searching the Web" part. You have two choices withing this section and they are Search Engines and Subject Directories or Online Researching Resources. They can both be very useful but I think that I would probably get most use of the Search Engines and Subject Directories in the classroom.

The Search Engine and Subject Directories section is a list of websites and tools that students and teachers can use. There are several choices within this section. It includes things such as search engines and websites for kids and teachers, details on how to safely and effectively use search engines, and a PowerPoint presentation on how to search the web effectively. Many people would benefit from this section of her site.

The other section in "Searching the Web" is Online Researching Resources. It includes Databases, Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Web Cam Directories, Virtual Field Trips, Simulations, and more. There is so much helpful information in this section of the site that could be used by teachers. The Web Cam was very neat and I know students would love to watch a live view of pandas or virtual simulations of dissections and earthquakes. This and many other things in this section would be very helpful in the classroom.

I really enjoyed learning about this site and will definitely save it to use when I begin teaching again. I saw many things that I can use now and in the future. I think that the site is very easy to use and is helpful. I am not sure that I will be able to use it with lower elementary students, but I personally also enjoyed the photography section. She has beautiful pictures on this and I would love to look at more of them and share them with the children.

NPR

It was very interesting to read and listen about how Wikipedia has been changed by people and companies. I think Wikipedia is a great resource, but I do not think that is a reliable resource. If anyone can add or change the information, it could be very inaccurate. I think that it is great that Virgil Griffith created a Wikipedia scanner that shows who is making changing to the site. Hopefully, this will affect what is being done on the website. I think that it is great to be able to add and change, but not if it is to cover up things or change opinions.

Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture"

I really enjoyed watching the Last Lecture from Randy Pausch. He was a 47 year old Professor at Carnegie Mellon that had pancreatic cancer and this was the last lecture he gave before he died. It was a long video, but it was very interesting and enjoyable to watch. He has an amazing positive attitude throughout the video and he amazed me. I loved the way he encouraged people to live life to the fullest and always have fun.

I believed this video would be about him and something related to his expected death, but it was a lecture about his childhood dreams, how to enable the dreams of others, and how you can use these things in your life. It began with pictures and stories about his childhood dreams. It was very interesting to see what his dreams were and how most of them were achieved as an adult. He was a great teacher and used great techniques in his career. He got separate departments working together and helped create a great program at his school. He got the students to work together and help one another. He also took a group of students to Disneyland every Summer. I think it was great how he got students to think in a different way and they did many hands on projects.

I think it is great to hear that you should have dreams of your own and encourage others to have dreams of their own. I like the way that he said that a brick wall is the way to do away with the ones that really did not want the dream badly enough. You have to keep trying after the hard trials and challenges. I enjoyed seeing his career path after college and how his childhood dreams played part in that. He very clearly showed examples of how he enabled the dreams of others and how he used those things in his life. He was a great professor that had a great impact on many students.

I enjoyed this video/lecture very much. He seemed to be a great man and a great teacher. At the end of the video he reveals that he did this lecture for his children. This lecture was very inspiring and motivational. It made me think about my choices, my childhood dreams, and how I influence others around me and I'm sure it affects many people the same way. It is amazing that this man could give such a great presentation and be so positive and uplifting under these circumstances.

Fischbowl 2007: A Blueprint for Colorado

I read the Fischbowl blog from January by Karl Fische and it was called "A Blueprint for Colorado". This was a long, but interesting blog about a proposal to reform Colorado's Education. The reform is based on a report called "Tough Choices or Tough Times." Education experts and law makers believe that this reform could take up to 15 years and will have to involve many changes.

In this blog Karl Fisch points out many interesting facts about the executive summary from the "Tough Choices or Tough Times" report. I really like what he says in Step One. It talks about what would happen if the plan was a success and the majority of students attend and graduate college. At this time only 25-30% of people that are over 25 have a Bachelor's degree or higher. Where would they put all of these people and where are they all going to be able to find jobs that they are qualified for.

