March 14th Assignment

Information on ALEX and the Technology Initiatives

After googling information on Alabama state initiatives for technology education, I know that technology is certainly growing in the education field! I found a page on the Alabama Department of Education found here that talks about technology coming into schools. The page includes a few links that are also very interesting. It talks about Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT), which is funded through Title II by federal funds. The website says, “These instructional technology funds are to be expended by the federal regulations and are used for instructional technology to improve student achievement.” The website talks about the grants and funds included in EETT and how they are being distributed.

I have used ALEX before to write lesson plans. It does have a lot of interesting information and can really help you find things for your classroom. There are web links, a professional learning page, the state standards, and more. The newest addition to ALEX is their podcast treasury. Podcasts are so great to use in education and I’m glad that this website demonstrates that. The website is very easy to maneuver and anyone can visit easily. The only page that you are restricted to view is the Personal Workspace page. You have to have an account to view this. To visit the website, click here.

The ACCESS Program

I went to the ACCESS program’s website (link here) and explored quite a bit! ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide. Right on the front page, their vision is stated saying, “The State of Alabama will provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning.” ACCESS provides courses online for all public high school students. After reading information on the About ACCESS page, I think it is an amazing program. It provides equal opportunities for high school students and provides great teachers for students who can’t take everyday classes. Dual enrollment programs are offered through this program and it has a lot of support for distance learning. They train their Alabama certified teachers to be e-teachers so you know they only use the best of the best.

The website has a course list, high school graduation exams, test preps for AP testing, exam exemption forms, and much more. They have a list of their teachers, brochures, and information for guidance counselors on the website so that you can see ACCESS up close and personal. I really love this program and if I was teaching high school, I would definitely use the resources they have available. There are ACCESS Support Centers at Troy University, University of Alabama, and Madison City Schools. I think it would be amazing to be an e-teacher and I wish they had an upper elementary/middle school version of this program! Who knows, maybe I will create it. I know elementary is a little tough to go through online, but middle school could be plausible. I would recommend this website to any high school student that needs courses that their school does not offer.