Would you like FREE support in finding technology solutions that enhance classroom learning and simplify administrative activities?
Contact us today!

AlphaPlus coaches Monika and Guylaine will work alongside you to identify your specific needs and create a customized work or training plan that fits your team’s schedule.

No question is too big or too small! Our coaching sessions can be brief (one or two meetings or training sessions), or we can collaborate with you throughout the fiscal year to help you explore tools and ideas that will move your organization toward achieving your goals.

Whether you’re setting up Google Workspace for your Literacy and Basic Skills program in Ontario, exploring Microsoft Forms, using AI, or focusing on something else, we combine our knowledge of technology with insights from similar programs and research to streamline the process of exploration and experimentation. This ensures that you arrive at the best solution for your unique context.

Our coaching support can be the perfect starting point for addressing your literacy program’s technology challenges and discovering how AlphaPlus can help. New coaching spots are now available—contact us to secure your spot today!

CONTACT US:

Monika Jankowska-Pacyna
Organizational Development Specialist – Education and Technology (English)
monika@alphaplus.ca

Guylaine Vinet
Organizational Development Specialist – Education and Technology (French)
gvinet@alphaplus.ca

Not sure what working with a coach could look like?  

Here are a few examples:

Niagara West Adult Learning Centre

Case Studies

Unraveling your program’s technology challenges with support from an AlphaPlus coach

30 June 2023

Spark Employment Services

Case Studies

Finding an innovative way to deliver course content online

18 February 2022

Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML)

Case Studies

Moving technology obstacles out of the way for adult literacy organizations

9 April 2021

Are you a teacher who enjoys exploring and experimenting with how digital technology can enhance learning in creative ways?

Would you like to conduct your experiments with the support of AlphaPlus facilitators (Tracey and Guylaine) and cohort of colleagues?

Join us at the Alphaplus Educator Makerspace starting October 15, 2024 and exercise your creativity in a facilitated, collaborative environment.

Sign up now

What is happening at the 2024 AlphaPlus Educator Makerspace?

Empowering learners with choice

Our theme for this year’s Makerspace is Empowering Learners with Choice and our technology is the apps from Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 many instructors are using everyday. We will create interactive activities from your favourite resources and lesson plans. Our goal is to develop activities that best fit the different needs of the learners you work with.

Working together

You will attend six Zoom workshops (90 minutes, once a month). The exact day and time will be decided collaboratively by the group.

Our plan is to hold the first workshop on October 15 between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. but we will check in with the people who register to make sure this time works for everyone.

In the workshops, you will:

  • engage with peers in rich conversations about the practice of teaching
  • explore examples of activities that empower learners with choice
  • extend the use of Docs, Slides and Forms (Google or Office 365) for learning

Working independently

In between Zoom workshops, you will work on your creations, share them with the makerspace group and test them out with learners you work with. 

Getting support 

You will have access to the workshop facilitators for one-to-one or small group support as you create your lessons and activities. 

Learn more about makerspaces at AlphaPlus here: The AlphaPlus Educator Makerspace or contact Tracey or Guylaine.

Join us starting October 15 between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to exercise your creativity in a facilitated, collaborative environment. If you cannot meet at noon on October 15, the form will allow you to tell us alternative times you can meet. You will also find a link to a letter template so you can inform program coordinators about your professional learning plans.

Sign up for the 2024 AlphaPlus Makerspace

Here is what participants are saying about the Educator Makerspace

What worked well: The stimulation of being in a group of curious, congenial educators/lifelong learners; the access to an excellently curated bank of resources and expert coaching thanks to Guylaine and Tracey; the flexibility of project direction, pacing and final product deadline, which in my case likely made the difference between not finishing and creating something I was happy to share.

It is a wholistic way to learn how to use software to create digital learning tools. It is a fantastic and realistic example of adult learning principles in action! As the learner we need to sort out how we will learn, try new things and take risks, learn from mistakes and messing around; and, the AlphaPlus team provide clear information, instructions, demonstrations, pace, tone and facilitation.

