From MMaralit at NIFL.gov Fri Oct 28 14:55:15 2005 From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo) Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2005 14:55:15 -0400 Subject: [Technology] List Information Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0B932972@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov> Dear List Subscribers, Welcome to the National Institute for Literacy's new discussion lists. The Institute looks to make the discussion list a more critical element of the work that we do. In a few weeks, the moderators will be taking on a more proactive role - such as making arrangements for guest participants and facilitating discussion activities around a research question or current issues. It is our intent to improve the lists by doing more to provide opportunities for professional growth, and access to information and resources. The Institute values the communication that has occurred on the lists in the past. We hope that this change enhances this service the lists provide, including discussions on all lists in regards to the various topic areas: highlighting new research, resources and current issues. We will be starting off the initial phase to give subscribers the opportunity to get familiar with Mailman. We will share the guidelines for the fully moderated list, next week, as well as additional information as to how a fully-moderated list works. We will keep each list informed as to the scheduled changes to the lists. Thank you for your assistance in helping us make this transition smooth. Jo Maralit National Institute for Literacy mmaralit at nifl.gov From kabeall at comcast.net Mon Oct 31 15:28:32 2005 From: kabeall at comcast.net (kabeall at comcast.net) Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:28:32 +0000 Subject: [Technology] New NCSALL Resources Message-ID: <103120052028.26455.43667E6F0005224600006757220073544604040E0A0D0E05@comcast.net> Two new study circle guides and a forum guide are available from NCSALL. To download free copies or to order printed copies of these publications, please visit the NCSALL Web site at http://www.ncsall.net. Research-based Adult Reading Instruction (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=892) This new professional development guide provides all the steps, materials, and readings for conducting a 10?-hour study circle for adult basic education and literacy practitioners. The study circle covers the latest research on reading instruction. Skills for Health Care Access and Navigation (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=891) The goal of this 15-hour study circle+ is to prepare participants to help their students develop basic skills needed for accessing health-related services and for navigating health care systems. Health Literacy Public Health Forums: Partners for Action (http://www.ncsall.net/?id=785) This guide was designed to assist public health professionals and members of departments of health to conduct a forum on health literacy and thereby raise awareness about health literacy and links to health outcomes. The guide includes the materials needed for planning and implementing the forum except for the video/DVD, In Plain Language. **************** Kaye Beall Outreach Coordinator/NCSALL Dissemination Project World Education 4401 S. Madison St. Muncie, IN 47302 Tel: 765-717-3942 Fax: 208-694-8262 kaye_beall at worlded.org http://www.ncsall.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051031/6b95ad5f/attachment.html From Jennifer.Rafferty at umb.edu Tue Nov 1 10:43:23 2005 From: Jennifer.Rafferty at umb.edu (Jennifer Rafferty) Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:43:23 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Computer Literacy with Distance Learners Message-ID: Recently I have been talking to the distance learning instructors in our state Project about the computer literacy skills that dl learners bring with them when they enroll in our programs. There seem to be three categories: 1) those with no computer literacy 2) those with computer literacy 3) and those that have computer literacy based on recreational use of the computer. While this third group may bring a certain "comfort level" with them when they enroll in the program, they don't feel as comfortable or confident using the computer for GED prep. Our discussions have focused on this third sub-group as we try to figure out strategies that will help this group of learners make a transition from a recreational to a more academic use of the computer. I have also been wondering what sort of data, reports, or statistics are available that will help me understand better the learners that fall into this third category. What resources can I look at to understand better the age range and educational level of the sub-group? _____________________________________________ Jennifer Rafferty Adult Literacy Resource Institute Boston SABES ABE Distance Learning Project Manager 617-287-4081 jennifer.rafferty at umb.edu ____________________________________________ From pshapiro at his.com Tue Nov 1 10:53:19 2005 From: pshapiro at his.com (Phil Shapiro) Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2005 10:53:19 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Technology] [Fwd: [notavideoipod] narrated children's story for new ipod] Message-ID: <64823.69.33.197.13.1130860399.squirrel@mail.his.com> hi nifl-technology people - here's a message i posted this morning to the new notavideoipod email list that might be of interest. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notavideoipod it's possible to subscribe to this list and read all messages in the list's archive. (thereby keeping the messages out of your inbox.) thanks for passing along word about this list to people you know who might be interested in it. - phil shapiro washington dc ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: [notavideoipod] narrated children's story for new ipod From: "Phil Shapiro" Date: Tue, November 1, 2005 8:49 am To: notavideoipod at yahoogroups.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------- hi everyone - here's a children's story i wrote and narrated. the tools i used to create this were openoffice.org impress (on linux), camtasia studio (on windows -- to add the narration) and quicktime pro (on my ibook -- to compress to ipod video format.) the duration of the story is 7.5 minutes. the file size is about 7 megs. http://www.writersforliteracy.org/sammysautographbook.m4v i should have probably used a smaller title (or no title) on each slide and a larger font. i bet before the end of the year we'll see some nice slideshow creation programs for the new ipod. i love openoffice.org, but it would be sweet to use a program specifically designed to create the best possible visual and audio experience on the new ipod. - phil -- Phil Shapiro pshapiro at his.com http://www.his.com/pshapiro/ (personal) http://www.digitaldivide.net/blog/pshapiro (blog) http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro (technology access work) http://mytvstation.blogspot.com/ (video and rich media) "Free software -- it's about freedom. How much do you value freedom?" http://www.openoffice.org http://www.firefox.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get Bzzzy! (real tools to help you find a job). Welcome to the Sweet Life. http://us.click.yahoo.com/A77XvD/vlQLAA/TtwFAA/gWFolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notavideoipod/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: notavideoipod-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ -- Phil Shapiro pshapiro at his.com http://www.his.com/pshapiro/ (personal) http://www.digitaldivide.net/blog/pshapiro (blog) http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro (technology access work) http://mytvstation.blogspot.com/ (video and rich media) "Free software -- it's about freedom. How much do you value freedom?" http://www.openoffice.org http://www.firefox.com From mariannf at lacnyc.org Tue Nov 1 11:03:09 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2005 11:03:09 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Computer Literacy with Distance Learners In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051101110309.00cff168@mail.psnyc.com> Hello Jennifer, That's an interesting dichotomy you have found associated with the thrid sub-group you serve. I would tend to expect that if someone is comfortable and familiar using the computer that there would be certain skills (navigation, use of rote commands) that would transfer, and that students would be more comfortable taking risks and exploring in an unfamilair application or platform. What DL GED prep are you using? Perhaps something that could be effective is for students to have an opportunity to reflect on what computer skills they do have ...a short survey or questionaire something which moves students to thinking about the assets they bring rather then defecits. It could be functional "I use email to keep in touch with family and friends" or skills-driven "I know how to save a word document." You could then use that as a means to describe what skills they already possess that they would be using in relationship to the DL platform used for their GED prep work. Students may think of themselves as "failures" when it comes to school and academic work, and so enrolling in GED prep may raise this for them. Refocusing on what they do bring both in terms of academic knowledge as well as tech skills may help. What suggestions or information do others on the list have to share? Regards, Mariann At 10:43 AM 11/1/2005 -0500, you wrote: > > >Recently I have been talking to the distance learning instructors in our >state Project about the computer literacy skills that dl learners bring with >them when they enroll in our programs. There seem to be three categories: >1) those with no computer literacy 2) those with computer literacy 3) and >those that have computer literacy based on recreational use of the computer. >While this third group may bring a certain "comfort level" with them when >they enroll in the program, they don't feel as comfortable or confident >using the computer for GED prep. > >Our discussions have focused on this third sub-group as we try to figure out >strategies that will help this group of learners make a transition from a >recreational to a more academic use of the computer. I have also been >wondering what sort of data, reports, or statistics are available that will >help me understand better the learners that fall into this third category. >What resources can I look at to understand better the age range and >educational level of the sub-group? > > > >_____________________________________________ > >Jennifer Rafferty >Adult Literacy Resource Institute >Boston SABES >ABE Distance Learning Project Manager >617-287-4081 >jennifer.rafferty at umb.edu > >____________________________________________ > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Nov 2 14:53:54 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 14:53:54 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Online Professional development In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051101110309.00cff168@mail.psnyc.com> References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051102145354.00cf9d50@mail.psnyc.com> Hello all, Following is information about on-line professional devlopment opportunities that may be of interest to you. Regards, Mariann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: Online Professional Development The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, and the Ohio Literacy Resource Center at Kent State University are proud to announce the opening of registration for our winter distance learning courses. Overviews of each course, as well as the start dates, are outlined below. Each course is a carefully-paced, facilitated training opportunity for adult education professionals. Each one has been piloted, reviewed, and offered previously to excellent reviews. More information and registration can be found at: http://www.aeprofessional.org. __________________________________________________ Integration of Technology in the Adult Education Classroom Course begins January 9, 2006 Cost - $149/person Facilitator: Linda Eckert, AE Pro Developer Have you ever tried to blindly put a puzzle together without knowing what the final picture will look like? This may be what is happening to you when you are trying to integrate computer technology into your classroom. This course will provide quick access to educational resources, lesson plans, activities, tools for evaluating educational software, information about purchasing educational software, and knowledge to help you utilize a variety of software applications and web-based activities in the classroom. Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. __________________________________________________ ESOL Basics January 9, 2006 Cost - $149/person Facilitator: Claire Valier, ESOL Coordinator and Certified CASAS Trainer Do you need to know the basics of ESOL instruction? Through this online course, you will learn how to identify characteristics of adult ESOL learners, effective methods of teaching languages, the four language skills, and how adults learn another language. Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. ___________________________________________________ Adult Education Teacher and Student Course begins January 9, 2006 Cost - $149/person Facilitator: Debra L. Hargrove, AE Pro Developer How Do We Teach Adults? Research investigating adults as learners concludes that adults learn differently than children. If that premise is true, then why do we so often teach them both in the same way? In truth, many practitioners come to adult education with little or no background in "adults as learners." Through this online course, you will look at "who is the adult learner" by looking at background statistics on "who takes the GED", learning disabilities in adults, and what brain research says about how adult learners learn best. Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From iray at lacnyc.org Thu Nov 3 12:14:29 2005 From: iray at lacnyc.org (Ira Yankwitt) Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 12:14:29 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Online Professional development In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051102145354.00cf9d50@mail.psnyc.com> References: <3.0.6.32.20051101110309.00cff168@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051103121429.0086c600@mail.psnyc.com> Should we be mass emailing this stuff? At 02:53 PM 11/2/05 -0500, you wrote: >Hello all, >Following is information about on-line professional devlopment >opportunities that may be of interest to you. >Regards, >Mariann > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >Subject: Online Professional Development > >The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, and the Ohio >Literacy Resource Center at Kent State University are proud to announce the >opening of registration for our winter distance learning courses. Overviews >of >each course, as well as the start dates, are outlined below. > >Each course is a carefully-paced, facilitated training opportunity for adult >education professionals. Each one has been piloted, reviewed, and offered >previously to excellent reviews. > >More information and registration can be found at: >http://www.aeprofessional.org. > >__________________________________________________ > >Integration of Technology in the Adult Education Classroom Course begins >January 9, 2006 >Cost - $149/person >Facilitator: Linda Eckert, AE Pro Developer > >Have you ever tried to blindly put a puzzle together without knowing what the >final picture will look like? This may be what is happening to you when you >are trying to integrate computer technology into your classroom. This course >will provide quick access to educational resources, lesson plans, activities, >tools for evaluating educational software, information about purchasing >educational software, and knowledge to help you utilize a variety of software >applications and web-based activities in the classroom. Online activities, >discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. >__________________________________________________ > >ESOL Basics >January 9, 2006 >Cost - $149/person >Facilitator: Claire Valier, ESOL Coordinator and Certified CASAS Trainer > >Do you need to know the basics of ESOL instruction? Through this online >course, you will learn how to identify characteristics of adult ESOL >learners, >effective methods of teaching languages, the four language skills, and how >adults learn another language. Online activities, discussion boards and >assessments will keep you engaged. >___________________________________________________ > >Adult Education Teacher and Student >Course begins January 9, 2006 >Cost - $149/person >Facilitator: Debra L. Hargrove, AE Pro Developer > >How Do We Teach Adults? Research investigating adults as learners concludes >that adults learn differently than children. If that premise is true, then >why >do we so often teach them both in the same way? In truth, many practitioners >come to adult education with little or no background in "adults as learners." >Through this online course, you will look at "who is the adult learner" by >looking at background statistics on "who takes the GED", learning >disabilities >in adults, and what brain research says about how adult learners learn best. >Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. > > > > > > >Mariann Fedele >Coordinator of Professional Development, >Literacy Assistance Center >Moderator, >NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List >32 Broadway 10th Floor >New York, New York 10004 >212-803-3325 >mariannf at lacnyc.org >www.lacnyc.org > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > Ira Yankwitt, Director Professional Development / NYC Regional Adult Education Network Literacy Assistance Center 32 Broadway, 10th Floor NY, NY 10004 (212) 803-3356 iray at lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Thu Nov 3 12:19:16 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 12:19:16 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Online Professional development In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051103121429.0086c600@mail.psnyc.com> References: <3.0.6.32.20051102145354.00cf9d50@mail.psnyc.com> <3.0.6.32.20051101110309.00cff168@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051103121916.00d18140@mail.psnyc.com> Sure do you want to send it to program managers or shall I. At 12:14 PM 11/3/2005 -0500, you wrote: >Should we be mass emailing this stuff? > >At 02:53 PM 11/2/05 -0500, you wrote: >>Hello all, >>Following is information about on-line professional devlopment >>opportunities that may be of interest to you. >>Regards, >>Mariann >> >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >>Subject: Online Professional Development >> >>The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, and the Ohio >>Literacy Resource Center at Kent State University are proud to announce the >>opening of registration for our winter distance learning courses. Overviews >>of >>each course, as well as the start dates, are outlined below. >> >>Each course is a carefully-paced, facilitated training opportunity for adult >>education professionals. Each one has been piloted, reviewed, and offered >>previously to excellent reviews. >> >>More information and registration can be found at: >>http://www.aeprofessional.org. >> >>__________________________________________________ >> >>Integration of Technology in the Adult Education Classroom Course begins >>January 9, 2006 >>Cost - $149/person >>Facilitator: Linda Eckert, AE Pro Developer >> >>Have you ever tried to blindly put a puzzle together without knowing what >the >>final picture will look like? This may be what is happening to you when you >>are trying to integrate computer technology into your classroom. This course >>will provide quick access to educational resources, lesson plans, >activities, >>tools for evaluating educational software, information about purchasing >>educational software, and knowledge to help you utilize a variety of >software >>applications and web-based activities in the classroom. Online activities, >>discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. >>__________________________________________________ >> >>ESOL Basics >>January 9, 2006 >>Cost - $149/person >>Facilitator: Claire Valier, ESOL Coordinator and Certified CASAS Trainer >> >>Do you need to know the basics of ESOL instruction? Through this online >>course, you will learn how to identify characteristics of adult ESOL >>learners, >>effective methods of teaching languages, the four language skills, and how >>adults learn another language. Online activities, discussion boards and >>assessments will keep you engaged. >>___________________________________________________ >> >>Adult Education Teacher and Student >>Course begins January 9, 2006 >>Cost - $149/person >>Facilitator: Debra L. Hargrove, AE Pro Developer >> >>How Do We Teach Adults? Research investigating adults as learners concludes >>that adults learn differently than children. If that premise is true, then >>why >>do we so often teach them both in the same way? In truth, many practitioners >>come to adult education with little or no background in "adults as >learners." >>Through this online course, you will look at "who is the adult learner" by >>looking at background statistics on "who takes the GED", learning >>disabilities >>in adults, and what brain research says about how adult learners learn best. >>Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. >> >> >> >> >> >> >>Mariann Fedele >>Coordinator of Professional Development, >>Literacy Assistance Center >>Moderator, >>NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List >>32 Broadway 10th Floor >>New York, New York 10004 >>212-803-3325 >>mariannf at lacnyc.org >>www.lacnyc.org >> >> >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>Technology and Literacy mailing list >>Technology at dev.nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology >> >> > > >Ira Yankwitt, Director >Professional Development / >NYC Regional Adult Education Network >Literacy Assistance Center >32 Broadway, 10th Floor >NY, NY 10004 >(212) 803-3356 >iray at lacnyc.org > > >---------------------------------------------------- >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Thu Nov 3 12:23:40 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 12:23:40 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Online Professional development Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051103122340.00cf46c8@mail.psnyc.com> Sorry all, Clearly, mine and Ira's messages were meant to be only sent to each other. Tech tip of the day: check your "To" line before hitting send. Regards, Mariann >Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 12:19:16 -0500 >To: "The Technology & Literacy Discussion List" >From: Mariann Fedele >Subject: Re: [Technology] Online Professional development >In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051103121429.0086c600 at mail.psnyc.com> >References: <3.0.6.32.20051102145354.00cf9d50 at mail.psnyc.com> <3.0.6.32.20051101110309.00cff168 at mail.psnyc.com> > >Sure do you want to send it to program managers or shall I. > >At 12:14 PM 11/3/2005 -0500, you wrote: >>Should we be mass emailing this stuff? >> >>At 02:53 PM 11/2/05 -0500, you wrote: >>>Hello all, >>>Following is information about on-line professional devlopment >>>opportunities that may be of interest to you. >>>Regards, >>>Mariann >>> >>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>> >>>Subject: Online Professional Development >>> >>>The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, and the Ohio >>>Literacy Resource Center at Kent State University are proud to announce the >>>opening of registration for our winter distance learning courses. Overviews >>>of >>>each course, as well as the start dates, are outlined below. >>> >>>Each course is a carefully-paced, facilitated training opportunity for adult >>>education professionals. Each one has been piloted, reviewed, and offered >>>previously to excellent reviews. >>> >>>More information and registration can be found at: >>>http://www.aeprofessional.org. >>> >>>__________________________________________________ >>> >>>Integration of Technology in the Adult Education Classroom Course begins >>>January 9, 2006 >>>Cost - $149/person >>>Facilitator: Linda Eckert, AE Pro Developer >>> >>>Have you ever tried to blindly put a puzzle together without knowing what >>the >>>final picture will look like? This may be what is happening to you when you >>>are trying to integrate computer technology into your classroom. This course >>>will provide quick access to educational resources, lesson plans, >>activities, >>>tools for evaluating educational software, information about purchasing >>>educational software, and knowledge to help you utilize a variety of >>software >>>applications and web-based activities in the classroom. Online activities, >>>discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. >>>__________________________________________________ >>> >>>ESOL Basics >>>January 9, 2006 >>>Cost - $149/person >>>Facilitator: Claire Valier, ESOL Coordinator and Certified CASAS Trainer >>> >>>Do you need to know the basics of ESOL instruction? Through this online >>>course, you will learn how to identify characteristics of adult ESOL >>>learners, >>>effective methods of teaching languages, the four language skills, and how >>>adults learn another language. Online activities, discussion boards and >>>assessments will keep you engaged. >>>___________________________________________________ >>> >>>Adult Education Teacher and Student >>>Course begins January 9, 2006 >>>Cost - $149/person >>>Facilitator: Debra L. Hargrove, AE Pro Developer >>> >>>How Do We Teach Adults? Research investigating adults as learners concludes >>>that adults learn differently than children. If that premise is true, then >>>why >>>do we so often teach them both in the same way? In truth, many practitioners >>>come to adult education with little or no background in "adults as >>learners." >>>Through this online course, you will look at "who is the adult learner" by >>>looking at background statistics on "who takes the GED", learning >>>disabilities >>>in adults, and what brain research says about how adult learners learn best. >>>Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>Mariann Fedele >>>Coordinator of Professional Development, >>>Literacy Assistance Center >>>Moderator, >>>NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List >>>32 Broadway 10th Floor >>>New York, New York 10004 >>>212-803-3325 >>>mariannf at lacnyc.org >>>www.lacnyc.org >>> >>> >>> >>>---------------------------------------------------- >>>Technology and Literacy mailing list >>>Technology at dev.nifl.gov >>>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>>http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology >>> >>> >> >> >>Ira Yankwitt, Director >>Professional Development / >>NYC Regional Adult Education Network >>Literacy Assistance Center >>32 Broadway, 10th Floor >>NY, NY 10004 >>(212) 803-3356 >>iray at lacnyc.org >> >> >>---------------------------------------------------- >>Technology and Literacy mailing list >>Technology at dev.nifl.gov >>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >>http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology >> >> Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Fri Nov 4 09:53:25 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 09:53:25 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Turning off list mail while "out of office" In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051103122340.00cf46c8@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051104095325.00d06818@mail.psnyc.com> Hi all - Given that NIFL has switched to a new server and software for the lists, NIFL has new steps for suspending discussion list email while you are out of the office. Regards, Mariann (Thanks Jackie Taylor for formatting these steps) +++++++++++++ To suspend discussion list mail while you are out of the office: 1. Go to http://dev.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html and click on one of the discussion lists to which you are subscribed. 2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter the email address you used when you subscribed to the list, click the "Unsubscribe or edit options" button. 3. Enter your password (forgot your password? scroll down and click the "Remind" button under the heading "Password Reminder) 4. Once you are on your user option page, scroll down to the first grey box labeled "Mail delivery" and click the "Disabled" option to the right. If you are subscribed to more than one list, clicking the "set globally" box will disable all of your subscribed lists mail. 5. When you return to the office, you can go back to your options page and change the mail delivery setting to "Enabled". Click the "Set globally" box again if you are subscribed to more than one list. +++++++++++++ Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Fri Nov 4 10:30:46 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 10:30:46 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Career and Technical Education webcast today In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051103122340.00cf46c8@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051104103046.00d06818@mail.psnyc.com> National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090 For Immediate Release Webcast Addresses Strategies for Reinvigorating Career and Technical Education in Urban Settings The National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education will present a webcast entitled "Reinvigorating Career and Technical Education in Urban Settings" on November 4, 2005, 3:00 to 4:30 PM (EST). This interactive event, and previous webcasts, can be viewed on any computer with Internet access at http://www.nccte.org. A career focus lies at the core of many high school reform models. This webcast presents the findings from a five year longitudinal study that has examined reforms organized around career pathways, career academies, and half-time "shop"-half-time academic courses. The longitudinal design of the study enabled it to track how the reform efforts evolved and the factors that influenced their success. The webcast presents findings on the effects of the reform initiatives. Academic performance and rates of continuation to postsecondary education of students in the reform schools will be compared to those of students in schools not participating in the career-based reforms. The webcast includes videotape from a visit to Foshay Learning Center, one of the schools that participated in the study. Foshay is an inner-city school in the Los Angeles Unified School District that serves a low-income neighborhood. Its students perform very well on statewide tests, virtually all of them graduate, and a high proportion continue on to higher education. Administrators, teachers, and students will describe how Foshay's curriculum is organized around three career academies and how this model contributes to the school's success. The presenters for this webcast are Marisa Castellano and Samuel Stringfield from the University of Louisville, and James R. Stone, III, National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Minnesota. Castellano is a visiting associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville. Her research has spanned the entire K14 spectrum, from primary school reading programs to community college basic education and occupational training. The overarching theme of this broad research agenda is in improving the educational opportunities of minority studentsespecially those for whom English is a second language. Castellano is also interested in studying whole-school-reform designs and revamped career and technical programs that provide strong academics integrated into relevant, real-world learning environments. She is currently heading a longitudinal study examining the effects of whole school reform on career and technical education at the middle school, high school, and community college levels. Castellano has authored numerous research articles on K12 school reform, high school career and technical education, and community college occupational programs. Stringfield is a distinguished university scholar and co-director of the Nystrand Center of Excellence in Education in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville. He is a founding editor of the Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk (JESPAR) and is currently serving as the acting chair of the Educational and Psychological Counseling Department. His research focuses on designs for improving programs within schools, for improving whole schools, and for improving systemic supports for schools serving disadvantaged students. Prior to coming to the University of Louisville, Stringfield directed the Systemic Supports for School Reform Program of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR), at Johns Hopkins University. From 1999 to 2004, he served on the Baltimore City New Board of School Commissioners. Stringfield has worked as a teacher, a program evaluator, a Tulane University faculty member, and a coordinator of the Denver office of Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. He is currently a Wood Johnson Urban Health Initiative Fellow, studying the interactions of diverse social systems as they impact health and education. Stone has served as director of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education since 2002. He has also served as the deputy director, with responsibilities for developing new research initiatives and coordinating the work of the Centers' associate partners Johns Hopkins University and the Academy for Education Development. He is presently involved in two studies: an examination of Career Technical Education-based, whole school reforms in schools serving disadvantaged youth; and the math-in-Career Technical Education study. Beyond the traditional forms of disseminating research results, Stone has worked directly with schools and school systems supporting efforts to improve occupationally oriented education. He worked for more than five years with the Oakland California Public Schools helping to implement a community-based, school-to-work plan that included career academy development and school-based enterprises. He worked with a Minneapolis high school developing a program in partnership with the American Indian OIC targeted at urban Native American youth. He recently completed a study of postsecondary occupational/technical education in Minnesota. Viewers of the webcast may ask questions of the panel by signing up (no charge) for a chatroom account at http://www.nccte.org. The chatroom allows you to submit questions during the presentation. Please allow one full day for your account to be validated by e-mail confirmation. To subscribe or unsubscribe from this e-mail list, please visit this web page: http://www.nccte.org/ctemail/subscription.asp or send an e-mail to nagy.8 at osu.edu or contact Barbara Reardon below. The work reported herein was supported under the National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education (PR/Award No. VO51A990004) and/or under the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (PR/Award No. VO51A990006), as administered by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education or the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. The National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education and the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education are funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. For Additional Information Contact: Barbara Reardon The Ohio State University Director of Communications Columbus, Ohio 43210-1090 Phone: 614-292-2894 Fax: 614-688-3258 Email: reardon.30 at osu.edu Web site: www.nccte.org Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From djrosen at comcast.net Fri Nov 4 19:28:21 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 19:28:21 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Professional Development Options Online In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20051104113110.01e83008@pop.utk.edu> References: <5.1.0.14.2.20051104113110.01e83008@pop.utk.edu> Message-ID: <30958DD8-CAF0-4B73-AE60-6B66255821EA@comcast.net> Professional Development and Technology Colleagues, Last week I did a workshop in Massachusetts (with colleagues Jennifer Rafferty and Sally Gabb) about online professional development in adult literacy education (including English language learning.) My handout, listing many online professional development resources, will be found on the Adult Literacy Education Wiki at http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/AlePDOnline Since the ALE Wiki is an interactive environment, if you know of other good online pd resources in adult literacy education, you can add them to this document. For more information about the ALE Wiki, and how to add text, go to: http://wiki.literacytent.org David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From tqaimut at yahoo.com Tue Nov 8 00:24:06 2005 From: tqaimut at yahoo.com (Tquabo Aimut) Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 21:24:06 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum Message-ID: <20051108052406.45629.qmail@web60817.mail.yahoo.com> Dear Sirs/Madam I'm new to join the Technology and literacy discussion forum.I'm not aware on what is going on currently.Where should I go from here? Best Regards Tquabo --------------------------------- Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051107/51dc19bf/attachment.html From mariannf at lacnyc.org Tue Nov 8 09:55:20 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 09:55:20 -0500 Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum In-Reply-To: <20051108052406.45629.qmail@web60817.