First Day :)

Welcome back to school. I trust everyone enjoyed the extended break from school.
This blog will serve as an online source for documents and files pertinent to the class. Much of the reading material for the class is available online FREE. That information will be provided in class but also linked on this blog as another tool to give you every opportunity to access the information.

Technology is slowly becoming more prevalent in the classroom and as you approach college and career your ability to use said technology makes work easier but also adds to expectations as not being able to find information/literature in one form or another is no longer feasible as an excuse.

The two best and most useful resources available online are the following:
The Owl @ Purdue
The Gutenberg Project

1) The Owl @ Purdue serves as the single most useful and reliable source online for MLA and APA format questions. I have used this website since I was in high school. When in doubt virtually all MLA and APA format questions can be answered using this site, provided you are willing to look long enough for the answer. When you ask me a question in class, this is the first place I will check. You should also become adept at using this website in the event the night before something is due you have a resource upon which you can rely.

2) The Gutenberg Project (cleverly named after the printing press inventor that changed the world much akin to what the internet has done) is one of the largest online warehouses of classics whose copyright has expired. This is by no means the only online location where you can find literature, but it is one of the most extensive and should be one of the first places you check online when looking for an complete online text.
Click here for additional information on Gutenberg and his work



In addition these online sources, used bookstores are everywhere. There is rarely a need to pay full price for a book at a major retail chain anymore. A place known as the "library" has thousands of books which you may borrow for free or even request from another library!

WiFi, Iphones, Ipads, laptops and everything else in the matrix make accessing information easier than it has ever been in human history. If you have time to check your facebook 10 times throughout the day, you have time to do your homework.


Best of luck to everyone this school year.

     -Mr. McNamara