Hi everyone,
Welcome to the new Technology and Learning group in the LINCS Community! I am the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for this group. You can find out more about me on my profile https://community.lincs.ed.gov/users/nell-eckersley . I’m very excited about our new LINCS Community and look forward to our work together in this group.
Please make sure to review the User Code of Conduct. It can always be found in the blue section at the bottom of each page, and is marked "User Code of Conduct." It's important to familiarize yourself with this because some guidelines have changed from what you may have been familiar with via the LINCS Discussion Lists.
Next, please respond to this discussion thread by introducing yourself. Tell us why you joined the Technology and Learning group and what you hope to learn here.
I look forward to hearing from you!
best,
Nell
Comments
Hi all,
So we have reached 570 members which is quite impressive insuch a short amount of time. I would love to know more about you and why you joined the Technology and Learning Group. I'll kick off the introductions with my own...
Hi,
My name is Nell Eckersley and I work at the Literacy Assistance Center in New York City. I am the director of the Regional Adult Educational Network for the New York City region (New York State is made up of seven regions). It's my job to plan the professional development for the New York City adult education programs funded by New York State Education Department. Technology has long been part of our professional development but for many years the technology took the form of special software packages or accessing instruction online. But in the last few years we have been bringing in a lot of social media tools. There is still some resistance to using this type of technology in adult education and certainly there is a lack of computer and internet access in many of the adult ed programs, but slowly things are changing. I am very interested in learning with/from our group how other adult education folks are integrating all types of technology into teaching and learning. I am particularly interested in how mobile technology can help us work around the lack of connectivity and hardware at many programs.
best,
Nell
Hi, Nell and Everyone,
I am an ESL teacher at the Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center who is very dedicated and interested in integrating technology with learning. Previously, I taught 2 classes, six hours per week in the computer lab. Unfortunately, now I only have access to the room for 1 1/2 hours a week. I have a slightly outdated web site: http://tillaseslclass.weebly.com. I look forward to continue getting valuable information from this LINCS group.
Sincerely,
Tilla Alexander
Hi everyone,
My name is Thomas Knight and I am the Director of Information Technology Services for the Rockingham County Literacy Project in Eden, North Carolina (very close to Greensboro, NC). I am responsible for all our technology needs from network administration to educational technology. One of my primary focuses is to integrate technology in our tutoring program and our classes, primarly through Google products and services and through other web-based technologies.
Thomas
I am Federico Salas-Isnardi, of Houston. I work for the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning (TCALL) at Texas A&M University where I am the adult literacy specialist. I have been in the field of adult education and adult ESL for 25 years teaching, doing professional development, working as an administrator at the local and state levels, and co-authoring/consulting for the adult ESL series Future: English for Results and Future US Citizens. I am interested in the adult classroom in the 21st century; social justice and diversity with emphasis on issues of sexual diversity, religious tolerance, and xenophobia as they affect the classroom; immigration issues and reform, and citizenship education. I am on the last semester of coursework toward my PhD in Adult Education at Texas A&M where my dissertation research will be on adult educator PD. I am currently the chair of the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD.)
I joined because I am interested in how technology mediates the adult classroom and want to learn to help teachers (I do PD) use learning technologies and stop being afraid.
Hopeful and cautious about this new format for our discussion.
Peace,
federico
Hi, I’m Ginny Garrett. I’ve taught for over 35 at Plymouth High School, NC, reading and English, and Sinclair Community College, Dayton OH, developmental reading and English and ESOL. While at Sinclair, I also directed and taught an ABE program which served ESOL students. Now that I am retired, I volunteer as an ESOL tutor with the Craven Literacy Council in NC. I have been an avid reader of the many posts over the years and have continued to learn so much.
Dear Friends & Colleagues,
My name is John Corcoran and I am honored to join you on this forum. I believe that in America today, it is as important to teach an adult to read as it is to teach a child to read.