I’m really grateful for the chance to participate in this program.  It has definitely helped me feel less isolated as an educator, and more aware and a part of the professional literacy network across Ontario. Also, viewing this experience as an adult learner, this was one of the few times I have felt fully supported and accommodated in a learning project, based on my own needs, preferences, and life situation, which is hilariously ironic but a big factor in my enjoyment and the quality of my outcomes.

AI use in LBS

Tuesday, October 22, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere! Many of us have tried ChatGPT/Copilot prompts and/or attended AI workshops, but it still can be overwhelming when it comes to using it in the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) community. Join us to connect with guest presenters who have tried AI in their programs (on the administrative side and with their learners, many of whom are actually eager to try AI!). 

We will discuss why they are integrating AI into their practice, what has worked for them and what hasn’t. Together, we will explore and share ideas, tips and resources.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTERarrow right

AI policies, ethics and practices in LBS

Tuesday, November 19, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

As we explore the use of AI in LBS, we need to consider the organizational aspects of it as well. Is your program open to staff using AI? Have you discussed the ethical aspects of AI as a team? What’s allowed and what’s not?  Do you have a written AI policy or guidelines in place? Have you talked to your learners about using AI when they complete lessons or assignments? What do you expect from your staff/colleagues/learners when it comes to referencing AI generated content/images? Join us to discuss these questions, share your thoughts and explore ideas/tips with our guest presenters. 

LEARN MORE AND REGISTERarrow right

Check out the Past Sessions section of the website for presentations, recordings, additional tips and resources shared by guest presenters. 

This two-workshop series is designed to support educators in using quick and easy video techniques (screen recordings and EdPuzzle, a tool for adding interactive activities to your favourite videos) to create engaging and informative activities for learners and tutors.

In 2 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), you will:

See the training overview for more details about what we’ll cover.

The training series is two workshops:

If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.

Register nowarrow right

This three-workshop series is designed to support educators in understanding and using accessibility functions to create effective learning experiences for diverse audiences.

See the training overview for more details about what we’ll cover.

The training series is three workshops on Friday November 8, 15 and 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.

Register nowarrow right

This timely training is designed to support educators in understanding and using AI applications (such as ChatGPT) to create effective learning experiences and manage student learning.

In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), you will:

See the training overview for more details about what we’ll cover, the format, timing and deadlines for registration.

The training series is three workshops:

If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.

Register nowarrow right

This three-workshop series is about what an AI policy that works for adult learners in literacy could look like and how to work with learners to create a policy that offers guidance for how educators and learners using AI to do research, make material more accessible and to support creativity ethically and safely. 

In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), you will discuss:

See the training overview for more details about what we’ll cover, the format, timing and deadlines for registration.

The training series is three workshops:

If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.

Register nowarrow right

This three-workshop series will answer all your technical and ethical questions about adding images to educational and outreach materials. We will focus the skills and knowledge we need to create and use images without using AI but we will discuss the use of AI images in the section about copyright and fair use.

In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), we will discuss:

See the training overview for more details about what we’ll cover, the format, timing and deadlines for registration.

The training series is three workshops:

If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.

Register soonarrow right

As a literacy instructor, Nadia Mustillo aims to offer transferable technology skills that learners can apply in life and future employment. As a program administrator, Nadia is interested in learning about tools and applications that can streamline and support her daily tasks.

Nadia is the literacy and basic skills (LBS) supervisor at the Thomas Merton Centre for Adult and Continuing Education with the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB), where she’s been working since 2023. Coming from a 35-year government and social services career, Nadia’s current role includes teaching (English and digital skills), marketing and administration.

“I work part-time, and it’s a bit of a balance and struggle between doing instruction, admin and coming up with new platforms to work in,” explains Nadia. “After speaking to colleagues working in the English as a second language (ESL) program, I became interested in setting up Google Classroom. Around the same time, I noticed that AlphaPlus offered a Google Workspace course and wanted to see what I could learn.”

Expanding skills to embrace new platforms and tools

Nadia took advantage of an evening training option within the AlphaPlus Building Digital Skills training series in February and March 2023. She explains that the instructor guided the group through the suite of options available through Google:

“The instructor for this training was excellent, and I discovered a whole suite of apps and resources I can use in the classroom. We got to hear about how these tools have been used in an educational context, including from the instructor and peers in the course. I feel confident, tech-wise, but I wasn’t familiar with the Google suite. During the training, I discovered that I could replicate what I already knew from using Microsoft products, and I learned ways to help learners pick up transferable skills in turn.”

