ALEX: Yours, Mine, and Ours!
MEGA Conference July 14-18, 2008
Presentation Team Members
Shannon Parks, ALEX Director sparks@alsde.edu Brooke Elliott, ALEX/GEMS Projects Team Technology Specialist ebe@uab.edu Aimee Smith, Cullman City Schools Laptop Training Coach aimee.smith@cullmancats.net
MEGA Conference 2008
Getting to Know You…
Teachers…Do we have time?
Beach Ball Blast…
What types of things would you want organized while using the computer to search for instructional activities in your classroom? • Internet Searches (website) • Lesson Plans • Alabama Standards (Course of Study and Tests) • Resources • Teacher Web Pages • State Department Section Websites
It’s a Good Thing!
Why ALEX?
IN ONE PLACE:
• • Aligned to Alabama Standards
Created by experts
• Grade level appropriate • Commercial free at no cost • Available anywhere, anytime
•
High quality
ALEX Free Features
• Winner of 2007 “Best of the Web” • Personal Workspace • Webpage for Every Teacher • New “Search” Features • Over 38,000 Lesson Plans, Activities Aligned to Digitized, Searchable Courses of Study • New Listservs, Web Links, more… • New, Free ALEX/Thinkfinity Training Program for Each District
Lesson Plan/Activity Sources
• Thinkfinity
• Alabama Teachers
More ALEX…
• Social Networking..Blogs, Wikis • Levels of Mastery --notes--Flagged Courses of Study indicating when standards are introduced, reinforced, and mastered, etc. • More Interactives all aligned to Alabama Courses of Study for: Hard to Teach/Learn Standards, & Typical Achievement Gap Areas • Specially Designed Website for: ELL, Special Education, Leadership Development, Schools/Districts in School Improvement, Career Technical, Alabama Reading Initiative, Library Media
ENGAGING THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER
READING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM – SOCIAL STUDIES ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS READING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM – SCIENCE
ILLuminations - MATH
EXPOSITORY TEXT
READING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM – HISTORICAL FIGURES
READING
Math ArtArtsEdge
READING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM – ECONOMICS
ENGAGING THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER CONTINUED….
Geography ENGLISH/LITERACY ARMT - MATH
READING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM – SCIENCE
READING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM – HISTORY
CAREER TECH
ARMT - MATH
CURRENT EVENTS – ELECTIONS
EXPOSITORY TEXT
ALEX Features
http://alex.state.al.us
Now You Try…
• • • •
Elementary Teacher (Rosa Parks - SS) Middle School Teacher (Volume - Math) Middle School Teacher (Mitosis - Science) High School Teacher (Expository Language Arts)
ALEX Personal Workspace
Customize Your Workspace
Creating a Lesson Plan
Web Links
Search Engine
KWL Model
www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/kwl/
Name: __________________________ Teacher Name: Elliott Subject: Lesson Plans Date: __________________
Engaging Learners K
What I Know
W
What I Want To Learn
L
What I Have Learned
Powered by TeAch-nology.com- The Web Portal For Educators! (www.teach-nology.com)
Adding Bookmarks…
Save searches by bookmarking to your Personal Workspace.
Course of Study
Aligned Standards
Test Standards
Achievement Gap Standards
NBPTS Hard-to-Teach Standards
Professional Learning
ALEX Teacher Web pages
The Six-Step Approach
Teacher Website Overview
Word Processor Easy
Teacher Website Overview
Publishing Gatekeeper Reviews, Approves, and Publishes
Teacher Website Overview
Teacher Web Sites
URL: http://alex.state.al.us/twp/schoolname/teachername
Teacher Website Overview
More Information…
To find out more about ALEX/Thinkfinity Training for your individual school, contact your regional Technology In Motion Specialist. www.technologyinmotion.state.al.us For more information on ALEX training for your district, ask your technology coordinator to contact Dr. Shannon Parks, sparks@alsde.edu
Questions?
• Session #425
• Thank you for your time!