So far this online class is going really good. I was a little unsure going in the beginning, but everything is turning out ok. I have missed a couple of activities and blogs, but that was due to me not knowing what was going on. I am moving right along now, and am keeping up with discussions, activities, and blogs. I like that there is no time period. I am an independent worker when it comes to school, so you give me a date and time to turn it in, it will be turned in at that time. But I like the fact that I can do a little bit of the assignment each day, or I can do it all the night before, it is totally my choice. I cannot compare this to any other online class due to the fact that this is my first time doing an online class. I really like the discussion aspect better in an online class than in a class that meets face-to-face. I am a very outgoing person with my friends and once I get confortable with people, but in a new class, I usually sit back and just listen. With online discussions I can say what I want to say because I can edit my post and write exactly what I want people to hear. I don’t feel embarassed to ask a question in front of the class in a discussion board. I would definitely take another online class in the future, and I think there will be many more classes that are turning towards online learning.

In my opinion the five most important computer applications students should know are: Word or some kind of Word Processor, PowerPoint, Excel spreadsheets, Publisher, and Access.
I believe the most important application is Word. Students could be taught how to use Word as early as probably 1st or 2nd grade elementary school. With technology advancing so fast, every student at all levels will need to learn how to type using a Word Processor. The next most important application I feel is PowerPoint. I have made tons of powerpoint presentations throughout my years of schooling and will make many more as a teacher. It is an easy way to introduce information to people. The appropriate school level for powerpoint is probably like 4th or 5th grade. Next is Excel. Excel lets you create lists and sorting them. It is great for categorizing information. Students will probably understand this program in the later Middle School years. I have not used Publisher much in my schooling, but the time I did use it, it worked out very good. I made a Civil War brochure in High School, and there were many boxes where you just click and type, a lot of space for pictures, and the final product turned out pretty good. Everything is laid out for you so a middle school to high school student should be able to handle this program. The last application Access I have very little knowledge of. I was introduced to it in a high school computer class. It has a lot to do with business information. You can make detailed lists of product info, client info, etc. You can then sort through the lists, send them to different places. I can honestly say I have never used it other than the time I messed around with it in my high school class. So the student level would have to high school to learn and understand Access.