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051108095520.00d0e828@mail.psnyc.com> Hello Tquabo and welcome to the list! Thank you for posting a message of introduction. I'd like to use your example to invite other new subscribers or subscribers who haven't posted to introduce themselves as well. Where should you go from here? What questions do you have about technology and literacy and were there any specific reasons you subscribed to the list? is there anything in particular you hope to get from it? For everyone on the list, as well, this is a good time to weigh in with any burning questions you have had about technology and literacy as well as any issues you would like to see addressed on the list. We conducted a survey of topics of interest several months ago and have had a few extended discussions on a number of those topics. Is there anything of particular interest you would like to see addressed in the near future? Currently I am working with a couple of members of the list to arrange a discussion on emerging/cutting-edge technologies. With best regards, Mariann >Dear Sirs/Madam I'm new to join the Technology and literacy discussion >forum.I'm not aware on what is going on currently.Where should I go from >here? Best Regards Tquabo Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple >travel sites in one click. >---------------------------------------------------- Technology and >Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your >subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Nov 9 11:20:22 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 11:20:22 -0500 Subject: [Technology] immigrant life podcast opportunity Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051109112022.00d33590@mail.psnyc.com> Dear Colleagues, Please see the email below from Tiziana Rinaldi. Some of your students may be interested in participating. --------------------------------------------------------------- Dear ESOL Program Director and Teachers, My name is Tiziana Rinaldi and I produce and host an internet radio/podcast show on the personal experience of immigration called "Life in a New World: the Challenges of Becoming Cosmopolitan." The show, which can be currently found on http://www.Successtalk.com/Rinaldi, focuses on the existential, identity-shaping aspect of immigration and, by in large, on the real life and efforts of immigrants/expatriates in the States. I myself moved to New York in 1990, from my native Italy. Since some of the most daunting experiences of immigration -- and integration -- are deeply connected to the process of learning a new language (English in our case) I'd like to produce one, or two, shows on this topic. With that in mind, I'm looking for students willing to share, on web radio, this very personal journey. The interview will be in English, therefore the students need to be proficient enough to convey thoughts and emotions, and maybe offer specific examples of hope, success, hardship or determination, relating to this very particular kind of human experience. And since I'm always hunting for good, original stories, I will appreciate and welcome story pitches concerning any other aspects of your students' immigrant life. Some of them may have compelling stories of homesickness and missing family members left behind, some may have a poignant take on looking for a job, or housing, or coming to a new country and trying to create relationships/connections, etc... Please refer your story pitches to: (title your message as shown here) "Life in a New World -- Story Pitch" My e-mail address is: ViaAtalanta at aol.com Many, many, thanks to you for your time and attention, and to Mr. Ira Yankwitt -- Director of the NYC Regional Adult Education Network -- through whose support I was able to send you this message. I look forward to hearing from you! Tiziana Rinaldi Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Mon Nov 14 09:39:55 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 09:39:55 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Women and Literacy Conference In-Reply-To: <20051108052406.45629.qmail@web60817.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051114093955.00d43958@mail.psnyc.com> Good day all, Below is information about the 3rd Annual (Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy. Regards, Mariann ** cross-posted** 3rd Annual (Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy Moving to Power & Participation sponsored by: WE LEARN / Women Expanding: Literacy Education Action Resource Network Friday, March 10 - Saturday, March 11, 2006 New Haven, Connecticut Yale University, Linsly Chittenden Hall Open to: ABE students, teachers, administrators, researchers, writers, grad students, community activists anyone interested in women's adult basic literacy/education and . related issues. Keynote Speaker: Marcia Ann Gillespie* Confirmed Panelists: . Daphne Greenberg . Lorna Rivera Invited Presenters: . Kate Rushin . Valerie Tutson Conference Features: Interactive Workshops . Exhibits & Resource Sharing . Student . Gatherings . Research & Policy Discussions . Networking Opportunities & Community Building . Annual WE LEARN Membership Meeting . Arts & Reflection Spaces . FUN!!! Early-Bird Registration Deadline: February 3, 2006 (15% discount) Pre-Registration Deadline: February 24, 2006 Presenter Application Deadline: December 2, 2005 WE LEARN Membership & ABE Student Rates Available (see below) Conference Hotel Rates Available . Light Breakfast & Lunch included . Wheelchair accessible. . ASL interpretation available with pre-arrangement Co-Sponsored by WE LEARN | Yale University Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program | literacytent.org To download registration details and form, travel information, & regular updates go to: www.litwomen.org/welearn.html To receive more information contact: Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director | 401-383-4374 | welearn at litwomen.org 182 Riverside Ave., Cranston, RI 02910 *Marcia Ann Gillespie has served as Ms. magazine's editor in chief since 1993. Gillespie's association with Ms. magazine dates back to 1980 when she became a contributing editor. A trailblazer in the magazine industry, as the editor in chief of Essence from 1971-1980, Gillespie is credited with transforming the then-fledgling publication into one of the fastest growing women's magazines in the United States. During her tenure, Essence won a National Magazine Award, the industry's most prestigious honor. A vice president of Essence Communications, Inc., Gillespie was named "One of the Fifty Faces for America's Future" by Time magazine. For more info: http://www.soapboxinc.com/bio_gillespie.html Conference Registration Rates EARLY Registration Deadline: February 3, 2006 (15% discount) Pre-Registration Deadline: February 24, 2006 WE LEARN Membership Rate Pre-Registraton: Two-day $85.00 | One-day $50.00 On-site: per day $55.00 Non-Membership Rate Pre-Registraton: Two-day $125.00 | One-Day $70.00 On-site: per day $75.00 ABE Student Rate Two-Day $15.00 | One-Day $10.00 (** Sorry, NO Early Registration discount for ABE student rate) Presenter Rate (deadline to apply: December 2, 2005) Members: Two-day $72.25 | One-day $42.50 *** we strongly encourage presenters to become members of WE LEARN We have a limited number of ABE student scholarships & work exchange options for the conference. . For ABE students only, we can help with registration fees and some travel expenses. . For Americorp/VISTA volunteers, college or graduate students & part-time teachers, we have a limited number of work exchange opportunities available. This will help offset registration fees ONLY. For more information & forms, go to: http://www.litwomen.org/conferences/2006/main.html or contact Mev Miller -- 401-383-4374 or welearn at litwomen.org -------------------------- WE LEARN Women Expanding: Literacy Education Action Resource Network www.litwomen.org/welearn.html Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director 182 Riverside Ave. Cranston, RI 02910 401-383-4374 welearn at litwomen.org Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Mon Nov 14 13:13:10 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 13:13:10 -0500 Subject: [Technology] 2006 Budget and Appropriations In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051114093955.00d43958@mail.psnyc.com> References: <20051108052406.45629.qmail@web60817.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051114131310.00d43958@mail.psnyc.com> Hello All, The following is sent on behlaf of Noreen Lopez regarding the National Coalition for Literacy update on the 2006 budget and appropriations process. Regards, Mariann ***************** Are you confused about the national budget, appropriations, and reconciliation? The National Coalition for Literacy staff has prepared an update of the 2006 Budget and Appropriations year. Included is information concerning how the Budget system works, what Budget Reconciliation is, and an analysis of Welfare Reform being discussed as part of the House Reconciliation package. Additionally a short yet informative list of definitions concerning the Budget is also available. Click on the link for the PDF of the Budget and Appropriations Update: (or copy and paste the address into your browser address bar). Click on the link for the PDF of Budget Definitions: (or copy and paste the full address into your browser address bar). Noreen Lopez lopezns at comcast.net Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Nov 16 12:31:07 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 12:31:07 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Guest on Women & Literacy List In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20051116114123.012bd0b0@pop.utk.edu> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051116123107.00d40278@mail.psnyc.com> Good day all, Below is information on a Guest Discussion with Brenda Bell, which will be held on the Women and Literacy Discussion List starting tomorrow. If you want to be a part of that discussion, subscribe to that list by going to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Womenliteracy and following the simple instructions for subscribing. ____________________________________ I am pleased and honored to announce that from November 17th-December 1st, Brenda Bell has graciously agreed to be a guest facilitator on our listserv. The focus of her time with us will be to discuss her litercy work in Afghanistan. Here is some general information about her: Brenda Bell, formerly Associate Director of the Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee, and long-time EFF manager, is in Afghanistan for several months assisting with the Literacy for Community Empowerment Program, a project of Education Development Center in partnership with UN Habitat. This is Brenda's third trip to Afghanistan in the past ten months. The LCEP, active in five Afghan provinces, links literacy with governance and economic development activities in 200 rural villages. Literacy teachers, for women's and men's classes, are from the villages, and often have less than a 10th grade education. They are supported by training and mentoring provided by facilitators at the district and national level. Daphne Greenberg Assistant Professor Educational Psych. & Special Ed. Georgia State University P.O. Box 3979 Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3979 phone: 404-651-0127 fax:404-651-4901 dgreenberg at gsu.edu Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mthacher at otan.us Wed Nov 16 17:52:14 2005 From: mthacher at otan.us (Marian Thacher) Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:52:14 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Skills for reading online Message-ID: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/yavMBefJCxkAnRFqqt Re our discussion a while back about online reading skills, here's an interesting article from Educational Leadership about teaching high school kids some reading skills for online reading that are different from reading books. The article suggests teaching four strategies: 1. Evaluate search results to see which links look the most promising 2. Different scanning skills for navigating web sites 3. Evaluating reliability 4. How to synthesize rather than copying Some examples of activities and worksheets are included. Marian Thacher OTAN From tqaimut at yahoo.com Thu Nov 17 00:17:12 2005 From: tqaimut at yahoo.com (Tquabo Aimut) Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 21:17:12 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051108095520.00d0e828@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <20051117051712.10843.qmail@web60823.mail.yahoo.com> Dear Fedele Thank you for inviting me to forward any questions that I have related to technology and literacy. As a background to my questions for discussion I would like to raise two of the most significant International commitments which are:- Education for All(EFA) and Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). These of course may seem to focus on developing countries on the emphasis of equitable access to education and poverty alleviation. On the other hand; digital divide is expanding fast and literacy divide is still large in most of the countries in question. It seems to me the above raised issues could not be addressed without clearly addressing the issue of appropriate technology. The questions that I want to raise in relation to the above considerations or assumptions are:- 1. The difference between technology in literacy(education) and technology of literacy 2. Is technology affordable for developing countries suffering of digital divide and literacy divide? How 3. How about the South-North co-operation in such situation/issues 4. How literacy attainment could contribute to poverty alleviation, narrowing the digital divide etc Hoping these questions are relevant and acceptable I'm looking for lively discussion and sharing of experiences Best Regards Tquabo Mariann Fedele wrote: Hello Tquabo and welcome to the list! Thank you for posting a message of introduction. I'd like to use your example to invite other new subscribers or subscribers who haven't posted to introduce themselves as well. Where should you go from here? What questions do you have about technology and literacy and were there any specific reasons you subscribed to the list? is there anything in particular you hope to get from it? For everyone on the list, as well, this is a good time to weigh in with any burning questions you have had about technology and literacy as well as any issues you would like to see addressed on the list. We conducted a survey of topics of interest several months ago and have had a few extended discussions on a number of those topics. Is there anything of particular interest you would like to see addressed in the near future? Currently I am working with a couple of members of the list to arrange a discussion on emerging/cutting-edge technologies. With best regards, Mariann >Dear Sirs/Madam I'm new to join the Technology and literacy discussion >forum.I'm not aware on what is going on currently.Where should I go from >here? Best Regards Tquabo Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple >travel sites in one click. >---------------------------------------------------- Technology and >Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your >subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org ---------------------------------------------------- Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology --------------------------------- Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051116/5ac01f59/attachment.html From mariannf at lacnyc.org Thu Nov 17 09:16:42 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 09:16:42 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Skills for reading online In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051117091642.00d00f38@mail.psnyc.com> Thank you Marian for forwarding this to the list. If others come across resources that are relevant to previous topics and discussions we have had please follow Marian's lead and post a message. Some previous discussion threads have included: Computer Technology Integration Distance learning Computer based assessment Technology and Learning Disabilites Using blogs, wikis and podcasts in the classroom E-books Whiteboards and other classroom tools Media Literacy and Digital Video Regrds, Mariann At 02:52 PM 11/16/2005 -0800, you wrote: >http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/yavMBefJCxkAnRFqqt > >Re our discussion a while back about online reading skills, here's an >interesting article from Educational Leadership about teaching high school >kids some reading skills for online reading that are different from >reading books. The article suggests teaching four strategies: >1. Evaluate search results to see which links look the most promising >2. Different scanning skills for navigating web sites >3. Evaluating reliability >4. How to synthesize rather than copying > >Some examples of activities and worksheets are included. > >Marian Thacher >OTAN > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Insitute for Literacy >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Thu Nov 17 13:16:57 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 13:16:57 -0500 Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum In-Reply-To: <20051117051712.10843.qmail@web60823.mail.yahoo.com> References: <3.0.6.32.20051108095520.00d0e828@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051117131657.00d5f250@mail.psnyc.com> Hello Tquabo and all, Tquabo thank you for rasing the broad area of international development and the role of literacy and technology in sustainable development initiatives. You raise interesting questions for members of this list to address. Many of us do not have a strong background (maybe I should just speak for myself here)in issues of sustainable development but I wonder if list members could speak from their own local and programatic experience to address your questions, particularly the first and fourth: "The difference between technology in literacy(education) and technology of literacy." "How literacy attainment could contribute to poverty alleviation, narrowing the digital divide etc..." It would be great to hear from list members who have been involved in internatioanl literacy and the role of literacy in development. If you would like to learn more about the Millenium Development Goals and Education for All, following is a summary annd links to those sites: The eight goals and 18 targets of the Millennium Development Goals constitute an over-arching framework for international development cooperation, agreed at the level of the United Nations. The provision of primary education and gender equality in education are the two areas where the MDGs overlap with the EFA agenda ? other aspects of basic education, such as literacy, quality and non-formal education, are implied as conditions for the realization of the MDGs. - The six EFA goals are concerned with extending the reach of basic education to every child and adult and with the nature of such provision - it should be available to both female and male learners of all ages, offering relevant learning and life skills and striving for ever-increasing quality. While basic education is clearly intended to have a positive impact on the quality of life and on deprivation, the nature of this impact ? and the content of education, which might be most appropriate to achieve it ? is a broader question. In other words, the role and provision of education are central, and this drives the EFA agenda forward; the underlying purpose of education is either assumed or considered to be a matter for wider socio-political debate. Education For All http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/index.shtml Millenium Development Goals http://www.undp.org/mdg/ Regards, Mariann At 09:17 PM 11/16/2005 -0800, you wrote: >Dear Fedele Thank you for inviting me to forward any questions that I >have related to technology and literacy. As a background to my questions >for discussion I would like to raise two of the most significant >International commitments which are:- Education for All(EFA) and Millennium >Development Goals(MDGs). These of course may seem to focus on developing >countries on the emphasis of equitable access to education and poverty >alleviation. On the other hand; digital divide is expanding fast and >literacy divide is still large in most of the countries in question. It >seems to me the above raised issues could not be addressed without clearly >addressing the issue of appropriate technology. The questions that I want >to raise in relation to the above considerations or assumptions are:- 1. >The difference between technology in literacy(education) and technology of >literacy 2. Is technology affordable for developing countries suffering >of digital divide and literacy divide? How 3. How about the South-North >co-operation in such situation/issues 4. How literacy attainment could >contribute to poverty alleviation, narrowing the digital divide etc >discussion and sharing of experiences Best Regards > ><> wrote: Hello Tquabo and welcome to the list! >Thank you for posting a message of introduction. >I'd like to use your example to invite other new subscribers or subscribers >who haven't posted to introduce themselves as well. > >Where should you go from here? >What q uestions do you have about technology and literacy and were there any >specific reasons you subscribed to the list? is there anything in >particular you hope to get from it? > >For everyone on the list, as well, this is a good time to weigh in with any >burning questions you have had about technology and literacy as well as any >issues you would like to see addressed on the list. > >We conducted a survey of topics of interest several months ago and have had >a few extended discussions on a number of those topics. Is there anything >of particular interest you would like to see addressed in the near future? >Currently I am working with a couple of members of the list to arrange a >discussion on emerging/cutting-edge technologies. > >With best regards, >Mariann > >>Dear Sirs/Madam I'm new to join the Technology and literacy discussion >>forum.I'm not aware on what is going on currently.Where should I go from >>here? Best Regards Tquabo Yaho o! FareChase - Search multiple >>travel sites in one click. >>---------------------------------------------------- Technology and >>Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your >>subscription settings, please go to >>http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > > >Mariann Fedele >Coordinator of Professional Development, >Literacy Assistance Center >Moderator, >NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List >32 Broadway 10th Floor >New York, New York 10004 >212-803-3325 >mariannf at lacnyc.org >www.lacnyc.org > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > > Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. >---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for >Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To >unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From djrosen at comcast.net Fri Nov 18 16:57:41 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 16:57:41 -0500 Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum In-Reply-To: <20051117051712.10843.qmail@web60823.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20051117051712.10843.qmail@web60823.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <93BA57FE-1EBF-432F-8195-19B5CC6E3AB5@comcast.net> Hello Tquabo, On Nov 17, 2005, at 12:17 AM, you wrote: > Thank you for inviting me to forward any questions that I have > related to technology and literacy. As a background to my questions > for discussion I would like to raise two of the most significant > International commitments which are:- Education for All(EFA) and > Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). These of course may seem to > focus on developing countries on the emphasis of equitable access > to education and poverty alleviation. > > On the other hand; digital divide is expanding fast and literacy > divide is still large in most of the countries in question. > > It seems to me the above raised issues could not be addressed > without clearly addressing the issue of appropriate technology. The > questions that I want to raise in relation to the above > considerations or assumptions are:- > 1. The difference between technology in literacy(education) and > technology of literacy Could you say a bit more about this? What do you mean by the "technology of literacy" ? > 2. Is technology affordable for developing countries suffering of > digital divide and literacy divide? How Do you think a $100 battery (and crank-operated) computer with an open source platform would reduce the digital divide in developing countries? If so, see http://laptop.media.mit.edu/ for more information. How about Mobile learning using mobile phone text messaging and access to the Web? > 3. How about the South-North co-operation in such situation/issues Please explain more. Are you talking about South-North in terms of a particular country, a continent or something else? > 4. How literacy attainment could contribute to poverty alleviation, > narrowing the digital divide etc Have you read Thomas Friedman's __The World is Flat___ ? Do you think earth-flattening phenomena make the divides of poverty and technology wider or narrower? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From LZaccone at northampton.edu Fri Nov 18 16:58:27 2005 From: LZaccone at northampton.edu (Lealan Zaccone) Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 16:58:27 -0500 Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum Message-ID: Hello, Thank you for the email. I will be out of the office until November 28th. Have a nice holiday. Lealan From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Mon Nov 21 09:27:22 2005 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 14:27:22 -0000 Subject: [Technology] joining the discussion forum References: <20051117051712.10843.qmail@web60823.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <026301c5eea7$b031a5c0$0202a8c0@Tomschoice> Hi Tquabo, I too am puzzled by your first point, as David Rosen. Are you thinking perhaps about "technology literacy", as for example "computer literacy", where the "literacy" means "fluency in the use of"? Or are you thinking of "technology" as including "techniques", so that the "technology of literacy" includes "techniques of learning to read"? I believe that our group is interested in how technology (typically computer software) can be used to help in the teaching and learning of literacy skills. This is what I assume you mean for your questions 2-4. 2. Technology is mostly based on computers, and many companies are donating their old computers to third world countries, when they upgrade to new computers. So computers are available at low cost. And, if power supply is a problem, solar or crank powered computers (see Rosen again) can be made. The software could also be made available at low cost, if there was seen to be a significant market. 3. North-South cooperation is urgently needed to realise the possibilities of 2, and particularly to give access to the enormous potential market for low cost technology. At present, this access seems to be blocked by politicians, bureaucracy and middle men. It is extraordinarily difficult to get through to the end users who would benefit. 4. Literacy is the gateway to knowledge and education, and hence to fair government, fair distribution of wealth and sustainability. If everybody knew the danger we all face from global warming and climate change, then we'd all try and do our bit, however small, to save forests, plant trees, and reduce energy consumption. (Just as every bit of radioactive material released into the atmosphere by Chernobyl increases the chance of anybody in the world getting cancer, so every bit of CO2 released into the atmosphere increases the rate of global warming and the danger of crop failure, famine, hurricanes, flooding, etc.) BTW, I have heard it said that there has never been famine in a country with a truly democratically elected government. Cheers from Chiswick, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: Tquabo Aimut To: The Technology &, Literacy Discussion List Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 5:17 AM Subject: Re: [Technology] joining the discussion forum Dear Fedele Thank you for inviting me to forward any questions that I have related to technology and literacy. As a background to my questions for discussion I would like to raise two of the most significant International commitments which are:- Education for All(EFA) and Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). These of course may seem to focus on developing countries on the emphasis of equitable access to education and poverty alleviation. On the other hand; digital divide is expanding fast and literacy divide is still large in most of the countries in question. It seems to me the above raised issues could not be addressed without clearly addressing the issue of appropriate technology. The questions that I want to raise in relation to the above considerations or assumptions are:- 1. The difference between technology in literacy(education) and technology of literacy 2. Is technology affordable for developing countries suffering of digital divide and literacy divide? How 3. How about the South-North co-operation in such situation/issues 4. How literacy attainment could contribute to poverty alleviation, narrowing the digital divide etc Hoping these questions are relevant and acceptable I'm looking for lively discussion and sharing of experiences Best Regards Tquabo Mariann Fedele wrote: Hello Tquabo and welcome to the list! Thank you for posting a message of introduction. I'd like to use your example to invite other new subscribers or subscribers who haven't posted to introduce themselves as well. Where should you go from here? What questions do you have about technology and literacy and were there any specific reasons you subscribed to the list? is there anything in particular you hope to get from it? For everyone on the list, as well, this is a good time to weigh in with any burning questions you have had about technology and literacy as well as any issues you would like to see addressed on the list. We conducted a survey of topics of interest several months ago and have had a few extended discussions on a number of those topics. Is there anything of particular interest you would like to see addressed in the near future? Currently I am working with a couple of members of the list to arrange a discussion on emerging/cutting-edge technologies. With best regards, Mariann >Dear Sirs/Madam I'm new to join the Technology and literacy discussion >forum.I'm not aware on what is going on currently.Where should I go from >here? Best Regards Tquabo Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple >travel sites in one click. >---------------------------------------------------- Technology and >Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your >subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org ---------------------------------------------------- Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051121/79cb7009/attachment.html From mariannf at lacnyc.org Tue Nov 22 09:48:57 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:48:57 -0500 Subject: [Technology] conference information In-Reply-To: <026301c5eea7$b031a5c0$0202a8c0@Tomschoice> References: <20051117051712.10843.qmail@web60823.