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.