I learned to read at the age of 48 after going to a local library Adult Learning Center, taking a battery of diagnostic assessments and then receiving the research-based instructional methodology needed to teach me how to read. For the past 25 years, I have been advocating for literacy across the nation with the mission of preventing and eliminating illiteracy by teaching both children and adults to read. It is never too late to learn to read.
As a part of the solution, I believe that we must couple learning and technology to quickly and effectively disseminate basic skills to every child and adult. The John Corcoran Foundation provides free computers, Internet access, reading software and a live tutor via web-conferencing to Title I students and at-risk youth. The combination of effective educational software and the human touch proves extremely successful in student gains.
I look forward to continuing the conversation with all of you.
At your service,
John Corcoran
Oceanside, CA
John, It is hard for me to believe that you have only been literate for 25 years; your writing and vocabulary is superb. You are a testiment to the irradication of illiteracy. The John Corcoran Foundation is new to me. I teach at-risk students in WV, some who have great difficulty reading. Would your web-conference tutor be beneficial to them? Congratulations on the successes you have achieved and thank you for sharing that drive with others.
Hi Everyone,
I am happy to join this group and I look forward to learning from all of you. I am the Educational Technology Manager for Arizona Adult Education and also the DL Coordinator. We continue to work toward improving the four A's...attitude, access, aptitude and application...of educational technology to ensure that all of our adult learners have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to succeed in their educational and occupational pursuits. I am very interested in the role social networking may play in the adult education arena.
Best Regards,
Sheryl
Sheryl,
I would also love to have a conversation about social media in adult education. There are so many implications and issues. Does AZ have a social media presence? If so - who manages it? What would the goals be? What barriers are we seeing?
I did a webinar with adult education programs last week showing how I used Pinterest and was disappointed at how many participants shared that their schools blocked all social networking sites - including facebook and youtube. Our students can access these tools in class if they have a smartphone with a data package - but our teachers can not access them as a teaching tool.
I would love to continue this discussion.
Kathy
Hello all,
My name is Andi Spencer and I am the Outreach Librarian for the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth. I spend most of my time outside of the library promoting health information resources to health professionals, organizations, and consumers. My primary interest is health literacy, and I am currently working on a project with the United Way of Tarrant County to promote health literacy among Tarrant County residents. Today, information technology is a primary avenue by which to improve health literacy skills and provide reliable information. I hope to meet others here who are seeking to improve literacy skills, especially with regards to the internet and other technologies.
My name is Renee Bentham and I am the administrator at Missoula County Public Schools Adult Basic Education program in Missoula, Montana. We serve ABE, ASE and ESL students. I have been in this position for 9 years. We have been using Computer Assisted Instruction in the classrooms for a long time and because the program we used was web based we were also able to make it available at a distance. We wrote a small grant last year and got Kindles for use in the classroom and the students really liked them. Then we had an opportunity to write a larger grant and wrote to develop mobile classrooms. We jumped in with both feet. We added Smart Boards to the classrooms and purchased iPads for classroom use. We have done intensive training with the staff about developing curriculum that is more interactive and engaging for use in the classroom and have found some fantastic websites, including TV411 and others. We are in the process of developing curriculum that utilizes the technology resources that are available and will be putting what we develop up in Moodle so that instructors at satellite sites can access it and eventually we hope to get it approved for distance learning and make it available to students outside of the classroom.
We are in our infancy with this and are just beginning to learn the many ways to use the technology, however because our curriculum is more engaging it has definitely helped us retain students. We have 16-83 year olds using iPads and it is exciting to watch the learning that is going on.
I hope to be able to learn from others what they are doing with technology in the classroom to get ideas as we evolve in the process of creating mobile classrooms.
As a project director for the U.S. Division of World Education, I coordinate the online professional development initiative, managing the development and delivery of courses for adult educators. We offer courses on the topics of college and career readiness, adult student persistence, differentiated instruction, and reading through ProfessionalStudiesAE.
I also co-direct the LINCS Region 1 Professional Development Center, promoting and disseminating evidence-based resources and training materials, and partnering with states to provide virtual and blended professional development.
