#4 Blog

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I have been a part of Twitter for a few years now. I go in phases when it comes to Twitter and how often I go on it. I typically just use it for local and national news reports, such as following Fox13 Tampa Bay or NBC News. These help me stay current on the events going on around me, since it is hard for me to sit and watch the televised news on a daily basis. I also follow my hometown's school district, Hillsborough County School District, for updates on sports and events going on throughout each week. These Twitter accounts have been very beneficial, in order for me to know what is going on around me. Twitter will be helpful in my future career because there are so many different accounts that will keep me up-to-date on new technology and events.

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The digital divide is discussing students that do and do not have access to technology. The active learning software is "a diverse collection of academic software that can be used to enrich teaching and learning for both teachers and students." Within the active learning software, there are many categories, such as graphics, desktop publishing, etc. Many school assignments or projects require technology, so it is hard for the students without access to complete these tasks. An example of this is presentation software. Presentations in the middle school and high school levels are very common, but it is hard for students that have never used this particular software. Another downfall to not having access to technology is when teachers put up powerpoints or lectures on a website, which often help with upcoming test. Within the academic software, there are categories: tutorials, drill-and-practice, educational games, simulations, problem-solving software, brainstorming/concept-mapping tools, academic databases, authoring software, and content-specific software. These are different ways to incorporate learning in the classroom without the boring, old lectures.

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There are five points when evaluating a website:
-A: author (credentials, can you contact the author?)
-B: bias (is the resource neutral or biased toward the topic?)
-C: content (is it accurate with spelling and grammar? Is it appropriate for student-aged viewers?)
-D: design (is it visibly pleasing? Are the images clear?)
-T: technical elements (is it easy to navigate? Are all parts functioning? Is it a quick load?)

Another point that I personally consider when deciding whether a website is good or not is by the URL. I specifically look for ".edu, .gov, or .org." When researching for a class, I typically go to the FSU library website, which has many different databases to choose from with tons of topics, such as JSTOR or Academic Search Complete. These are all important points because I want to be able to have the most credible information for the topic that I am presenting.