Week 9

ALEX is the Alabama Learning Exchange, which is a program created by educators for educators. This program has many sources available to educators so that they can better their classroom. First it tells the teacher exactly what curriculum they are required to meet that year in his/her particular subject area. It also has links to various websites--students', teachers' and administrators' sites so that the teacher can interact with various people in the educational system. The ALEX website also has links for lesson plans; a teacher can view other teachers' lesson plans or create his/her own by using ALEX's website. The site also has a section dedicated to podcasts in every subject area as well as latest news stories involving the educational system.

ALEX can prove to be a very useful resource and tool for Alabama educators. It is amazing how much information is packed into this one website and is at the fingertips of many educators. The lesson plans can truly help out other teachers, especially new teachers who might be stumped and need a little push in the right direction. The podcasts are invaluable because the teachers can learn from them, and they can even show them in class so that their students can interact and not have pencil and paper handed to them every day. The website had a space for personal workspace, and I am not quite sure exactly what this area is for because you must sign in to view it. I am sure it is for notes, lesson plans, and favorites on the site though; if this is the case, it would be great to have everything backed up online so that the teacher can view it from anywhere with internet access. ALEX has taken educational criteria and sources above and beyond.