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Quick Tech Story: Pandemic Response

Over the past few weeks, many LBS programs have reached out to AlphaPlus for support regarding how best to work from home and how to reach and connect with learners from a distance. Many are also reflecting on the inevitable changes the pandemic will place on how they do their work in the future. Our technology coaching services are here, as ever, to support teams and learners navigating the remote learning and working landscape.

Expedited, short-term coaching available

Teams who require support to make rapid changes to their program delivery and communication methods are invited to reach out to access short-term technology coaching sessions. Our coaches can help teams quickly identify technologies and tools that suit their current unique needs and can help programs improve administrative processes while keeping in touch with learners.

To learn more or sign up for short-term coaching, contact Alan Cherwinski, Executive Director.

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Coaching Story: Niagara College

For this client coaching story, we spoke with Branne Plitnikas at Niagara College about working with a technology coach to implement Google Drive and Google Keep.

How did you work with your coach to assess your program’s digital literacy level?

Our associate dean is very supportive of professional development (PD) for her staff. Monika at AlphaPlus supported me in improving my digital skills so I could deliver an enhanced blended learning component into my classroom. She is also helping me learn to use iPads in our program and to improve our digital usage of applications with our students and is improving our familiarity with open educational resources (OER).

Describe the process of identifying your program’s technology needs and identifying the right tool, in this case, Google Drive.

Through multiple questions, Monika gained a comprehensive overview of how our curriculum and classroom subject disciplines operate within a classroom setting. After assessing my individual goals and skill set, she suggested tools that might benefit my own learning while also meeting my students’ needs. Google Drive has proven to be a simple and effective tool that has allowed both my students and me to become familiar with some digital technologies and apply them effectively in the classroom using computers and smartphones.

How does this tool serve your learners and improve your role as an educator?

My learners are now able to access their work through folders online, so if they miss a class, I deposit missed work into their respective folders. If they need a repeat of a lesson from class, I deposit that lesson into their folder, and they are free to review it at a time that works for them. Using Google Drive, students send me work that I can mark and send back to them. We also use it as a real-time communication tool. Here, students can indicate if they are sick or will be late — the app keeps them connected to their school in a way that they were not before.

I also use the Google Keep application for students’ plans of action (i.e. work that they are progressing through on a weekly basis and that’s due on a specific date). They can use the app to check off completed work, and we can both add and subtract work from their list. Google Keep can also be used on a smartphone.

Describe the training process you’ve followed to get comfortable using the tool and sharing it with learners.

My learning curve has been quite large, but implementing my new skill in the classroom has been wonderful and successful. My students are very supportive and engaged with the process as well. They can see that when I am in the role of learner, like them, my excitement in learning new things and experimenting and not knowing everything is positive and relatable. I take each student through the process of setting up a Gmail account (if they don’t already have one) and walk them through Google Drive, looking into their applicable folders, opening up documents I have placed in their drive, viewing their Google Keep application. This overview helps everyone get comfortable with the process.

What feedback have you received from learners and staff?

I sent out a Google Form to my students, which was another skill that my coach Monika taught me. The responses were positive from the students:

They are enjoying the use of Google Drive and Gmail within the classroom.
They said they like submitting their work to me online.
They enjoy contacting me through Gmail with questions of clarification and getting somewhat immediate responses.
They enjoy the digital homework list to keep track of their work so it is never lost.
They enjoy going into their folders for tracking sheets or missed work or repeat lessons.

How could others benefit from working with an AlphaPlus technology coach?

I would recommend coaching to those looking to increase their own digital literacy to help students. My experience has been very positive. I was incredibly nervous at first, but Monika has a way of putting the learner at ease. She made it so I could set my own learning pace and separated the learning into small, achievable goals. She is tailoring the learning to my program and course content. She also helped ensure that my new skill set is applicable to my needs and wants and meets the content and technology needs of students.

To learn more about technology coaching, contact Executive Director Alan Cherwinski by email at acherwinski@alphaplus.ca

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Smartphones are everywhere. Restaurants, office, conferences and meeting rooms. So why do some try so hard to keep them out of the classroom? Rather than resist the smartphone phenomenon, try using activities that incorporate mobile phones and devices to create great learning experiences. And what better way to start that than by using photos to boost technology learning in the classroom? In this edition, we’re sharing two tips from the Tekhnologic article “Seven Ideas for Using Mobile Phones in the Classroom.”

Activity 1: Ask a student to introduce a photo. The students can work in pairs, in groups or as a class. One student introduces the photo and the other students ask followup questions. What? Where? When? Who? Why? How? While the students are talking, take notes of useful phrases and words for feedback afterwards.

