Digital, Computer Literacy & Technology

This publication series, Learning for Life: The Opportunity for Technology to Transform Adult Education, explores technology readiness, access, and use within various adult education delivery channels, as well as market opportunities, program decision-making processes, and the supplier ecosystem for instructional resources. The research and analysis featured in these publications will assist suppliers, investors, policy professionals, and institutions as they explore opportunities in the adult education market. This report is based on comprehensive research conducted on the role of and potential for instructional technologies in the U.S. adult education field through a national survey of more than 1,000 adult educators and program administrators to determine their interest in, aptitude for, and current use of technology-based instructional resources. There are two parts to this series:

• Part 1: Interest and Aptitude for Technology
• Part 2: The Supplier Ecosystem

This Issue Brief synthesizes current research and presents perspectives on digital literacy in English language acquisition. It includes an introduction to the definitions of literacy that are expanded to include digital literacies. The concept of “digital divide” is reframed as a continuum of digital skills, including the language, technology and problem-solving skills required for participation in everyday digital contexts.  Because technologies and their uses continually change, requiring different skills, everyone is a learner with respect to digital literacy. This shifts the role of the teacher to that of a co-learner, in addition to orchestrating learning. Although the Brief can be used as a stand-alone resource, it also provides the foundation to the other resources in the suite of materials “Integrating Digital Literacy into English Language Instruction.”

This case study examines the experiences of incarcerated adult males enrolled in a component of a re-entry program, Digital Literacy Acquisition, and is a segment of a larger focus on the reentry process for successful reintegration of prisoners into society and life.  This study takes place in the Orleans Parrish Prison (OPP), located in New Orleans, Louisiana and provides insightful information on the role of digital learning relative to rehabilitative efforts of re-entry programs within a correctional facility. The model examined in this case study is one that is self-paced, reinforced, tutor facilitated and offers online support for goal directed, learner specific content that is customizable and shareable across varying programs for use by different facilitators. The intent is for participants to learn the relevance of digital literacy to their lives, confront and overcome their fear of technology, and acquire a strong sense of self-confidence. This study explores a range of relevant topics that are specific to the adult re-entry population such as: The learner experience; Relevance; Moving from fear to confidence; Developing self-efficacy and self-confidence; Empowerment; Changing self-identity and imagining possible futures, as well as, the benefits of mentoring and implications

This course pack is part of the BC Open Textbook project.  BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Course Pack 6 embeds fundamental English and computer literacy learning in a project-based curriculum. Course Pack 6 provides activities to promote adult literacy skill acquisition as learners create their own digital story. The pack includes links to 11 level-appropriate texts and learning videos that support the learner's literacy development and engages them in relevant readings and examples of storytelling.  BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Course Pack 6 highlights the use of graphic organizers to help learners organize their thinking and writing.  It also includes activities that introduce and help learners use digital skills as a part of the process of creating their digital story (e.g., using the computer to find information, adding audio or images, storing folders on a computer). The course pack is designed to meet the learning outcomes for Adult Literacy Fundamental English Level 6, as outlined in the ABE in BC 2014/2015 Articulation Handbook, which is roughly equivalent to grades 7.5 to 9 in the K-12 system. The course pack contains:

• Pre-reading questions that can be used for individual reflection, journaling, or class discussion.
• Vocabulary-building exercises
• Word attack strategies
• Comprehension questions
• Grammar lessons and practice exercises
• Writing tasks

The appendices feature the following tools:

• Graphic organizers
• Digital story progress sheet
• Paragraph writing checklist
• Level 6 scope and sequence

This Companion Learning Resource provides a synthesis of the main ideas and practices in several existing seminal resources from the adult English language learner (ELL) resource collection. It also extends and expands upon these resources by offering many hands-on ideas and techniques to help practitioners integrate digital literacy instruction into adult ELA classes.  . Highlights of key concepts and practical strategies include:

• The variety of technology integration options in ESL instruction
• The role of digital literacy instruction in reducing the digital divide
• The role technology can play in problem-based learning
• The benefits of using technology to support learner-centered instruction at all levels of ESL and in various learning environments

Although this Companion Learning Resource can be used as a stand-alone document, it also complements the other resources in the suite of materials, “Integrating Digital Literacy into Adult English Language Instruction.” Other resources in this suite are the Issue Brief, and the Professional Development Modules.

