All Alabama high schools will have Internet-based learning by 2009

Thomas Allen
WVTM NBC 13 Birmingham / Media General News Service
Published: July 8, 2008

Governor Bob Riley announced Tuesday in Montgomery the state ACCESS Learning program will be in every public high school in the state by August 2009.

“No other state in America has videoconferencing and web-based learning in all its high schools.  Alabama will,” said Governor Riley.  “This is an investment not only in technology, this is an investment in our children.”

ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide) uses online and interactive video conferencing technology to link classrooms and offer coursework, including Advanced Placement and languages, to students in schools where those courses may not be available. ACCESS allows students from any part of the state to learn in a virtual classroom environment.

Governor Riley first announced the ACCESS idea in his State of the State Address in 2005.  The program first began appearing in schools in 2006 with a goal of having an ACCESS lab in every high school by the 2010-2011 school year.