Are you taking advantage of the many ways AlphaPlus can support you? We exist to support Ontario’s adult literacy instructors and program administrators, and we’ve made improvements to help you access our resources, support and services.

Today, we’re announcing a new AlphaPlus website, redesigned to better meet your needs. We’ve been working on this new website for two years to help you:

  1. Learn from the experiences and challenges of your peers. In our new community questions and case studies sections, you’ll discover the questions and challenges your peers have shared and the answers or solutions we’ve developed alongside them.
  1. Access information based on your interests and needs. We’ve created a brand-new resource hub, curating our library of tools, information and supports. You’ll be able to call up topics specific to your role as an educator or as an administrator and choose whether you want to focus on practical solutions or research and analysis of the frameworks, strategies and policies that inform literacy work in a digitally connected world. 
  1. Explore literacy and basic skills (LBS) content wherever you are and on any device. We’ve paid attention to the new site’s usability, navigation and structure, designing with accessibility in mind from the start. The new mobile-friendly design is easier to use and navigate from any device.

We hope it will now be easier than ever for you to self-serve solutions or discover ways that we can help you address your challenges. We’re always exploring, learning and playing with new ideas; the new site reflects our approach and gives us a way to share our discoveries.

If you’re an adult literacy instructor or administrator in Ontario, this is your website, designed to serve you. Please visit the new AlphaPlus.ca to discover the improvements we’ve made, and please share your feedback with us. We’re looking for opportunities to keep improving it for you!

Alan & Tracey

AlphaPlus

Dear Literacy Educators,

The arrival of fall means “getting back to normal” for those of us working in the adult literacy field. Summer breaks are behind us, programs are ramping up and new and returning learners are looking for our support. But this fall, our sector is grappling with a “new normal” that isn’t normal at all.
 
Being an adult literacy educator in the fall of 2022 looks very different from just a few years ago. Today’s learners are asking for more flexibility regarding how they participate. Educators are under pressure to offer a mix of in-person, remote and hybrid learning — while finding ways to organize, share and distribute content and materials physically and electronically. Organizations are facing new challenges in recruiting staff and participants back to programs. And after the last two years of steep learning curves and forced innovation, you might be trying to figure out what elements you should preserve.
 
As you grapple with the challenges of the “new normal,” remember that AlphaPlus is here to help. As you evaluate new ideas and incorporate technology into your teaching in new ways on an ongoing (rather than an emergency) basis, we’re ready to be a touchpoint. We exist to support adult literacy education professionals in Ontario.
 

Literacy educators: What support do you need this fall?

Are you looking for technology solutions and tips?

Some of your peers have had the capacity to experiment with solutions and tools that you might be interested in. Participate in our Showcase sessions to learn what your peers in similar programs are doing. The next topic is using game-based learning and quizzes 
 

Do you need a space for reflection and professional development?

Perhaps you’d like to reflect on what you’ve learned and implemented, and where you’d like to go further. Our Educator Network and planning your digital tool box course will help you reflect upon how your approaches are part of broader, recognized frameworks in the teaching field. You can work alongside your peers in the Educator Network or in a self-paced, self-directed structure in the course — both can help you feel confident in your career as a teacher post-COVID.
 

Would you like to watch others implement new ideas?

If you’re interested in watching your peers experiment, create and document their experiences in pushing creativity in their teaching practices, visit the Wayfinders Studio Maker Space. This maker space has been designed to promote hands-on learning and foster creativity among educators. The current groups of makers are modelling knowledge-sharing and experimentation with digital storytelling and video production.
 

Are you looking for conversation and peer support?

Would you like to get together with fellow educators to discuss your experiences and challenges? Drop into one or more sessions of our Community Gabfest series – an informal but facilitated series of conversations among your peers.
 
See the information and links below to learn more about participating in these opportunities.
 

Are these the teaching and learning supports you need?

You’ve learned a great deal in the last couple of years and experimented with many new approaches and technologies. Today, you’re in a different place, asking different questions. You’ve come so far, and with that journey comes a new suite of challenges. Do the offerings I’ve described above address the support that you need?
 
Along with today’s challenges, there’s hope. We have reason to believe that investments in building the capacity of our sector may soon be coming through. If so, we’d like to be prepared to take advantage of any opportunities or resources and ensure that expectations are realistic. To that end, would you share your answers to the following questions?

As always, I’d love to hear directly from you, so please email me with your answers at acherwinski@alphaplus.ca. Thank you.

Alan Cherwinski
Executive Director
AlphaPlus

Dear Literacy Educators,

For the last few months, AlphaPlus has been involved in the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development’s digital enhancement initiative for Ontario’s literacy and basic skills (LBS) sector. Along with Contact North, we played a convening and intermediary role in this project, consulting with and working on behalf of educators, administrators and learners. 

