I imagine you might have many learners from other countries. This might
lead to other literacy programs globally soliciting volunteers---

 

Maureen Hoyt

Basic Education Manager

ACYR 

602-252-6721ext 223

fax: 602-252-2952

www.azcallateen.k12.az.us

www.az-aall.org

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are
available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Steve Reder
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 9:44 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 1090] Re: initial response to questions
aboutLearnerWeb

 

Good question, David.  The Learner Web (LW) has a number of user roles.
The most important, of course, is the Learner.  There are also roles for
a number of assistants - individuals who use the LW to interact with
Learners in ways specified by particular learning plans.  There are
various types of assistants - Teachers, Tutors, Helpers, Counselors.
Helpers are telephone-based volunteers who are matched to Learner's
real-time requests and connected via a toll-free telephone application
that is closely integrated into LW.  They can provide help with use of
the LW software as well as with particular topics or steps in Learning
Plans.  Helpers have profiles within the LW that indicate the kinds of
topics they have expertise/training to assist with - e.g., math,
writing, etc.  When Learners request help with a special topic, they can
be are matched with Helpers having that expertise who are currently
online.  With the Learner's permission, the Helper can view their
screen.  The system connects the learner and helper in a way that hides
the each other's phone number.  One part of the screen capture demo you
mentioned illustrates how this happens.

 

Helper volunteers are recruited, trained and managed by programs,
organizations or coalitions implementing the Learner Web.  We have
training materials available that can be used in training for helper
volunteers.  Helpers can work from any phone - whether at home, at work,
in a homework hotline-like calling center, a community-based
organization calling center, etc.  Helpers log in via the phone system
and declare their availability for a certain period of time.  The way
the LW maintains confidentiality of the phone numbers being used makes
this very portable.  

 

I hope this answers some of the questions people may have about Helpers.

 

-Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________

From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 2:28 AM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 1077] Re: initial response to questions
aboutLearner Web

 

Thanks, Steve, for this thorough introduction. Those who would like to
see a screen capture video showing what the Learner Web looks like from
a learner or from an administrator point of view, could go to
http://learnerweb.org (Select "View Demonstration" to request a password
to view the video.)

 

One series of questions that I am sure many people have concerns
telephone helpers. Who are they, what kinds of help do they provide, how
are they recruited, how often do they do telephone helping, how do they
differ from (face-to-face or online) tutors, and how is the privacy of
the learner and the online helper protected?

 

Now would be a good time for others to post their questions about the
Learner Web, too. What would you like to know?

 

David J. Rosen

Special Topics Discussion Moderator

djrosen at theworld.com

 

 

 

 

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Steve Reder <mailto:reders at pdx.edu>  

	To: specialtopics at nifl.gov 

	Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2008 9:09 PM

	Subject: [SpecialTopics 1076] initial response to questions
about Learner Web

	 

	Hello, everyone.  We're delighted to have this opportunity to
discuss the Learner Web this week and to answer questions you have.
And, indeed, you've already posed some excellent questions.  Before
turning to specific questions, however, let's briefly review what the
Learner Web is, as it's quite different in intent from other online or
distance learning systems.  

	 

	The Learner Web is a learning support system intended to help
adults reach important learning goals they may have, such as obtaining a
GED, improving their English, transitioning to college, preparing for a
particular career, etc.  A learner can access the system through the
Internet. In addition to on-line resources, the Learner Web integrates
support services from existing local education programs, community based
organizations, tutors, and telephone helpers. The Learner Web consists
of a Web-based software system that is implemented regionally. The
System is organized around Learning Plans. A Learning Plan is a set of
steps structured around achieving an identified goal. For example, if
the goal is to get a GED, the steps might include finding out more about
the tests, identifying what skills one needs to brush up on, learning
new skills and knowledge, taking practice tests, etc. Each step is
matched with online and community based resources and a workspace where
Learners can take assessments or save their work in an e-portfolio. The
Learner creates a personal profile, may take a short reading assessment
and interest inventory, chooses a goal from the available list and
follows the learning plan independently or with a tutor or a teacher.
The Learning Plan is dynamically matched by the software to both the
learner profile and educational resources. The Learner's progress is
saved and can be returned to at any time via the internet. Learners can
choose to share their workspace with a tutor or teacher. 

