Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research

October 13, 2011

The National Academies Press has just made “Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research” (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13242)  available. You can download the .pdf for free if you register on their site. (Look on the left hand side, about half way down, under ordering options.)

This is a huge resource document and the contents include:

  1. Introduction
  2. Foundations of Reading and Writing
  3. Literacy Instruction for Adults
  4. Principles of Learning for Instructional Design
  5. Motivation, Engagement, and Persistence
  6. Technology to Promote Adult Literacy
  7. Learning, Reading, and Writing Disabilities
  8. Literacy Development of English Language Learners
  9. Conclusions and Recommendations

References

Appendices

A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

B: Literacy in a Digital Age

C: Search Procedures and Reviewed Studies of Adult Literacy Instruction

D: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low Literate Adults

Index

This is an in-depth report with multiple individual and organizational authors. It’s worth going through it chapter by chapter and discussing the ideas with others as you go. I’ve just downloaded it and I’m looking forward to delving into it!

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

US Teacher loses her job, then her court appeal, due to Facebook

October 12, 2011

In 2009 someone sent an anonymous e-mail to the school district in Barrow County, Georgia, USA complaining about the Facebook page of teacher Ashley Payne. The teacher’s Facebook page showed her drinking while on a trip to Europe. One news report states that out of more than 700 photos, approximately 10 showed alcohol.

Other news reports state that Payne did not allow her students to be her friends on Facebook and that in none of the photos does she appear intoxicated.

Long story short, Payne was offered a choice by the principal of the school where she worked: resign or he would refer her case to the Professional Standards Commission and she would possibly lose her teaching license.

In a panic, she resigned and later tried to appeal the situation through the Georgia court system, with the help of her attorney, Richard Storrs. They lost.

  • Does your school or organization have a social media policy for its employees?
  • Do you what restrictions or limitations (if any) your employer has around employee behaviour on social media?
  • How much stock can an employer put into “evidence” found on social media?

These are some of the questions I’ve been working through with a new client. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | education, social media, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Xpert: Resource bank of copyright cleared open-learning materials

October 10, 2011

The University of Nottingham has created Xpert, a resource bank of (as of today) about a quarter of a million open source resources that are copyright cleared and ready to be used by educators everywhere. Here’s a quick video about the project:

I think the number is resources in this project is going to increase exponentially in the coming months. As of today, I found

  • over 1050 resources under the search term “literacy”
  • about 1075 resources under the search term “languages”
  • over 15,000 resources for “social media”

If you’re looking for materials, ideas or resources for a course or training program, check out Xperts — and send them more links of materials of your own that you are willing to share, too!

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Xpert: Resource bank of copyright cleared open-learning materials | education, technology | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Success Strategy for Post-Secondary Students: Get to Know Your Profs

October 7, 2011

As part of my Effective Learning course at the University of Calgary, I prepared this 3-page success strategy for university students to help them understand the importance of getting to know their instructors.

My students reported that it helped them think of their profs as “real people”. Some of them said it had never occurred to them that their professors were once where they were (!)

Feel free to share this with your own students or university-age children.

Read the full version or download a copy:

View this document on Scribd



Related posts:

Success Strategy for Students: How to Make Sense of Scholarly Research Articles

Success Strategy for Students: How to Cite Class Notes 
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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Success Strategy for Post-Secondary Students: Get to Know Your Profs | education, learning strategies, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Interested in Learning How to Use Webinars for Literacy PD, Programming and Promotion?

October 5, 2011

This event has passed.

Check out the webinar recording and resources that we shared.

Are you interested in learning how to use e-learning and webinar technology for literacy?

Join me for this special webinar that I’ll be hosting. I’ve gathered together some professional pioneers who are leading the way when it comes to using e-learning technology in the literacy field. Each “pioneer” is at a different stage along the continuum:

  • One pioneer has led a province-wide initiative to launch a literacy webinars for professional development.
  • Another expert has mobilized people in her organization to agree to the idea of launching webinars and has begun developing a program, but has not yet had her first webinar.
  • A third pioneer is intensely curious and likes the idea of doing webinars for literacy and is grappling with some questions from within her organization.

I’ve convinced them all to join me for an open dialogue on how to incorporate e-learning and webinar technology into the literacy field. I’m hoping that the intended outcome will be that participants will realize that it may be easier than you think. By working together and learning from each other, we can advance the use of technology in the literacy field.

Join the conversation:

How to Use Webinars for Literacy: PD, Programming and Promotion

Friday, October 28, 2011
09:00 Mountain Time / 11:00 Eastern (Convert that to your local time zone.)

Allison Mullin (Ontario Literacy Coalition), Courtney Hare (Momentum) and others discuss their experience using webinars for professional development and marketing in the literacy field. This event is an interactive discussion for literacy professionals at schools, non-profit and community based organizations.

Join us, tell us about your experience and ask questions from professionals who are using webinars for PD, programming and promotion of literacy.

This is a free event, but registration is required, due to space limitations. Register here.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Interested in Learning How to Use Webinars for Literacy PD, Programming and Promotion? | education, Literacy, technology, webinar | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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