Activity 2: Separate the students into groups of four or five and ask one student to come to the front and photograph an example dialogue. The student goes back to their group and reads the dialogue from their phone while the other members of the group write the dialogue down. The students who are listening can use checking language, for example, asking how a word is spelled. In effect, the students are introducing the conversation to themselves, giving you time to monitor and listen for any difficulties.

We’ll be sharing more tips in the next newsletter edition. Until then, reach out and let us know how you’re using mobile phones in your classroom.

We’ve heard your suggestions about our Useful Apps List. Now, we’ve put your feedback to work to enhance this resource. The updated list now includes more Android apps and gives users the option to browse the Useful Apps List by subject and Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) competencies.

Check out the apps recently added to the list, like MobiPOS, a point-of-sale app that can be used to familiarize learners with software used in restaurants, and Todoist, a planning and collaboration tool.

About

The Useful Apps List makes it easy to find quality apps that support adult literacy and numeracy teaching. Our comprehensive reviews include:

Suggestions of use for learning
Suggestions of use for program administration, productivity and collaboration
OALCF competencies addressed

We will continue to expand the list with new apps available for both Apple and Android devices. We invite you to help us build this list by submitting your reviews. If you have an app (or apps) you would like to see added, visit the Useful Apps List and click “Add an App Review” at the top right.

Maria received the CUPE National Literacy Award in 2017.

Our dear colleague Maria Moriarty, longtime AlphaPlus technology coach and librarian, will be moving on to other endeavours following her retirement this March. Throughout her more than 20 years with AlphaPlus, Maria worked with dedication to support the work of literacy practitioners.

She was first hired to help create the library collection and develop our library services and has gone on to work on projects to support and encourage a research culture within the LBS field. With the increased presence of technology, Maria helped us better understand digital technology’s place in adult education and, visionary as she is, helped us reflect on its impact and the opportunities it offered. Today, each AlphaPlus team member is sharing a personal message of appreciation to Maria.

I was at the beginning of my career as a librarian when I started to work with Maria. She warmly welcomed me, encouraged every step I took and helped me think outside the box. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor! I wish you lots of fun ahead, Maria. I will miss your great sense of humour.
—Guylaine

A kind and supportive colleague, a fantastic mentor, Maria has been there with us through it all and we will really, really miss her! Thank you, Maria, for your ongoing encouragement and guidance over the years! Happy retirement!
—Monika

I first met Maria in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the launch of the heady research-in-practice days. We laughed and raged together all week and have continued to do so in almost all the weeks since then. As Maria says, “Learning is becoming,” and what we all learn from Maria helps us become stronger, smarter and more empathetic. She reminds us that seeking knowledge and seeking justice are essentially intertwined in this work that we love. She is our role model and we can’t wait to see what is next for our beloved colleague and collaborator.
—Tracey

As the newest member of the AlphaPlus team, I truly regret not having the chance to work with Maria longer. During any conversation, she always makes me laugh and think deeper. You are an inspiration!
—Christine

In the previous century, with the forced merger of our separate employers, my early encounters with Maria were like those in an awkwardly blended family of stepchildren. She had to first knock off some of my sharp corners, blockhead that I was, to build trust. I quickly could not have wished for a stronger colleague. Maria led by example and her insights shaped my values and perspectives on social justice and the labour movement. Maria is a gifted librarian with an insatiable curiosity and critical eye for the examination of new ideas. These talents will be sorely missed and impossible to replace at AlphaPlus. You can be no luckier than to have such an extraordinary and kind librarian as a friend and co-worker.
—Alan

The AlphaPlus team, management and the board of directors sincerely thank Maria for her work, contributions and commitment, and wish her great success in her future endeavours.

AlphaPlus invites you to participate in a new cycle of technology coaching starting in April 2020.

Our technology consultants work with LBS programs to create learning strategies, deliver workshops and implement technology solutions that meet the needs of instructors and co-ordinators.

Our team can help you:

Adopt blended learning approaches and use digital technology resources to enhance the education experience.
Improve technology use to simplify and streamline administrative tasks.
Improve the integration of technology in assessment practices.
Identify short-term digital technology goals that you can achieve this year.
Plan for longer-term goals that can be achieved in stages.

To learn more or talk about how we can help your organization, contact Executive Director Alan Cherwinski by email at acherwinski@alphaplus.ca

The AlphaPlus Web Index is a collection of links to resources relevant to adult basic education. It covers subjects such as digital literacy, the integration of technology in instruction and mobile learning.