We ensured that all sectors (colleges, community programs and school boards) and streams (Deaf, francophone, Indigenous, and anglophone) were provided with equitable opportunity to contribute. We paid particular attention to including under-represented groups and we interpreted high priority issues that are actionable by the Ministry. Thank you to all who stepped forward to share your insights and experiences about digital delivery. 

The consultation, research and analysis are now summarized in the report Enhancing the Literacy and Basic Skills Program Through Integrated Digital Delivery: An Opportunity and Needs Assessment (available on the online hub we’ve set up).

The report highlights the importance of digital skills and digital literacy, the gains made by remote learners during the pandemic, the challenges presented by the digital divide and the following four thematic areas of opportunity and potential action:

Provide access to technology devices, digital skills and tech support across the province to increase access and remove barriers.
Provide a shared repository of vetted, high-quality, open-sourced curricula, assessment and online-learning teaching resources and a comprehensive learning management system.
Provide accessible provincial professional development and structured forums and methods for knowledge sharing focused on online and blended-learning best practices.
Strengthen the enabling environment for system-wide effectiveness and coordination.

While none of this is new to those of us working in Ontario’s adult literacy sector, it’s helpful to see attention paid to these issues.

Keeping digital delivery in perspective within the full system view

This initiative reflects a significant investment by the Ministry in understanding digital delivery, but we can’t lose sight of the opportunities and challenges of in-person programs. The report highlights the importance of digital skills and literacy to help learners successfully pursue their goals related to education, employment and independence — but most digital skill building happens through in-person opportunities and experiences.

In addition to representing 85% of LBS program delivery, face-to-face is the optimal environment to build relationships, trust and comfort with learners. And as remote services increase, we don’t want to risk excluding those with lower digital literacy skills and limited access to devices or the internet. Therefore, we believe that to ensure robust and digitally enriched adult literacy programming, the entire system should be designed from the perspective of in-person teachers and learners. In-person, including hybrid, delivery provides the appropriate and critical opportunities for learners to develop the competency to fully participate in future independent digital learning at home, at work or in further education.

While fully remote service delivery is an excellent option for certain situations and learners, it shouldn’t be the default nor the dominant (only takeaway) theme from the report. An army of in-person teachers is providing foundational digital skills opportunities to improve learners’ access to future digital learning. Overly focusing on the needs of fully remote or distance LBS delivery would short-change the immediate struggles of the in-person programs doing the yeoman’s share of the LBS digital skills development.

Next steps: Continue the conversation about system-level change

Where do we go from here?

While it’s not clear what next steps the Ministry will take, this initiative reflects incremental progress and momentum around much-needed conversations. The Ministry involved AlphaPlus because of our advocacy on behalf of literacy programs and projects like our Shift to Remote Delivery Report and 8 Strategies for Improving the Digital Capacity of Our Adult Literacy System. We will continue to try to meet with them and advance these conversations.

Recognizing that digital delivery is just one component, AlphaPlus will continue to support and advocate for face-to-face programs trying to deal with 21st-century technology and learning. The report findings will help us narrow our focus and clarify where we can make an impact.

To that end, we also want to continue the conversation with you. I encourage you to read the Ministry’s report and get in touch directly with me to share your thoughts:

Please email me with your reactions and ideas at acherwinski@alphaplus.ca. I hope to hear from you.

Alan Cherwinski

Executive Director

AlphaPlus

Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) sector is emerging from two years of tremendous change; we need a system that recognizes and supports that transformation.

The pandemic forced everyone working in adult literacy to step in and fill a void, making changes and improvements that we had talked about for a very long time. We all moved through an extreme learning curve, incorporating new ways of doing things and tackling projects that previously seemed impossible. From online program delivery, digitizing learner records and files, online audits and much more, our field has developed countless new solutions, many of which are here to stay.

From our vantage point at AlphaPlus, we’ve witnessed you overcoming barriers and obstacles. You acted quickly to find ways to continue reaching and supporting learners. We see the hard work you’ve done to adapt, and we’re proud to have played a role in helping many of you.

New Ministry initiative taking place within an altered landscape

Last October, we started a discussion about a vision for system-level change for our sector. We introduced some of our thinking and our eight proposed strategies for improving the digital capacity of our adult literacy system, inviting you into the conversation. That same week, the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development announced a new initiative. 

The new Ministry initiative aims to identify gaps and priorities for digital services, and tools for learners, educators and organizations. They’re seeking input into creating a roadmap for enhancing the LBS system’s capacity to deliver more services remotely and expand blended learning opportunities to serve more learners.