To effectively learn online, students must be active learners, but adult learners, particularly low-skilled adults, are often not prepared for this kind of learning. As a result, adult learners will achieve the most when using digital learning tools if they have additional support and help moving progressively toward stronger understanding (i.e., scaffolding). Research on instructional strategies that provide this support suggests five principles for product developers to consider when designing for the adult basic learner. Taken separately, each principle can help enrich the learning experience but incorporating all five will provide the richest support for learners.

• Break instruction and activities into short modules with opportunities for feedback, checks for understanding, and encouragement. Cognitive research has shown students process more efficiently and learn more effectively with short lessons followed by focused activities that require them to apply and reflect on what they have learned. Not only do adults learn more with short lessons, they are also more engaged because short lessons provide regular feedback and a sense of success.
• Build in tools and opportunities to help adult learners visualize information and concepts. Just as short lessons take advantage of how the brain learns best, visual, or graphic, organizers mimic how the brain records and organizes information. Learning is the process of creating or strengthening connections between neurons that form the map that is the brain. Visual organizers replicate this map for learners, helping them understand and therefore strengthen the patterns being formed between old and new information. The more learners can manipulate the visuals themselves, the more effective the tool or activity will be for cognitive development.
• Provide clear, simple ways for adult learners to access a large bank of resources for practice. The more resources and activities available, the more opportunities there are for adult learners to deepen their learning. Adult learners need access to resources of many types. Digital products are the perfect vehicle for support resources because they can store all types of content (documents, PDFs, videos, sound files, etc.). The more resources and activities available, the more opportunities there are for multiple ways of learning. In addition, adult learners need easy ways to access these resources. Research has shown that students who feel they have strong support when learning online are more likely to stick with it.
• Design in multiple ways for learners and instructors to communicate outside of class time. The more support adult learners have from their teachers, the more they believe they can overcome obstacles and succeed as learners. Technology can provide multiple modes of learner-teacher communication: reflective activities (blogs, emails, videos), regular feedback (emails, discussion threads, videos), and “office hour” chats (written, video). Technology can also help deepen connections between learners and teachers by happening outside of class time, in turn building learners’ confidence and helping them progress more quickly. technology can provide anytime communication. Learners have control over time with digital learning, as they can use the learning tool whenever they want.
• Design in tools and opportunities for peer-to-peer interactions as well. By learning from and with peers, adult learners not only deepen their learning but also develop an additional support system for managing their learning. Working with others increases the social-emotional memories of a learning experience, thus increases the learning. For adult learners, these social and emotional connections also add to their confidence because they are learning with and from others who are also managing all that comes with being an adult learner. As with learner-instructor connections, digital tools are a perfect match for providing peer-to- peer interaction that goes beyond face-to-face.

Product designers who create new technology products tailored to adults’ unique support and scaffolding needs will have the best chance of meeting one of our nation’s great learning challenges

This webinar, part of the Research to Practice series, reviews free technology resources that can quickly and easily be integrated into adult education classrooms. Resources include websites and apps that provide unlimited practice problems, online quizzing, manipulatives, screen capture and share, fast formative assessments, engagement, and easy document storage and distribution to students. The presentation includes examples of how the presenter has used each resource in her classroom. The webinar consists of 59 minutes of presentation followed by 27 minutes of questions and answers.

This article overviews four open access online articles that address teaching digital literacy and digital problem solving to adult learners. The four authors--Harris, Quann, Rosen, Vanek--of the articles reviewed, emphasize the need for adult digital literacy instruction that moves beyond teaching adults basic literacy skills so that they leaner skills that are relevant to college and career settings.  Furthering this idea, each article reviewed identifies the need for adult learners to learn how to apply digital skills across a wider set of experiences than testing, drill and practice activities. They also all agree that tasks for teaching digital problem solving should be relevant to learners’ needs and contexts for use outside of the classroom. The reviewers identify key ideas, tips, and strategies for providing adult learners a more robust digital literacy learning experience.  They highlight that basic digital literacy skills can be learned in the context of digital problem solving rather than as gatekeeping skills for more advanced skills, including four categories in the English language learner classroom: basic skills, creating and communicating digitally, finding and evaluating information online, and problem solving in technology rich environments. The reviewers also touch on the role of the teacher, and which tools to use when teaching digital literacy skills. The reviewers propose that transformative learning is more likely to occur when basic skills are are situated in authentic digital problem solving activities, such as locating resources, navigating, creating, and communicating while completing real world learner-centered activities.