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051122094857.00cfb130@mail.psnyc.com> The New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission is proud to announce their Seventh Annual One-Stop Conference Traveling the Consolidation Highway Tuesday and Wednesday, December 13 & 14, 2005 Trump Plaza Atlantic City, NJ And Equipped for the Future (EFF) and the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, with support from The UPS Foundation, Host the National Conference New Destinations to Literacy, Learning & Life: A National Conference on Adult Education Wednesday & and Thursday, December 14 & 15, 2005 Trump Plaza Atlantic City, NJ Please take advantage of this opportunity by supporting the ongoing partnership between workforce development and adult education. The One-Stop Conference will officially begin on Tuesday morning on December 13th and will continue until 1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 14th The National Conference will officially begin on Wednesday at 1:00 pm on December 14th and continue until Thursday afternoon on December 15th PLEASE NOTE: Those who register for Wednesday, December 14th are invited to attend the entire day's activities. Registration must be done online at: www.njsetc.net "Click: Current News & Events" Conference registration prices: December 13th = ($135.00) December 15th = ($100.00) December 14th = ($120.00) December 14 & 15 = ($195.00) December 13 & 14 = ($195.00) December 13, 14 & 15 = ($250.00) Conference Sessions New Destinations to Literacy, Learning & Life: A National Conference on Adult Education Workshop Sessions Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:00 Plenary with Dr. John Comings and Dr. Andrew Sum 10:15 v Youth v Healthcare Collaboratives v Gender Parity- Tools and Resources for Non-Traditional Careers v The Aging Workforce v Literacy Consortium Planning v Follow up with Plenary Speakers v NJ Transfer v Vocational Standards and Certifications 11:45 v NJ's Workplace Literacy Program v Online Computer Skills Assessment v Pathways to Diplomas v Organizational Assessment in a Performance Based Environment v Career Planning v NJ Next Stop Website for Career Information v Developing Partnerships in Education 1:00 Lunch with Beto Gonzalez, US DOE invited guest 2:30 v Oklahoma- EFF from the State to the Classroom v Successful EFF Classroom Projects v An Introductory Look at the EFF Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate Curriculum Framework v EFF in the ESL Classroom: A Demystification of the EFF Framework v Health Literacy v EFF for Job Seekers and Incumbent Workers 4:00 v Building Accountability Using EFF v A New Model for Streamlined Teacher Training v Change Your Teaching Methods for Better Results v Professional Development v Financial Literacy v The Work Readiness Credential v A Look at the EFF Use Math to Solve Problems and Communicate Curriculum Framework- continues Evening Reception New Destinations to Literacy, Learning & Life: A National Conference on Adult Education Workshop Sessions Thursday, December 15, 2005 9:00 Plenary with EFF Panel 10:45 v Texas' Approach to Developing Benchmarks for 5 of the EFF Standards v EFF Quality Practices and Program Improvement v How to Begin Implementation of EFF in Your Classroom v Using the EFF Reader's Tool Chest in an ESL Classroom v Putting EFF Theory into Practice in the ESL Classroom v Adult Education Reading Instruction: Research-Based Practices v From Competencies to Standards: EFF in an External Diploma Program Classroom v Creating an ESL/Civics Curriculum Using EFF Standards 12 noon Lunch 1:00 v "Reach the Reachable Rightly" - a Focus on Adult Education in Public Welfare in India v EFF Assessment Tool v Using the EFF Teaching/Learning Cycle for Lesson Planning v EFF and Goal Setting in the ESL Classroom v Preparing for Work Using EFF Standards v An Introduction to the Read With Understanding Curriculum Framework v Supporting Workplace Training with EFF v Accessing American English and Culture through American Film 2:30 v Pennsylvania's Approach to Using EFF Standards for Workforce Education v Leading Through Online Communities: VA Department of Education v Making the Connection: EFF, TABE, and the GED in a Multi-Level Classroom v Systemic Integration of EFF through Goal Setting v Seeing is Remembering: How Multi-Media Promotes Adult Literacy v An Introduction to the Read With Understanding Curriculum Framework - continues v EFF and Program Improvement 4:00 v EFF Closing Session v Family Literacy v A Smart Start to Strategy to the Adult Education Classroom For more information, please contact: Diane P. Gardner EFF Center The University of Tennessee Center for Literacy Studies 600 Henley Street, Suite 312 Knoxville, TN 37996-4135 865-974-9949 dgardner at utk.edu __________________________________________ Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From djrosen at comcast.net Tue Nov 22 11:03:29 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:03:29 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: Technology Colleagues, Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's what a discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also follows from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education distance learning. I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In earlier world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were closed. Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world actually were all closed, including all adult education schools and programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by Internet, TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- many of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think through how to organize this adult education distance learning delivery system. I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult literacy education (including English language learning) by Internet? What would the issues be? ? Access from home, including broadband access ? Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic literacy, ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. ? Counseling ? Online training for participants using online learning -- including technology skills ? Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training ? Ongoing professional development and training for online facilitators ? An online assessment system ? An online MIS ? How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning level English language learners What else? How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? Internationally? Some other way? What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? Can some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and other states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- or all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What about Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such as system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking and planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we should be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From mariannf at lacnyc.org Tue Nov 22 11:10:19 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:10:19 -0500 Subject: [Technology] NYACCE Conference: call for proposals In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051122111019.00cfb130@mail.psnyc.com> The New York Association of Continuing/Community Education (NYACCE) reminds adult educators, administrators, related professionals and interested vendors of the annual conference scheduled for May 7-9, 2006 in Albany, NY. Last year?s NYACCE conference attracted over 300 adult educators from school districts, BOCES, NYSED, community organizations, libraries, colleges, universities, job corps and more. We look forward to more colleagues joining us this year! A call for presenters form is available at our website: www.nyacce.org. We are seeking a variety of presentations from all areas of our field. Suggested topics include: Community Education Projects Successful Community Partnerships English as a Second Language Family Literacy/Intergenerational Literacy GED Preparation Advocacy Alternative Youth Programs GED to College Transitions Continuing Education Workforce Investment Correctional Education Community Based Life Long Learning Learning Styles Instructional Strategies Professional Development DOL & DSS Related Programming Successful One Stop Partnerships Please consider an area of interest that you have and others may be interested in learning. We look forward to many interesting submissions. Laurie Bargstedt Coordinator of Adult Literacy & Incarcerated Education HFM BOCES, Johnstown, NY 12095 NYACCE Conference Chair 2006 www.nyacce.org nyacce at yahoo.com Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From tommy.mcdonell at nyu.edu Tue Nov 22 11:18:58 2005 From: tommy.mcdonell at nyu.edu (Tommy B McDonell) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:18:58 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: <90e28b910d94.910d9490e28b@nyu.edu> David, finally a question I am really interested in--and finally someone who believes as I do that a listserv is to explore things. I taught for many years in NYC at the public library and the thought of teaching people how to learn online--just at the bare roots of technology--scares me. Not the teaching so much, but it scares me the number of people who could be left out of the loop. Do we really know how many people have access to technology of any kind? I wonder if we really use the telephone enough in teaching. It was used more than 40 years ago in PA for distance ed, before we thought the computer was only way to teach. Could we start a grass roots "something" that would prepare for something like this, while other "experts" are supposedly planning what to do? Just thoughts. while I hate the bird flu, I like the premise of this topic. Perhaps even if the flu does not come, we will learn more about educating people in a far reaching way. Tommy Tommy B. McDonell Tommy.McDonell at nyu.edu Adjunct, Steinhardt School of Education tbr202 at nyu.edu Doctoral Candidate in TESOL at NYU Sales Agent, Debra Kameros Company Inc. http://www.debrakameros.com tm at debrakameros.com http://www.tommybmcdonell.com H: 212-929-6768 F: 212-929-1129 C: 917-514-1354 ----- Original Message ----- From: David Rosen Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 11:03 am Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? > Technology Colleagues, > > Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's > what a > discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also > follows > from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education > distance > learning. > > I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted > epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is > tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale > > that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In > earlier > world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were > closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were > > closed. > > Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world > actually were all closed, including all adult education schools > and > programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by > Internet, > TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those > > with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- > many > of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think > through how to organize this adult education distance learning > delivery system. > > I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to > think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult > literacy education (including English language learning) by > Internet? What would the issues be? > > ? Access from home, including broadband access > ? Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic > literacy, > ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. > ? Counseling > ? Online training for participants using online learning -- > including > technology skills > ? Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training > ? Ongoing professional development and training for online > facilitators? An online assessment system > ? An online MIS > ? How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning > level > English language learners > > What else? > > How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? > Internationally? Some other way? > > What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? > Can > some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and > other > states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- > or > all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. > Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What > about > Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? > > Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such > as > system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking > and > planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we > should > be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > From cchristensen at air.org Tue Nov 22 11:37:33 2005 From: cchristensen at air.org (Christensen, Carol) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 08:37:33 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: I also like this question and will respond in depth later. However, I'd like to add to Tommy's concern. When I read through David's posting, I stopped cold at "broadband access." If we (the field) do not offer the proposed distance education resources across a variety of new and old media, and attempt to move the learners into a technology/Internet environment only, wouldn't we further expand the divide by including tools that require high speed access? I agree with Tommy that that access to education in a situation of dire necessity requires a broad sweep of inclusive thinking and planning. Carol Christensen Research Analyst -----Original Message----- From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Tommy B McDonell Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:19 AM To: The Technology & Literacy Discussion List Subject: Re: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? David, finally a question I am really interested in--and finally someone who believes as I do that a listserv is to explore things. I taught for many years in NYC at the public library and the thought of teaching people how to learn online--just at the bare roots of technology--scares me. Not the teaching so much, but it scares me the number of people who could be left out of the loop. Do we really know how many people have access to technology of any kind? I wonder if we really use the telephone enough in teaching. It was used more than 40 years ago in PA for distance ed, before we thought the computer was only way to teach. Could we start a grass roots "something" that would prepare for something like this, while other "experts" are supposedly planning what to do? Just thoughts. while I hate the bird flu, I like the premise of this topic. Perhaps even if the flu does not come, we will learn more about educating people in a far reaching way. Tommy Tommy B. McDonell Tommy.McDonell at nyu.edu Adjunct, Steinhardt School of Education tbr202 at nyu.edu Doctoral Candidate in TESOL at NYU Sales Agent, Debra Kameros Company Inc. http://www.debrakameros.com tm at debrakameros.com http://www.tommybmcdonell.com H: 212-929-6768 F: 212-929-1129 C: 917-514-1354 ----- Original Message ----- From: David Rosen Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 11:03 am Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? > Technology Colleagues, > > Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's > what a > discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also > follows > from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education > distance > learning. > > I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted > epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is > tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale > > that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In > earlier > world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were > closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were > > closed. > > Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world > actually were all closed, including all adult education schools > and > programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by > Internet, > TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those > > with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- > many > of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think > through how to organize this adult education distance learning > delivery system. > > I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to > think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult > literacy education (including English language learning) by > Internet? What would the issues be? > > * Access from home, including broadband access > * Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic > literacy, > ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. > * Counseling > * Online training for participants using online learning -- > including > technology skills > * Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training > * Ongoing professional development and training for online > facilitators* An online assessment system > * An online MIS > * How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning > level > English language learners > > What else? > > How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? > Internationally? Some other way? > > What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? > Can > some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and > other > states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- > or > all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. > Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What > about > Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? > > Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such > as > system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking > and > planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we > should > be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From mariannf at lacnyc.org Tue Nov 22 11:37:50 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:37:50 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051122113750.00cfb130@mail.psnyc.com> Hello David and all, David thank you for posting this, it is interesting and provocative to think about the delivery of distance learning (DL) services under such absolute conditions. It models the way much "hard science" is thought through, for example studying climactic change by tracking changes that take place at the Equator or North and South Poles, rather then in more temperate climates. I'll throw my hat in the ring first and encourage others to do so also. Given our current state of internet access DL services would have to be delivered through a variety of modalities (TV, telephone, mail correspondence, internet). If we want to think about what it would take to have an internet only delivery system... First, a number of municipalities are considering free and low-cost citywide wireless access. Cities like Philadelphia have taken this on as a government initiative rather then waiting for it to be led by the private sector. I believe under the conditions of a widespread public health hazard prevailed then Wi-Fi would come to be seen a a necessary public service funded nationally and provided for at a state-wide level. This service would be accessible through personal computer, cellphone or P.D.A. There is getting these tools to people in need of the DL education services ofcourse (something that would need to be subsidized), and then providing not only content-area instructional services (the language, literacy, GED content) but also instruction on learning using that tool and at a distance. Instructor professional development would be vitally important in insuring a high quality service. I'd be really interested in hearing from folks from around the country involved in Project IDEAL on these questions and from others on the list. Regards, Mariann At 11:03 AM 11/22/2005 -0500, you wrote: >Technology Colleagues, > >Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's what a >discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also follows >from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education distance >learning. > >I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted >epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is >tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale >that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In earlier >world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were >closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were >closed. > >Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world >actually were all closed, including all adult education schools and >programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by Internet, >TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those >with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- many >of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think >through how to organize this adult education distance learning >delivery system. > >I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to >think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult >literacy education (including English language learning) by >Internet? What would the issues be? > >? Access from home, including broadband access >? Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic literacy, >ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. >? Counseling >? Online training for participants using online learning -- including >technology skills >? Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training >? Ongoing professional development and training for online facilitators >? An online assessment system >? An online MIS >? How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning level >English language learners > >What else? > >How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? >Internationally? Some other way? > >What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? Can >some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and other >states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- or >all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. >Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What about >Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? > >Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such as >system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking and >planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we should >be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. > >David J. Rosen >djrosen at comcast.net > > > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Insitute for Literacy >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > > Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From BENNETT at cotr.bc.ca Tue Nov 22 11:48:23 2005 From: BENNETT at cotr.bc.ca (Bennett, Gina) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:48:23 -0700 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: Wow, David; you present an interesting (& not too far-fetched!) scenario. I had not considered that distance education could become an essential part of dealing with some kinds of emergency & emergency recovery. I live & work in a rural part of Canada, where I support distance education at the literacy & postsecondary levels. I have had quite a bit of experience working with AlphaPlus (AlphaRoute delivery) so perhaps I can speak to that... AlphaRoute is an incredible collection of online literacy learning resources and learning objects, but it makes no claims about being a full literacy 'curriculum'. The literacy learner still requires, in most cases, a tutor/mentor who can put the online activities into some sort of context that makes sense to the learner. The system is well-designed so that the mentor can communicate with the learner online (there is an embedded, simple-to-use email program) but if we were physically isolated (e.g. by quarantine) for more than a week or two, I expect the learning experience would suffer. So in answer to your question: what's missing in our current systems? I would respond: a strong virtual community that can sustain the learner through periods of physical separation, or at least until the learner develops a sense of virtual identity & of 'being' online. I would LOVE to do some research on this: what kinds of activities create a sense of community online? There's been quite a bit done in this area for postsecondary learners, but what's effective for literacy learners? I think we need to go beyond the notion of just creating an "online learning community" (lots on that) -- we need to research strategies that will bring the literacy learner's existing community (maybe just the family during a quarantine) into the fold. Stream of conciousness here: I think we need to find ways to overlap the learner's current community with their learning community. This, of course, is not just true for distance learning modalities but for any kind of literacy learning venture. But we will have to think outside the box to make this work for distance education. I agree with some of the other posters on this topic that we can't rely on internet alone (certainly not just broadband) although a scenario like this certainly adds some meat to the argument that internet access is quickly becoming an 'essential service'... ------------------- Gina Bennett eLearning Support & Coordination College of the Rockies Box 8500 Cranbrook, BC V1C 5L7 250.489.8287 -----Original Message----- From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen Sent: November 22, 2005 9:03 AM To: The Discussion List Technology & Literacy Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Technology Colleagues, Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's what a discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also follows from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education distance learning. I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In earlier world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were closed. Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world actually were all closed, including all adult education schools and programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by Internet, TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- many of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think through how to organize this adult education distance learning delivery system. I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult literacy education (including English language learning) by Internet? What would the issues be? * Access from home, including broadband access * Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic literacy, ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. * Counseling * Online training for participants using online learning -- including technology skills * Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training * Ongoing professional development and training for online facilitators * An online assessment system * An online MIS * How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning level English language learners What else? How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? Internationally? Some other way? What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? Can some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and other states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- or all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What about Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such as system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking and planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we should be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From EJacobson at air.org Tue Nov 22 12:00:11 2005 From: EJacobson at air.org (Jacobson, Erik) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 09:00:11 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: I share other posters concerns about access to up-to-date internet technologies, and I think that radio should be integrated into the outreach/delivery process. This is for several reasons (and not just because I think radio is just about the coolest technology ever). 1) For people who do not have internet access at all, the radio is still a common way of getting information. In advance of, or in the midst of, an epidemic it would probably be easier to develop radio specific content than to identify and distribute computers to people that don't have them, presuming you already have wifi everywhere (which is a big assumption). 2) Even if they have a computer and internet access, you may have people unaccustomed to going online for education. They would not be regularly checking the net, and phone calls to let them know about courses might be too time consuming. Broadcasts on the radio about when and where things will be available online might be more productive, and could include some helpful hints about how to get started. 3) English language learners listen to ethnic radio stations in a wide variety of languages. For example, rather than trying to find somebody who speaks Kurdish to make phone calls, broadcasts on Kurdish community radio programs would cover much of the community. In addition, materials could be adapted for radio lessons for that community - this would probably be cheaper than trying to retrofit websites or web lessons (say, in Kurdish). It would also help students whose English literacy skills might make internet-based courses difficult. Erik -----Original Message----- From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:03 AM To: The Discussion List Technology & Literacy Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Technology Colleagues, Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's what a discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also follows from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education distance learning. I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In earlier world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were closed. Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world actually were all closed, including all adult education schools and programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by Internet, TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- many of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think through how to organize this adult education distance learning delivery system. I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult literacy education (including English language learning) by Internet? What would the issues be? * Access from home, including broadband access * Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic literacy, ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. * Counseling * Online training for participants using online learning -- including technology skills * Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training * Ongoing professional development and training for online facilitators * An online assessment system * An online MIS * How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning level English language learners What else? How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? Internationally? Some other way? What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? Can some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and other states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- or all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What about Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such as system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking and planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we should be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From mariannf at lacnyc.org Tue Nov 22 12:26:26 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:26:26 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: <90e28b910d94.910d9490e28b@nyu.edu> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051122122626.00cfb130@mail.psnyc.com> Hello Tommy and all, Please at any time feel free to pose questions to the list (just as David did) that are of relevance and interest to you or forward suggestions to me. This is a forum where we can all take initiative...no need to wait. Regards, Mariann At 11:18 AM 11/22/2005 -0500, you wrote: >David, finally a question I am really interested in--and finally >someone who believes as I do that a listserv is to explore things. > >I taught for many years in NYC at the public library and the thought >of teaching people how to learn online--just at the bare roots of >technology--scares me. Not the teaching so much, but it scares me the >number of people who could be left out of the loop. > >Do we really know how many people have access to technology of any >kind? > >I wonder if we really use the telephone enough in teaching. It was >used more than 40 years ago in PA for distance ed, before we thought >the computer was only way to teach. > >Could we start a grass roots "something" that would prepare for >something like this, while other "experts" are supposedly planning >what to do? > >Just thoughts. > >while I hate the bird flu, I like the premise of this topic. Perhaps >even if the flu does not come, we will learn more about educating >people in a far reaching way. > >Tommy > >Tommy B. McDonell >Tommy.McDonell at nyu.edu >Adjunct, Steinhardt School of Education >tbr202 at nyu.edu >Doctoral Candidate in TESOL at NYU > >Sales Agent, >Debra Kameros Company Inc. http://www.debrakameros.com >tm at debrakameros.com >http://www.tommybmcdonell.com > > >H: 212-929-6768 >F: 212-929-1129 >C: 917-514-1354 > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: David Rosen >Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 11:03 am >Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? > >> Technology Colleagues, >> >> Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's >> what a >> discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also >> follows >> from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education >> distance >> learning. >> >> I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted >> epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is >> tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale >> >> that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In >> earlier >> world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were >> closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were >> >> closed. >> >> Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world >> actually were all closed, including all adult education schools >> and >> programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by >> Internet, >> TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those >> >> with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- >> many >> of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think >> through how to organize this adult education distance learning >> delivery system. >> >> I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to >> think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult >> literacy education (including English language learning) by >> Internet? What would the issues be? >> >> ? Access from home, including broadband access >> ? Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic >> literacy, >> ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. >> ? Counseling >> ? Online training for participants using online learning -- >> including >> technology skills >> ? Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training >> ? Ongoing professional development and training for online >> facilitators? An online assessment system >> ? An online MIS >> ? How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning >> level >> English language learners >> >> What else? >> >> How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? >> Internationally? Some other way? >> >> What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? >> Can >> some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and >> other >> states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- >> or >> all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. >> Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What >> about >> Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? >> >> Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such >> as >> system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking >> and >> planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we >> should >> be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. >> >> David J. Rosen >> djrosen at comcast.net >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------- >> National Insitute for Literacy >> Technology and Literacy mailing list >> Technology at dev.nifl.gov >> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >> http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology >> > >---------------------------------------------------- >National Insitute for Literacy >Technology and Literacy mailing list >Technology at dev.nifl.gov >To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to >http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > > Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From bmoon at teachertech.us Wed Nov 23 01:51:36 2005 From: bmoon at teachertech.us (Bruce Moon) Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 22:51:36 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051122122626.00cfb130@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <20051123065142.E5FC5465FF@dev.nifl.gov> While I am partial to computers, the cell phone may be the platform that has the most potential for delivering lessons to the masses. It's portable, now often includes a color screen, and the same chips that drive onboard games can be used to deliver content with interaction as well. The cell phone seems much more pervasive in the society than the personal computer. You can use plug-ins with web design software like Adobe GoLive and Dreamweaver to design webpages for the cell phone platform. When you spoke of the bird flu, I recalled something I read last year during the SARS outbreak where teachers in Hong Kong delivered web-based lessons. As I read about it at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/21 /BU190788.DTL I see that part of their system involved using a special phone. Video on demand, TIVO, mp3 players, PDA's and other technologies are poised to enable access to content that people want 24/7. They're primarily being used for entertainment now, but imaginative teachers may be able to seize the opportunity to extend education beyond the four walls and make learning accessible to everyone. I think a key element is getting us as educators to think outside of the box and imagine how we can make learning more like the entertainment that is attracting people to use these technologies. Personally, I am educating myself using podcasts that I capture on the web and content I've ripped off CD's. Coupled with the traditional books, pen and paper, I think there's a lot of potential in these technologies for education, and there's not much of a learning curve involved if we deal with what people already know and do. Bruce Moon Adult ESL instructor Sacramento, CA From MPappalardo at northampton.edu Wed Nov 23 01:52:23 2005 From: MPappalardo at northampton.edu (Michele Pappalardo) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 01:52:23 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? (out of the office) Message-ID: From djrosen at comcast.net Wed Nov 23 07:52:33 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 07:52:33 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: <90e28b910d94.910d9490e28b@nyu.edu> References: <90e28b910d94.910d9490e28b@nyu.edu> Message-ID: Hi Tommy and others, On Nov 22, 2005, at 11:18 AM, Tommy B McDonell wrote: > Do we really know how many people have access to technology of any > kind? Yes, we do, and the percentage of people in the U.S. who have access to computers, to the Internet, and even broadband has increased significantly. "On a typical day at the end of 2004, some 70 million American adults logged onto the Internet to use email, get news, access government information, check out health and medical information, participate in auctions, book travel reservations, research their genealogy, gamble, seek out romantic partners, and engage in countless other activities. That represents a 37 percent increase from the 51 million Americans who were online on an average day in 2000 when the Pew Internet & American Life Project began its study of online life." "The Web has become the ?new normal? in the American way of life; those who don?t go online constitute an ever-shrinking minority. And as the online population has grown rapidly, its composition has changed rapidly. At the infant stage, the Internet?s user population was dominated by young, white men who had high incomes and plenty of education. As it passed into its childhood years in 1999 and 2000, the population went mainstream; women reached parity and then overtook men online, lots more minority families joined the party, and more people with modest levels of income and education came online." Pew internet and American life Project, Reports: Internet Evolution http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/148/report_display.asp > I wonder if we really use the telephone enough in teaching. It was > used more than 40 years ago in PA for distance ed, before we thought > the computer was only way to teach. In addition to the ubiquitous cell phone, Internet telephony (Skype and Gizmoproject, for example) make free or very low-cost long distance telephoning a reality now. Although it's better with broadband, it can be used with dial-up. This means that it would be possible to have a 24/7/365 worldwide telephone tutoring service which accompanied CD or DVD, online or TV broadcast curriculum and instruction products. For example, with internet telephony and an online English language learning program an ELL(ESL/ESOL) intermediate level student could have real-time telephone group language learning (a class by telephone) and tutorials (by telephone, e-mail, and/or instant message) while pursuing video-driven lessons. All from home or work. Is this futuristic? No. It can be done (maybe is being done) now. Using (free) English For All, Crossroads Cafe, or Connect with English, for example, and an online tutoring service (note real teachers and tutors are required, not natural language databases!), if there were sufficient demand telephone ELL classes could be offered by currriculum level several times a day and students could log in to a convenient class or change to a different class schedule as needed. Teachers (from all continents) could teach 24 hours a day. a student in the U.S. who wanted a class at 2:00 A.M. could ahve a wide-awake teacher online or by phone from the Philippines or Australia, for example. ELL students -- to an even greater degree than ABE students -- have (and increasingly are getting) broadband access because free telephony means they can save on long distance phone calls to family and friends back home. Internet telephony and desktop videoconferencing are "killer applications" for those with family and friends overseas. In some cases the investment in a computer and Web access pays for itself in months. (ELL teachers -- have you asked your students how many have access to the web at home? What do they say?) > Could we start a grass roots "something" that would prepare for > something like this, while other "experts" are supposedly planning > what to do? Yes -- what I have described above could be done to some extent on a smaller scale in a city or state. For example, Portland State University, as follow up to an adult education longitudinal study (Reder and Strawn), is designing a Web portal that does some of this -- anyone have more information on that? And how about Alpha Plus/ Alpha Route -- to what extent does is that an example of this? What else is there? The National Adult Literacy Agency in Ireland (NALA) has TV ABE programs (with free accompanying print materials) which are so popular that they have better ratings than some soap operas, and they are broadcast in prime time. They did some research a year or two ago to find out if participants wanted to enroll in programs (they call them "schemes") and learned that participants did not -- because they had been in programs and found TV learning more suitable, or because they didn't want anyone in their village to know they couldn't read. When asked if they wanted a telephone tutor -- once it was explained what that meant -- most were interested. I wonder if NALA are offering telephone tutoring now. Does anyone know if telephone tutoring is being offered in adult education anywhere? If so, please let us know. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From djrosen at comcast.net Wed Nov 23 07:58:40 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 07:58:40 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <9CE79A4C-DB15-496A-84FB-458C14B3C64D@comcast.net> Hello Gina, Thanks for this informative reply about AlphaPlus/AlphaRoute. I have some questions about this (interspersed below): Davdi J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Nov 22, 2005, at 11:48 AM, Bennett, Gina wrote: > Wow, David; you present an interesting (& not too far-fetched!) > scenario. I had not considered that distance education could become an > essential part of dealing with some kinds of emergency & emergency > recovery. > > I live & work in a rural part of Canada, where I support distance > education at the literacy & postsecondary levels. I have had quite > a bit > of experience working with AlphaPlus (AlphaRoute delivery) so > perhaps I > can speak to that... AlphaRoute is an incredible collection of online > literacy learning resources and learning objects, but it makes no > claims > about being a full literacy 'curriculum'. The literacy learner still > requires, in most cases, a tutor/mentor who can put the online > activities into some sort of context that makes sense to the learner. Tell us more about how this works. Where t=do the mentors come from? How are they trained? Are they paid? What services do they provide? Does a student have one mentor or many? > The system is well-designed so that the mentor can communicate with > the > learner online (there is an embedded, simple-to-use email program) but > if we were physically isolated (e.g. by quarantine) for more than a > week > or two, I expect the learning experience would suffer. Why would it suffer? What else would it need? > So in answer to your question: what's missing in our current > systems? I > would respond: a strong virtual community that can sustain the learner > through periods of physical separation, or at least until the learner > develops a sense of virtual identity & of 'being' online. I would LOVE > to do some research on this: what kinds of activities create a > sense of > community online? There's been quite a bit done in this area for > postsecondary learners, but what's effective for literacy learners? I > think we need to go beyond the notion of just creating an "online > learning community" (lots on that) -- we need to research strategies > that will bring the literacy learner's existing community (maybe just > the family during a quarantine) into the fold. Stream of conciousness > here: I think we need to find ways to overlap the learner's current > community with their learning community. This, of course, is not just > true for distance learning modalities but for any kind of literacy > learning venture. But we will have to think outside the box to make > this > work for distance education. Why couldn't this happen now? Why couldn't friends and families of learners enroll together? > I agree with some of the other posters on this topic that we can't > rely > on internet alone (certainly not just broadband) although a scenario > like this certainly adds some meat to the argument that internet > access > is quickly becoming an 'essential service'... > > ------------------- > Gina Bennett > eLearning Support & Coordination > College of the Rockies > Box 8500 > Cranbrook, BC V1C 5L7 > 250.489.8287 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov > [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen > Sent: November 22, 2005 9:03 AM > To: The Discussion List Technology & Literacy > Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? > > > Technology Colleagues, > > Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's what a > discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also follows > from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education distance > learning. > > I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted > epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is > tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale > that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In earlier > world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were > closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were > closed. > > Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world > actually were all closed, including all adult education schools and > programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by Internet, > TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those > with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- many > of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think > through how to organize this adult education distance learning > delivery system. > > I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to > think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult > literacy education (including English language learning) by > Internet? What would the issues be? > > * Access from home, including broadband access > * Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic literacy, > ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. > * Counseling > * Online training for participants using online learning -- including > technology skills > * Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training * > Ongoing professional development and training for online > facilitators * > An online assessment system * An online MIS * How to provide > services to > low-literate adults and beginning level > English language learners > > What else? > > How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? > Internationally? Some other way? > > What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? Can > some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and other > states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- or > all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. > Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What about > Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? > > Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such as > system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking and > planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we should > be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From djrosen at comcast.net Wed Nov 23 08:04:15 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 08:04:15 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3FD2A2E4-FF2A-4348-B482-46BD6DEE482B@comcast.net> Hello Erik and others, On Nov 22, 2005, at 12:00 PM, Jacobson, Erik wrote: > I share other posters concerns about access to up-to-date internet > technologies, and I think that radio should be integrated into the > outreach/delivery process. This is for several reasons (and not just > because I think radio is just about the coolest technology ever). I love radio too -- it's a warm medium -- the hearth in our household. How do you see radio being used in this context? Here's one example -- from Southern Mindanao in the Philippines: The Notre Dame Foundation/Women in Economic development program has a project that supports community radio stations in Mindanao (broadcasting in a variety of languages.) With the proliferation of cell phones -- even in the very poorest communities -- there are community education call-in programs. Using this medium and format one could -- on a larger scale have a daily or weekly radio show around a particular curricuum (on CD-ROM on broadcast on TV or on the Web) Other ideas? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net > 1) For people who do not have internet access at all, the radio is > still > a common way of getting information. In advance of, or in the midst > of, > an epidemic it would probably be easier to develop radio specific > content than to identify and distribute computers to people that don't > have them, presuming you already have wifi everywhere (which is a big > assumption). > > 2) Even if they have a computer and internet access, you may have > people > unaccustomed to going online for education. They would not be > regularly > checking the net, and phone calls to let them know about courses might > be too time consuming. Broadcasts on the radio about when and where > things will be available online might be more productive, and could > include some helpful hints about how to get started. > > 3) English language learners listen to ethnic radio stations in a wide > variety of languages. For example, rather than trying to find somebody > who speaks Kurdish to make phone calls, broadcasts on Kurdish > community > radio programs would cover much of the community. In addition, > materials > could be adapted for radio lessons for that community - this would > probably be cheaper than trying to retrofit websites or web lessons > (say, in Kurdish). > It would also help students whose English literacy skills might make > internet-based courses difficult. > > Erik > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov > [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen > Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:03 AM > To: The Discussion List Technology & Literacy > Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? > > Technology Colleagues, > > Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's what a > discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also follows > from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education distance > learning. > > I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted > epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is > tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale > that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In earlier > world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were > closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were > closed. > > Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world > actually were all closed, including all adult education schools and > programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by Internet, > TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those > with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- many > of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think > through how to organize this adult education distance learning > delivery system. > > I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to > think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult > literacy education (including English language learning) by > Internet? What would the issues be? > > * Access from home, including broadband access > * Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic literacy, > ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. > * Counseling > * Online training for participants using online learning -- including > technology skills > * Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training > * Ongoing professional development and training for online > facilitators > * An online assessment system > * An online MIS > * How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning level > English language learners > > What else? > > How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? > Internationally? Some other way? > > What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? Can > some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and other > states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- or > all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. > Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What about > Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? > > Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such as > system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking and > planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we should > be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From klayton at northampton.edu Wed Nov 23 08:26:59 2005 From: klayton at northampton.edu (Karen Layton ) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 08:26:59 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance Learning . . . option or necessity/ ACCESS issues Message-ID: David: So now you have taken me out of my comfortable position of lurker, smack into what will become, no doubt, a lively exchange of ideas, opinions, and experiences. Thanks David, for inspiring me to get out of my zone. For the past five years, I have been working with distance GED students. The majority of these students participate in what would be considered a correspondence course. Most of the contact is through mail or by phone, with an occasional drop-in tutoring session. Few students request an online course. Even those whose initial request for course information is via online registration, later explain that they do not have computer access and had used a friend's or family member's computer to register online. This experience leads me to believe that the best distance avenue for the adult literacy population is through the most accessible technologies- mail, phone, tv/video or radio. Of course, each of these has its particular strengths, and matching those to the content areas is key. But this is a given. What is really important is the accessibility issue- it does no good to develop an online course, when no one can "virtually" get there. I've learned this from experience. There are students who may never own a computer- and I just can't see leaving them behind because of the lack thereof. There will be discussion about doing these students a disservice by not forcing them to use technology, but many will be exposed to computers in their jobs, and the options for those jobs will broaden once they complete the GED. I don't mean to imply that the correspondence-type course is the only means to be offered. We offer the student online instruction as well, and it is largely the student's choice of medium. You've provided for quite a broad discussion here. There is much to discuss here, but I wanted to dwell on the access issue as a first response. Thanks again, David, for the inspiration. Karen Layton, M.Ed. Instructional Manager, Technology and Distance Education Center for Adult Literacy & Basic Workforce Development Northampton Community College 570-688-9173 klayton at northampton.edu From BENNETT at cotr.bc.ca Wed Nov 23 11:39:56 2005 From: BENNETT at cotr.bc.ca (Bennett, Gina) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 09:39:56 -0700 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: Hi David, let me see if I can respond to your questions re: AlphaRoute. AlphaRoute has been, until fairly recently, an online literacy resource mostly limited to the province of Ontario. It is gradually being rolled out nationally & my college has been a bit of a pioneer, pilotting it in the province of BC. Our students have really enjoyed their AlphaRoute involvement. Our experience indicates that as long as the mentor has a positive attitude towards learning with the computer, the learner welcomes the computer as a learning tool. The mentors for our project have all been volunteers. We provide a half-day training session (either in small groups or one-to-one) & then we support the mentors mostly by email or phone afterwards. Each learner is paired with one mentor, although occasionally a mentor will support more than one learner. The mentor usually tries to meet with the learner (in person) once a week, & then responds to messages, marks completed assignments, & gives feedback by email. Of course, they also provide that essential 'soft' support: encouragement, problem-solving, & modelling good learning behaviour. Sometimes they use the phone. (In Ontario, it's my understanding that instructors in literacy programs provide the mentorship role to a group of their students, as a part of their paid work.) You asked: what else does this system need in order to function well at a distance? I think if the learner already 'has a life' online (e.g. checks email regularly, uses a webcam perhaps, chats with friends), then they would be able to participate in a supportive relationship with their mentor online. But it takes a while for some learners to get that comfortable with the technology. The technology really has to become transparent for them (or for anybody!) before they can "feel" the support, encouragement etc. through/in spite of the medium. Just my opinion, of course -- but if the learners don't feel a support network, many of them will fail to persevere. That distance support network has to become tangible. You also asked: Why couldn't friends and families of learners enroll together (i.e. to build & extend the learning community)? Well, of course they COULD! It's just... I think this is an area that's not researched well enough yet. How do we develop, promote, & extend online learning communities for literacy-level students? How do we create an online "sense of place" & provide an effective, warm online support system? Gina > > ------------------- > Gina Bennett > eLearning Support & Coordination > College of the Rockies > Box 8500 > Cranbrook, BC V1C 5L7 > 250.489.8287 > From djrosen at comcast.net Wed Nov 23 22:26:24 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 22:26:24 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance Learning . . . option or necessity/ ACCESS issues/Curriculum In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7F92B249-6E8F-4959-90CF-7B5D30234D35@comcast.net> Hello Karen and others, Access is important. I agree that any system needs to provide options for those who don't have access to or don't want to use computers. I think that Snail Mail and telephone, along with videotapes/DVDs and radio and/or TV broadcasts, should be the elements of a low-tech DL system. Both the high tech and low-tech systems need a curriculum -- actually several curricula -- one for each level of ELL and ABE and ASE (including transition to college). We have national content standards now : EFF and SCANS, for example. And some of the DL products may be considered a curriculum (for one or two levels at least, but I think there is a great deal of work to be done in this area. Let me try something, and see what you think: Suppose we used the NRS levels for ELL and ABE (not because they are exemplary but because many people are familiar with them) and tried to identify existing online or other digital curricula for each of these. What would work, and what would be the gaps. I'll start by adding a few products for examples -- but please offer suggestions of other digital curricula which could be used -- and tell me if I misunderstood the range of the curriculum products I listed. I have only listed products which might be considered a curriculum, not supplementary digital instruction or broadcast materials. ELL/ESOL/ESL LEVELS 1. Beginning ESL Literacy 2. Beginning ESL 3. Low Intermediate ESL (English for All, Crossroads Cafe, Connect with English) 4. High Intermediate ESL (English for All, Crossroads Cafe, Connect with English) 5. Low Advanced ESL 6. High Advanced ESL ABE LEVELS 1. Beginning ABE Literacy 2. Beginning Basic Education (PLATO, Skills Tutor) 3. Low Intermediate Basic Education (PLATO, Skills Tutor) 4. High intermediate Basic education (PLATO, Skills Tutor) 5. Low Adult Secondary education (PLATO, Skills Tutor, GED Connection) 6. High Adult Secondary education (PLATO, Skills Tutor, GED Connection) WORKPLACE and WORKFORCE SKILLS Workplace Essential Skills David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Nov 23, 2005, at 8:26 AM, Karen Layton wrote: > David: > > So now you have taken me out of my comfortable position of lurker, > smack into what will become, no doubt, a lively exchange of ideas, > opinions, and experiences. Thanks David, for inspiring me to get > out of > my zone. > > For the past five years, I have been working with distance GED > students. The majority of these students participate in what would be > considered a correspondence course. Most of the contact is through > mail > or by phone, with an occasional drop-in tutoring session. Few students > request an online course. Even those whose initial request for course > information is via online registration, later explain that they do not > have computer access and had used a friend's or family member's > computer to register online. > > This experience leads me to believe that the best distance avenue for > the adult literacy population is through the most accessible > technologies- mail, phone, tv/video or radio. Of course, each of > these > has its particular strengths, and matching those to the content > areas is > key. But this is a given. What is really important is the > accessibility > issue- it does no good to develop an online course, when no one can > "virtually" get there. I've learned this from experience. > There are students who may never own a computer- and I just can't see > leaving them behind because of the lack thereof. There will be > discussion about doing these students a disservice by not forcing them > to use technology, but many will be exposed to computers in their > jobs, > and the options for those jobs will broaden once they complete the > GED. > I don't mean to imply that the correspondence-type course is the only > means to be offered. We offer the student online instruction as well, > and it is largely the student's choice of medium. > > You've provided for quite a broad discussion here. There is much to > discuss here, but I wanted to dwell on the access issue as a first > response. > > Thanks again, David, for the inspiration. > > > > Karen Layton, M.Ed. > Instructional Manager, Technology and Distance Education > Center for Adult Literacy & Basic Workforce Development > Northampton Community College > 570-688-9173 > klayton at northampton.