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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The website mentions “650 resources’
currently in the LW database. What are some of these resources, and can you
give a scenario of how they might be used?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Diane<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Diane Ingram</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Executive Director of Adult Education</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Appalachian <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Technical</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place></span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><font size=2
color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'>100 Campus Drive</span></font></st1:address></st1:Street><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=2
color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'>Jasper</span></font></st1:City><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">GA</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">30143</st1:PostalCode></span></font></st1:place><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>706-253-4544</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><a
href="mailto:dingram@AppalachianTech.edu">dingram@AppalachianTech.edu</a></span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Bookman Old Style"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style";color:navy'>A Unit of
the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Technical</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">College</st1:PlaceType>
System of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Georgia</st1:place></st1:country-region></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Steve Reder<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Sunday, November 16, 2008
9:10 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> specialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [SpecialTopics 1076]
initial response to questions about Learner Web</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Learner Web is a <i><span style='font-style:italic'>learning
support system</span></i> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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 <st1:City w:st="on">Portland</st1:City>
<st1:State w:st="on">OR</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">St. Paul</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">MN</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Boston</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">MA</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Providence</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">RI</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">Westchester</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">NY</st1:State>, <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Union</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">NJ</st1:PlaceName>
and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Washington</st1:City> <st1:State
w:st="on">DC</st1:State></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>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.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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