I also like what he talks about in Step Three. He mentions that the people creating this reform would like to recruit the top one-third of students graduating from college to become teachers. He explains the fact that they will have to raise the salary to attract many people and that will affect the retirement benefits. It is also pretty obvious that not everyone would want to be a teacher even if they made more money. We all know that it is hard work and it takes a special type of person that has patience and desire to help others.

Another thing that I thought was interesting is that they want to give to areas that need the help most. As he says, this is a great idea, but it is impossible to keep people from helping their school or community when they are financially able. There are many other important facts that Karl Fische talks about in this blog. I didn't know that they were considering something like this in Colorado and it will be interesting to see what happens. There are many problems with the current plan that will need to be changed and I agree that they need to involve teachers, students, and parents in this process.

EDM 310 Fall 2008 Podcasts

I listened to three podcasts from the EDM 310 Fall Class. It was interesting to hear students that are similar to myself talking about topics in Education. I think that this will be very helpful when it is time to produce our podcasts. I think some of them were interesting, but some of them seemed to be forced and like they should have planned and researched a little more.

The first podcast that I listened to was "Facebook as an Educational Tool?". I thought it would be interesting to listen to this one because I use Facebook personally. I was curious to see what others thought about it and how it could possibly be used as an educational tool. The two students speaking were Theola Hines and Larrica Smith. They didn't seem very prepared for the discussion. They had a few interesting topics, but didn't act like they were very certain about some of their answers. One student had used facebook and the other one had not. I felt like much of the time was used just telling us about what facebook could do and not how it could or could not be used in Education. They were not even sure if they have a minimum age to use Facebook.



The second podcast that I listened to was "Pick of the Day: Useful Internet Sites for Elementary Teachers". The students speaking in this podcast were Brennan Gibson, Hanna Callais, Ashley Wheeler, and Kimberly Dees. They discussed many websites that they recommend for teachers and classrooms and how they would be helpful. I think that they did a great job and it sounded like they were prepared and had done some research on their topic.



Another podcast that I listened to was "You Tube as an Educational Tool?". I thought this would be an interesting podcast because I often watch videos from You Tube. The students in this podcast were Chris Borchardt, Delana Bemis, and Heather Rogers. I think that they did a great job discussing what You Tube is useful for and how they did not think that it would be appropriate to use it in the classroom. I like the way that they spoke honestly about how they felt and had information to back it up.

I think that listening to these podcasts was a great way to prepare me for making my own podcast. I realize now that I need to be very prepared and do lots of research for my topic. I will try to create questions and statements that I will want to make during my podcast. I will also try to pick a topic that I'm interested in and know about before I even begin. I think that this is a great way to communicate how you feel about something that is important to you.

Podcasts

It was interesting to see how people use podcasts to share and collaborate information and ideas. I previously had never heard a podcast, but now understand that this is a very important tool being used by people today. I listened to several podcasts and I was surprised to hear commercials and introductions to music during some of them. I believe that this is a great way for people that have similar interests to discuss topics.

The first podcast that I listened to was the SmartBoard Lessons Podcast "Not 150 Yet". It was a great one to start with because they are reviewing and discussing past podcasts. In this particular podcast the hosts did separate mini-podcasts. It started with Ben Hazzard speaking and he talked about how podcasts a link for people that are like-minded and help them to share and learn together. He told about his favorite podcast and how it was the first time that he realized the power that podcasts have. I liked the way that he described how the podcast feels like a community and many times you can describe them as "edutainment" podcasts. The other host on this podcast was Joan Badger. She talked about her favorite podcast being one that about a running competition between her and Ben. She beat him twice. She also discussed her favorite link that they added and it was "Buzzword". She said that it was put out by Adobe and it allows people to share files and their desktop. I listened to another SmartBoard Lessons Podcast #142. Ben and Joan were talking at the same time and with each other in this podcast. They discussed great links and Cross Classroom Collaboration. They were both podcasting from their homes and discussed the website that Ben had created during the summer for Graduate school. It was a website for teachers to connect to one another and share ideas. The website is teachersconnecting.com. I really like the way that Ben described podcasts as Radio on Demand. I think this is a great to explain them.

