Daphne High Access Lab

I really enjoyed visiting and learning about the ACCESS lab at Daphne High. I met with Mr. Roh who talked to me about the pros and cons of the ACCESS program then gave me a tour of the lab. The concepts of the programs are great and once all of the logistics and kinks are worked out I think it will be a program that will really benefit the state of Alabama.

There are two different types of classes that can be taught in the lab, the first IVC, or interactive video conferencing is not currently being used at Daphne High right now. I found this one to be the more interesting of the two but it also seemed to pose the most logistical problems. IVC allows the teacher to be located anywhere within the state and teach to students in labs all over the state with open video communication. The main problem with this is that schools throughout the state have different schedules. In order for students to participate in this class, they must all be in their lab at the same time. Since some schools use a seven period day schedule and some a block schedule, not to mention different holiday schedules, IVC classes are hard to coordinate. However, I think this will be more beneficial to students because they are communicating with a teacher via webcam as opposed to just emails.

The second class that the ACCESS lab is used for is internet web-based classes. Currently, there are a few of these classes being used at DHS. These classes seem to be a lot like online college courses. The students have assignments and deadlines to meet but work on their own time and communicate through emails and chat boards. The students will probably never talk or meet the teacher. These are easier to coordinate because students don't have to have the same schedule to take the same class. Next year, all freshman at DHS will be required to take an internet class. This poses a problem because although the lab is well equipped, there still aren't enough computers to accommodate those students. Also, DHS offers most classes that are taught online, therefore students will be taking a class online instead of taking it in a classroom with a face to face teacher. The online classes will be beneficial to students who have failed a class. Remedial classes are offered online so students can retake a class and graduate on time. There are still problems with this system though- but not as many as IVC.

All in all, the lab was very fascinating. Its a good idea by the state but it just needs to be worked on a little. I think in about 5-10 years (or hopefully by the time I'm teaching) everything will be up and running smoothly.