Online Resources Aplenty!

One of my favorite things to do as an educator who is interested in technology is to find new and useful online resources. There are times when I spend hours at a time looking at different sites and applications, wondering if and how I can use them in the classroom. What I have found out is well...there is a lot out there and it seems like more are added by the day. At times it even seems a bit overwhelming, and I can only imagine how people who are not all that interested in technology feel. But the reality of today's world, and especially moving forward into the future, is that technology will not stop moving at the speed it going. Online learning resources seem to keep moving with everything else.

In my classroom I use online learning resources frequently and find many of them very valuable. My attitude is that the more the better and I enjoy keeping up and discovering new resources. Many people I work with get frustrated and see online learning as just another passing fad. They could not be more wrong. A lot of the resources that I find and use present content in a much better way than I believe I ever could. Some people seem to be scared of being replaced by a computer it seems like. I truly do not think that teachers will ever become irrelevant but there is not doubt that our jobs are changing in large part due to online learning. Learning how to become more of a facilitator and co-learner will become essential skills for educators rather than being an encyclopedic source of info ourselves. It is my hope that this year I can have some meaningful conversations about this with some colleagues.

Finding Info: An Art or a Science?

The "treasure chest" of information called the Internet certainly is a valuable tool for everyone who uses it. It has revolutionized the dispersal of information, movement of people and goods, and communication. More people have more access to information than ever before but an important step that educators, students, and well...pretty much everybody must take is understanding how to search and use the information. While there is an unlimited amount of information on the Net, it may come as a shock that not all of the information is credible and up-to-date.

Many websites use information that either unconfirmed, out-of-date, or severely biased. Internet users, with the overwhelming amount of information, must be careful to use the most credible information they can find and know what to discard. I have seen articles and quotes that question if the Internet and technology are threats to democracy due to the large amount of inaccurate information that is available and accepted. As an educator I do my best to direct my students to information that is from a credible source but they also need to be able to evaluate for themselves. Teachers only have control over the information their students use in a very limited and controlled basis. One of my goals is to teach my students how to look critically at information and make informed decisions about what they see. In many ways their and our future depend on this.

Internet Learning Resources

Starting a new class is always an interesting and exciting experience and a course on Internet Learning Resources is right up my alley. It is my firm belief that one of the biggest impacts of the Internet is that it makes information easily accessible to anyone. One of the biggest issues that people have always had in education is universal accessibility.

People's place in life is often determined by their level of education and for the most part people are educated at their neighborhood school. For most that means that they are left to whatever teachers and facilities they end up with. Although many argue that people all have a chance to make it and everyone has access to education, I don't know if that is necessarily the case. Internet Learning Resources have a chance to even the playing field for many people.

With all of the great sites out there it is possible for people to have access to knowledge that they previously couldn't have imagined. And not only that, for the most part there is something for everybody. Information is available from a variety of resources and presented in a variety of ways. With Web 2.0 tools becoming more popular it is now possible for people to discuss and interact with these resources as well.

Moving through this program, and I am still early in the process, has led me to believe that it is possible to offer and equitable education to all. The Internet gives nearly universal access to information previously only available to a select few. The next step will be finding a way to get everyone on board...