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From irshat at yahoo.com Fri Nov 25 11:43:01 2005 From: irshat at yahoo.com (Irshat Madyarov) Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 08:43:01 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Technology] distance course evaluation In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20051125164302.8885.qmail@web31212.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dear all, Is anyone aware of an approach (approaches) to evaluating effectiveness of distance language courses? I'm looking for something that can be used as the main theoretical framework for course evaluations in the field of distance learning (DL), or if possible, more specifically, DL and language instruction. Thank you! Irshat Madyarov, PhD student in Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Technology, University of South Florida --------------------------------- Yahoo! Personals Single? There's someone we'd like you to meet. Lot's of someone's, actually. Yahoo! Personals -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051125/c3f061b4/attachment.html From djrosen at comcast.net Sat Nov 26 10:53:06 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 10:53:06 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <093A8CD2-7A21-4911-A147-D5EEBAF3D02A@comcast.net> Hello Gina, and others, Here are some thoughts about building community online using technology. In this scenario I am assuming that a potential adult learner has little or no experience with a computer and does not own one. Let's assume we have a learner with intermediate level literacy skills in English who has a new (for her) computer and an interest in getting online to take a basic skills course, but has not purchased Internet service. She gets a one-page, easy-to-read notice with the computer (which she got inexpensively on a one-year or two- year lease/purchase agreement) which says "For help in setting up your computer, call this phone number." Online technical assistance is provided 24/7 by a pool of people who have been adult learners who now have their high school equivalencies. They have been trained to help new users set up their computers and to help them with basic computer operations. They are backed up by techies. When they talk with a new user for the first time, they: 1. Explain that they are there to help, that the service is free, that the new user can call as often as she wishes 2. Give their name and phone extension (or other identifier) so that the new user could ask for them by name 3. Ask the new user, if this hasn't been done yet, to take the computer (monitor, internal CD-ROM player, printer, hard copy manuals, software and surge protector) out of the box and choose a place for it to be set up (on a table, near a wall plug, and perhaps near a telephone outlet or cable modem outlet) 4. Walk the new user through setting up the computer, printer and modem, one step at a time, then through testing it out, and 5. Ask the new user if they want Internet access, and if so walk them through the options, and then ask them to call back once they have chosen one. There is a another set of steps for the ISP installation phone call. Once the ISP is operational, there is another set of steps for opening a browser, for using e-mail, for using an online messenger (such as Instant Messenger),for using Internet telephony, and for using (free multi-tool office software program) Open Office. These are all described in plain English in the manual, but are also available by telephone. After e-mail is set up, the New user is asked to practice this by sending the online T.A. person questions by e-mail or Messenger. Gradually, e-mail and messaging are increased, but telephone is always an option. Another set of steps -- and perhaps a different person -- for the software installation Another set of steps for an introduction to installing and using the CD-ROM introduction to using the software. A new person -- a mentor or tutor who is available to answer questions about the instruction software and/or the online learning environment. The student (no longer a "new person" is asked to enroll in an introductory online course on using Open Office ( and maybe internet telephony and other tools) while beginning a course or computer-assisted instruction module in an adult education or Literacy topic area/level. The student is increasingly connected through e-mail, internet telephony and messaging, to other students in the course or study area the student is interested in. Community begins to be built. A tutor and/or mentor is still always available, but now there are others who can help, too, people online who are: "study buddies", online learning group members, resource people, etc. At this point perhaps there is an environment like AlphaRoute (see free guided tour at http://english.alpharoute.org/) which by design helps to build community online. Also, at this point the learner is encouraged to consider talking about this online way of learning with friends and family to see if they want to enroll too. From this point on, the lessons, the virtual learning environment, and the tutor/mentor all refer to other ways of learning: self-study, online research, online tutorials, online study diads, study groups, courses, online apprenticeships, internet telephone conferencing (maybe even video conferencing) etc. so that the student fully uses the online learning community as well as becoming a good information researcher and independent learner. The goal is to have the online community be as fully interactive as a good family, classroom, club, faith-based, or other community where one feels a sense of purpose, belonging and connectedness, caring and support. What would you (anyone reading this) add to or change in this scenario? What's missing? What other ways (radio, or videocassettes, for example) could supplement some of these steps? Does anyone know of an existing model that looks something like this? Could anyone envision this happening with a handheld device -- a Blackberry or Ipod telephone -- instead of a desktop computer? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Nov 23, 2005, at 11:39 AM, Bennett, Gina wrote: > Hi David, let me see if I can respond to your questions re: > AlphaRoute. > > AlphaRoute has been, until fairly recently, an online literacy > resource > mostly limited to the province of Ontario. It is gradually being > rolled > out nationally & my college has been a bit of a pioneer, pilotting > it in > the province of BC. Our students have really enjoyed their AlphaRoute > involvement. Our experience indicates that as long as the mentor has a > positive attitude towards learning with the computer, the learner > welcomes the computer as a learning tool. > > The mentors for our project have all been volunteers. We provide a > half-day training session (either in small groups or one-to-one) & > then > we support the mentors mostly by email or phone afterwards. Each > learner > is paired with one mentor, although occasionally a mentor will support > more than one learner. The mentor usually tries to meet with the > learner > (in person) once a week, & then responds to messages, marks completed > assignments, & gives feedback by email. Of course, they also provide > that essential 'soft' support: encouragement, problem-solving, & > modelling good learning behaviour. Sometimes they use the phone. > > (In Ontario, it's my understanding that instructors in literacy > programs > provide the mentorship role to a group of their students, as a part of > their paid work.) > > You asked: what else does this system need in order to function > well at > a distance? I think if the learner already 'has a life' online (e.g. > checks email regularly, uses a webcam perhaps, chats with friends), > then > they would be able to participate in a supportive relationship with > their mentor online. But it takes a while for some learners to get > that > comfortable with the technology. The technology really has to become > transparent for them (or for anybody!) before they can "feel" the > support, encouragement etc. through/in spite of the medium. Just my > opinion, of course -- but if the learners don't feel a support > network, > many of them will fail to persevere. That distance support network has > to become tangible. > > You also asked: Why couldn't friends and families of learners enroll > together (i.e. to build & extend the learning community)? Well, of > course they COULD! It's just... I think this is an area that's not > researched well enough yet. How do we develop, promote, & extend > online > learning communities for literacy-level students? How do we create an > online "sense of place" & provide an effective, warm online support > system? > > Gina > >> >> ------------------- >> Gina Bennett >> eLearning Support & Coordination >> College of the Rockies >> Box 8500 >> Cranbrook, BC V1C 5L7 >> 250.489.8287 >> > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From porter_d at pacbell.net Sat Nov 26 13:03:17 2005 From: porter_d at pacbell.net (porter_d) Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 10:03:17 -0800 Subject: [Technology] distance course evaluation References: <20051125164302.8885.qmail@web31212.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <025801c5f2b3$adcd2e20$6401a8c0@Dennisvaio> Mr. Madyarov and colleagues The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) annually reviews adult school distance learning programs. They served about 50,000 learners in program year 2003-04. We have access to three data sets -- each of the annual applications, statewide student demographics and progress measures, and statewide standardized reading and listening pre and post tests for ESL, adult basic education, and GED/high school students. We compare some of the student demographics and key performance measures with the performance of classroom students, giving us a good picture of comparative effectiveness. Because there are very good historical data on learning gains, we can compare distance learning effectiveness against the normed data. While this does not address your need for a theoretical framework, it does suggest a very useful basis for examining and defending distance learning program utility. For me there should be three meta evaluation measures -- program effectiveness, program efficiency, and program equity. We examine all three in these annual reviews. They can be found at www.cdlponline.org. Click on "For Adult Educators," then "Research" and finally "California Distance Learning Research." Our most recent study will be posted the week of November 28th, 2005. Dennis Porter CDLP 510.644.0437 www.cdlponline.org ----- Original Message ----- From: Irshat Madyarov To: nifl-technology at nifl.gov Sent: Friday, November 25, 2005 8:43 AM Subject: [Technology] distance course evaluation Dear all, Is anyone aware of an approach (approaches) to evaluating effectiveness of distance language courses? I'm looking for something that can be used as the main theoretical framework for course evaluations in the field of distance learning (DL), or if possible, more specifically, DL and language instruction. Thank you! Irshat Madyarov, PhD student in Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Technology, University of South Florida ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yahoo! Personals Single? There's someone we'd like you to meet. Lot's of someone's, actually. Yahoo! Personals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051126/385b33dc/attachment.html From smilin7 at direcway.com Sun Nov 27 15:51:34 2005 From: smilin7 at direcway.com (smilin7 at direcway.com) Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 15:51:34 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: <95b4997b06.97b0695b49@direcway.com> Hello David (you had a busy Thanksgiving weekend -- do you ever relax away from the computer? Hope so!) and all, Interesting ponderings.... a few notes below: <>>> *Some people are just determined to try things themselves -- and succeed partially -- or get so frustrated they give up -- and let someone else use the machine, or try again days/weeks later -- I think an oft-times crucial step is to have someone at the GET-GO -- for many folks, a real live person is needed at this step -- more than a phone call -- this is the group of people I'd like to reach more of! So, although there are possibilities with this outline, it is still not enough for a certain target population -- BUT... if we reach one group, and expand the knowledge base, these folks might BE the human connect for their neighbors, friends, etc... SO -- they make the first phone call and... it works! Hooray! [I've actually been at this point -- more times than I like to confess -- when I'll postpone weeks/months to make the phone call (hating to sound stupid, to admit I can't figure it out myself, afraid I'll be hours on the phone with no results -- like what used t o happen... but the past several experiences have been wonderful! Fast, competent, pleasant service -- I do believe things are improving!] <<>> I still think some sort of intervention on a f2f level is necessary. One program in our area, Computers4Kids, www.computers4kids.net has a great program -- I've seen its benefits spread from the children to the families/adults/friends within the smaller community networks -- I think this type of grassroots effort, although slower, has stronger positive effects... building community awareness and goodwill along the way, uncovering and encouraging chidren's talents, more. I think the community building needs to start sooner. I like the breadth of ideas you suggest -- and the ideas they'll give others -- Again, I'll plead the case for Moodles -- http://www.moodle.org -- I love the community aspect they build, the ease of maintenance, Re: <> ...or newer advanced cellphones, even? yes! I believe this could happen -- and that the next few years will see amazing changes in the use of computers by a greater majority of people -- as folks use them at work in many different ways, it will ease their familiarity with other products at home... as schools, including community schools and adult ed programs, expand their knowledge base, it will burgeon -- but I FEAR that funding changes could 'force'/coerce people into losing the options of the vital f2f piece -- and I believe that human real connect is still crucial! I don't want to see technology do it all... Holly Charlottesville City Schools Adult Education Program Charlottesville VA From djrosen at comcast.net Sun Nov 27 21:08:27 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:08:27 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: <95b4997b06.97b0695b49@direcway.com> References: <95b4997b06.97b0695b49@direcway.com> Message-ID: <0BBD4FB2-4FBA-4B2F-9ECF-7E91DF069B39@comcast.net> Hello Holly and others, I agree that a blended model (FL plus F2F) would, in most cases, be preferred, and that face-to-face is especially valuable at the beginning in working with those who have little or no computer experience and who may also be new to adult literacy education/ English language learning) . However,when I launched this discussion I set out some ground rules -- which you might have missed -- that no face-to-face was possible. The situation we are responding to is one where -- because of an epidemic like Asian Bird Flu -- face-to-face instruction would not be possible, and all learning, for a time, would rely on pure distance learning options. The idea is 1) to prepare for this possibility, hoping against hope that we never have to implement this, and 2) in exploring a pure DL- only model to think together about how to use online and other technology possibilities that we have not thought of or given much attention to before. I would like to hear from those who see possibilities for the use of radio and TV for distance learning, and from those who have ideas about how telephone could be better used, in combination with radio, TV, CD-ROM, DVD, videotape and/or online instruction. Also, what about snail mail? When I was a kid I subscribed to something called "Things of Science" which mailed me a box of science experiments each month. This was fun, and I also learned science. Would something like this be useful for GED prep or adult diploma students? If so, what should it look like for adults? What else could snail mail be used for? Delivery of CD-ROMs and DVDs? Anything else? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Nov 27, 2005, at 3:51 PM, smilin7 at direcway.com wrote: > Hello David (you had a busy Thanksgiving weekend -- do you ever > relax away from the computer? Hope so!) > and all, > > Interesting ponderings.... a few notes below: > > < technology. In this scenario I am assuming that a potential adult > learner has little or no experience with a computer and does not own > one. > > Let's assume we have a learner with intermediate level literacy > skills in English who has a new (for her) computer and an interest > in getting online to take a basic skills course, but has not > purchased Internet service. She gets a one-page, easy-to-read notice > with the computer (which she got inexpensively on a one-year or two- > year lease/purchase agreement) which says "For help in setting up > your computer, call this phone number." Online technical assistance > is provided 24/7 by a pool of people who have been adult learners who > now have their high school equivalencies. They have been trained to > help new users set up their computers and to help them with basic > computer operations. They are backed up by techies. When they talk > with a new user for the first time, they: > > 1. Explain that they are there to help, that the service is free, > that the new user can call as often as she wishes > 2. Give their name and phone extension (or other identifier) so that > the new user could ask for them by name > 3. Ask the new user, if this hasn't been done yet, to take the > computer (monitor, internal CD-ROM player, printer, hard copy > manuals, software and surge protector) out of the box and choose a > place for it to be set up (on a table, near a wall plug, and perhaps > near a telephone outlet or cable modem outlet) > 4. Walk the new user through setting up the computer, printer and > modem, one step at a time, then through testing it out, and > 5. Ask the new user if they want Internet access, and if so walk them > through the options, and then ask them to call back once they have > chosen one.>>>> > > > *Some people are just determined to try things themselves -- > and succeed partially -- or get so frustrated they give up -- and > let someone else use the machine, or try again days/weeks later -- > I think an oft-times crucial step is to have someone at the GET-GO > -- for many folks, a real live person is needed at this step -- > more than a phone call -- this is the group of people I'd like to > reach more of! So, although there are possibilities with this > outline, it is still not enough for a certain target population -- > BUT... if we reach one group, and expand the knowledge base, these > folks might BE the human connect for their neighbors, friends, > etc... SO -- they make the first phone call and... it works! > Hooray! [I've actually been at this point -- more times than I > like to confess -- when I'll postpone weeks/months to make the > phone call (hating to sound stupid, to admit I can't figure it out > myself, afraid I'll be hours on the phone with no results -- like > what used t > o happen... but the past several experiences have been wonderful! > Fast, competent, pleasant service -- I do believe things are > improving!] > > > > << call. > > Once the ISP is operational, there is another set of steps for > opening a browser, for using e-mail, for using an online messenger > (such as Instant Messenger),for using Internet telephony, and for > using (free multi-tool office software program) Open Office. These > are all described in plain English in the manual, but are also > available by telephone. After e-mail is set up, the New user is > asked to practice this by sending the online T.A. person questions by > e-mail or Messenger. Gradually, e-mail and messaging are increased, > but telephone is always an option.>>> > > I still think some sort of intervention on a f2f level is > necessary. One program in our area, Computers4Kids, > www.computers4kids.net has a great program -- I've seen its > benefits spread from the children to the families/adults/friends > within the smaller community networks -- I think this type of > grassroots effort, although slower, has stronger positive > effects... building community awareness and goodwill along the way, > uncovering and encouraging chidren's talents, more. > > I think the community building needs to start sooner. > > I like the breadth of ideas you suggest -- and the ideas they'll > give others -- > > Again, I'll plead the case for Moodles -- http://www.moodle.org > -- I love the community aspect they build, the ease of maintenance, > > Re: < a Blackberry or Ipod telephone -- instead of a desktop computer?>> > ...or newer advanced cellphones, even? > > yes! I believe this could happen -- and that the next few years > will see amazing changes in the use of computers by a greater > majority of people -- as folks use them at work in many different > ways, it will ease their familiarity with other products at home... > as schools, including community schools and adult ed programs, > expand their knowledge base, it will burgeon -- but I FEAR that > funding changes could 'force'/coerce people into losing the options > of the vital f2f piece -- and I believe that human real connect is > still crucial! > > I don't want to see technology do it all... > Holly > > Charlottesville City Schools Adult Education Program > Charlottesville VA > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From BENNETT at cotr.bc.ca Mon Nov 28 11:12:21 2005 From: BENNETT at cotr.bc.ca (Bennett, Gina) Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 09:12:21 -0700 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? Message-ID: Hi David (& others) I think your proposed model sounds pretty good! My comments are more in the line of 'tweaks': -- the telephone support you describe for a brand-new computer user sounds thorough, friendly, & realistic. The system may need a bit of adaptation to work well in a rural environment (perhaps just by adding a toll-free number which could be rotated among volunteers). We may also have to work harder to promote the service since there is less likelihood of the availability of a standard, one-to-two year inexpensive lease arrangement (such as you describe). -- the telephone-mediated 'walk through' to get the new user up & running would be very challenging. I know, because I do this kind of work on a regular basis (as part of my paid position & as a volunteer). Of course, it becomes more & more challenging as the literacy level, spoken/understood English level, & comfort level with technology decreases. One of the main contributing factors to the difficulty is that (it seems) everybody has such wildly differing configurations! In my community, at least, some new users will have IBM-type clones, some will have Macs, & many will have acquired older, recycled computers. Operating systems will differ. Setting up a dial-up connection can be highly variable (depending on ISP) while setting up a broadband connection can be more straightforward. Wireless connection can be easy or complicated depending on all of the above factors. How could this be addressed? As the volunteer base grows, helpers could specialize... A 'specialist' could be called, for example, if a Mac needs to be set up or if the second-hand computer has already been badly infected with viruses. -- Software setups also vary an awful lot. I like your idea of starting with one application (e.g. a CD-ROM or DVD learning guide), leading to working on specific tasks (e.g. starting an online module about Open Office). However, most learners will probably use Internet Explorer to start using the internet & they will almost immediately be infected with some scumware or malware bug. Similar problems arise if the learner uses a well-known email client (e.g. Outlook). What can be done about this? I'd like to see (at least) one other commonality added to the plan. Ideally, some kind of highly customized 'Live CD' (e.g. Ubuntu Live - http://www.ubuntulinux.org/) could be produced. All the learner would have to do is to start up the computer with the CD or DVD & everything -- the operating system, the office program, the internet browser, the email client -- would be right there & running. If something went wrong (e.g. virus infection), the learner could just pop in the CD & start over, fresh. Holly mentions Moodle & I think that could also be a good start: I've used Moodle with VERY new users & have found it to be a friendly, easy-to-use, hard-to-get-lost learning environment. For those who are unfamiliar: Moodle is an online learning environment that includes chat, instant messaging, a discussion board, & a way to connect learners with documents & outside websites -- all contained within the learning environment. Best of all from my perspective, when a learner has problems, I can go in as instructor/administrator & I can easily check the logs to see exactly what the learner tried or did when the problem occurred. It sure makes it easier to troubleshoot issues when we are (literally) all on the same page! Another possibility would be an easy-to-use desktop sharing application (e.g. Shinkuro http://www.shinkuro.com/products.php). This would enable me, as the volunteer or instructor, to see exactly what the learner sees when something goes wrong. Shinkuro also includes some very nice, super easy-to-use chat/messaging tools. The whole thing is about building a sense of community online. Once the learner is comfortable & feels connected, the technology 'disappears' & it becomes just people talking to people. I don't think it is ever a matter of 'technology doing it all'! Gina From Tanya.Shuy at ed.gov Mon Nov 28 14:01:27 2005 From: Tanya.Shuy at ed.gov (Shuy, Tanya) Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:01:27 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Moderated Lists Begin Today Message-ID: Dear Discussion List Participants, Today, the National Institute for Literacy is moving the discussion lists to a fully moderated format. Our goal is to enhance professional development for educators and practitioners through ongoing opportunities to learn, discuss, and reflect on critical literacy issues. There will be no significant changes in the way you receive your discussion list mail. Each list will have a moderator who will facilitate dialogue about the latest literacy research and its applications to instructional practice; promising policies and practices -- in addition to promoting the exchange of ideas, resources, and experience. The moderator will review messages posted to the list daily, prior to releasing it to subscribers. Please review the Discussion List Guidelines http://dev.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guidelines.html for more information. As subscribers, you can continue to post to the list, the list email address is: technology at dev.nifl.gov This list is moderated by Mariann Fedele. The purpose of this list is to provide an on-going professional development forum to discuss on best technology practices, technology capacity and infrastructure, technical assistance and support, and innovative uses of technology in adult literacy. We encourage discussion list participants to focus your contributions to the Technology and Literacy list. Your comments, suggestions, references, and ideas posted to the discussion lists continue to serve as resources for enhancing the field's capacity and knowledge base. We encourage open discourse and an exchange of information, ideas, and practices among all list subscribers. As in the past, differences in perspectives and ideas are welcome, especially when they are voiced in the spirit of inquiry, curiosity, and mutual respect. Thank you for your dedication to this online community. We look forward to sharing and learning with you. Sincerely, Tanya Shuy and Mary Jo Maralit National Institute for Literacy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051128/d0329134/attachment.html From pshapiro at his.com Mon Nov 28 14:14:58 2005 From: pshapiro at his.com (Phil Shapiro) Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:14:58 -0500 Subject: [Technology] testing out the prodigem video distribution service Message-ID: <1133205298.438b573262460@webmail.his.com> hi nifl-technology people - i'm testing out a neat new web video distribution service that distributes video via bittorrent (which means that everyone downloading the video is also uploading it to others.) this service, prodigem.com, allows you to distribute your video for free or for a fee. i'm testing out the fee-based distribution. here's a 26 minute quicktime video (220 megabytes in file size) i created abou the life of the wright brothers. this quicktime file can be downloaded from http://www.prodigem.com/torrents/torrent_988.html i should explain that you first need to download bittorrent (free) to your computer from http://www.bittorrent.com i'm expecting the prodigem download might be slower than a typical web download. you might want to do this download overnight. after the file has downloaded, if you leave the bittorrent software running, then other people who purchase this quicktime will be able to download part of the file from you (using some of your upstream bandwidth.) this process is called "seeding" a file. think of it in the same way as giving blood to the red cross. what could be some uses of prodigem? someone could create a community videocast for their neighborhood or county and have paid subscribers (or free subscribers) to that videocast. the videocast could also be participatory, with people submitting short video clips (in DV format) using the free service http://yousendit.com literacy organizations could also created a videocast for their friends and supporters. i imagine there might be a few other uses, too. - phil shapiro washington dc just give a holler if you'd like to download this video file from another location -- without the $3 fee. i can get the web site address for that to any interested member of NIFL-Technology list. -- Phil Shapiro pshapiro at his.com http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro http://www.digitaldivide.net/blog/pshapiro http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html "Wisdom starts with wonder." - Socrates From mariannf at lacnyc.org Mon Nov 28 14:37:52 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:37:52 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Moderated Lists Begin Today In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051128143752.00d97f90@mail.psnyc.com> Hello Colleagues, Today, the Technology list is switching to fully-moderated mode! NIFL has been planning this change for some time in terms of the technology and policy. As far as the tech goes, it doesn't look like we are in for any major glitches. However, as we know when we use new tech we should be ready for the unexpected! So, I'll ask for your forebearance and patience in advance. If you experience any problems major or minor don't hesitate to get in touch with me. As far as policy goes, Tanya Shuy annd Mary Jo Maralit have sent messages to the list. You can find the NIFL discussion lists policy at: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guidelines.html If you have any questions I encourage you to ask them. Feel free to send any questions to the Technology list or to me off list. The core mission of this list remains the same, so to does the most important and central aspect of the list: You! Your participation, questioning, and sharing is what makes the Technology list a robust community, and what will keep it that way. This will be a learn-as-we-go experience, but as educators and technology advocates we should be able to brook any issues that emerge. With best regards, Mariann Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From maureenh at azcallateen.k12.az.us Mon Nov 28 17:05:44 2005 From: maureenh at azcallateen.k12.az.us (maureen hoyt) Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 15:05:44 -0700 Subject: [Technology] Distance Learning . . . option or necessity/ ACCESSissues/Curriculum Message-ID: <77B24677B57F9646B244B93AE6B95C7989AF2C@acat-exch.azcallateen.k12.az.us> For low and high secondary, I'd recommend GED Interactive by McGraw Hill. The McGraw Hill site also has chapter review lessons and quizzes on line free. -----Original Message----- From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 8:26 PM To: The Technology & Literacy Discussion List Subject: Re: [Technology] Distance Learning . . . option or necessity/ ACCESSissues/Curriculum Hello Karen and others, Access is important. I agree that any system needs to provide options for those who don't have access to or don't want to use computers. I think that Snail Mail and telephone, along with videotapes/DVDs and radio and/or TV broadcasts, should be the elements of a low-tech DL system. Both the high tech and low-tech systems need a curriculum -- actually several curricula -- one for each level of ELL and ABE and ASE (including transition to college). We have national content standards now : EFF and SCANS, for example. And some of the DL products may be considered a curriculum (for one or two levels at least, but I think there is a great deal of work to be done in this area. Let me try something, and see what you think: Suppose we used the NRS levels for ELL and ABE (not because they are exemplary but because many people are familiar with them) and tried to identify existing online or other digital curricula for each of these. What would work, and what would be the gaps. I'll start by adding a few products for examples -- but please offer suggestions of other digital curricula which could be used -- and tell me if I misunderstood the range of the curriculum products I listed. I have only listed products which might be considered a curriculum, not supplementary digital instruction or