Week 3

Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide (ACCESS) is an educational initiative of the Alabama Department of Education, which provides high-quality classroom courses and teachers via technology. This gives more opportunities and options for Alabama high school students to engage in advanced placement(AP) class, electives, and other courses in which they may not otherwise have access to. The vision of ACCESS is for the state of Alabama to provide equal access to high quality instruction to improve student achievement through distance learning opportunities. Governor Bob Riley and state superintendent of education made an announcement in July that all 371 high schools in Alabama will have ACCESS distance learning by the time school starts in August of 2009.
ACCESS is creating more opportunities for students in Alabama to receive a quality education. ACCESS brings high-quality education to the rural and low-income schools that have limited course offerings for students. Through ACCESS schools that cannot offer the advanced diploma will be able to offer it, which is required by law. Schools that can not offer classes such as calculus, trigonometry, or physics will be able to offer them. ACCESS will provide teachers with additional multimedia and technology to improve their instructions in the classroom.
ACCESS offers Internet based courses, interactive video courses, and blended courses. Interactive video courses(IVC) is an audio/visual link between two or more geographically remote sites, delivered by a highly qualified Alabama certified teacher. Some of the advantages of using IVC is that it allows students to take courses not offered at their school, interact with students from different schools, it increases students responsibility for learning, and it keeps the students interested in learning. A blended course is a learning program where more than one delivery mode is being used, it often combines online learning, usually over the Internet with a traditional classroom setting. Some advantages of blended courses are that students can repeat an online lesson when necessary, it allows students to work at their own pace, and improves learning by supporting different learning styles. Internet based courses are delivered entirely online, students take the courses at school during the school day, and e-teachers interact with the students at the same time or later in the day. Some of the benefits of online learning are easy access to syllabus, efficient delivery of content, and it increases the students responsibility for learning.
I believe that ACCESS is a wonderful, convenient, effective way to ensure that Alabama students are given a quality education. My high school was unable to offer AP classes,or duel enrollment class, so I think that it is a great addition to the school systems. The student in Alabama are going to benefit greatly from ACCESS.