I have worked in adult literacy since 1980, serving as an instructor and local program director, state consultant, program development director, training coordinator, and state outreach coordinator. Professional development has been an integral part of my career.
Topics that I’ve been reading and thinking about recently include:
Hello Everyone,
I joined the Adult Education family in July 2, 2012. I am currently the Assistant Program Director/Instructor of Montgomery County Adult Education. I worked for seven years in technical and community college education. Adult education moves at a faster pace and the turnover of students is greater. I have learned to educate students who have many obstacles in their lives. Education is often not the priority. Students are here today and gone tomorrow. Since the GED 2014 will be computerized, I am seeking more ways to implement technology into the classroom. I have purchased ITTS, GED Academy, and Computers Essential platforms to start the process. I look foward to learning more about implementing technology in the classroom.
Dr. Smith
I have been teaching English as a Foreign Language for more than 25 years and in the process have written a series of texts which are the basis of a free EFL website, PUMAROSA.COM.
The site was launched about 10 years ago, and has proved to be an effective teacher’s aide. Many adult education EFL programs have included it as part of lessons offered in computer labs.
In the past year I have been living and teaching in Tijuana using my site and texts in small classes or on SKYPE.
In addition I have been able to use FACEBOOK to offer lessons to students in Latin America and to provide these lessons to many teachers as reproducibles.
There are many lessons on YouTube, and other sites that can be found through Google, such as English Club, Mansion del Ingles, etc.
I particularly have used songs and nursery rhymes on YouTube, in a Karaoke style, i.e. with the lyrics onscreen.
In my opinion advances in technology are changing the nature of learning/teaching a great deal. Lately I have been investigating the use of cell phones to teach English, for example – mobile learning/teaching.
I see the role of the teacher evolving into more of a guide, coach or facilitator.
I also see the need for a close collaboration between the various agencies involved in adult education – community colleges, libraries, community centers, churches, etc.
Paul Rogers
Pumarosa21@yahoo.com
Hi,
I noticed a few posts asking about how to integrate technology in the classroom, The Microsoft Partners In Learning Network Site has all sorts of free tools for educators. An added extra is the Professional Development section that has courses on how to integrate the technology for educators etc.. I've Just completed the Teaching In Technology course and found it to both in-depth and informative. Not being an educator as such I did find the pedagogy section challenging. The topics covered include :- How to integrate the technology on a computer to pupil ratio - for instance, if there is a shortage of hardware and only one laptop per 6 or 7 pupils (or more) available it helps guide you to the suitable tools available that could help.
The PIL Resources
http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/Tools/
The Teaching With Technology Course link
http://www.pil-network.com/pd/curriculum/twt
You get a badge on your profile when its completed.
I apologise if theses resource Links have already been published.
Thank you for the links Miranda. LINCS also now has an updated free online course on integrating technology into adult education--it can be found here: http://lincs.ed.gov/courses Please share more resources as you come across them--and that's a note to everyone :).
best,
Nell
My name is Shelly Leduke.
I joined this group as part of the Integrating Technology in the Adult Education Classroom online course through LINCS.
I have been teaching in adult education for about 22 years, but in the last 5 or so years, I have begun to make a name for myself around EASTCONN as being an end-user-tech go-to person.
Our administrators are searching for ways to increase the useage by staff of all the fabulous tools they have put in our classrooms. In fact, I am taking the Integrating Tech course as a pilot to see whether we should recommend - or even assign - it to the staff.
I am open to any and all comments about the LINCS course and any other resources available to reduce fear and increase technology integration.
Hi Shelly,
Welcome to the Technology and Learning Group! Please share your thoughts about the Integrating Tech moodle course as you go through it. And we'd love to hear about your own experiences as an end-user-tech go-to person. It's a postion many of us find ourselves in and it is useful to share our experiences in this.
And for those of you who want to see the online Integrating Tech moodle course you can find it on the LINCS Online Courses section of the LINCS wbsite:
http://lincs.ed.gov/courses
best,
Nell
I am an Option Pathway instructor with Berkeley County Schools in West Virginia. I have been part of the WV technology integration team since 2009. In my experience, I've found that my special education students excel when they manipulate materials using technology. They have produced some very admirable artifacts displaying their learning.
