Internet Tools and Education

The internet has presented so many tools that have made life as a student so much easier...

E-mail is something that practically everyone uses on a daily basis, and it’s such a great communication tool for students and teachers. If I miss a class, I can e-mail the teacher or another student to get the notes and assignments and I don’t have to fall behind.

Another fantastic tool that the internet gives students is access to the school’s library from home. When I need to conduct research and find scholarly journal articles for my psychology courses, I don’t have to make the commute to campus. I can sign in from home and search a full catalog of resources.

ISIS – our student datebase, which is another tool that is only available because of the internet, helps me keep track of my gpa, grades, classes that I need for my degree, my school finances, which courses I am enrolled in, etc. Without it, we would only be able to acquire this information by contacting the school or taking the hike to the campus. I would hardly be able to find the time to do this on a regular basis.

One of the most convenient tools that has impacted my life so greatly, and I can thank the internet for it: online classes. Numerous bills make working full time a necessity, and working full time makes it hard to find the time to take college courses, but having a class online that I can do from home makes it possible for me to find a balance. I can do school from home.

Without the internet, I don’t even know how I would survive college. How the heck did people do it before?

Social Networking Sites and Education

Social networking sites are fun and a good way to get and stay in touch with friends you don’t see very often. They offer games, jokes, funny pictures, and quizzes to keep you entertained, but they have also had a more practical use – a positive impact on students, teachers, and education in general. Schools can make their own sites – like UML’s facebook page – to advertise, post events, alert students of available resources, and numerous other activities. Social networking sites also offer a more impersonal form of communication between classmates and teachers so that even the shyest student can ask their questions and make their comments. Purdue University, in West LaFayette, Indiana, developed an interesting use for social networking sites that works very much to the benefit of the teachers and the students. They created a program called ‘Hotseat’ which can be accessed by facebook, twitter, and mobile devices. Hotseat is designed as a forum for students to raise questions, make comments, and rate what other students have to say to make it easy for teachers to judge how well the class actually understands the material and to see where the most confusion is. The conversation is generated from a topic that the teacher will propose about the material, and from there the students participate in a discussion. Based on the comments presented in this site, the program seems to be working rather successfully.

The Internet as a Tool for Education

So, as we are living in the year 2010, I am pretty sure that just about everyone has had a taste of the internet. Whether they use it on a regular basis for work, entertainment, research, school, etc, there is no doubt that it is a valuable resource. The internet makes all of the necessary information that anyone could possibly need accessible by just the click of a button. Who goes to the libraries anymore? Poor libraries… Besides the one at school that I have to use for classes sometimes, I couldn’t tell you the last time I have visited a library. As an educational tool, however, the internet has numerous uses. Students have a quick way of e-mailing their teachers. We can get assignments even if we weren’t in class. Individuals who work full time and are busy taking care of their families or whatever can even take online classes in their own time from the comfort of their home. I know that I take advantage of this luxury. I can’t even imagine how people got by in school – middle school, high school, or higher education – without the internet. According to my findings on this subject (which I found on the internet) both parents and students both agree that it is a tremendously helpful tool for schoolwork. In fact, one of the websites I found conducted a study on this and made a claim that 94% of youth ages 12-17 who have Internet access say they use the Internet for school research and 78% say they believe the Internet helps them with schoolwork. As for other opinions, 87% of parents of online teens believe that the Internet helps students with their schoolwork and 93% believe the Internet helps students learn new things. For more interesting statistics that I found from this study, click here.

Introduction Assignment... Again?

Seriously?
Another one?
Ok, well it says in the assignments that we are supposed to do another intro about ourselves… Talking about my job and what I am doing in school is super boring and getting rather repetitive. Ummm… I’m loud, random, and energetic – but I probably won’t be like that in class because school is a downer. I am taking three classes right now – one online, one during the day, and this one at night – on top of working full time. As a result of these unpleasant circumstances, I live vicariously through reality t.v. during the week. Jersey Shore and For the Love of RayJ 2 got me by for a while, but now they are over… Booo… On the weekends I do what most college kids do… Enough said. I have a sick shoe obsession and I really like the sound of a cat’s meow – especially kittens really. Cheese and chocolate are great… Cinnamon flavored stuff is gross… Clearwater Beach, Florida is my favorite place in the whole world.
That’s all folks…
Oh yeah, Nicki Manaj is my favorite five-star chick…

Ipad and Education...

From what I have read about this apple ipad, it has the potential to have a huge impact on the education industry. First of all, the device could practically eliminate the need for cumbersome laptops. According to an article posted on campustechnology.com, about 90% of students have a use laptops. However, as a student I can tell you with certainty that the majority of these laptop owners do not carry them with them around campus. It is much easier to just take a trip to the library if you need computer access than have to lug it around. The ipad weighs in at a light 1.5 lbs with a slim design and a 9.7” screen – certainly more convenient for a student to bring around. Another perk to the device is the option for use as a digital textbook. Pcworld.com predicts that even if the ipad does not take off as some predict it will as the replacement of smartphones and laptops, it will certainly excel in the market of e-textbooks. A student would be able to read material on a subject integrated with movies and sound. Heavy textbooks with paper pages filled with words could become a thing of the past upon release of the ipad. Also, as if the numerous mentioned features are not enough appeal for a student, the price is also a plus. Steve Jobs announced that the ipad price will start at $499 – a decent fit for a student’s budget.

http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/01/27/Apples-iPad-The-Future-of-Mobile-Computing-in-Education.aspx?Page=1
http://www.pcworld.com/article/188239/apple_ipad_vs_kindle_dx_which_is_better_for_education.html

Adding Images to a Blog Post...

I recently discovered Betsy Johnson purses... Huge fan now!

Three more links...

Here's three more sites that I use regularly...

(Honestly, not the most interesting - but they are just the first ones that come to mind.)

UMass Lowell

Facebook

Myspace

NEXT STEP!!!

Links To Other Sites...

How exciting!

Here's my first attempt at adding links to my blog...

Click here to go to my neighbor's blog!

I learned how to create hyperlinks at annunziato.org!

Alright... Now, let's hope these things work...

Blog Number Twooo

So, what do I expect from this course?... I am pretty good at navigating the internet, but there is always room for improvement. This is the first time I have ever participated in the activity of blogging - so there ya go: something new. Besides the obvious, I want a good grade and credits for taking the course. Well, I guess really that kind of goes unsaid too.

I don't read blogs... I've never been one of those people who thoroughly enjoys sitting on a computer for hours at a time. I do enough of that at work and for school. To be honest, I really don't understand how people get so much enjoyment out of getting all fired up and typing up a storm about whatever is on their mind. It's almost kind of funny to me. However, if I had to choose what topics would most interest me, they'd probably have to be fashion, celebrity gossip, and reality t.v. entertainment - yeah, I am pretty much obsessed.

Considering we live in the year 2010 now, I am going to assume that pretty much everyone has had some sort of internet experience. Unless you are really old - and I'm sure even most of the oldies at this point have. In summary: yes, I have had previous experience with the internet.

1st Blog - Intro

Hey,

My name is Francesca Lynch... I think this is the third time I have had to type up a short paragraph introducing myself since starting this class...

I was born in England - moved to the U.S. when I was five - my father was in the Air Force. I grew up on Hanscom Air Force Base. I work as a customer service representative in an office in Billerica. I am a psychology major at UML - planning on graduating with my bachelor's in May. I will still be taking classes over the summer, however. In fact - I have to bang out seven classes between now and August in order to be able to participate in the graduation ceremony in May... So yeah, wish me luck.

Ok, that's enough of that...