My Furry Siblings Presentation

ACCESS

ACCESS, which stands for the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators, and Students Statewide program, is spreading rapidly across the state. It is a way for students who are in high school, grades 9-12, to be able to take courses online that may not be offered at their current high school. When I first was reading about this program, I was a bit turned off by it. I am still not positive if this program has to be done at home or in the classroom. I read about one specific high school Coffeeville and it spoke of a "Videoconferencing Lab" where students were taking special courses. Can ACCESS be accessed at home also? I hope one day in the future this program does not get so big that students are able to stay at home and do all of their classes from their very own bedroom. We will have the laziest teenagers ever who sleep in and then sit at home all day. The PowerPoint presentation at http://accessdl.state.al.us/ said that it provides courses at flexible hours; does this mean that students will eventually be able to stay home and take courses whenever? I hope it never reaches that point, and students always have to attend class on a regular basis.

On the other hand, I think it can be a great program because it is available to those who have failed or flunked out of a class. For instance, if a child fails a course his ninth grade year, he could be able to retake it over the summer so he can move onto the tenth grade on time and not be behind. That is very convenient for many. ACCESS currently is offering 32 web-based courses and 25 videoconferencing courses. I read a few blogs where teachers have commented on the program saying that they think it is wonderful and so do their students. I personally plan on teaching at a private school, so I honestly am not sure if something like this will ever reach a school that meets that criteria; hopefully though one day I will be able to put it to use with my students. I would not be interested in web-based courses that the children can only do at home, but possible a videoconferencing course. A lot of AP classes were not offered at Faith Academy, which is where I possibly plan to teach. ACCESS could be a great addition for those students with the aptitude and desire to work harder and faster to get a more Advanced Diploma. I look forward to learning more about this program and eventually seeing it spread even more across the state.

Putting ALEX to Use

In the previous blog that I posted, I briefly discussed what the Alabama Learning Exchange was and all of the things that it has to offer. I myself will hopefully be teaching Mathematics within the next 2 or 3 years, so I am sure that I will be able to put ALEX to great use. According to http://alex.state.al.us, "The majority of these rich resources (lesson plans, Web links, and interactive activities) are located and connected to the Alabama Courses of Study by National Board Certified Teachers." Therefore, information found on their website should not only be reliable, but also helpful.

When I was scanning through the website, under Mathematics it showed that it offered lesson plans for various subjects of math including Algebra, Algebra II, Algebra II with Trigonometry, Algebra III with Statistics, Algebraic Connections, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. Honestly, I was not impressed with the amount of lesson plans offered on different math questions found under the Algebra II section. I know that you can join ALEX, so maybe once a member more lesson plans become available. Regardless, I do think that the Alabama Learning Exchange will definitely be of help to me in the future, especially if I need help figuring out how to teach something effectively to my class. Hopefully with my education I am receiving at South and with help from databases such as this one, I will be a successful teacher.

ALEX

ALEX, which stands for the Alabama Learning Exchange, is a website where teachers can either post lesson plans or upload other teachers lesson plans that they have posted. The home page at http://alex.state.al.us gives you the option of searching by courses of study, lesson plans, and through a personal workspace. It also offers professional learning, distance learning, as well as web links which lead to other reliable educational websites.

Through this database, teachers are able to find loads of information regarding practically any subject needed. While using ALEX, one can search not only by subject but also by grade to narrow things down. The courses of study that are offered include English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Arts Education, Career/Technical Education, Driver and Traffic Safety Education, Health Education, Languages other than English (Foreign Languages), Physical Education, Technology Education, and other courses of study. The slogan for ALEX is "Quality for Every Facet of Learning", and the Alabama Learning Exchange Team does all that they can to live up and exceed their motto. This website is definitely one that I plan on visiting again.

Did you know?

Actually, I didn't know. This video that I just watched on You Tube by Karl Fisch was a complete shocker to me. Well I figured that the statistics were pretty high when it came to how many people spend the majority of their time watching television or staring at a computer for hours upon hours, but I had no clue that the statistics were so outrageous. It almost makes me want to sit down and evaluate how much time I spend doing things that are not productive. I am completely addicted to Myspace and Facebook. I have to check it every single time I sit in front of a computer, except when I'm in Dr. Strange's class ;)! I can literally be on my computer for hours at a time, searching for pointless stuff for my own entertainment. It is sad to think that four year olds are already using computers. To a certain extent, I think that is great because there are so many good things that come from the use of a computer and the internet, but when I have children I hope to keep them away from computers and video games as long as possible. Our nation has become way too dependent on such things created through technology, and I feel that society has been dumbed down. In fact, I'm not even sure if I used correct grammar in that past sentence, but I'm relying on this composer hoping it would have shown me a little red or green squiggly line to notify me that I have said something incorrectly.

Where will we be 20 years from now? 30 years? 40? I am sure the statistics will only get worse...

Late to class...

I rushed to get to class, wet hair and with barely any makeup on, and I realized that when I got here that it was picture day for our blogs! That teaches me a lesson to get up before lunch time instead of being a lazy bum :].

My First Blog Post!

I now welcome you to the best blog you will ever read!!