You might recall that the Ministry conducted a program evaluation in 2016 that resulted in over 40 key recommendations — many of which have not been addressed. Today, our landscape bears little resemblance to what it looked like in 2016; we have to grapple with the changes we made during the pandemic and how we want to advance them.

As the Ministry starts to examine our new reality, they’ve asked AlphaPlus and Contact North|Contact Nord to help consult with educators, tutors, learners and organizations. We recognize you’re being consulted once again but we’re cautiously optimistic about what this could mean for our field as a whole. Now is an excellent time to provide insight into the problems that remain and the solutions we need. We want to help ensure that the right people are consulted and heard, and that good information gets into the hands of decision-makers.

This initiative is unfolding quickly, with multiple organizations playing a role. In addition to AlphaPlus and Contact North|Contact Nord, the project is working with the sector and stream organizations to organize participation in 13 small discussion groups over January and February. We’ve set up a home base to provide you with essential information, links and AlphaPlus updates.

While we work on the long-term change, we’re here to support you now

Working on the big picture and contributing to moving forward these long-term pieces — such as the eight strategies and capacity initiative — is a process that takes time. We know that you want us to participate in those discussions and advocate for the adult literacy sector, and we also know that you need support now.

While we play a role in big-picture vision-building, we continue to support the immediate needs of instructors and program administrators. In the last year, we’ve worked by your side through coaching, networks, offering tools and templates to help you digitize your course materials, and showcasing and sharing your innovations and successes.

As we kick off 2022, we’re excited about new opportunities to support you. For example:

The pandemic has forever altered the landscape for delivering adult literacy education. We’re here to help ensure that we hold on to our sector’s best innovations and continue on a positive trajectory forward.

If you have any questions about our role in the Ministry initiative or how the AlphaPlus team can support you directly, please email me at acherwinski@alphaplus.ca.

Alan Cherwinski
Executive Director
AlphaPlus

At AlphaPlus, we’re currently looking for perspectives that may have been missing in our inclusion efforts.

I’m the Executive Director of AlphaPlus, but I wear more than one hat in the adult literacy education field: I’m also on the board of a literacy program here in Picton, which allows me to engage in adult literacy work in an entirely different way.

Recently, during a board discussion about 2S-LGBTQ+ issues within the local program, I was struck by perspectives I had previously been missing. As we discussed disruptions to family life and school that can lead to a need for a literacy program down the road, I realized that, though gay myself, I had, as a white, cisgender male living with several privileges, been unaware of many LGBTQ issues affecting learning.

Since coming to that realization, and knowing that at AlphaPlus we tend to talk about equitable delivery but less about being intentionally inclusive by design, I have entered AlphaPlus into a partnership with Ontario Digital Literacy and Access Network (ODLAN), an organization that facilitates digital literacy and advocates for the removal of barriers to accessing online spaces for 2S-LGBTQ+ communities. ODLAN offers resources to help organizations build the infrastructure and capacity to concretely address these issues. This partnership allows us the opportunity to learn about aspects of digital equity from an organization outside the field of adult literacy. Through the ODLAN network, organizations can collaborate further on using an intersectional lens in developing digital strategies that will minimize the barriers 2S-LGBTQ+ communities are experiencing.

This initiative leads us to the following questions:

Creating sector-wide system change

One of AlphaPlus’ strategic priorities is building a more equitable and inclusive literacy and basic skills (LBS) system. We have identified eight strategies to address long-standing challenges and gaps – from affordable access, to infrastructure investments, to choosing performance measures that work for learners. We’ll be sharing our recommendations for sector-wide system change over the next few months.

The strategies were built upon an AlphaPlus vision of the digital learning opportunities an adult learning system must provide. The wording of the vision is a work in progress (you can read it here), and we believe our framing of digital opportunities can, with your help, be strengthened by a more careful examination of, and explicit commitment to, inclusion.

Seeking your input

As we work toward creating sector-wide change, we’d like to learn from you, our peers in the adult literacy sector. Can you help us to be more consciously inclusive and think about approaches to inclusion that we haven’t previously considered? Please share your insights, recommendations, examples, partner ideas. We would also welcome any answers you might have to the following questions:

We recognize that we have more questions than answers, which is why I’m sharing them with you. I welcome your input and would like to hear from you directly, so please email me at acherwinski@alphaplus.ca to share your thoughts.

Thank you in advance for helping us to learn together.

Alan

Executive Director

AlphaPlus

ODLAN logo

Digital literacy is a tricky concept to pin down. It can mean many things to different organizations and people. Rather than interpret it with a static definition, we describe the more actionable consequences of an equitable, sustainable and effective adult learning system that provides learners with comprehensive digital literacy development opportunities.