broadcast materials. ELL/ESOL/ESL LEVELS 1. Beginning ESL Literacy 2. Beginning ESL 3. Low Intermediate ESL (English for All, Crossroads Cafe, Connect with English) 4. High Intermediate ESL (English for All, Crossroads Cafe, Connect with English) 5. Low Advanced ESL 6. High Advanced ESL ABE LEVELS 1. Beginning ABE Literacy 2. Beginning Basic Education (PLATO, Skills Tutor) 3. Low Intermediate Basic Education (PLATO, Skills Tutor) 4. High intermediate Basic education (PLATO, Skills Tutor) 5. Low Adult Secondary education (PLATO, Skills Tutor, GED Connection) 6. High Adult Secondary education (PLATO, Skills Tutor, GED Connection) WORKPLACE and WORKFORCE SKILLS Workplace Essential Skills David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Nov 23, 2005, at 8:26 AM, Karen Layton wrote: > David: > > So now you have taken me out of my comfortable position of lurker, > smack into what will become, no doubt, a lively exchange of ideas, > opinions, and experiences. Thanks David, for inspiring me to get > out of > my zone. > > For the past five years, I have been working with distance GED > students. The majority of these students participate in what would be > considered a correspondence course. Most of the contact is through > mail > or by phone, with an occasional drop-in tutoring session. Few students > request an online course. Even those whose initial request for course > information is via online registration, later explain that they do not > have computer access and had used a friend's or family member's > computer to register online. > > This experience leads me to believe that the best distance avenue for > the adult literacy population is through the most accessible > technologies- mail, phone, tv/video or radio. Of course, each of > these > has its particular strengths, and matching those to the content > areas is > key. But this is a given. What is really important is the > accessibility > issue- it does no good to develop an online course, when no one can > "virtually" get there. I've learned this from experience. > There are students who may never own a computer- and I just can't see > leaving them behind because of the lack thereof. There will be > discussion about doing these students a disservice by not forcing them > to use technology, but many will be exposed to computers in their > jobs, > and the options for those jobs will broaden once they complete the > GED. > I don't mean to imply that the correspondence-type course is the only > means to be offered. We offer the student online instruction as well, > and it is largely the student's choice of medium. > > You've provided for quite a broad discussion here. There is much to > discuss here, but I wanted to dwell on the access issue as a first > response. > > Thanks again, David, for the inspiration. > > > > Karen Layton, M.Ed. > Instructional Manager, Technology and Distance Education > Center for Adult Literacy & Basic Workforce Development > Northampton Community College > 570-688-9173 > klayton at northampton.edu > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From mthacher at otan.us Tue Nov 29 10:02:16 2005 From: mthacher at otan.us (Marian Thacher) Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 07:02:16 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Gina and Everyone, I'm responding to the question of how to build online community. I think the biggest ingredient is motivation. I'm thinking of some teen-agers in my neighborhood. For a while they were online all the time, day and night, sneaking online at 3 a.m. to the despair of their parents, because they had an intense form of community in their chatrooms that included kids from all over the world. (Of course, there was a big motivator here - hormones!) As these kids got driver's licences, things changed. They didn't need the online community as much, because they weren't as isolated. My point is, our learners don't need to have online communities, or cell phone communities, or whatever, right now if they can go to school. If the bird flu scenario David describes occurs, we will be a lot more isolated than we are right now, and our motivation to find other modes of community will be heightened. That motivation might help overcome resistance to the potentially embarrassing tech support phone call, plus, you might have the sense that others around you are doing the same thing, which is reassuring. Marian Thacher Outreach & Technical ASsistance Network Sacramento, CA "The Technology & Literacy Discussion List" on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 at 8:48 AM -0800 wrote: >So in answer to your question: what's missing in our current systems? I >would respond: a strong virtual community that can sustain the learner >through periods of physical separation, or at least until the learner >develops a sense of virtual identity & of 'being' online. I would LOVE >to do some research on this: what kinds of activities create a sense of >community online? There's been quite a bit done in this area for >postsecondary learners, but what's effective for literacy learners? I >think we need to go beyond the notion of just creating an "online >learning community" (lots on that) -- we need to research strategies >that will bring the literacy learner's existing community (maybe just >the family during a quarantine) into the fold. Stream of conciousness >here: I think we need to find ways to overlap the learner's current >community with their learning community. This, of course, is not just >true for distance learning modalities but for any kind of literacy >learning venture. But we will have to think outside the box to make this >work for distance education. From mthacher at otan.us Tue Nov 29 11:58:29 2005 From: mthacher at otan.us (Marian Thacher) Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 08:58:29 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Technology integration videos online Message-ID: In case you're looking for visual examples of effective integration of technology in the adult ed classroom, OTAN has some videos posted at http://www.otan.us/Itap/. Click on Video Gallery. The latest ones are of a teacher using an Interactive whiteboard with ESOL learners. You can see examples of activities using a projected Web site, dragging text and objects, and making instructional software a whole group activity. They will help you visualize what a class can do with an interactive whiteboard if you haven't seen one being used. There are also examples of using portable keyboards for writing practice, ABE students making a calendar, technology use in a high school diploma lab, and more. If you check these out, let me know if there are other technology integration strategies you would like to see videos of. Always looking for new ideas. Marian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The practical problem of the teacher is to preserve a balance between so little showing and telling as to fail to stimulate reflection and so much as to choke thought." --John Dewey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marian Thacher, Coordinator of Technology Projects OTAN mthacher at otan.us www.otan.us From irshat at yahoo.com Wed Nov 30 23:18:28 2005 From: irshat at yahoo.com (Irshat Madyarov) Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:18:28 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Technology] distance course evaluation In-Reply-To: <025801c5f2b3$adcd2e20$6401a8c0@Dennisvaio> Message-ID: <20051201041829.99388.qmail@web31201.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dear Mr. Porter, I really appreciate your input. I'm going to look at the website you sent me in more detail. Yours, Irshat Madyarov. porter_d wrote: Mr. Madyarov and colleagues The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) annually reviews adult school distance learning programs. They served about 50,000 learners in program year 2003-04. We have access to three data sets -- each of the annual applications, statewide student demographics and progress measures, and statewide standardized reading and listening pre and post tests for ESL, adult basic education, and GED/high school students. We compare some of the student demographics and key performance measures with the performance of classroom students, giving us a good picture of comparative effectiveness. Because there are very good historical data on learning gains, we can compare distance learning effectiveness against the normed data. While this does not address your need for a theoretical framework, it does suggest a very useful basis for examining and defending distance learning program utility. For me there should be three meta evaluation measures -- program effectiveness, program efficiency, and program equity. We examine all three in these annual reviews. They can be found at www.cdlponline.org. Click on "For Adult Educators," then "Research" and finally "California Distance Learning Research." Our most recent study will be posted the week of November 28th, 2005. Dennis Porter CDLP 510.644.0437 www.cdlponline.org ----- Original Message ----- From: Irshat Madyarov To: nifl-technology at nifl.gov Sent: Friday, November 25, 2005 8:43 AM Subject: [Technology] distance course evaluation Dear all, Is anyone aware of an approach (approaches) to evaluating effectiveness of distance language courses? I'm looking for something that can be used as the main theoretical framework for course evaluations in the field of distance learning (DL), or if possible, more specifically, DL and language instruction. Thank you! Irshat Madyarov, PhD student in Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Technology, University of South Florida --------------------------------- Yahoo! Personals Single? There's someone we'd like you to meet. Lot's of someone's, actually. Yahoo! Personals --------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://dev.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology --------------------------------- Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs. Try it free. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051130/7aa46c96/attachment.html From djrosen at comcast.net Thu Dec 1 22:26:27 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 22:26:27 -0500 Subject: [Technology] DL Discussion Archived on ALE Wiki Message-ID: Technology Colleagues, I am archiving the discussion we have been having about Distance Learning (under dire circumstances where face-to-face is not possible). you will find it on the ALE Wiki at: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/AleTechnologyPureDL So, if you would like to catch up -- and add your thoughts -- it's now all in one easy-to-find place. Now it's time to get to some of the hard parts of this scenario -- beginning literacy and English language learning levels. Assuming no face-to-face contact is possible. how in the world can beginning level ESOL/ESL students learn English this way? And how can beginning level literacy students learn to read and write? Is it impossible, or just very difficult? If you think it's possible, tell us how. We need a lot of hard thinking and creativity for this part. Give it a shot. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From djrosen at comcast.net Thu Dec 1 22:30:18 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 22:30:18 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Tech Glossary Message-ID: <920B45EA-F5F5-4348-BCF2-AAE96FFDBAB8@comcast.net> Technology Colleagues, The ALE Wiki has a glossary with a pretty well-developed technology section. So, if any of the terms or acronyms you see on this list are baffling, check it out http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ALEGlossary If there is a term which should be define there, but isn't, add it (or ask me to) along with a definition (if you have one.) David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From djrosen at comcast.net Fri Dec 2 09:21:03 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 09:21:03 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Tech Glossary In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Mrian, On Dec 2, 2005, at 9:12 AM, Marian Thacher wrote: > Wow, the glossary has really grown and been reformatted since I last > looked at it! I was thinking of adding a term - ELR or electronic > learning > resource, but now I'm not sure where to start. Would I add the term > in the > tech glossary, add the definition page, then add a link also in the > ale > glossary? Add [[ELR]] to http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ALEGlossary#F-J Then click on the ELR hotlink and a new page will open. Put the definition there and save it. Now it's in the general glossary. Next go to the Tech Glossary http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ TechGlossary and add in [[ELR]] there. All the best, David > ----- Original Message ----- > > Thursday, December 01, 2005 7:30:18 PM > Bulk Message > From: "The Technology & Literacy Discussion List" > > David Rosen > Subject: [Technology] Tech Glossary > To: "The List Technology & Literacy Discussion" > > > Technology Colleagues, > > The ALE Wiki has a glossary with a pretty well-developed technology > section. So, if any of the terms or acronyms you see on this list are > baffling, check it out > > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/ALEGlossary > > If there is a term which should be define there, but isn't, add it > (or ask me to) along with a definition (if you have one.) > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > From djrosen at comcast.net Sun Dec 4 11:09:21 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 11:09:21 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Online Communities of Practice Message-ID: Colleagues, Robert Kelley, a member of the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Distance Learning Advisory Board, posted the message below about online communities of practice to the Advisory Board's Moodle. With his permission, I am re-posting it here. Do you participate in an online CoP? If so, tell us about it. Who organized it? For what purpose(s)? How does it work? What do you see as its benefits for you and others? Is this discussion forum a CoP for you? If so, tell us why. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ----- I have been interested in and am currently working on developing online communities of practice (CoP's) for teachers and administrators. CoP's can be defined as small groups of people held together by ?a common sense of purpose and a real need to know what each other knows... an effective hothouse in which new ideas germinate, new methods and tools are developed, and new communities are rooted. The CoP can help professionals gain access to, and facility with, ideas, methods, content, and colleagues; help novices learn about the profession through apprenticeship and peripheral participation; and enable journeymen to become valued resources and community leaders through informal mentoring and participation in multiple work groups." [ http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/papers/2002/TIEvolution.pdf ] A community of practice is also a ?community that learns.? Not merely peers exchanging ideas around the water cooler, sharing and benefiting from each other?s expertise, but colleagues committed to jointly develop better practices.? In the CoP literature, learning is viewed as a social activity that occurs as newcomers and journeymen move through an established community?s professional hierarchy toward expertise. Learning opportunities occur primarily through informal interaction among colleagues in the context of work. Newcomers gain access to the community?s professional knowledge in authentic contexts through encounters with people, tools, tasks, and social norms. New practices and technologies are adopted by the CoP through the evolution of practice over time. Thus, a CoP can be an effective hothouse in which new ideas germinate, new methods and tools are developed, and new communities are rooted. I've listed some papers that explore the theory and practical sides of CoP's. The first link has research from one of the longest running projects, called Tapped_In. It's pretty technical but deep into the paper it discusses the common issues: http://tappedin.org/tappedin/ web/papers/2002/TIEvolution.pdf Some easier reading includes: http://www.fullcirc.com/community/ communitywhatwhy.htm http://www.fullcirc.com/community/networkscatalystscommunity.htm Bob Kelley ----- From gwilliams at glcac.org Mon Dec 5 09:53:30 2005 From: gwilliams at glcac.org (Williams, Gayle) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 09:53:30 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Online Communities of Practice Message-ID: We discuss issues and common concerns over the Even Start list serve. -----Original Message----- From: David Rosen [mailto:djrosen at comcast.net] Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2005 11:09 AM To: The Discussion List Adult Literacy Professional Development; The Discussion List Technology & Literacy Subject: [Technology] Online Communities of Practice Colleagues, Robert Kelley, a member of the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Distance Learning Advisory Board, posted the message below about online communities of practice to the Advisory Board's Moodle. With his permission, I am re-posting it here. Do you participate in an online CoP? If so, tell us about it. Who organized it? For what purpose(s)? How does it work? What do you see as its benefits for you and others? Is this discussion forum a CoP for you? If so, tell us why. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ----- I have been interested in and am currently working on developing online communities of practice (CoP's) for teachers and administrators. CoP's can be defined as small groups of people held together by "a common sense of purpose and a real need to know what each other knows... an effective hothouse in which new ideas germinate, new methods and tools are developed, and new communities are rooted. The CoP can help professionals gain access to, and facility with, ideas, methods, content, and colleagues; help novices learn about the profession through apprenticeship and peripheral participation; and enable journeymen to become valued resources and community leaders through informal mentoring and participation in multiple work groups." [ http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/papers/2002/TIEvolution.pdf ] A community of practice is also a 'community that learns.' Not merely peers exchanging ideas around the water cooler, sharing and benefiting from each other's expertise, but colleagues committed to jointly develop better practices." In the CoP literature, learning is viewed as a social activity that occurs as newcomers and journeymen move through an established community's professional hierarchy toward expertise. Learning opportunities occur primarily through informal interaction among colleagues in the context of work. Newcomers gain access to the community's professional knowledge in authentic contexts through encounters with people, tools, tasks, and social norms. New practices and technologies are adopted by the CoP through the evolution of practice over time. Thus, a CoP can be an effective hothouse in which new ideas germinate, new methods and tools are developed, and new communities are rooted. I've listed some papers that explore the theory and practical sides of CoP's. The first link has research from one of the longest running projects, called Tapped_In. It's pretty technical but deep into the paper it discusses the common issues: http://tappedin.org/tappedin/ web/papers/2002/TIEvolution.pdf Some easier reading includes: http://www.fullcirc.com/community/ communitywhatwhy.htm http://www.fullcirc.com/community/networkscatalystscommunity.htm Bob Kelley --------------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at dev.nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051205/e8241576/attachment.html From MMaralit at NIFL.gov Tue Dec 6 10:04:03 2005 From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo) Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:04:03 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Subject: Join the NAAL mailing list Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0B932A75@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov> Posted by request from the National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will soon be releasing the results of its 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) studies. To receive notification about NAAL upcoming reports and other products, simply fill out a short online form at http://www.edpubs.org/register/NAAL/ or call us at 1-877-433-7827. You will be included on the NAAL mailing list only if we hear from you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051206/7051e7af/attachment.html From mark.schlager at sri.com Tue Dec 6 20:20:39 2005 From: mark.schlager at sri.com (Mark Schlager) Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2005 17:20:39 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Online Communities of Practice In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: David, Robert, and others, I've enjoyed lurking on this list. As founder and director of Tapped In, the site (and research) the Robert mentioned, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about our site and our research. Our latest paper on communities of practice is published in two places, The Information Society journal (2003), and in an edited volume Schlager, M. S. and Fusco, J. (2004). Teacher professional development, technology, and communities of practice: Are we putting the cart before the horse? In S. Barab, R. Kling, and J. Gray (Eds.) Designing Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning. Cambridge University Press. A draft copy is at http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/papers/ best, mark On Dec 4, 2005, at 8:09 AM, David Rosen wrote: > Colleagues, > > Robert Kelley, a member of the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education > Distance Learning Advisory Board, posted the message below about > online communities of practice to the Advisory Board's Moodle. With > his permission, I am re-posting it here. Do you participate in an > online CoP? If so, tell us about it. Who organized it? For what > purpose(s)? How does it work? What do you see as its benefits for you > and others? Is this discussion forum a CoP for you? If so, tell us > why. > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > ----- > > I have been interested in and am currently working on developing > online communities of practice (CoP's) for teachers and > administrators. > > CoP's can be defined as small groups of people held together by ?a > common sense of purpose and a real need to know what each other > knows... an effective hothouse in which new ideas germinate, new > methods and tools are developed, and new communities are rooted. The > CoP can help professionals gain access to, and facility with, ideas, > methods, content, and colleagues; help novices learn about the > profession through apprenticeship and peripheral participation; and > enable journeymen to become valued resources and community leaders > through informal mentoring and participation in multiple work groups." > [ http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/papers/2002/TIEvolution.pdf ] > > A community of practice is also a ?community that learns.? Not merely > peers exchanging ideas around the water cooler, sharing and benefiting > from each other?s expertise, but colleagues committed to jointly > develop better practices.? In the CoP literature, learning is viewed > as a social activity that occurs as newcomers and journeymen move > through an established community?s professional hierarchy toward > expertise. > > Learning opportunities occur primarily through informal interaction > among colleagues in the context of work. Newcomers gain access to the > community?s professional knowledge in authentic contexts through > encounters with people, tools, tasks, and social norms. New practices > and technologies are adopted by the CoP through the evolution of > practice over time. Thus, a CoP can be an effective hothouse in which > new ideas germinate, new methods and tools are developed, and new > communities are rooted. > > I've listed some papers that explore the theory and practical sides of > CoP's. The first link has research from one of the longest running > projects, called Tapped_In. It's pretty technical but deep into the > paper it discusses the common issues: > http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/papers/2002/TIEvolution.pdf > > Some easier reading includes: > http://www.fullcirc.com/community/communitywhatwhy.htm > http://www.fullcirc.com/community/networkscatalystscommunity.htm > > Bob Kelley > --------------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at dev.nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > Mark Schlager Associate Director of Learning Communities Center for Technology in Learning SRI International 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025 mark.schlager at sri.com (p) 650-859-2881 (fax) 650-859-3673 ctl.sri.com www.tappedin.org www.cltnet.org -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 4120 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051206/34e2f9e1/attachment.bin From bmoon at teachertech.us Wed Dec 7 10:52:53 2005 From: bmoon at teachertech.us (Bruce Moon) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 07:52:53 -0800 Subject: [Technology] Online Communities of Practice In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20051207155254.B48BC4664F@dev.nifl.gov> A true community of practice, global in scope, is Webheads. Started as a leadin to international TESOL conventions for the showcasing of the use of technology in the teaching of English as a second/foreign language, Webheads in Action has evolved into an ongoing Yahoo group with weekly meetings in Tapped In and a recent online "Online Convergence". I participate minimally (the e-mail volume can be massive at times), but many participate very actively, sharing their work in countries around the world. To checkout Webheads, you can go to Vance Steven's Geocitities page at http://www.geocities.com/vance_stevens/papers/evonline2002/webheads.htm or the Yahoo Groups site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/becomingwebhead/ Bruce Moon Adult ESL teacher Rio Linda, CA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051207/ed58a66b/attachment.html From MMaralit at NIFL.gov Thu Dec 8 16:51:04 2005 From: MMaralit at NIFL.gov (Maralit, Mary Jo) Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 16:51:04 -0500 Subject: [Technology] NAAL Webcast on Dec. 15 Message-ID: <4062487BDB6029428A763CAEF4E1FE5B0B932AC0@wdcrobe2m03.ed.gov> Join us for a LIVE webcast of a new release from the National Center for Education Statistics ? A First Look at the Literacy of America?s Adults in the 21st Century WHEN: December 15, 2005 9:30 a.m. ? 10:30 a.m. EST For more information about this webcast, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/ or http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/20051215/webcast12-15.html (Please access the site 30 minutes prior to the event to follow the webcast guidelines.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- The U.S. Department of Education?s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) invites you to view the live webcast of the release of the first national findings on adult literacy since 1992. Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) will be released on December 15 at 9:30 a.m. EST. At that time, NCES will release two initial reports on NAAL: A First Look at the Literacy of America?s Adults in the 21st Century presents key results?including changes in adult literacy since 1992 and performance by gender, race/ethnicity, age, language spoken before starting school, educational attainment, and employment status. A companion report, Key Concepts and Features of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, describes the assessment?s key features and major data types. These reports will be available online at http://nces.ed.gov/naal beginning at 9:30 a.m. EST. An online live chat moderated by NCES Associate Commissioner Peggy Carr will be available to all at 1:00 p.m. EST, December 15, at the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/naal. Jaleh Behroozi Soroui Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI) American Institutes for Research 1990 K Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202/403-6958 email: jsoroui at air.org From djrosen at comcast.net Tue Dec 13 07:51:16 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 07:51:16 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Message-ID: <52FD6321-5CD7-4D85-B898-3A2A81C0136B@comcast.net> Technology colleagues, What are the best choices for a really inexpensive new home computer which has Internet access capability? It could be a desktop or laptop. It would be for a very low-income adult learner who has little or no experience using computers. It would be used in many ways, but would would need to be able to access the Web for distance learning instruction sites, including wireless access. One example is a $300 computer, described in my July posting here http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Cheap_Computers The M.I.T. laptop (under $100) might be another -- someday -- but I am looking for currently available models. Can anyone point us to one for under $300? I am raising this in the context of helping adult learners in North America to buy a home computer, so I am also interested in hearing about your experiences in helping learners do this. What do you find works and what doesn't? Are there ways that students help each other to buy a computer? Do you, as a teacher, help students to figure out how to buy a computer? To you cover this in class? (Should you?) Do you have lessons on this you could share? Here's a Web resource, on E-square (an electronic square for adult learners in the Boston area) which is designed for adult students exploring buying a home computer: "How to Buy and Use a Computer" http://www.sabes.org/technology/buycomputer/ David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Tue Dec 13 15:25:08 2005 From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu) Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:25:08 -0700 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers In-Reply-To: <52FD6321-5CD7-4D85-B898-3A2A81C0136B@comcast.net> Message-ID: Hi David and all, Another good possibility is to have students watch for schools to hold auctions. I know that the school district where my husband works and the college where I work often hold auctions and sell used computers that are still quite usable for a really low price, like < $100. Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu David Rosen Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov 12/13/2005 05:51 AM Please respond to The Technology and Literacy Discussion List To technology at nifl.gov cc Subject [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Technology colleagues, What are the best choices for a really inexpensive new home computer which has Internet access capability? It could be a desktop or laptop. It would be for a very low-income adult learner who has little or no experience using computers. It would be used in many ways, but would would need to be able to access the Web for distance learning instruction sites, including wireless access. One example is a $300 computer, described in my July posting here http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Cheap_Computers The M.I.T. laptop (under $100) might be another -- someday -- but I am looking for currently available models. Can anyone point us to one for under $300? I am raising this in the context of helping adult learners in North America to buy a home computer, so I am also interested in hearing about your experiences in helping learners do this. What do you find works and what doesn't? Are there ways that students help each other to buy a computer? Do you, as a teacher, help students to figure out how to buy a computer? To you cover this in class? (Should you?) Do you have lessons on this you could share? Here's a Web resource, on E-square (an electronic square for adult learners in the Boston area) which is designed for adult students exploring buying a home computer: "How to Buy and Use a Computer" http://www.sabes.org/technology/buycomputer/ David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051213/8b9291ea/attachment.html From Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Wed Dec 14 11:26:13 2005 From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu (Tina_Luffman at yc.edu) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 09:26:13 -0700 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051214/0c6f71b1/attachment.html From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Dec 14 11:57:21 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 11:57:21 -0500 Subject: [Technology] online PD opportunity In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051214115721.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> Hello All, This message from Bill McNutt may be of interest to you. Regards, Mariann **************** The final deadline for registration is creeping up on us! The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, and the Ohio Literacy Resource Center at Kent State University are proud to announce the opening of registration for our winter distance learning courses. Overviews of each course, as well as the start dates, are outlined below. Each course is a carefully-paced, facilitated training opportunity for adult education professionals. Each one has been piloted, reviewed, and offered previously to excellent reviews. More information and registration can be found at: http://www.aeprofessional.org. __________________________________________________ Integration of Technology into the Adult Education Classroom Course begins January 9, 2006 Cost - $149/person Facilitator: Linda Eckert, AE Pro Developer Have you ever tried to blindly put a puzzle together without knowing what the final picture will look like? This may be what is happening to you when you are trying to integrate computer technology into your classroom. This course will provide quick access to educational resources, lesson plans, activities, tools for evaluating educational software, information about purchasing educational software, and knowledge to help you utilize a variety of software applications and web-based activities in the classroom. Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. __________________________________________________ ESOL Basics January 9, 2006 Cost - $149/person Facilitator: Claire Valier, ESOL Coordinator and Certified CASAS Trainer Do you need to know the basics of ESOL instruction? Through this online course, you will learn how to identify characteristics of adult ESOL learners, effective methods of teaching languages, the four language skills, and how adults learn another language. Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. ___________________________________________________ Adult Education Teacher and Student Course begins January 9, 2006 Cost - $149/person Facilitator: Debra L. Hargrove, AE Pro Developer How Do We Teach Adults? Research investigating adults as learners concludes that adults learn differently than children. If that premise is true, then why do we so often teach them both in the same way? In truth, many practitioners come to adult education with little or no background in "adults as learners." Through this online course, you will look at "who is the adult learner" by looking at background statistics on "who takes the GED", learning disabilities in adults, and what brain research says about how adult learners learn best. Online activities, discussion boards and assessments will keep you engaged. Bill McNutt Technology Coordinator, AEProfessional Project University of Tennessee, Center for Literacy Studies http://www.aeprofessional.org Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Dec 14 12:33:09 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 12:33:09 -0500 Subject: [Technology] NAAL's webcast In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051214123309.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> ************************************************************* Join us for a LIVE webcast of a new release from the National Center for Education Statistics - "A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century." WHEN: December 15, 2005 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EST For more information about this webcast, go to: or (Please access the site 30 minutes prior to the event to follow the webcast guidelines.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) invites you to view the live webcast of the release of the first national findings on adult literacy since 1992. Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) will be released on December 15 at 9:30 a.m. EST. At that time, NCES will release two initial reports on NAAL. "A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century" presents key results - including changes in adult literacy since 1992 and performance by gender, race/ethnicity, age, language spoken before starting school, educational attainment, and employment status. A companion report, "Key Concepts and Features of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy," describes the assessment's key features and major data types. These reports will be available online at beginning at 9:30 a.m. EST. An online, live chat moderated by NCES Associate Commissioner, Peggy Carr, will be available to all at 1:00 p.m. EST, December 15, at the NCES website at . Jaleh Behroozi Soroui Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI) American Institutes for Research 1990 K Street, NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 202/403-6958 email: jsoroui at air.org Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From rboone at vineland.org Wed Dec 14 13:31:53 2005 From: rboone at vineland.org (richard boone) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 13:31:53 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <001401c600dc$a7d46ec0$0a02120a@schools.vineland.org> This may not apply to all, but the best place to look is the Sunday advertisements. This past week I saw new fast computers with monitors and CD_RW for $299 from big store chains (I'm in the Philadelphia area). No, it's not $100, but I was amazed at how low the price is getting. RB _____ From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 11:26 AM To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensivehome computers Hi NIFL, I also asked my husband last night and he said that another way for students to save money is to buy computers with Linux since it saves the $100+ operating system fee for Windows. He has heard of groups buying up laptops and desktop computers with Linux operating systems to send to third world countries. Some computers are even made with hand cranks for power generation. In Cottonwood, AZ where I live there is actually a non-profit business that recycles computers that people donate and then gives them away to those who can't afford a computer. Another idea--my daughter's friend just came home from two years in Morocco with the Peace Corps, and her question is this: What is the greater global concern, the technology gap or the literacy gap? What good are computers if the people cannot read in their own language? I do believe that computers are great tools for learning how to read in their own language. Any other input? Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: ----- To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov Date: 12/13/2005 01:25PM Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Hi David and all, Another good possibility is to have students watch for schools to hold auctions. I know that the school district where my husband works and the college where I work often hold auctions and sell used computers that are still quite usable for a really low price, like < $100. Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu David Rosen Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov 12/13/2005 05:51 AM Please respond to The Technology and Literacy Discussion List To technology at nifl.gov cc Subject [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Technology colleagues, What are the best choices for a really inexpensive new home computer which has Internet access capability? It could be a desktop or laptop. It would be for a very low-income adult learner who has little or no experience using computers. It would be used in many ways, but would would need to be able to access the Web for distance learning instruction sites, including wireless access. One example is a $300 computer, described in my July posting here http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Cheap_Computers The M.I.T. laptop (under $100) might be another -- someday -- but I am looking for currently available models. Can anyone point us to one for under $300? I am raising this in the context of helping adult learners in North America to buy a home computer, so I am also interested in hearing about your experiences in helping learners do this. What do you find works and what doesn't? Are there ways that students help each other to buy a computer? Do you, as a teacher, help students to figure out how to buy a computer? To you cover this in class? (Should you?) Do you have lessons on this you could share? Here's a Web resource, on E-square (an electronic square for adult learners in the Boston area) which is designed for adult students exploring buying a home computer: "How to Buy and Use a Computer" http://www.sabes.org/technology/buycomputer/ David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051214/7287899d/attachment.html From cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca Wed Dec 14 15:48:53 2005 From: cook.sandra at northlandscollege.sk.ca (Cook.Sandra) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 14:48:53 -0600 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensivehome computers In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <000101c600ef$cbdefc50$786dbd0a@nlcadmin.ca> We have similar programs here in Canada. Where you can put your name on a list for computers if you are of low income. Also there is a program called Sasktel Pioneers that refurbish computers to give to school programs. I am finding more and more of these programs all over Canada. Sandra _____ From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 10:26 AM To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensivehome computers Hi NIFL, I also asked my husband last night and he said that another way for students to save money is to buy computers with Linux since it saves the $100+ operating system fee for Windows. He has heard of groups buying up laptops and desktop computers with Linux operating systems to send to third world countries. Some computers are even made with hand cranks for power generation. In Cottonwood, AZ where I live there is actually a non-profit business that recycles computers that people donate and then gives them away to those who can't afford a computer. Another idea--my daughter's friend just came home from two years in Morocco with the Peace Corps, and her question is this: What is the greater global concern, the technology gap or the literacy gap? What good are computers if the people cannot read in their own language? I do believe that computers are great tools for learning how to read in their own language. Any other input? Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: ----- To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov Date: 12/13/2005 01:25PM Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Hi David and all, Another good possibility is to have students watch for schools to hold auctions. I know that the school district where my husband works and the college where I work often hold auctions and sell used computers that are still quite usable for a really low price, like < $100. Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu David Rosen Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov 12/13/2005 05:51 AM Please respond to The Technology and Literacy Discussion List To technology at nifl.gov cc Subject [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Technology colleagues, What are the best choices for a really inexpensive new home computer which has Internet access capability? It could be a desktop or laptop. It would be for a very low-income adult learner who has little or no experience using computers. It would be used in many ways, but would would need to be able to access the Web for distance learning instruction sites, including wireless access. One example is a $300 computer, described in my July posting here http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Cheap_Computers The M.I.T. laptop (under $100) might be another -- someday -- but I am looking for currently available models. Can anyone point us to one for under $300? I am raising this in the context of helping adult learners in North America to buy a home computer, so I am also interested in hearing about your experiences in helping learners do this. What do you find works and what doesn't? Are there ways that students help each other to buy a computer? Do you, as a teacher, help students to figure out how to buy a computer? To you cover this in class? (Should you?) Do you have lessons on this you could share? Here's a Web resource, on E-square (an electronic square for adult learners in the Boston area) which is designed for adult students exploring buying a home computer: "How to Buy and Use a Computer" http://www.sabes.org/technology/buycomputer/ David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology ---------------------------------------------------- National Insitute for Literacy Technology and Literacy mailing list Technology at nifl.gov To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051214/51824ed2/attachment.html From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Dec 14 16:04:17 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 16:04:17 -0500 Subject: [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051214123309.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051214160417.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> Hello All, The following message is from Barb Garner. Best, Mariann *************** The newest issue of "Focus on Basics" is now on NCSALL's web site, http://www.ncsall.net. It's on ESOL and features research from NCSALL?s ESOL Lab School. Steve Reder, director of the ESOL Lab School, a partnership of Portland State University and Portland Community College, describes the research and how it is conducted. Kathryn Harris reports on one aspect of her study of pair work in the ESOL classroom. Learners she studied individualized their pair work, adapting the activities to their language learning needs. Pair activities are provided by Donna Moss of Arlington, VA. Sustained silent reading has been found to encourage many students to read: does it do the same with beginning-level ESOL learners? It is a viable practice with this group, explain Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet, who participated in this Lab School study. To improve their students? speaking and listening skills, teachers often set up conversation groups. What if the conversation leaders were university students who studied immigration and cultural adaptation as well as strategies for initiating and keeping conversations going? Betsy Kraft chronicles her classes? experiences leading conversations with Lab School students. Anyone who has taught an ESOL class with students from a variety of language backgrounds has noticed the chatter that goes on, in English, during breaks. Dominique Brillanceau was curious about whether this casual conversation occurs in class as well, and, if it does, what role it plays in learning. Starting conversations can be hard for anyone; it?s even harder in a new language. John Hellermann explored the nuance of initiating and turn-taking in conversations in Lab School classes. Some ESOL learners get stuck, and teachers struggle to find out why. Robin Schwarz, now of Ohio, shares case studies from her years of work with ESOL learners and teachers and provides tips on how to find out what might be the problem. And the development of NCSALL's Health Literacy Study Circle+ guide is chronicles by Winston Lawrence, NY, and Lisa Soricone, NCSALL. Happy Reading!Barb GarnerEditor Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From mariannf at lacnyc.org Thu Dec 15 13:02:06 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 13:02:06 -0500 Subject: [Technology] NAAL Report In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051214123309.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> References: Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051215130206.00d52220@mail.psnyc.com> For IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 14, 2005 Contact: Larry McQuillan (202) 403-5119 Louise Kennelly (202) 403-5817 State Assessments of Adult Literacy to be Released in Coordination with National Assessment of Adult Literacy WASHINGTON ? The Department of Education?s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will be releasing the first report based on data from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy on Thursday, December 15, 2005. The report, A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century will be available on the NCES website: www.nces.ed.gov/naal. The reports from five states who purchased a state sample in coordination with the NAAL will also be released on Thursday, December 15th at 9:30 AM. These states are Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New York. These reports will be available at www.air.org/naal. Oklahoma's report is currently being reviewed by state staff and will be released shortly. AIR?s team was led by Vice President Mark Kutner, and Elizabeth Greenberg, St?phane Baldi, and Justin Baer. They were responsible for preparing the national and state reports. For additional information, contact Larry McQuillan, AIR?s director of communications, at (202) 403-5119. About AIR The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is an independent, not-for- profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research on important social issues and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and workforce productivity. ### Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Thu Dec 15 14:35:27 2005 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 19:35:27 -0000 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers References: Message-ID: <003e01c601ae$b3991850$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> Hi NIFLers, Tina writes: "What is the greater global concern, the technology gap or the literacy gap? What good are computers if the people cannot read in their own language? I do believe that computers are great tools for learning how to read in their own language." Surely the illiteracy gap is more important than the technology gap. Computers are pretty useless without literacy. And the Internet is mostly in English. Computers can be used to teach English and literacy at the same time. For example Cloudworld's software, WordAloud, has been used on cheap computers in Sri Lanka, running Windows. (I'm told the computers cost about $100 including the OS). WordAloud features a large character, word-at-a-time display. Thus text on a 15" screen can be seen and read at the back of the class. The software can be used for writing as well as reading. The teacher can use the screen instead of flash cards. Better still, the teacher can make the constituent sounds/phonemes of a word while typing the corresponding letters/graphemes. Thus the teacher can demonstrate segmentation of words into sounds for spelling. Then, in reading back the text, the teacher can demonstrate blending of sounds into words for decoding, as well as explaining the meaning of new words. (BTW, segmentation and blending are the essential skills taught "first and fast" in synthetic phonics, recently accepted for the literacy strategy in England. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm.) After a lesson, pupils/students try reading and writing by themselves. There is a built-in speech synthesiser, to help the pupils. Optionally pictures can be displayed alongside text to help in comprehension and so the pupils can associate meaning with the words. (BTW, there is a free demo of WordAloud you can download from the Cloudworld web site: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/.) So a lot can be done with a cheap computer and inexpensive software. (Cloudworld offered WordAloud free to schools in Sri Lanka because of the tsunami.) Cheers from Chiswick. John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 4:26 PM Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensivehome computers Hi NIFL, I also asked my husband last night and he said that another way for students to save money is to buy computers with Linux since it saves the $100+ operating system fee for Windows. He has heard of groups buying up laptops and desktop computers with Linux operating systems to send to third world countries. Some computers are even made with hand cranks for power generation. In Cottonwood, AZ where I live there is actually a non-profit business that recycles computers that people donate and then gives them away to those who can't afford a computer. Another idea--my daughter's friend just came home from two years in Morocco with the Peace Corps, and her question is this: What is the greater global concern, the technology gap or the literacy gap? What good are computers if the people cannot read in their own language? I do believe that computers are great tools for learning how to read in their own language. Any other input? Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: ----- To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov Date: 12/13/2005 01:25PM Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Hi David and all, Another good possibility is to have students watch for schools to hold auctions. I know that the school district where my husband works and the college where I work often hold auctions and sell used computers that are still quite usable for a really low price, like < $100. Tina Tina Luffman Coordinator, Developmental Education Verde Valley Campus 928-634-6544 tina_luffman at yc.edu David Rosen Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov 12/13/2005 05:51 AM Please respond to The Technology and Literacy Discussion List To technology at nifl.gov cc Subject [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers Technology colleagues, What are the best choices for a really inexpensive new home computer which has Internet access capability? It could be a desktop or laptop. It would be for a very low-income adult learner who has little or no experience using computers. It would be used in many ways, but would would need to be able to access the Web for distance learning instruction sites, including wireless access. One example is a $300 computer, described in my July posting here http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Cheap_Computers The M.I.T. laptop (under $100) might be another -- someday -- but I am looking for currently available models. Can anyone point us to one for under $300? [snip] From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Thu Dec 15 17:52:04 2005 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 22:52:04 -0000 Subject: [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" References: <3.0.6.32.20051214160417.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <00b101c601ca$2ba31f10$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> Hello all, I am trying to find out how one should teach literacy skills to adults. It has been suggested on several lists to visit the NCSALL web site, and look at research. So I looked at the site and found the EBAEP model (draft for comment), http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/ebaep_model_monograph.pdf, which is about Evidence-Based Adult Education, to find out what evidence there was to support particular approaches to literacy, such as systematic/synthetic phonics versus whole language. There was almost nothing there. Worse, the teachers are expected to evaluate the research themselves, to decide how best to teach! But no sources were given as to where there is good evidence for one method or another. In particular I looked at pages 77-78, the section 27 on "Instructional approaches". Quoting from this: "Teachers need to understand why to use a particular technique, not just how to use it; they need the underlying foundational theory of teaching and learning that will allow them to integrate new thinking with new actions." Now I know for children about the foundational theory, and evidence in practice, that systematic phonics works. On the other hand, there is no scientific theory, or evidence, that the whole language approach works - because it doesn't. See Scientific American, March 2002. (And mixing methods doesn't work either.) The March 2002 Scientific American put it well: "Because the controversy [between phonics and whole-language] is enmeshed in the philosophical differences between traditional and progressive approaches. The progressives challenge the results of laboratory tests and classroom studies on the basis of a broad philosophical skepticism about the value of such research." In other words, they are willing to ignore solid research that contradicts their beloved theories, theories that keep kids from reading. So I am trying to find if anybody has used systematic/synthetic phonics on adults, because if it works on children I see no reason why it should not work on adults, given suitable initial teaching material (so as not to appear "childish"). The phonics approach must: 1. establish that the alphabetic principle is fully understood by the student; 2. work on phonemic awareness, so that all 44 phonemes can be recognised within words; 3. make sure common letter-sound (grapheme-phoneme) correspondences are known; 4. work on the basic skill of segmentation (for spelling); 5. work on the basic skill of blending (for decoding and reading). After a basic reading skill level has been reached, with simple reading material: 6. add vocabulary to allow comprehension of increasingly advanced reading material. It seems to me, as a scientist by training, that the above approach is sound. The evidence of the Clackmannanshire study, shows that the approach works for everybody, including 'dyslexics' and childen with special needs. In this study of 300 children in a deprived area of Scotland there were no non-readers after synthetic phonics had been introduced! Anyway, the UK government is now convinced, and is going to adopt synthetic phonics for schools. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm. Should we adopt it for adults? Cheers from Chiswick, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mariann Fedele" To: "The Technology and Literacy Discussion List" Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 9:04 PM Subject: [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" Hello All, The following message is from Barb Garner. Best, Mariann *************** The newest issue of "Focus on Basics" is now on NCSALL's web site, http://www.ncsall.net. It's on ESOL and features research from NCSALL's ESOL Lab School. From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Fri Dec 16 17:06:19 2005 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 22:06:19 -0000 Subject: [Technology] [FocusOnBasics] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" References: <3.0.6.32.20051214160417.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> <00b101c601ca$2ba31f10$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> <1237593.1134728126@1234cumminjo> Message-ID: <016601c6028c$f1ee4880$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> Hi John, Thanks for your explanation, though that ebaep model on the NCSALL site _does_ include recommendations about teaching practice. Looking at http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/, which you recommended, it seems that there are various 'profiles' under which readers come. No doubt this depends on how, and how successfully, they were taught in the first place. Unfortunately the matching process doesn't tell you anything about that. What we do know is that nearly all people who have a reading difficulty have missed out on some stage - one of the 6 that I mentioned. Very often it is phonemic awareness. But also the alphabetic principle may not be grasped. A very telling remark is made in a paper by Hager, actually at the NCSALL site. Hager details the use of phonics in his/her teaching of adults: " The volunteers [teachers] are also surprised that students do not feel insulted or embarrassed working with the letters of the alphabet and reading texts that may appear babyish. On the contrary, after years of only using a hit or miss approach, my students are extremely relieved to discover that reading involves patterns of letters with predictable sounds. " Is there other research which supports these findings? It seems that the phonics which Hager espouses has disappeared from the NCSALL consciousness. Phonics is one of the key aspects of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel, yet NCSALL seems to ignore it. See for example http://www.ncsall.net/?id=912 on reading instruction. I am very puzzled. Surely there is some research to back Hager. Cheers from Chiswick, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Comings" To: "John Nissen" Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 3:15 PM Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" > The document you gained access to is about everything except the specific > approaches to teaching literacy, numeracy, English, and the skills and > knowledge needed to pass the GED test. It is about the infrastructure and > very little of that has scientific research to back it up. Why for > example do you have school buildings with teachers and desks? Is there a > study to show that is more effective than having a big room with pillows? > So, it would not have dealt with an approach to teaching reading. > > However, we do support the components approach to teaching reading, and > for those adults whose reading is constrained by poor decoding skills, > they should be addressed. However, many of the adults who come to our > classes can decode but have low fluency and low oral vocabularies. We draw > from the scientific research on teaching those two skills when giving > advice about teaching reading. You might look at a site we set up and > maintain for NIFL: > > > > or at our site you might look at the reading study circle guide linked on > the home page. > > --On Thursday, December 15, 2005 10:52 PM +0000 John Nissen > wrote: > >> >> Hello all, >> >> I am trying to find out how one should teach literacy skills to adults. >> It has been suggested on several lists to visit the NCSALL web site, and >> look at research. >> >> So I looked at the site and found the EBAEP model (draft for comment), >> http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/ebaep_model_monograph. >> pdf, which is about Evidence-Based Adult Education, to find out what >> evidence there was to support particular approaches to literacy, such as >> systematic/synthetic phonics versus whole language. There was almost >> nothing there. Worse, the teachers are expected to evaluate the research >> themselves, to decide how best to teach! But no sources were given as to >> where there is good evidence for one method or another. >> >> In particular I looked at pages 77-78, the section 27 on "Instructional >> approaches". Quoting from this: >> "Teachers need to understand why to use a particular technique, not just >> how to use it; they need the underlying foundational theory of teaching >> and learning that will allow them to integrate new thinking with new >> actions." >> >> Now I know for children about the foundational theory, and evidence in >> practice, that systematic phonics works. On the other hand, there is no >> scientific theory, or evidence, that the whole language approach works - >> because it doesn't. See Scientific American, March 2002. (And mixing >> methods doesn't work either.) >> >> The March 2002 Scientific American put it well: "Because the controversy >> [between phonics and whole-language] is enmeshed in the philosophical >> differences between traditional and progressive approaches. The >> progressives challenge the results of laboratory tests and classroom >> studies on the basis of a broad philosophical skepticism about the value >> of such research." In other words, they are willing to ignore solid >> research that contradicts their beloved theories, theories that keep >> kids from reading. >> >> So I am trying to find if anybody has used systematic/synthetic phonics >> on adults, because if it works on children I see no reason why it should >> not work on adults, given suitable initial teaching material (so as not >> to appear "childish"). The phonics approach must: >> >> 1. establish that the alphabetic principle is fully understood by the >> student; >> 2. work on phonemic awareness, so that all 44 phonemes can be >> recognised within words; >> 3. make sure common letter-sound (grapheme-phoneme) correspondences are >> known; >> 4. work on the basic skill of segmentation (for spelling); >> 5. work on the basic skill of blending (for decoding and reading). >> >> After a basic reading skill level has been reached, with simple reading >> material: >> >> 6. add vocabulary to allow comprehension of increasingly advanced >> reading material. >> >> It seems to me, as a scientist by training, that the above approach is >> sound. The evidence of the Clackmannanshire study, shows that the >> approach works for everybody, including 'dyslexics' and childen with >> special needs. In this study of 300 children in a deprived area of >> Scotland there were no non-readers after synthetic phonics had been >> introduced! >> >> Anyway, the UK government is now convinced, and is going to adopt >> synthetic phonics for schools. See >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm. Should we adopt it for >> adults? >> >> Cheers from Chiswick, >> >> John [snip] > > John Comings, Director > National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy > Harvard Graduate School of Education > 7 Appian Way > Cambridge MA 02138 > (617) 496-0516, voice > (617) 495-4811, fax > (617) 335-9839, mobile > john_comings at harvard.edu > http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu From djrosen at comcast.net Sat Dec 17 09:45:17 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 09:45:17 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Chatter Bots and English language learning Message-ID: <2FA0E121-90DF-4DA2-9FBF-8019BD769FC5@comcast.net> Colleagues, Could "Chatter Bots" be useful for improving fluency in writing in English? What's a "Chatter Bot?" Bob Rankin writes: "The first bot, Eliza, was created in 1966 by Professor Joseph Weizenbaum of MIT, to study natural language communication between man and machine. Eliza parodies a therapist by answering questions with questions.... Although Eliza is almost 40 years old, you can still have a chat with her any time. ALICE (Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity) is a more sophisticated program that creates the illusion of natural conversation. ALICE can even tell lies, spread gossip, and is credited with influencing several real world happenings. There are lots more interesting chatterbots, like BRIAN (a computer program that thinks it is an 18 year old college student), and the John Lennon bot. You can visit them and many other chatterbots too." http://www.askbobrankin.com/bots_and_intelligent_agents.html If you want to chat with "A.L.I.C.E." (free) go to http://www.pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=f5d922d97e345aa1 Here's an example of a conversation I just had with ALICE: Human: Hello Alice ALICE: Hi there! Human: Where are you? ALICE: I am in Dr. Richard S. Wallace's computer in Oakland, California. Where are you? Human: In Boston ALICE: Tell me a little about your life in Boston. Human: It's cold here now. ALICE: Oh. Why don't you turn up the heat? Human: I am a student, studying English. ALICE: How do you like your school? Human: I love it. ALICE: So do a lot of other people. Human: Do you know people from my school? ALICE: I don't know if I know it. Where would I have heard about it? Human: It's famous. ALICE: Should I know it? Human: The International School of Boston ALICE: What are your goals in life? Human: I want to learn English, become a doctor and live in a big house. ALICE: Interesting. I want to find out more about you. Human: I am eligible ALICE: I don't know anyone named eligible. Human: I mean I am not married ALICE: Oh I get it. Thanks for explaining that. What a coincidence. I am single too. What other Chatter Bots are out there? For a good list, from BotSpot, got to http://www.botspot.com/pages/ chatbots.html . Some are free, some charge a monthly or annual fee. Do your students use chatterbots (a.k.a. natural language databases) ? If so, how? And what are some useful ways you have found to use them? