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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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 <A
href="http://learnerweb.org">http://learnerweb.org</A> (Select "View
Demonstration" to request a password to view the video.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now would be a good time for others to post their
questions about the Learner Web, too. What would you like to know?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>David J. Rosen</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Special Topics Discussion Moderator</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="mailto:djrosen@theworld.com">djrosen@theworld.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=reders@pdx.edu href="mailto:reders@pdx.edu">Steve Reder</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=specialtopics@nifl.gov
href="mailto:specialtopics@nifl.gov">specialtopics@nifl.gov</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, November 16, 2008 9:09
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [SpecialTopics 1076] initial
response to questions about Learner Web</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">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 face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
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