Digital literacy is a priority for programs, but in order for students to build digital literacy skills, they need access to computers and internet service to work and study. It can be expensive for programs to purchase technology for use in classes and to loan out to students and staff. In this workshop, you will hear about three sources of free or discounted devices and connectivity, and we will discuss successful practices for loaning technology. We will also share a source for assistive equipment for computer users with disabilities.
>> January 2024 update: One of the resources, the Affordable Connectivity Program, is halting applications on February 7, 2024. You and your students can advocate to continue funding it through a COABE petition.
Students can arrive to our classes with a range of computer skills. This can be challenging to manage! Come hear how Catholic Charities, Worcester Public Schools, and MassLINKS adult education staff address this using a variety of approaches. These include an in-person “boot camp” before the semester starts, an in-class intensive focus on digital skills at the beginning of the semester, and a fully online training. Using these approaches can help students feel confident that they have the skills to handle the digital tools used in their classes.
Teachers, advisors, tutors, and directors need to communicate with their students outside of in-person class meetings as well as for distance education classes. Keeping in touch and continuing instruction are more important than ever. What digital tools can help us continue to provide real-time practice and support? What asynchronous communication tools are most effective to allow people to participate when schedules permit? And how can we choose the best ones to use according to staff and student needs?
This webinar will address four tools:
Remind for messaging and more
Google Voice for phoning and texting
Zoom for real-time video meetings
Screencast-O-Matic for creating narrated instructional recordings of anything you show on your computer screen, including yourself via your computer camera
How can digital tools be used to efficiently and successfully carry out recruitment, assessment of students’ digital literacy strengths and needs, onboarding, and orientation? In this two-part offering, you will learn about tools and the research-based strategies for using them to create an inclusive and supportive culture for welcoming new learners into your program and preparing them for success.
After completing the components of this professional development, you will come away with a plan to implement according to your program’s class format(s): in person, distance education, and/or hybrid (a combination of in-person and distance education).
Students and programs have all dived into distance and blended education since the pandemic took hold, and there has been a steep learning curve for many of us. Those of us at the SABES Program Support PD Center who have worked with you on PD related to digital literacy and distance or blended learning have seen firsthand the amazing work that you and your students have done under these demanding circumstances.
To further support your efforts, this workshop will connect you with two of our amazing partner organizations and their many great, free resources focused on distance education and blended learning, as well as the digital literacy necessary for educators and students to be successful:
EdTech Center @ World Education
IDEAL Consortium
Together, our three agencies offer on-demand webinars, facilitated courses, program-based PD, and discussion forums for practitioner sharing.
Join the EdTech Center’s IDEAL Consortium Director Jen Vanek, ACLS State Director Wyvonne Stevens-Carter, ACLS Digital Literacy and Distance Education PD Liaison Paula Jurigian, and Diana Satin and Luanne Teller from the SABES Program Support PD Center for this informative session. Learn how our partner organizations collaborate to leverage our collective expertise and work to maximize your access to a broad range of PD, ideas, strategies, and resources to support your efforts.
"Great PD! Lots of good information!" - A.S.
In this session, we will begin by providing a brief review of the five models for distance and hybrid education provided in the ACLS policies.
Next, we will specifically focus on one model that some programs have adopted: conducting in-person instruction that also provides opportunities for learners to access the class online, either synchronously or asynchronously. This approach provides many flexible options for students, but also some challenges for instructors who work with both online and in-person learners.
You will hear from program teachers who will describe the model they have adopted in their programs and the strategies they use to make the process manageable for both the instructor and the students. They will also address the supports they use to promote engagement among all their learners, regardless of how they join the class.
This course, developed by the EdTech Center @ World Education, is designed for practitioners teaching adult basic academic skills, ESOL, and literacy at a distance and/or through blended learning. It provides strategies and resources that are essential for both setting up and implementing distance education or teaching with a blended approach. The course is made up of topics across four modules. Each topic is a micro-learning lesson that can be completed independently.
This stand-alone, 7-minute video offers tips and tools for planning and facilitating meetings and classes using Zoom. Topics include scheduling meetings, using passwords, enabling the wait room, sending meeting invitations, sharing screens, applications, video, and audio, recording and sharing recordings of meetings, whiteboard and annotation, creating polls, creating and managing breakout rooms, and saving chats.
This workshop introduces two assessment tools that can be used to add existing content to Quizalize and Edpuzzle. It also introduces two user-friendly tools used to create customized assessments: Google Forms Quiz and Padlet.
Designing a process for online student intake and placement is a necessity. What are successful ways to carry out this process? How can staff collaborate to share the work? AACA Director of Next STEP Shinobu Ando discusses the process she and her colleagues put together (and revised) to move their assessments for applicants online. Shinobu will provide examples including interviewing, assessing language skills, and proctoring tests, as well as organizing small group and individual sessions.