Chapter 5: Alexa

Chapter five's focus was on social networks. This is something that most students are familiar with, which makes it an incredibly useful tool in education as long as it is used in an appropriate manner. Chapter 5 discussed the need for students to possess 21st-century skills in the workplace. Using social networking sites can only help to further develop these skills in students, which will greatly help to increase their needed knowledge base for jobs in the future.  I specifically  looked at a site called Alexa, which is a site I had not previously heard of, let alone had any experience with using it. First, Alexa is quite different from other social networking sites, such as Myspace and Facebook. Rather than focusing on keeping in touch with friends and staying up on the latest music, Alexa focuses on providing users with information on a multitude of websites available on the internet. It provides the user with information on how popular a particular site is, who's the creator, who owns it, or even just to find new websites. Alexa sorts websites by popularity so it is rather easy to navigate. Alexa also has a what's hot tab that works in real time to provide the user with the latest new, videos, and popular items on the internet. You must register to use the site, but it is free and you have the option of accessing it through your personal Facebook account. Overall this would be a useful site to use in the classroom.