Week 3-Post #2

     According to the powerpoint on the ACCESS website Access uses technology to provide courses and teachers because many low-income schools are limited in what is offered to students.  The State of Alabama wants to provide equal access to high quality instruction for less fortunate schools and students through distance learning.  ACCESS offers additional courses to students, advanced courses (triginometry, physics, calculus), advanced placement courses, remedial courses, dual enrollment courses, and additional courses.  The three methods of delivery of these distance learning courses are web-based, videoconferencing, and blended.  The web-based method would use a web-site.  Videoconferencing would be streaming and face to face.  It would connect classes in real time.  Blended is when the first two methods are combined.  Phase I of ACCESS commenced in October of 2005.  In phase I pilot school sites have been established and principles and counselors of the pilot schools have been trained.   E-teachers and facilitators have also been trained.  The web-based method seems to be the less complicated and more beneficial method of delivery.  Videoconferencing  seems to be a work in progress.  It is going to take a large ammount of organization and cooperation.  There are two full slides of difficulties listed in the power point that concern the Videoconferencing.

     The ACCESS program seems very impressive in the power point and in the articles written.  The amount of technology involved is a huge undertaking and may be very overwhelming to most teachers if it is not a well organized "machine" once it is implemented.  The amount of training is crucial.  Without the proper training teachers will stick with what they already know.  I think that the newer teachers would be more likely to have the capabilities to use this type of technology.  The older teachers would need more training and encouragment.  ACCESS is an exciting technological advance and the newer tech "savy" will have a wonderful resource at his or her finger tips.  I am very interseted to see an ACCESS school site and ask questions about it.