This argument is one I've been making for years--perhaps since the first time I heard Glenn at a conference, but I think he was more focused on reading instruction then. 

It is clear to me that many struggling readers are found to have other deficits precisely because they have been cut off from the primary means of acquiring information in our society. Even though many adults don't read books, they read signs, labels, fliers, and everyday things that cumulatively create a knowledge base. Non-readers don't do that, and then they often shy away from oral discussions that might fill in some blanks because they are afraid of being "outed."

Using technology to help them "catch up" is akin to bilingual education--let them access the information while they are developing the skills to learn in other ways. I think any learning increases the motivation to learn more. Students don't turn their backs on reading because the world has opened before them, and I think those efforts (to read) still need to be supported. Glenn--we know what you went through to learn to read. Even with technology, would you give it up? However, using technology to reduce dependence on reading--absolutely!

But here's where I see the greatest opposition--not in helping people get the GED, but in helping them access post-secondary training. At our technical college the ABE instructors often hear from the vocational and college teachers that although our grads have the GED, they still are short on the skills needed for the next rung on the ladder. We are encouraged to slow down their progress, supposedly to ensure higher completion skills. So much for getting on with their lives! There is tremendous resistance to the idea that people learn differently, that they might need individualized learning plans or technical assistance to succeed. It seems everyone wants the teachers at the previous level to remedy the students' problems, so there is only smooth sailing when they get to our stage. We should just accept that learning differences last  a lifetime and society will benefit if we figure out how to enable everyone to make her/his appropriate contribu