On November 21, 2008, Kelsey, Kim, and I took a trip to the ACCESS lab at Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes, AL. We interviewed Mr. Rose a psychology teacher and director of the ACCESS lab at MGM. He has been a teacher for approximately 25 years. He was very informative about how ACCESS works and how it will affect schooling in the coming years. 
He started by telling us about the equipment required to use the ACCESS lab. There is a document reader called the ELMO. By using ELMO, the teacher can work problems along with the students and the work will be projected on the screen and on the remote access site's screen. The Kodak is the hub that controls the entire system. It plugs into the live Internet connection that connects all of the schools in the area. It is a touch screen system that allows the teacher to have control over the classroom and allows for communication between the remote classrooms. Each student is given a computer upon entering the classroom and this is how they do their assignments and take tests. To allow for optimal communication, there is a small microphone located at the front of the classroom that allows all sounds and discussions to be picked up with little interference. 
He then told us how the ACCESS would work in the classroom. It allows for one teacher to actually teach the subject from one location with another class in a different area to be able to take the class simultaneously. This is a plus for more remote areas of Alabama because they may not be able afford to pay a full time teacher but that will not be necessary with the implementation of ACCESS in all Alabama schools. This system will be utilized for Advanced Placement classes. 
He told us about some software that might be useful for teachers now and in the future. The first is Komposer. He thinks that this is probably the best free HTML site that there is. There is also ftpsurfer which is also free and there is also Hot potatoes which is the newest tutorial site available. He suggests using these sites to help with building and implementing the curriculum that you teach. 
I really enjoyed his presentation of the ACCESS lab and the services available. He was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He has excited me about the new technology available to teachers. From this experience, I have decided to use technology to the fullest extent possible in my classroom.
He started by telling us about the equipment required to use the ACCESS lab. There is a document reader called the ELMO. By using ELMO, the teacher can work problems along with the students and the work will be projected on the screen and on the remote access site's screen. The Kodak is the hub that controls the entire system. It plugs into the live Internet connection that connects all of the schools in the area. It is a touch screen system that allows the teacher to have control over the classroom and allows for communication between the remote classrooms. Each student is given a computer upon entering the classroom and this is how they do their assignments and take tests. To allow for optimal communication, there is a small microphone located at the front of the classroom that allows all sounds and discussions to be picked up with little interference. 
He then told us how the ACCESS would work in the classroom. It allows for one teacher to actually teach the subject from one location with another class in a different area to be able to take the class simultaneously. This is a plus for more remote areas of Alabama because they may not be able afford to pay a full time teacher but that will not be necessary with the implementation of ACCESS in all Alabama schools. This system will be utilized for Advanced Placement classes. 
He told us about some software that might be useful for teachers now and in the future. The first is Komposer. He thinks that this is probably the best free HTML site that there is. There is also ftpsurfer which is also free and there is also Hot potatoes which is the newest tutorial site available. He suggests using these sites to help with building and implementing the curriculum that you teach. 
I really enjoyed his presentation of the ACCESS lab and the services available. He was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He has excited me about the new technology available to teachers. From this experience, I have decided to use technology to the fullest extent possible in my classroom.
1 comment:
Excellent Marlena. I am so glad to hear that this course has helped give you a better understanding of technology in the classroom.
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