Another podcast that I listened to was Kidcast:Leaning and Teaching with Podcasting. The speaker in this podcast is Dan Schmit. He discussed how he had recently searched for student content online in podcasts and the only examples he found were about the act of creating a podcast and not exploring topics. He explained that he thought it was great that they know the technical aspect, but it would be better if they use it to extend academic conversations. He suggested for teachers to help students "brainstorm" and create questions about a topic that create a spark in students. Then, this gives them a reason to create a podcast that they can elaborate and collaborate together about questions they have.

The EdTech Talk Podcast #79 "Lectures and Discussions" was hosted by Curtis Bonk and Steve Kossakowski. They selected guests to speak that had e-mailed them prior to the show. The guests on this podcast were Dave Cormier, Jeff Lebow, and Jennifer Maddrell. I thought it was interesting that they spoke live, but added links and looked at links as they talked. They discussed alternative to traditional textbooks and how online education will affect how people are educated around the world. One of the speaker noted how some people do not want to open the classroom because of new problems that we will face. The personal needs of the teachers, students, and parents will change. There will be a new safety issue and teachers will feel like someone is always looking over their shoulder. They said that their will have to be a huge shift for this to take place and it will be a very big change for education.

The last two podcasts that I listened to were about Photography and Technical issues. This Week in Photography "TWiP" #67 (Showing Off Your Assets) had speakers Alex Lindsay and Scott Bourne. They discussed software development for cameras, political photography, nature photography, and apertures. They talked about how Facebook is the number One way to share photos online. Another thing they mentioned was how "Twitter" is a great way share and find ideas for locations of great places to photograph. They had guest speakers that were photographers that were discussing how they choose to share their own photographs. It was funny to hear them talk about pictures that they were finding and looking at during the show. The MacBreak Weekly podcast #126 "La-la-la-Leo" was five people discussing Technical issues. The speakers were Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, Scott Bourne (Also in the TWip podcast), and Frederick Van Johnson. They discussed items such as cameras, laptops, desktops, software, and more. They talked about which were the most frequently used and gave tips on certain ideas they had.

Overall, this was very interesting. It was amazing for me to see how many different people podcast and what they share with others. I definitely have a better understanding of how podcasts are created and how people can use this wonderful technology.

Fischbowl: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

I thought the "Is It Okay To Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" blog was great! I think that it was interesting to see how other people have some of the same feelings as I do about computers in the classroom. It is shocking to me that any teacher, principal, school inspector can make it today's world without being held responsible for knowing how to operate computers effectively. It is frustrating when you see and know things should not be operating the way they are, but their is nothing in writing to enforce certain expectations.

I love the list that was posted by Terry Freedman. I think it would be great if we could have technological standards for our teachers, principals, and others involved with schools. I think that in today's society it should not be acceptable to be in a classroom and not use the computer effectively. I like the point that he made when he said that computers are a part of life and not something extra. Also, I think we need to always remember the important point about how we can't just sit and watch as some of our children's futures are being jeopardized. I also hope that one day educators will be held accountable for this part of their responsibility.

I know it does sound harsh, but I think I agree with the statement on the blog: "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write" and will more as time goes on. There are very few jobs already that do not require certain computer skills and I firmly believe as time goes on there will be less and less. I think that he has a great point that our times are changing quickly and there will be little chance for success for the technologically illiterate.

I have also experienced this a great deal away from the classroom. My parents are a great example. My dad was forced to learn to use computers through work and has a basic understanding of them. He can use them to search the web and do certain things online. He has trouble with some things, but can figure out and use what he finds necessary. My mom, on the other hand, has trouble using a mouse. She has not ever felt the need to learn to use a computer and gets easily frustrated when we try to show her how to do things on it. She is interested, but does not take the time to learn. She just gets her children or husband to pull things up and then show her. I think it most interesting when her two grandchildren that are 5 can use them much better than she can. She openly says "I just can't use the computer".