Welcome Trudy!
Can you tell us more about what you have done with your special education students using technology to manipulate materials? What software did you use? Did you use tablets, laptops, or desktop computers?
best,
Nell
Last year I taught high school students who are mildly mentally impaired (70ish IQ) My highest reader was on a 6th grade level while my lowest a pre-K. I found that my students excelled when using an interactive white board. They were able to label atoms, demonstrate osmosis, and identify the circulatory system. Additionally, each student prepared a GLOG of an alternate energy source. In English class, they developed a PREZI of comparative adjectives and an Animoto movie for their final exam. My students never failed to impress me with their finished projects. For student projects we utilized the computer lab with desktop computers. We used tablets one time, but then my school said the tablets were misused (by a different class) so the entire school was banned from using them.
Hello everybody,
My name is Laura Colombo and I am a teacher educator in Argentina. I would like to learn better ways to use technology in the classroom and how to engage in my students (future English teachers) in using technology in their professional lifes.
Best,
Laura
Welcome Laura,
I'm sure others on the list may have recommendations for you, but can you tells us a little about what technology you have already used with your students and how using technology is received by future English teachers? In general in Argentina how wide spread is the use of technology in education for youth and for adults?
best,
Nell
Since I have recently started teaching at the teacher education institution, I only applied Edmodo in my classroom. Basically, the platform was used in my class as a repository for assigned readings, drafts and materials exchanges (posted by the students and myself), homework announcements, etc.
I asked my students to sign up as teachers in Edmodo and they said they liked it because it was very easy to use and most probably, they would use it in their classes.
As I can infer from my short and recent experience, technology is barely included in tertiary education in Argentina. In the last years some government initiatives are starting to change this but it seems that the change is slow.
Laura
My name is Glenna and I have taught adult education classes for 13 years in Southwest Virginia. I have taught technology basic skills separately from the other GED subjects with a bit of random integration. Many adult learners in my geographical area are older and are unfamiliar with keyboarding, email, internet searches, etc. Many do not have computers or internet access. Another problem is that 75-80% of our learners have no "contract phones" with free texting, so texting becomes their means of electronic communication. These adults want to pass the GED as fast as they can and opt to put technology on the back burner, choosing to concentrate on the subjects required for the GED test. I am excited about integrating technology into our program, but also need to upgrade my skills. I feel like I am always behind with technology because it is changing so fast. I taught elementary school 31 years and knew that if I retired and didn't stay involved with education that I would be a computer illiterate in a few years. After retirement, I immediately began teaching adult education classes and beginning computer classes for adults ( I even prepared my own lessons for the adults). I feel as though I need to take classes to keep up with the new devices such as ipads, tablets, ipods, smartboards, social media, and applications. I am looking forward to the discussions for ideas on implementing technology into the curriculum.
Hi Glenna,
Welcome to the Technology and Learning group. You have defintely come to a good place for discussions on ideas for implementing technology into curriculum. The gorup is a great place to ask questions and give answerso n anything around technology and learning. Coming up on February 5 we will celebrate Digital Learning Day by introducing a series of short webinars on specific technology tools--Twitter (beginning and advanced), QR codes, and Pinterest.
best,
Nell
Hi,
I am an English teacher in Champaign, and I joined this group because I am always interested in learning more about utilizing technology effectively to impact student learning. Especially as technology develops faster and faster in this world, it is vital to not only know about the latest technology, but also be able to model and demonstrate its effective uses to students. I am excited to learn from you all and to contribute the limited knowledge I have as well.
I am an ESL instructor in Spokane, Washington. Our Adult Basic Education program is currently working toward better integration of technology into the classroom as well as strengthening its online learning piece. I am here to learn how to successfully integrate technology into my classroom for the benefit of my students' education. I also just signed up for the online course through the learning portal.
Sincerely,
Jen Semb
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