To fully realize these opportunities, the same opportunities many take for granted, system-wide adjustments that address learners’ access to technology, integrated understandings of digital literacy and literacy in digital spaces, professional development and capacity-building, program infrastructure, service delivery design and accountability and performance measures need to be considered.

AFFORDABLE INTERNET AND THE RIGHT DEVICE

  1. A reliable and affordable home internet connection and the device learners need for diverse, interactive and tech-rich learning opportunities
  2. Initial digital literacy using their own devices (often a smartphone), and leveraging their device to support further learning

DIVERSE, RELEVANT AND WELL DESIGNED LEARNING EXPERIENCES

  1. Transferable digital skills and insights that enable online participation and safeguard privacy, security and one’s digital footprint
  2. Up-to-date and well-designed applications, platforms, tools and materials for enhanced learning opportunities with a focus on affordable options to support use outside and beyond the program
  3. An approach to blended learning that incorporates online and in person spaces where technology rich literacy and numeracy practices are developed; and paper-based practices are integrated, depending on purpose, individual preference and accessibility
  4. The regular use of assistive technologies and assistive features within applications to build a repertoire of communication strategies
  5. The use of interactive and multi-modal materials and applications informed by evidence-based pedagogy and individual relevance for technology rich learning experiences

INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION AND REPRESENTATION

  1. Support in navigating fundamental services, businesses and institutions with online-only and online-first entry points; and understandings of the implications (both the benefits and potential negative impacts) of the interactions and transactions
  2. Inclusive participation and contributions in relevant online spaces for social, economic and civic purposes
  3. Engagement in public consultations, democratic forums and processes to ensure representation for themselves, families and communities.  

See – Questioning our ideas about inclusion – and asking for your input

Evernote is a suite of Apps and products that “make modern life manageable, by letting you easily collect and find everything that matters.” Think of it as a digital file cabinet that stores your notes, links, resources, recipes, and anything else you might want to keep or refer to in the future. It can also be great for daily journals or as a task or project management system, even for writing fiction.
It is accessible from any device – you can access Evernote via a browser or desktop software on your computer or via Apps on your smartphones or tablets. You can even install Evernote Web Clipper to make it easier to “save anything you see online – including text, links and images – into your Evernote account with a single click.”
Many users rely on Evernote to simply manage their notes and links to interesting articles or websites, which they group together in Notebooks. Examples include organizing information like:

Here is Maria from AlphaPlus sharing how she is using Evernote and offering ideas on how Evernote could be used with students:

Another AlphaPlus staff member, Monika, also uses Evernote to store her information.
Here is an example of how Monika’s Digitally-enabled teacher Notebook looks:

She uses it mostly to clip and organize various links and resources she finds online.
On the left, you will see various Notebooks (think of them as folders) that were set up to organize information. In the middle, you will see quick previews of the items stored within the digitally-enabled teacher Notebook. There are 22 items in total. On the right, you will see the details for the item selected and a preview of the actual web page or link that was saved.
Evernote even keeps information on when the item was saved and a link to the actual source of the page.

Just imagine how you could use Evernote to save all the information that’s important to you in one place and have access to it from any location at any time (either via your devices, your computer or a web browser).
You can also share your notes and Notebooks with others via a public link (no need to log in to view it) or by email (recipients will have to set up and/or log in to their Evernote to view it).

Evernote can be a great tool for administrators or educators to organize their tools, links and resources. For example, they can use it to save:

Students can use Evernote to manage their learning, organize their information and notes and develop their digital technology skills in the process.
For example, they can set up a Notebook (think of it as a folder) for their class. In this folder, they can store the link to their class website with class assignments and resources (if there is one), their teacher’s contact information, and possibly social media tools like Twitter or Facebook so they can quickly get in touch with the program or a teacher.
If students work on projects or online assignments, they can use Evernote to gather research on specific topics. With the Evernote Web Clipper, the process is even simpler. While doing their research online, they can click on the web clipper icon (they can install it in their browser) and follow a few steps to save the content to their Evernote account. They can also choose which Notebook they want to add the information to, and whether they want to simply save the URL, the article or the full page.

Students can also use Evernote to write notes, such as reminders, to-do lists, outlines, daily journals, meeting/class notes, and project timelines. Here is a quick example of a note a student can create while working on an assignment. The notes can be formatted (bullets, underline, etc), and even include attachments (if the assignment was provided to the student in electronic format, they can attach it to their notes as well).

Introducing students to Evernote can be a great way to help them manage their learning and to teach them technology and organizational skills.
Maybe students could even use Evernote as their personal portfolio or to work on and manage their training plans. What do you think?

Additional links and resources:
Evernote Guide
Evernote for business
What’s All the Fuss About Evernote? Should I Be Using It?