International

http://www.techlearning.com/ is a great website that allows teachers around the world to communicate in a global effort to better the educational systems around the world. There are some down sides to it, commercials take over your screen, but that is expected in the internet age of today. I do like the organization of the website and it includes many hot topics of current events. Being able to communicate with teacher’s a crossed the world is essential if we want United States students to compete on a global level.

http://www.iteachnet.org/ is another great web site that allows teachers all around the world to communicate on a day to day basis. These blogs allow teachers to compare and contrast ideas and how they would like to use unique and standard ideas in their classrooms. It is very exciting to see the use of technology become so useful and all this information being ready for teachers to use at the click of a mouse. I will use these websites when I am teaching to get an idea of not only curriculum in the united states, but around the world.

K12

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ is a website that allows the free flow of teaching ideas to be exchanged by teachers around the country. It's more of a modern Rousseau ideological page, but useful none the less. I encourage teachers to look at this page to get "outside the box" idea's for their classrooms. It is nice to see a website that is open for opinions outside the mainstream and one that can focus on issues outside of No Child Left Behind.

Teacher Magazine, http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/blogboard/, has a website that allows teachers to post concerns on the issues facing the United State's Public Educational system. It seems to focus on teaching problems and concerns in different areas of the country. Teachers from similar areas could come together, search, and openly chat about reform ideas for our Public Education problems in the United States.

ACCESS

Alabama Connecting Classrooms is a statewide effort to give all people and students in the state of Alabama equal learning opportunities with emerging technology. As a physical education it would be extremely hard to use ACCESS in an effective way; however, it is possible. I could demonstrate stretches and students in another school could be doing the same stretches.

As a biology teacher I could definitely use ACCESS in a positive way. I could teach lectures in one city and children in another city could be not only hearing, but visually cooperating with my lesson. ACCESS does give distance learning in Alabama a big head start. It will hopefully provide equal opportunities for many students who would have not received educational opportunities, the chance to excel in subjects now available to them.

Alex

Michael Moresi
Robert Wakeman
April 14, 2008
EDM-310
The Alabama Learning Exchange (Alex) is an extremely helpful tool for teachers wanting help with lesson plans, web support, professional learning, distance learning, and other tools to make a successful teacher. Not only is this website useful because of its many links to other teacher helpful pages, it also has prepared lesson plans for struggling teachers and for teachers who want to get a second opinion on what would be good for their students to learn.
I will use ALEX to help me along in my journey to become a better teacher. It will give me a good idea of what other teachers in Alabama are doing for their lesson plans and their ideas and unique activities for the well being of their students. I too can use these to benefit my students. I can also use the links off the ALEX website to guide me to important sports and skills my students should develop to become better students and to teach them how teamwork is an important skill to develop no matter what field a person is going into. I am excited that this useful information is available and ready to use on the web. It will make the success of Alabama’s educational system rise to new heights.