This page is great because you can use the search feature to access the courses of study by grade level, by keywords, or click on the blue buttons for the general course of study. There is also an option to browse all of the Alabama Content Standards which can link you to general subjects (such as Mathematics, English, Social Studies, and Science) as well as others (such as Foreign Languages, Arts Education, Physical Education, etc.).
The web resources page has purple buttons to break up the web resources pages. This makes it easy to search through by teacher, administrator, or student. I cannot believe how much information and content is shared on the teacher resources page alone. I found anything from useful links to lesson plans. There was also a link Alabama Department of Education Initiatives which had more links to state educational resources.
Lesson plans can be made or found on this page. If you are looking for a lesson plan, you can use the search engine or click the appropriate box by subject, grade levels, or search other areas. I could not look at the link to make a lesson plan because I do not have an account with ALEX yet.
This link will allow anyone to search the websites database. There are also green buttons to narrow the search in five categories.
I was unable to view this page because I do not have an account with ALEX. I think this is a link to a PLN.
On the professional learning page there are many blue buttons which can lead educators to new opportunities whether it be training, grants, teaching and learning tools, tutorials or latest news. The links Special Education Services (SES) and English Language Learners are very helpful tools to provided information and state standards for diversity in the classroom.
The Alabama’s Podcast Treasury gallery 360 has many links to different podcasts. They can be found by content or subject area, top downloads featured content, Alabama showcase, or links. There are also links to the content partners. The podcast videos are made by different organizations and I have watched a few already that I would share with my students such as the Friendly Fractions videos made at Auburn University.
This link wants the viewer to click on the globe or a house to view the ALEX communities. When I clicked on the globe I was sent to a web page that had links to all different websites for teachers such as National Geographic Education, Teach and Think Green with STEM Classroom Resources, and Stop the Bullying.
The links shared on the ALEX website are very helpful to educators, future educators, and parents. This website not only allows teachers to find helpful information and lesson plans to share with their students, but also gives them an opportunity to share with their colleagues. One of my favorite features was the Professional Learning page because it allows teachers to find other opportunities to continuing education as well as finding opportunities to help their students (such as grants).
From the home page, I learned that ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, & Students Statewide. This is a distance learning program which provides classroom courses and teachers to students via technology. Their vision states: The State of Alabama will provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning. Below this information, they list registration dates and deadlines.
In the About ACCESS tab, there are many informative links. The web page begins with their goal, history, and mission. They have a few links that are coming soon and a list of the ACCESS Staff on the Governor’s Task Force.
The courses offered in the ACCESS program are set up to allow students to self-enroll and have access to the modules at any time and from anywhere. These modules are self-paced and designed to help students prepare for the graduation exam and the AP test. They have practice exams and test reviews for ACCESS Distance Learning students.
This page gives information for educators to expand their schools or themselves to the distance learning program. They give information on how to offer and teach subjects through ACCESS for credit at your school.
There are different links on this page of resources available to the ACCESS students. This includes, but is not limited to Advanced Placement Test Prep, Alabama Virtual Library, ALEX, ChemLab, and MathType. One of the links HippoCampus caught my attention quickly. When you click on it, it also gives you links to the other links I listed above. The HippoCampus is a free online resource providing multimedia content on general education subjects to high school and college students in the ACCESS Distance Learning program.
The Students tab will take the viewer to a page that allows students to see what it takes to be an ACCESS student. It will have a demo course link and a link for information for parents coming soon. One of the links that has been updated is the policies link. This has policies for students, counselors, facilitators, teachers, and participating schools.
ACCESS classes are held during the school day; therefore it is assured that all students of ACCESS will be able to use a computer. This page also informs the schools and students of software needed as well as computer requirements.
This is a general contact page for ACCESS. It provides addresses, phone numbers, and email links to the regional support centers and directors.
On the side bar of this website, they offer additional information with the log in links. This information is to direct viewers to ACCESS Support Centers and new Announcements they have posted.
Overall, this website was informative about the ACCESS Distance Learning program in Alabama. I have heard of the Florida Virtual School because I looked into taking a few courses there when I was in high school. I had a hard time focusing and staying on task with online courses because they were for the students to complete at home. I liked that this program offers classes during regular school hours because I believe that would make a big difference in the students’ outcomes of an online learning course. I will be interested to see what other information the ACCESS program will have once they have completed the updates to their website.
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