ACCESS and ALEX

As an Elementary Education major I find the Alabama Learning Exchange website very helpful. This website is not only useful to me as a student but also to teachers and administrators. ALEX allows you to review the Alabama Course of Study, helpful web links, example lesson plans, great learning techniques and many other useful features. ALEX could also be known as a vital tool to future and current teachers.
After reviewing the Alabama Learning Exchange website I was impressed right away at how user friendly it is. The home page is very self explanatory. When the page comes up the first thing that you will see is a series of colorful blocks with a variety of options listed on them. The first option is the Alabama course of study. This provides the mandatory lessons that must be taught to students K-12th grade. These guidelines must be followed punctually. If you need some help coming up with your lessons, not only are there example lesson plans posted that you may use but also many helpful web links that will take you to webs sites that will provide many constructive ideas that may be added in accordingly. ALEX also allows you to create your own personal workspace. This means at the website you can create an account by using a personal user name and password. This is now your workspace where lesson plans are submitted and stored. Teacher web pages are also available when you create your own workspace. If you think this is something that would be helpful to you as a student, teacher or an administrator, simply visit the website http://www.alexstate.al.us and begin researching now.
I also did some research on the Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide website. ACCESS is an initiative of the Alabama Department of Education. The program basically provides students with a great deal of learning opportunities. Many high school students are very bright and move through material taught using the Alabama Course of Study very quickly. In Alabama public high schools, the number of classes that allow these students to work up to their full potential is limited. With ACCESS students are given the opportunity to take part in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, a wide range of electives and many other courses to which they may not have “access” to otherwise.
The ACCESS website contains a large amount of information about how to get involved in this program. The online course catalog allows you to look at current courses available and specific times they will take place. On the homepage there is also a link to resources. This option allows students currently using the ACCESS program to download and print helpful forms such as study guides and presentations. This program is a great way for teachers to motivate their students and expand their teaching knowledge. I was very interested in the website because when I was in high school this type of opportunity was not brought to my attention. Some of the students in my classes were very intelligent and would have most likely loved an opportunity to enroll in a program like that of ACCESS. If you or anyone you know feels like this could be an option or even a great learning experience simply go to the website http://www.accessdl.state.al.us. This hyperlink will take you straight to the homepage which will serve as a guide and inform you of everything needed to know about ACCESS.

About Me!

My name is Melanie Leigh Garron. I am 19 years old. I live in Semmes, Alabama and have been a resident there for about fifteen years. Before Semmes I lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with my mother and father. I am half Canadian so many of my family members live really far away. We spend every summer traveling to many family reunions, so we keep in touch with almost everyone in the gigantic Garron family. I have two sisters and two brothers. My oldest brother was killed in September due to a drinking and driving accident. This hit our family really hard. We have all pulled together to try and stay strong through these hard times.
My life pretty much consists of work and school. I am currently a full time student and a full time employee. I am the Financial Secretary at West Mobile Baptist Child Development Center. I have been working at the CDC for five years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I love children and I feel that we touch so many lives everyday. The CDC is a ministry of West Mobile Baptist Church. We are so thankful that the church provided us with a place for the center. The best thing about work is the people; everyone there has such a great spirit, so I have to say going to work is a breath of fresh air. If you are interested in learning more about where I work you can visit the website for the church which is http://www.westmobilebaptist.org. Once you get to the website go to the Child Development and you can click on my e-mail if you have any questions.
I am currently enrolled at the University of South Alabama. I have been attending for two years and I am now a sophomore. It took a lot for me to go to college, because I had many problems getting financial aid and I was almost ready to give up. I kept my head held high and finally got in. My major here at South is Elementary Education. I am very excited about making teaching my career because as I have said before I love children. Many people try to discourage me about teaching because of the economy today but I do not let them get to me. I feel that if God put the desire in my heart to teach then he will make a way for it to happen.
In my spare time, which is not much, I spend time with friends and family as much as possible. I am also addicted to my cell phone and could probably text message with my eyes closed, so honestly I would say that is my favorite hobby. I spend a lot of time on http://www.facebook.com to keep in touch with all my friends and family. When you go to the website you may search for me using my first and last name. Feel free to stop by add me as a friend. I am always looking for new people to talk to.

First Post :)

My first time posting something on the blogger was a little confusing at first just because I was not used to using this particular website. I actually had more trouble creating the account with google than figuring out how to make a post on the blogger. I think this is a really creative way of receiving information from your students and probaly would have been more useful in my CIS 150 class. I am sure i will get the hang of it and eventually catch on to the swing of things.