It’s late on a Friday night and most of my friends are at the movies. I’m at home studying. You’re probably thinking, “What? You’re at home studying? You could be hanging out with your friends at the movie theatre! You must be absolutely crazy!”

I’m not studying with boring old textbooks and notebooks. Who does that anymore? I’m on the computer logged on to an educational site called Moodle.

I see that Miss Danelle Darcangelo has posted an extra credit assignment that’s really easy, with a little effort. The assignment requires me to instant message her, and with the click of my mouse it’s zapped into her Moodle message mailbox! Cha-Ching! Five extra bonus points!

Moodle is an online source for homework help, classroom activities, announcements, and educational games that students across PENNCREST school district can enjoy. With Moodle, we can chat with classmates, blog about class, and even instant message our teachers. The links posted in Moodle are great supplements for better understanding lessons from class. We are learning that chat rooms and blogs can have a place in education when used as learning tools. Moodle is a unique way to learn, and studying is made fun and easy. With the point and click of a mouse, this user-friendly Web site is easy to access from home, school, or anywhere that has Internet access. We can log in to Moodle anytime at our convenience, which is especially nice for those of us teens that participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities.

It’s safe as our teacher can monitor everything and access our account at any time. The only participants are our classmates and teachers. Links on Moodle include information that is helpful in answering homework questions from pre-approved Web sites, and the journaling activities incorporate interesting current events occurring in the world today. Moodle teaches us to be more open with our classmates, and helps us not to be nervous or embarrassed in front of large groups of people.

Many parents think that computers are making kids lazy, but they are wrong. The computer is a very practical learning tool, and with Moodle, learning is cool and more enjoyable. Teenagers of the 21st century want to research, write essays, and do reports using the Internet; it is the most current source we could use, and there is an infinite amount of information to be found. This explains why many teens feel that books are out, and computers are in. Moodle picks up where the books leave off.

It would be awesome if more schools had access to Moodle; it’s a great resource to have. So, do you still think I’m crazy for being on Moodle instead of at the movies?

Stacey Dangel contributed to this story. Both student are eigth-graders at Saegertown High School.