I chose to tour the ACCESS lab at Fairhope High School. Mr. Williamson, one of the vice principals of the school gave me the tour on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The ACCESS lab at Fairhope High School is set up to serve 40 students with a laptop for each student. A white board is set up at the front of the classroom along with a projector. There are also two flatscreen televisions, one at the front of the classroom and one at the back.
One of Fairhope High School's teachers, Ms. O'Neill, is now in Northern Anartica. She will be studying a species of fish that can survive in sub-zero waters. She will be in contact with her students at Fairhope High School via the ACCESS lab. For information you can log onto Fairhope High School's website at http://www.fairhopehs.com/.
ACCESS stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide. It provides students with access to classes that are not offered at their school via the internet, videoconferencing and other technologies. It is a wonderful program that helps educators provide students with equal opportunities for learning.
ACCESS still has hurdles. The main hurdle is cost. The systems and equipment are expensive. Many schools just simply can't afford them. Also, ACCESS is now only available to high school students. I'm hoping in the future it will be available to all students.
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