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From djrosen at comcast.net Sat Dec 17 10:05:02 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 10:05:02 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Better Web Addresses for Chatter Bots Message-ID: Colleagues, Here are some better Web addresses for Chatter Bots: A.L.I.C.E. : http://www.alicebot.org/ ( at the top of the page -- click on A.L.I.C.E. in "Free Live Chat: with award winning A.I. chat A.L.I.C.E.) Chatter Bot List: http://www.botspot.com/pages/chatbots.html David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Dec 17, 2005, at 9:45 AM, David Rosen wrote: > Colleagues, > > Could "Chatter Bots" be useful for improving fluency in writing in > English? > What's a "Chatter Bot?" > > Bob Rankin writes: > > "The first bot, Eliza, was created in 1966 by Professor Joseph > Weizenbaum of MIT, to study natural language communication between > man and machine. Eliza parodies a therapist by answering questions > with questions.... Although Eliza is almost 40 years old, you can > still have a chat with her any time. > > ALICE (Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity) is a more > sophisticated program that creates the illusion of natural > conversation. ALICE can even tell lies, spread gossip, and is > credited with influencing several real world happenings. > > There are lots more interesting chatterbots, like BRIAN (a computer > program that thinks it is an 18 year old college student), and the > John Lennon bot. You can visit them and many other chatterbots too." > > http://www.askbobrankin.com/bots_and_intelligent_agents.html > > If you want to chat with "A.L.I.C.E." (free) go to > > http://www.pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=f5d922d97e345aa1 > > Here's an example of a conversation I just had with ALICE: > > Human: Hello Alice > ALICE: Hi there! > Human: Where are you? > ALICE: I am in Dr. Richard S. Wallace's computer in Oakland, > California. Where are you? > Human: In Boston > ALICE: Tell me a little about your life in Boston. > Human: It's cold here now. > ALICE: Oh. Why don't you turn up the heat? > Human: I am a student, studying English. > ALICE: How do you like your school? > Human: I love it. > ALICE: So do a lot of other people. > Human: Do you know people from my school? > ALICE: I don't know if I know it. Where would I have heard about it? > Human: It's famous. > ALICE: Should I know it? > Human: The International School of Boston > ALICE: What are your goals in life? > Human: I want to learn English, become a doctor and live in a big > house. > ALICE: Interesting. I want to find out more about you. > Human: I am eligible > ALICE: I don't know anyone named eligible. > Human: I mean I am not married > ALICE: Oh I get it. Thanks for explaining that. What a coincidence. > I am single too. > > > What other Chatter Bots are out there? > > For a good list, from BotSpot, got to http://www.botspot.com/pages/ > chatbots.html . Some are free, some charge a monthly or annual fee. > > Do your students use chatterbots (a.k.a. natural language > databases) ? If so, how? And what are some useful ways you have > found to use them? > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > > > > > > From djrosen at comcast.net Sat Dec 17 11:06:34 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2005 11:06:34 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Tina and others, The Simputer is an interesting example of a new, inexpensive computer -- it is produced in India and perhaps still only available there. It is a small, (under $200) portable computer (about the size of a PDA I think) and was designed both for low-literate adults and for those who want a very small, portable computer in addition to a home or work desktop. One can write on it -- with a stylus I think -- in one's Indian language or in English and the writing is saved as a text file which can be transmitted. One can also access the Web. it has a word processing and spreadsheet feature. I wonder if anyone on the Technology list has used a Simputer (combination of Simple and Computer) and can tell us more about it? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simputer and http://www.simputer.org/ David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net On Dec 14, 2005, at 11:26 AM, Tina_Luffman at yc.edu wrote: > Hi NIFL, > > I also asked my husband last night and he said that another way for > students to save money is to buy computers with Linux since it > saves the $100+ operating system fee for Windows. He has heard of > groups buying up laptops and desktop computers with Linux operating > systems to send to third world countries. Some computers are even > made with hand cranks for power generation. In Cottonwood, AZ where > I live there is actually a non-profit business that recycles > computers that people donate and then gives them away to those who > can't afford a computer. > > Another idea--my daughter's friend just came home from two years in > Morocco with the Peace Corps, and her question is this: What is the > greater global concern, the technology gap or the literacy gap? > What good are computers if the people cannot read in their own > language? I do believe that computers are great tools for learning > how to read in their own language. Any other input? > > Tina > > > > > Tina Luffman > Coordinator, Developmental Education > Verde Valley Campus > 928-634-6544 > tina_luffman at yc.edu > > -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: ----- > > To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List > From: Tina_Luffman at yc.edu > Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov > Date: 12/13/2005 01:25PM > Subject: Re: [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive > home computers > > > Hi David and all, > > Another good possibility is to have students watch for schools to > hold auctions. I know that the school district where my husband > works and the college where I work often hold auctions and sell > used computers that are still quite usable for a really low price, > like < $100. > > Tina > > > > Tina Luffman > Coordinator, Developmental Education > Verde Valley Campus > 928-634-6544 > tina_luffman at yc.edu > > > David Rosen > Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov > 12/13/2005 05:51 AM > Please respond to > The Technology and Literacy Discussion List > > > To > technology at nifl.gov > cc > > Subject > [Technology] Helping adult learners buy inexpensive home computers > > > > > > > Technology colleagues, > > What are the best choices for a really inexpensive new home computer > which has Internet access capability? > > It could be a desktop or laptop. It would be for a very low-income > adult learner who has little or no experience using computers. It > would be used in many ways, but would would need to be able to access > the Web for distance learning instruction sites, including wireless > access. > > One example is a $300 computer, described in my July posting here > > http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Cheap_Computers > > The M.I.T. laptop (under $100) might be another -- someday -- but I > am looking for currently available models. Can anyone point us to > one for under $300? > > I am raising this in the context of helping adult learners in North > America to buy a home computer, so I am also interested in hearing > about your experiences in helping learners do this. What do you find > works and what doesn't? Are there ways that students help each other > to buy a computer? Do you, as a teacher, help students to figure out > how to buy a computer? To you cover this in class? (Should you?) Do > you have lessons on this you could share? > > Here's a Web resource, on E-square (an electronic square for adult > learners in the Boston area) which is designed for adult students > exploring buying a home computer: "How to Buy and Use a Computer" > > http://www.sabes.org/technology/buycomputer/ > > David J. Rosen > djrosen at comcast.net > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology > ---------------------------------------------------- > National Insitute for Literacy > Technology and Literacy mailing list > Technology at nifl.gov > To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to > http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/technology From djrosen at comcast.net Mon Dec 19 07:52:34 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 07:52:34 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Chatter Bots and English Language Learning Message-ID: Colleagues, Could "Chatter Bots" be useful for improving fluency in writing in English? What's a "Chatter Bot?" Bob Rankin writes: "The first bot, Eliza, was created in 1966 by Professor Joseph Weizenbaum of MIT, to study natural language communication between man and machine. Eliza parodies a therapist by answering questions with questions.... Although Eliza is almost 40 years old, you can still have a chat with her any time. ALICE (Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity) is a more sophisticated program that creates the illusion of natural conversation. ALICE can even tell lies, spread gossip, and is credited with influencing several real world happenings. There are lots more interesting chatterbots, like BRIAN (a computer program that thinks it is an 18 year old college student), and the John Lennon bot. You can visit them and many other chatterbots too." http://www.askbobrankin.com/bots_and_intelligent_agents.html If you want to chat with "A.L.I.C.E." (free) go to http://www.alicebot.org/ ( at the top of the page -- click on A.L.I.C.E. in "Free Live Chat: with award winning A.I. chat A.L.I.C.E.) Here's an example of a conversation I had with ALICE: Human: Hello Alice ALICE: Hi there! Human: Where are you? ALICE: I am in Dr. Richard S. Wallace's computer in Oakland, California. Where are you? Human: In Boston ALICE: Tell me a little about your life in Boston. Human: It's cold here now. ALICE: Oh. Why don't you turn up the heat? Human: I am a student, studying English. ALICE: How do you like your school? Human: I love it. ALICE: So do a lot of other people. Human: Do you know people from my school? ALICE: I don't know if I know it. Where would I have heard about it? Human: It's famous. ALICE: Should I know it? Human: The International School of Boston ALICE: What are your goals in life? Human: I want to learn English, become a doctor and live in a big house. ALICE: Interesting. I want to find out more about you. Human: I am eligible ALICE: I don't know anyone named eligible. Human: I mean I am not married ALICE: Oh I get it. Thanks for explaining that. What a coincidence. I am single too. What other Chatter Bots are out there? For a good list, from BotSpot, go to http://www.botspot.com/pages/chatbots.html . Some are free, some charge a monthly or annual fee. Do your students use chatterbots (a.k.a. natural language databases) ? If so, how? And what are some useful ways you have found to use them? David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net From jn at cloudworld.co.uk Sun Dec 18 08:46:46 2005 From: jn at cloudworld.co.uk (John Nissen) Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2005 13:46:46 -0000 Subject: [Technology] [FocusOnBasics] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" References: <3.0.6.32.20051214160417.00d561a0@mail.psnyc.com> <00b101c601ca$2ba31f10$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> <1237593.1134728126@1234cumminjo> <016601c6028c$f1ee4880$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> <2779216.1134813348@[192.168.1.102]> Message-ID: <018701c603d9$81529f60$0402a8c0@Tomschoice> Hello John, Thanks for mentioning the book "Research-Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction" which I found described at: http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/html/adult_ed/adult_ed_1.html. I see you helped to create it, as acknowledged by the author. The book was the result of work by the Reading Research Working Group, similar to work done by the National Reading Panel, but concerning reading instruction for adults rather than children, and including studies related to the assessment of reading ability. In studying the research, and looking at the assessments and reading profiles, it must have become clear that the underlying cause of illiteracy in adults was that they had not been adequately taught phonemic awareness and phonics, with many not grasping the alphabetic principle (that written language is a coding of sounds). So that should have resulted in the recommendation for concentrating instruction on the first five of my six points of my original message: >>>> 1. establish that the alphabetic principle is fully understood by >>>> the >>>> student; >>>> 2. work on phonemic awareness, so that all 44 phonemes can be >>>> recognised within words; >>>> 3. make sure common letter-sound (grapheme-phoneme) correspondences >>>> are known; >>>> 4. work on the basic skill of segmentation (for spelling); >>>> 5. work on the basic skill of blending (for decoding and reading). >>>> >>>> After a basic reading skill level has been reached, with simple reading >>>> material: >>>> >>>> 6. add vocabulary to allow comprehension of increasingly advanced >>>> reading material. What I don't see is such a recommendation, which I find puzzling. Furthermore there should be strong emphasis on systematic and explicit phonics instruction, as exemplified in the method called synthetic phonics. I would suggest that synthetic phonics is an ideal basis for adult instruction, as it provides the simplest approach for the learner. It starts by avoiding confusing the learner with the many difficulties of the English language, and only slowly introduces complexities, once the basic principles of segmentation and blending have been established. It also reduces memory load, since the learner only has to remember sound-letter correspondences, and not hundreds of sight words and rhyming patterns. What we have learnt from Clackmannanshire is that synthetic phonics works for 100% of children. Now we need to see whether it works for adults. Is there any reason why it should not? Best regards, John John Nissen Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Comings" To: "John Nissen" Cc: ; "The Technology & Literacy Discussion List" ; ; "Debbie Hepplewhite" Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2005 2:55 PM Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" > The study circle guide is based on Research-Based Principles for Adult > Basic Education Reading Instruction, which summarizes all the scientific > research on the topic and does include phonics. NCSALL's profiles of adult > learners are based on research that employed extensive testing of the > components of reading, including decoding skills, and cluster analysis to > provide specific help. For some adults phonics is their biggest hurtle, > but for others it is not the limiting factor or one of several. > > --On Friday, December 16, 2005 10:06 PM +0000 John Nissen > wrote: > >> >> Hi John, >> >> Thanks for your explanation, though that ebaep model on the NCSALL site >> _does_ include recommendations about teaching practice. >> >> Looking at http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/, which you recommended, >> it seems that there are various 'profiles' under which readers come. No >> doubt this depends on how, and how successfully, they were taught in the >> first place. Unfortunately the matching process doesn't tell you >> anything about that. What we do know is that nearly all people who have >> a reading difficulty have missed out on some stage - one of the 6 that I >> mentioned. Very often it is phonemic awareness. But also the alphabetic >> principle may not be grasped. A very telling remark is made in a paper >> by Hager, actually at the NCSALL site. Hager details the use of phonics >> in his/her teaching of adults: >> >> " The volunteers [teachers] are also surprised that students do not feel >> insulted or embarrassed working with the letters of the alphabet and >> reading texts that may appear babyish. On the contrary, after years of >> only using a hit or miss approach, my students are extremely relieved to >> discover that reading involves patterns of letters with predictable >> sounds. " >> >> Is there other research which supports these findings? It seems that the >> phonics which Hager espouses has disappeared from the NCSALL >> consciousness. Phonics is one of the key aspects of reading instruction >> identified by the National Reading Panel, yet NCSALL seems to ignore it. >> See for example http://www.ncsall.net/?id=912 on reading instruction. I >> am very puzzled. Surely there is some research to back Hager. >> >> Cheers from Chiswick, >> >> John >> >> John Nissen >> Cloudworld Ltd - http://www.cloudworld.co.uk >> maker of the assistive reader, WordAloud. >> Try WordAloud with synthetic phonics: >> http://www.cloudworld.co.uk/teaching-synthetic-phonics.htm >> Tel: +44 208 742 3170 Fax: +44 208 742 0202 >> Email: info at cloudworld.co.uk >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Comings" >> To: "John Nissen" >> Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 3:15 PM >> Subject: Re: [FocusOnBasics] [Technology] New Issue of "Focus on Basics" >> >> >>> The document you gained access to is about everything except the >>> specific approaches to teaching literacy, numeracy, English, and the >>> skills and knowledge needed to pass the GED test. It is about the >>> infrastructure and very little of that has scientific research to back >>> it up. Why for example do you have school buildings with teachers and >>> desks? Is there a study to show that is more effective than having a >>> big room with pillows? So, it would not have dealt with an approach to >>> teaching reading. >>> >>> However, we do support the components approach to teaching reading, and >>> for those adults whose reading is constrained by poor decoding skills, >>> they should be addressed. However, many of the adults who come to our >>> classes can decode but have low fluency and low oral vocabularies. We >>> draw from the scientific research on teaching those two skills when >>> giving advice about teaching reading. You might look at a site we set >>> up and maintain for NIFL: >>> >>> >>> >>> or at our site you might look at the reading study circle guide linked >>> on the home page. >>> >>> --On Thursday, December 15, 2005 10:52 PM +0000 John Nissen >>> wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Hello all, >>>> >>>> I am trying to find out how one should teach literacy skills to adults. >>>> It has been suggested on several lists to visit the NCSALL web site, >>>> and look at research. >>>> >>>> So I looked at the site and found the EBAEP model (draft for comment), >>>> http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/ebaep_model_monograp >>>> h. pdf, which is about Evidence-Based Adult Education, to find out what >>>> evidence there was to support particular approaches to literacy, such >>>> as systematic/synthetic phonics versus whole language. There was >>>> almost >>>> nothing there. Worse, the teachers are expected to evaluate the >>>> research themselves, to decide how best to teach! But no sources were >>>> given as to where there is good evidence for one method or another. >>>> >>>> In particular I looked at pages 77-78, the section 27 on "Instructional >>>> approaches". Quoting from this: >>>> "Teachers need to understand why to use a particular technique, not >>>> just >>>> how to use it; they need the underlying foundational theory of >>>> teaching >>>> and learning that will allow them to integrate new thinking with new >>>> actions." >>>> >>>> Now I know for children about the foundational theory, and evidence in >>>> practice, that systematic phonics works. On the other hand, there is >>>> no >>>> scientific theory, or evidence, that the whole language approach >>>> works - >>>> because it doesn't. See Scientific American, March 2002. (And mixing >>>> methods doesn't work either.) >>>> >>>> The March 2002 Scientific American put it well: "Because the >>>> controversy >>>> [between phonics and whole-language] is enmeshed in the philosophical >>>> differences between traditional and progressive approaches. The >>>> progressives challenge the results of laboratory tests and classroom >>>> studies on the basis of a broad philosophical skepticism about the >>>> value of such research." In other words, they are willing to ignore >>>> solid research that contradicts their beloved theories, theories that >>>> keep kids from reading. >>>> >>>> So I am trying to find if anybody has used systematic/synthetic phonics >>>> on adults, because if it works on children I see no reason why it >>>> should not work on adults, given suitable initial teaching material >>>> (so as not to appear "childish"). The phonics approach must: >>>> >>>> 1. establish that the alphabetic principle is fully understood by >>>> the >>>> student; >>>> 2. work on phonemic awareness, so that all 44 phonemes can be >>>> recognised within words; >>>> 3. make sure common letter-sound (grapheme-phoneme) correspondences >>>> are known; >>>> 4. work on the basic skill of segmentation (for spelling); >>>> 5. work on the basic skill of blending (for decoding and reading). >>>> >>>> After a basic reading skill level has been reached, with simple reading >>>> material: >>>> >>>> 6. add vocabulary to allow comprehension of increasingly advanced >>>> reading material. >>>> >>>> It seems to me, as a scientist by training, that the above approach is >>>> sound. The evidence of the Clackmannanshire study, shows that the >>>> approach works for everybody, including 'dyslexics' and childen with >>>> special needs. In this study of 300 children in a deprived area of >>>> Scotland there were no non-readers after synthetic phonics had been >>>> introduced! >>>> >>>> Anyway, the UK government is now convinced, and is going to adopt >>>> synthetic phonics for schools. See >>>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4485062.stm. Should we adopt it >>>> for adults? >>>> >>>> Cheers from Chiswick, >>>> >>>> John >> >> [snip] >> >>> >>> John Comings, Director >>> National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy >>> Harvard Graduate School of Education >>> 7 Appian Way >>> Cambridge MA 02138 >>> (617) 496-0516, voice >>> (617) 495-4811, fax >>> (617) 335-9839, mobile >>> john_comings at harvard.edu >>> http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu >> > > > > John Comings, Director > National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy > Harvard Graduate School of Education > 7 Appian Way > Cambridge MA 02138 > (617) 496-0516, voice > (617) 495-4811, fax > (617) 335-9839, mobile > john_comings at harvard.edu > http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu > > From mariannf at lacnyc.org Wed Dec 28 12:48:21 2005 From: mariannf at lacnyc.org (Mariann Fedele) Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 12:48:21 -0500 Subject: [Technology] retrospective and netrospective In-Reply-To: <20050720132119.46512.qmail@web30806.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.20051228124821.00d90170@mail.psnyc.com> Hello all, The end of the year is always a good time to take stock of the past year and think toward the future. But why not think further back? The last 10 years in technology has seen a sea change in capabilites as well as a in it's prevelance and relevance to our lives(1995 was the year Yahoo became incorporated, and Craig's list, ebay, and Netscape were developed and released, CTCNet was re-named and experienced rapid growth through National Science Foundation funding). Remember life before email, regular access to the internet, electronic discusson lists? For it's anniversary Yahoo published a 10 year netrospective: http://birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective/ So a few questions for the list. Please respond to any or all: 1. Do you remember the first time you introduced technology as a topic of instruction to your students, what did you do and how did it go? 2. As we end 2005 how would you say technology has changed the field of adult literacy education? 3. How has technology changed and improved instruction? 4. How has it impacted the lives of adult literacy and language students? Happy New Year, Mariann Mariann Fedele Coordinator of Professional Development, Literacy Assistance Center Moderator, NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List 32 Broadway 10th Floor New York, New York 10004 212-803-3325 mariannf at lacnyc.org www.lacnyc.org From djrosen at comcast.net Thu Dec 29 06:32:42 2005 From: djrosen at comcast.net (David Rosen) Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 06:32:42 -0500 Subject: [Technology] retrospective and netrospective: the digital divide In-Reply-To: <3.0.6.32.20051228124821.00d90170@mail.psnyc.com> References: <3.0.6.32.20051228124821.00d90170@mail.psnyc.com> Message-ID: <99337427-9A51-453C-AC48-F6294B86A63B@comcast.net> Technology Colleagues, On Dec 28, 2005, Mariann Fedele wrote: > As we end 2005 how would you say technology has changed the field > of adult literacy education? In the past decade, have we made progress in reducing the digital divide in the U.S.? Does the divide still exist? Has the gap narrowed enough so that online learning is possible for adult literacy/basic education/ELL students? In 1995, when the RAND Corporation's two-year study, Universal Access to E-mail, Feasibility and Societal Implications, was published (the "digital Divide" study) the World Wide Web was not yet a common term in the U.S. and on the whole only the well educated and/or well-to-do had e-mail. The authors asked: "What if e-mail were as ubiquitous as telephones, TVs, and VCRs, so that literally everyone were on-line, accessible by e-mail, and able to send messages to bulletin boards, news groups, friends, family, and colleagues? Is this technically feasible? If so, at what cost? What would be the personal and societal benefits resulting from ?universal access to e-mail?? In particular, in addition to possible economic benefits, could universal access help in creating a more aware and participatory democracy by aiding the formation of interest groups (?virtual communities?), access to current information, and person- to-person contacts?" (Preface, page iii) The authors concluded: "Individuals? accessibility to e-mail is hampered by increasing in- come, education, and racial gaps in the availability of computers and access to network services." (p. xv) And they recommended: It is critical that electronic mail be a basic service in a National Information Infrastructure. Policy interventions should give priority to widespread home access. The ?Web browser? model of user-computer interaction should at least be considered a candidate for the minimum level of user interface for e-mail access as well as other hyper- text-style access to information. A simple e-mail address provision scheme should be developed giving every U.S. resident an e-mail address, perhaps based on a person?s physical address or telephone number. At the time, universal access to e-mail in ten years was for most people improbable; yet, from the NIFL-sponsored study I did in 1995-1996, ( http://www.alri.org/pubs/teacherfocusgroups.html and http://www.alri.org/pubs/learnerfocusgroups.html ) I found that nearly all the students and many of the teachers I interviewed knew about the Internet, and either already had access or wanted it. As I listened to their reasons, which included studying online as well as access to airline tickets, online maps and directions, I realized that the RAND study prediction of (near) universal access in a decade might not be so far-fetched. Here are the Internet access data today (September, 2005 data from Who's Online, Pew Internet and American Life Project, http:// 207.21.232.103/trends.asp ) 72% of all American adults use the Internet: ? Men 75%, Women 69%, ? White 73%, Black 60%, English speaking Hispanic 79% ? Urban 75%, Suburban 73%, Rural 65% Significant access. However, the digital divide still exists for people who are older, poor, rural and especially for those who have less than a high school education: ? Less than High school 38%; college education + 92% ? Household income under $30,000/yr 54%; income above $75,000 94% ? 65 and older 30%; 18-29 year old range, 84% I wonder how these data compare with the adult learners in your classes. Have you asked your students if they have access to the Internet at home and/or work? If so, what are you finding? What per cent have access? Are there differences based on age, gender, first language, income? As I ask adult education teachers, the trends seem to range from high -- often nearly universal access to the Internet from home or work for urban ELL students in community colleges vs. very low access by ABE (and especially basic literacy) students in rural areas. Yet, despite this range, the trend continues toward increasing access, and the number of students who have Web access at home now seems to warrant an investment in online adult literacy education supplemental instruction (supplemental to classwork or face-to-face tutorials) and blended distance education models. One caution, however, there is access and then there is real access. I have found that many adults, especially women, who do have a computer at home with internet access, do not themselves use it, that we need to pay more attention to helping them -- and other students -- feel comfortable and competent in using the technology. David J. Rosen djrosen at comcast.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/technology/attachments/20051229/9b0bd4bf/attachment.html From alcdgg at langate.gsu.edu Thu Dec 29 18:13:07 2005 From: alcdgg at langate.gsu.edu (Daphne Greenberg) Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 18:13:07 -0500 Subject: [Technology] Internet and gender Message-ID: On the WomenLiteracy listserv, I posted the following excerpts from an article on Internet use and gender. Given the recent discussion on this listserv, I thought that some of you may be interested: The excerpts are taken from an article posted at: http://www.clickz.com/stats/sectors/demographics/article.php/3574176 The Online Battle of the Sexes * * * Demographics By Enid Burns | December 29, 2005 As the gender gap narrows on the Internet, demographic differences hold more sway. The Pew Internet & American Life Project's report, "How Women and Men Use the Internet," finds online behavior differences between the two genders. Since 2002, the percentage of online users has increased for both men and women. Male online users increased from 61 percent in 2002 to 68 percent in 2005. The percentage of women online in 2002 was 57 percent; by 2005 the number increased to 66 percent. Though the percentage of male Internet users is consistently higher, the actual number of women online is higher because there are more women than men in the U.S. Age skews the gender gap. Young women, ages 18-29, are more likely to go online than men of the same age group. Eighty-six percent of the female group uses the Internet, compared to 80 percent of young males. The statistics are flipped among older adults in the over 65 group. Thirty-four percent of older men use the Web, compared to 21 percent of women in the same age group. Race is another demographic that sees a gender gap. White men are more likely to use the Web: 70 percent of white men and 67 percent of white women regularly going online. The percentage has increased for both sexes since 2002; 62 percent of white men and 58 percent of white women were online three years ago. The percentage of African-American women outnumbers African-American men online. Sixty percent of black women use the Web, compared to 50 percent of black men. In 2002, only 46 percent of black women and 48 percent of black men used the Web. English-speaking Hispanic women make up a fairly equal portion of the Web population. From 2002 to 2005, the percentage of online women in this group increased from 56 percent to 66 percent. Men from the English-speaking Hispanic community increased from 59 percent online three years ago to 67 percent this year. Married couples are more likely to go online than their single counterparts. Seventy-five percent of married or living-as-married women use the Internet compared to 56 percent of single women. Men mirror the statistic; 72 percent of married and living-as-married men are online, and only 62 percent of single men use the Internet. Daphne Greenberg Assistant Professor Educational Psych. & Special Ed. Georgia State University P.O. Box 3979 Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3979 phone: 404-651-0127 fax:404-651-4901 dgreenberg at gsu.edu Daphne Greenberg Associate Director Center for the Study of Adult Literacy Georgia State University P.O. Box 3977 Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3977 phone: 404-651-0127 fax:404-651-4901 dgreenberg at gsu.edu