I hope that as time goes on everyone will realize that computers have become a part of our everyday life. You will need them to be successful in the near future and we need to prepare our students for this. I think that this blog definitely deserved any awards that it received and enjoyed reading it.

K-12 Teachers Using Blogs in Other Countries

I found a blog that is made up of pictures and notes about what is going on in Mrs. Toa's First Grade Classroom in Shanghai, China. It is a great way to see what students are experiencing and studying in other countries. The cultures are different and that does seem to affect the curriculum some, but overall they have the same subject areas as the United States. Mrs. Toa's blog not only shares pictures and ideas, but also has links to many other blogs and websites that are interesting and helpful. I loved looking at all of the pictures and reading about what students are learning in other places. Also, she picks student authors for the week and they get to add to the blog. I think that this is great to include technology in learning and I'm sure the students and parents love seeing their pictures and work on the blog. Mrs. Toa also uses this blog as a way to communicate with the parents. Another thing that I enjoyed was the Flag Counter that shows how many times people visit her site and from what country they are in. This makes you aware of how many people are interested in what she is doing. I really enjoyed this blog and will probably continue to revisit the site for updates.













I found another great example of a teacher using blogs in his classroom. Gary Coyle's Grade 8 Humanities Class provides a great blog being used in New Delhi, India. He uses the blog to keep students informed about lessons currently being discussed in the classroom and special projects with their due dates. He gives reviews of the lessons that he has already taught and links to more information about each topic. He also provides a link to student blogs. Each student has their own blog and I was impressed by the ones that I looked at. They give their views on the topics and also insert pictures. I think that blogs are a great teaching tool and this example shows how useful they can be.

K-12 Teachers Using Blogs in the US

I found some great blogs and websites created by teachers in the U.S. They were prepared for the students in the class to keep up with their classwork/homework and some allowed the students to actually post their ideas and comments. One nicely laid out site was Mr. Langhorst's 8th Grade American History Class. This is a class at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, Missouri. This site was informational and easy to use. It had great pictures of the students using laptops and other electronic equipment to learn about American History. It also had a link to the teacher's blogs and podcasts. He used this as a way to share his lessons and ideas for other teachers. He shows pictures of his classroom and suggests things for other teachers to try.










Another example of blogs being used in the classroom was a Fourth Grade class at O'Neal Elementary School in Missouri. Mrs. Lowe's Fourth Grade Class is a great example of how blogs and websites can be used in an Elementary classroom. Mrs. Lowe provides activities for all subject areas that can be used by the students or other teachers. It lets the students and parents know what is covered in the units or on certain topics. There is also a Students link that allows you to see student blogs. The students read books and then the teacher and students post blogs about the books that they read. I think that this is a great way to get students talking about what they are reading and include technology. Although I am sure that this takes extra time and work, I think that this is a great thing for teachers to have. It can be very helpful to students and parents and is a great way to communicate what they are learning in the classroom.

Did You Know?

It is very interesting to see how our world is rapidly changing in the Did You Know?" video on the Fischbowl blog. It was a short movie that was created for a group of teachers in Colorado for the staff of about 150, but it has reached so many more. It is amazing and mind-boggling to see how fast the population, power, economics, technology, and other things in our world have changed and will change over the years. This video makes it very clear that we need to prepare ourselves and our students for a world that will be quickly changing. It shows that computers and technology will be a very big part of this.

I think that this video was a great way to clearly show that our world is changing and progressing with or without us. There are countries (including the U.S.) that have realized what they need to do in order to have success and are preparing their students for what is to come. We as teachers and parents need to make sure that our children and students are taught what is necessary for a successful future in our quickly changing world. I really enjoyed this video and think that all parents and teachers should watch it to remind them of what is to come. There is so much information in this short movie that really makes you think about our future.

