Hi Tina,
When the data is available, I would love to hear about the findings.   When
do you expect that the data will be ready?

Jennifer Rafferty
Distance Learning Project Manager
MA ABE Distance Learning Project
  -----Original Message-----
  From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
  Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 3:52 PM
  To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
  Subject: [Technology 624] Re: (no subject)


  Hi Barry and all,

  I work in Arizona as a GED program coordinator and teach face-to-face,
hybrid, and online student formats. Currently I am compiling data to compare
these three student groups in each category to compare student hours,
educational gains, and percent who passed the GED exam. I have already
identified that hybrid teaching has created better statistics than online
alone. I can give many suggestions as to why I believe this is true, but I
have no research other than my own situational classroom as proof of what I
observe. We are still compiling the data for the face-to-face classroom to
see how that data compares.

  Tina





  Tina Luffman
  Coordinator, Developmental Education
  Verde Valley Campus
  928-634-6544
  tina_luffman at yc.edu



  -----technology-bounces at nifl.gov wrote: -----


    To: "'The Technology and Literacy Discussion List'"
<technology at nifl.gov>
    From: "Clare Strawn" <clare at pdx.edu>
    Sent by: technology-bounces at nifl.gov
    Date: 10/13/2006 11:18AM
    Subject: [Technology 623] Re: (no subject)

    I would be careful about generalizing impact of adult ed programs as
they
    are so diverse in context. The programs referred to in the paper David
    mentions below are held in a community college context in  which AE
students
    have access to computer labs and are encouraged to use them. Which makes
the
    finding even more perplexing.  I DO think there is a lot of the BI and
AI
    cohort effect happening among teachers as well as among learners.
    Clare Strawn
    Portland State University

    -----Original Message-----
    From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On
    Behalf Of Burkett, Barry
    Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 9:15 AM
    To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
    Subject: [Technology 621] Re: (no subject)

    Now some questions for you:

    1.  Have you assessed your students' web page reading skills? Has anyone
    assessed adult learners' web page reading skills? Is there such an
    assessment?
    2.  What impact do adult literacy programs have on students' access to
    or use of computers or the Internet? I have seen an unpublished study
    which found they have --- none -- and that makes me wonder why.  Any
    ideas? Are you aware of any studies of adult literacy programs' impact
    on students' access to or use of computers?
    3. Are adult literacy programs helping students to use assistive
    technology -- for example, (free) text-to-speech web page reader
    software that would enable them to join the community of internet users
    even if they have difficulty reading text? If not, should this be a
    program responsibility?


    David J. Rosen
    djrosen at comcast.net


    David,
     As far as your questions are concerned I can only speak to my
    experience with instructing groups of students.  I would split them into
    two groups, as the BBC article suggests they are split into age groups.
    Older students, BI (before internet), are scared of the technology, and
    sometimes literally, have to be handheld for online activities.  Then
    the younger students, AI (After Internet), go in with reckless abandon,
    clicking on hypertext, clicking on pop-ups, unintentionally loading spy
    ware, etc.

    The two groups take a lot of instruction.  With the AI group an
    instructor has to compete with the groups energy, a lot of reigning-in
    occurs.  The most successful use I had with this group came from a group
    discussion about service projects(schema), the group set targets of
    information they wanted, and then we went online to research.  We used
    the research at the end to make a more informed service-learning project
    based on student interest.

    Students did need to decipher information, so as an instructor I was
    able to ask them questions, "Is this important to your goal?" "That is
    interesting, how does it help?"  "Why do you need my Credit Card to get
    information?" And so on.  They also pulled-up a lot of junk.

    I try and have my older students work with an online program offered for
    free to residents of Kentucky.  PLATO Learning Technologies offers
    online worksheets and whatnot thru Kentucky Virtual Adult Education,
    www.kyvae.org.  (KET's Literacy Link is there, too.)  It is more
    difficult to get older students to try the online programs.... The
    student feels as if they will break something, as if they are not smart
    enough, etc.  So the first thing the instructor must do is overcome the
    student's self defeating attitudes. "You are smarter than that piece of
    plastic."  "It can only do what you tell it."  "The Computer can make
    some stupid answers." "Your taxes already paid for it, we're not going
    to make you buy it again." etc.

    I think this BI/AI shift is present all over.  I am 28, and was
    introduced to the internet in high school.  I e-mail more, and do more
    on the internet than my sister who is 2 years older than I.  We both
    feel that it is because of my over-exposure to the internet that makes
    the difference.

    I hope that helps with question 1.

    As far as question 2, I am going to start teaching with PowerPoint
    presentations to model technology use, Around December I'll give you my
    opinion on how that went.

    And lastly, question 3, I asked our state technology person about Dragon
    a while back, and we have a program installed here.  But as an
    instructor am I wanting to build a students dependency on something
    else, another crutch, that tells them they cannot do it?  Or am I
    wanting to integrate this student into the technological world?  If the
    latter, where is the student going to buy the program for their home
    computer?  Will the library put it on their computers? Can I really
    justify using 27% of the learning center's annual budget for a license?
    Isn't my purpose as a teacher to not just give someone a fish?  That's
    the dilemma...there are students who need the software, I agree, but how
    do letting that person use that software here help them in the rest of
    the world?


    Now, my questions.  I mentioned Kentucky Virtual Adult Education
    earlier, how many other states have this capability to instruct online?
    Instructors, how are do you feel it works for your students?  If there
    is no research on virtual education's effectiveness, how do we start a
    study and what can I do to help?

    Online education is becoming more and more watched, two Doctors were
    recently arrested for operating without a license.  They studied through
    a Virtual University that claims it was accredited, scary stuff.

    Barry Burkett, Adult Educator
    Thorn Hill Learning Center
    Frankfort, KY
    502.223.3110


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