	 

	The Learner Web is being demonstrated in a number of sites
across the country over the next two years.  We plan to use the
experiences of the local communities and organizations involved in the
demonstration to help us design a sustainable national rollout starting
in the fall of 2010.  It may be possible for interested programs,
organization or communities to join the project and begin using the
Learner Web before that time.  At the moment, there are Learner Web
implementations is Portland OR, St. Paul MN, Boston MA, Providence RI,
Westchester NY, Union County NJ and Washington DC.  

	 

	Now for some of your questions.  A couple people asked if LW
could be used by free-standing adult learners, that is, by adults who
are not enrolled in formal programs.  The answer to that depends on the
Region implementing it.  During our demonstration project, some of our
Regions are limiting its use initially during the piloting period to
students in their classes.  Other regions are allowing learners to
create their own accounts and use the system independently.  Once
Learners have accounts, they log in to the system, select their goals,
and start working on related Learning Plans (which provide assessments
and appropriate placements into Learning Plans).

	 

	Several questions asked about the reading, math, and computer
skill levels required to use the system.  We will have good answers to
those questions after we complete the piloting period currently
underway.  For now, I would say that we've seen adults with little
previous education or native language literacy struggle with the
navigation within LW, while other adult students find it relatively easy
to use.  The difficulty experienced depends not just on the Learner Web
software itself (which we frequently revise to make friendlier to a
broader range of adult learners) but on the content of the Learning
Plans and Resources developed for the system.  Learning Plans can be
targeted to adults at different skill levels.  It is straightforward to
incorporate multilingual and multimedia content, prompts and assessments
into Learning Plans.

	 

	The LW design was based on research about adult learning that
indicated that adults with quite low levels of skill can and often do
engage in self-directed efforts to improve their basic skills.  But this
research did not focus specifically on the self-directed use of online
tools, so it is important to wait for the experience of our pilot sites
with a range of learners before answering the question.  We hope the
integrated help systems we have built into LW (including telephone based
helpers) will scaffold its use by low-skilled adults so that a broader
skill range of adults may be able to use the system than if they had to
do it totally on their own.  We plan to use videos, podcasts and other
multimedia to provide initial orientation to users.  A simple Learning
Plan is being developed that will teach users how to use the system.

	 

	Several questions asked about specific features of the LW system
and how they relate to features of web-based classroom platforms such as
Moodle, WiZiQ, etc.  Although there are some overlaps between LW and
other such systems, and indeed LW could be used as just a platform for
an online course, it is really designed for supporting a range of
self-study and blended learning models, working hand-in-hand with and
coordinating collaboration among community resources, programs and
services to support learners.  LW can also be used to add functionality
and enhance other online products; for example, a Learning Plan could
wrap around an online product and add telephone-based volunteers who
help learners working with the other online product.  Another example:
using telephone-based volunteers as conversation partners in an ESOL
Learning Plan.  We see the LW as enhancing and supplementing rather than
replacing live teachers and classroom interaction.  Tutors - either
online or face-to-face - have roles in LW and where available are easily
integrated into Learning Plans.  Relatively little social networking
functionality is built directly into LW but it is straightforward to add
social networking sites/software as Resources in Learning Plans.  

	 

	Assessment of progress in LW is measured directly in terms of
learners' completion of key steps and goals within particular Learning
Plans.  Learning Plans may be designed so that the completion of some
steps is determined by learners themselves, whereas other steps require
a teacher or tutor using the LW to determine whether the step is
completed by looking at an assessment or assignment submitted by the
learner.  Steps have workspace items associated with them, which may be
automatically scored tests or assessments or assignments that must be
graded by a teacher or other LW user who views the learner's work.  If
programs negotiate proxy hour equivalents with their states for
completion of key steps or goals in a Learning Plan, those equivalents
can be directly entered into the Learning Plan design and automatically
reported for NRS purposes.

	 

	We'll stop here.  We weren't able to respond here to all of the
questions initially posed, but I'm sure they'll come up as we continue
the discussion this week.  We're looking forward to it.

	 

	
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