ACCESS

The Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) program has a very informational and helpful website. It has a great deal of information about the Plan and Implementation of the program. It also is very informative about how the current sites are successful and the plans for expansion that should eventually include all high schools in the state of AL. The Courses link allows parents and students to see what classes are available and there is also a link that allows them to register for those classes with approval. There are links for educators and parents to read or download more information about the program and ways to contact people if they have questions. The resources link provides forms, presentations, brochures, and reports for people that are interested. They even have documents that provide information about the success rate of the Access sites that are already using this program in the External evaluation reports. The ACCESS PowerPoint presentation breaks down the concept and plans for this program. It explains the problems that students are facing and how ACCESS will give rural and low-income schools the same opportunities that other schools have. It explains that current teachers will be trained to use the web-based and Interactive Video Courses (IVC)and how this will take place. It gives details about what is expected from these "E-teachers" and some of the plans for Phase I and Phase II.

This site was very interesting to me. It gives a great deal of information about ACCESS and explains the expectations and successes of the program. It is setup in a great format for parents, students, and teachers to find information and has great documents for those interested in learning more about it. I think this is a wonderful program and it is going to provide many more opportunities to students that need them.

ALEX

ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange) is a website that allows teachers to find lesson plans and links to other resources that provide information that is useful when developing lesson plans and teaching. It has tabs to browse through lesson plans or you can find specific lessons by doing a search. They have it broken down even more specifically by the AL Course of Study. You can look for only what you need or do a general search. The site also provides links to other educational sites. You can do this by searching for a specific area of study or just browse through the sites. There is a link for professional learning that provides information for all kinds of educators. It has information for media specialists, special education, professional organizations, and much more. You may create an account that will allow you to provide your own lesson plans or store the ones you are interested in. ALEX also gives a link to ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide). It is going to provide an opportunity for students to participate in distance learning to get the education that they need and deserve. Students may take web-based classes that use multimedia content and interactive video-conferencing. This will increase the opportunities for students to take courses that are not provided at their high school and open many new doors for these students.

I think that this site will be very helpful to me when I begin teaching again. I love the user friendly layout and how I will be able to search for specific lessons or concepts. I know that the Course of Study link will be very helpful when trying to complete lesson plans for the grade level that I am teaching. I love that this information will be available to me at work and home when trying to do lesson plans without taking extra books and binders to and from the school. I do not think that I will personally use the ACCESS link because I plan to teach Lower Elementary school, but I think that it is a great thing to have for those that do need it. This will provide many students with opportunities that they did not have before. I think this is a great addition to our schools. The site is very informational and helpful for many reasons and I think that all teachers should use it as a tool for teaching and professional development. I am very happy to have learned about this site before returning to the classroom.

My Favorite Web Site

One of my favorite web sites is You Tube. I know that I can always visit this site if I need to laugh. It really shocks and amazes me to watch the crazy and stupid things that people will do.

All About Me

My name is Keesha Ann Miles. I have been married to Chris Miles for 8 years on February 24, 2009. I have a five year old son named Logan and a two year old daughter named Emily. Our families live in Mississippi and we travel there often to visit.

I am currently working part-time as a Teacher at Christ United Methodist Church in the Mother's Day Out Program. My daughter attends one of the other classes there with me three mornings each week. My son is currently in Kindergarten at St. Luke's Episcopal School.

I graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2001 and taught in the MCPSS for two years. During my second year at Maryvale Elementary I had Logan and took time off to stay at home with him. I have now been out of the school system for over 5 years and my teaching certificate has expired. I am trying to take the courses and tests that I need to take so that I may begin teaching when my daughter begins Pre-K 3 next year.

I hope to pursue a career as a lower school teacher at a school that I will be happy for my children to attend. I think that it will be great to be at their school for the convenience and knowledge of what is going on around them.

I don't have many hobbies, but I love to be outside and I love being around children. Especially when they are fun-loving and care-free. I also enjoy shopping when I can find a babysitter.