Schedule

Speaker: Kathleen O'Connell

Secondary/co-presenter: Priyanka Sharma

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

Come learn about World Education’s English Now! learning circles project. Our partner programs offer virtual blended learning circles with a mix of digital content and small group meetings facilitated by a teacher or trained volunteer. Along with our panel of partner programs from across the country, we will describe the learning circle framework, share the tools from the facilitator guide, and focus on how participants can adapt the model within their own contexts and programs.

• English Now! Resources

• Get the Implementation Guide here!

Speaker: Judy Mortrude

Strand: College & Career Transition

Integrated Education & Training (IET) programs are at the heart of an innovative adult education career pathway strategy. However, most IETs have not started innovating in the use of all the Measurable Skill Gain types to document participant outcomes. With proposed NRS Table 4, adult education has an opportunity to document what matters most for our participants. Come learn more!

• View slides for this presentation

Speaker: Paul Jurmo

Secondary/co-presenter: Andy Nash, Cynthia Peters

Participants will build their understanding of (1) why and how adult educators might work with other stakeholders to help adult learners more effectively exercise their civil rights; (2) resources they might access to further build their expertise and connections to incorporate democracy and social justice into their programs.

Speaker: Dr. Jen Vanek

Secondary/co-presenter: Anson Green, Judy Mortrude, Corina Kasior

Strand: Research, Policy and Practice

Educational technology has dramatically evolved since WIOA passed, yet federal policy is relatively unchanged and digital literacy policy absent. Despite this, educators have increased digital access, comfort, and expertise to augment their instruction. Innovators never waste a crisis. Presenters share how states, employers, and other innovators used the shock of the pandemic to galvanize next-gen approaches to remote attendance, distance education, and digital literacy, and describe needed reforms to federal distance education policy.

Speaker: Jeff Goumas

Secondary/co-presenter: Mary Gaston

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

COVID-19 school closures forced an immediate shift to online instruction. This required quickly finding accessible, engaging, mobile-friendly learning resources to use with learners. Learn how one region in South Carolina, building off of resources and tools developed by CrowdED Learning, coordinated the rapid creation and deployment of hundreds of free, customizable activities for learners through careful resource and lesson design. The result is an open library of literacy and numeracy lessons available to all.

Speaker: Mark Rivera

Secondary/co-presenter: Priyanka Sharma

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

As the country shut down in March 2020, adult learners were suddenly stuck in an all-digital world. Digital inclusion leaders developed the Digital Navigators model in response, and trainers like Byte Back reached adults without access to the internet, a laptop, or foundational computer skills. Learn more about digital navigators, digital literacy in the all-virtual world, and how Byte Back accommodated the shifting needs of adult learners and instructors.

Speaker: Victoria Neff

Secondary/co-presenter: Kathy Crowley, Rick Treitman, Marjorie Jordan

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

Remote instruction requires reading digital texts, a challenging task on mobile devices. This presentation summarizes recent research on readability and spotlights innovations that enhance learners’ literacy skills and engagement with digital texts in mobile and online formats. Join us for an interactive session where attendees learn to leverage a variety of free and open technology tools and strategies for supporting literacy development of adult learners through enhanced, personalized reading of digital texts.

• Readability Tools & Resources

Speaker: Jeff Goumas

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

The EdTech Center @ World Education has a history of helping organizations and states build robust distance education programming. During COVID-19, we discovered the need for more just-in-time, “right-sized” professional development resources to help teachers develop remote instructional strategies. In response, we’ve spent the past year creating microlearning courses, tech strategy toolkits, and much more! Come see the range of resources from the ETC that can help you strategically expand and enhance your remote instruction!

Speaker: Alison Ascher Webber

Secondary/co-presenter: Priyanka Sharma

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

Digital literacy is essential to participating in our digital world. Yet who has access to technology and digital skills development is not equitable. How do we create local and national ecosystems to ensure that all adults with foundational skills gaps get the supports they need? Leaders of Digital US, a national initiative to build digital resilience and equity, will share research and innovation on catalyzing systems change to create a more equitable digital future.

• Factsheet

• Building a Digitally Resilient Workforce: Creating On-Ramps to Opportunity

Speaker: David Rosen

Secondary/co-presenter: Dr. Jen Vanek

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

Dr. Jen Vanek, Director of the IDEAL Consortium at World Education, and David J. Rosen, President of Newsome Associates, are co-authors of a guide to blended learning published by New Readers Press, available free online. We will look at the guide and discuss how adult basic skills (including ESL/ESOL) teachers and administrators can use it to develop and improve their approach to blended learning.

Speaker: Judy Mortrude

Secondary/co-presenter: Erin Berg

Strand: Ability to Benefit

Learn all the rules and regs and REASONS to implement an Ability to Benefit strategy to support your learners in career pathways.

• View Slides for this presentation

Speaker: Sandy Goodman

Secondary/co-presenter: Dani Scherer

Strand: College & Career Transition

Personal and Workplace Success Skills are essential to surviving and thriving in our ever-changing economy and digital world. These are the critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, navigation, communication, self-management, and emotional intelligence skills that enable us to be adaptive and agile lifelong learners. Learn about NCTN’s new Personal and Workplace Success Skills Library, how adult educators are using the resources, and how you can contribute to and participate in the Library.

Speaker: Dr. Jen Vanek

Secondary/co-presenter: Jamie Kreil, PhD

Strand: Digital Literacy & Technology

The presentation shares findings from research on use of the mobile app and online learning tool, Learning Upgrade. We researched its use in settings where it was popular in order to learn more about what attracts learners to gamified and “fun” digital learning tools. Findings include observations about affordances of the app that supported friendly competition, why it gained traction when volunteer tutors led instruction, and why learners who liked learning through music persisted.

Speaker: Judy Mortrude

Secondary/co-presenter: Carol Clymer

Strand: General Interest

What is adult education's purpose? Who is it for? The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) Board represents libraries, family literacy, digital equity, continuing education, membership organizations, volunteer organizations, workforce development, and more. NCL is committed to supporting the range of adult education purposes and working to develop a cohesive, complementary message about all of our work to strengthen individuals, families, and communities. Come join a conversation on creating big tent messaging for our shared advocacy.

Speaker: Dr. Jen Vanek

Secondary/co-presenter: Kathy Harris

Strand: Research, Policy and Practice

The 21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities research team is working to understand motivations and constraints working learners experience as they participate in employer-supported educational opportunities. Presenters describe how, in summer of 2020, their data analysis pivoted in response to the national racial reckoning, turning to Critical Race Theory as a lens for analyzing data. They share insights, followed by a discussion where participants will grapple with how CRT might have implications for their work.