Google Workspace offers many benefits to both Nadia and her learners, one of which is being free and accessible to anyone with a Gmail account. Google tools provide a low-barrier way for learners, many of whom are comfortable with phones or tablets, to transfer their skills to using a computer. And building skills in Docs, Slides, and Sheets prepares learners to move on to credit programs, many of which require computer proficiency.

In the fall of 2023, Nadia returned to the Building Digital Skills series, taking training focused on Microsoft: “Although I’m comfortable with Microsoft products, there are always things you don’t know. For example, I was familiar with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Calendar but not with using OneNote with learners. It has accessibility features that will be useful for my students, who can use it for translation or help from the math assistant when they get stuck. It’s important to be well-prepared to help adult students with Microsoft products, as it’s widely used in business settings.”

From learning to implementation: Nadia’s next steps

Next, Nadia plans to spend more time exploring and applying what she learned in the training series. She would like to organize her Google Classroom as a central area for lesson plans and worksheets according to units and topics so that it’s more structured for students and fellow teachers. She’d also like to use the Google suite in new ways, including tracking work and progress for use in reports to the ministry.

“I’ve been blown away by the available tools and resources and the possibilities for me, my colleagues and our learners.”

“Because the training moved quickly, I’d like to take more time with the next steps, and I plan to get support from an AlphaPlus coach — getting guidance about what I can and can’t do based on our centre’s setup,” says Nadia. “I’ve been blown away by the available tools and resources and the possibilities for me, my colleagues and our learners.”

Would you like to build transferable skills for you and your learners? Sign up for upcoming AlphaPlus training designed specifically with the needs of adult literacy educators in mind.

Community Gabfests are Zoom gatherings for literacy educators who want to connect with their peers in an informal setting. Connecting with other educators helps us see our work with fresh eyes, validates our experiences and is a powerful way to renew our energy, purpose, and excitement about our work.  Join us as we chat, vent, brainstorm, etc., about this work that we love.

Register Here

The next Gabfest is on February 8, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The conversation starter is

How do you create your own learning pathway?

  • How do teachers learn?
  • Where do teachers learn?
  • What do LBS teachers want to learn about in 2024?

Tracey and Guylaine are your hosts.

Contact tracey@alphaplus.ca or guylaine@alphaplus.ca if you would like more information.

Future Gabfests – save the dates:

  • February 8, 2024: Teachers as learners

Past Gabfests – see what happened:

Thanks for a wonderful year as we piloted this new program: Real talk as Community Gabfest pilot continues

Here is what participants say happens at a Community Gabfest:

  • Lots of opportunity for discussion.
  • Others sharing their best practices
  • Learning about what other programs are doing to increase learner engagement.
  • To know that others experience the same challenges that we do. Sharing ways to enhance our programming; sharing ideas to help solve problems
  • Meeting new people from the literacy field and learning about their ideas.
  • Going into different breakout rooms and meeting different practitioners.
  • Connecting with others in small groups

And here are some of the ways participants describe the Community Gabfests:

  • The Community Gabfest gives everyone an opportunity to share, to learn and to discuss. We are guided by seasoned adult literacy professionals.
  • It is great to meet, share, discuss ideas, and best practices.
  • An avenue to share techniques and strategies that are working in our programs. A forum to learn together about best practices, challenges, and possibilities.
  • It was a place where people could share their ideas, issues and challenges and share solutions too if needed. You also got the chance to meet people that were outside of your immediate region and you had the opportunity to expand your network in the space. There are also of really great people and agencies out there doing really great work for the community. It was nice to see just beyond your own agency or region.
  • It was nice to learn about different experiences from literacy practitioners. The environment was safe and cordial to talk about your experiences with learners.
  • We got to meet different literacy practitioners on Zoom and talk about what we do, resources, and learn from each other. It was a really relaxed environment and we wouldn’t normally get to do this in-person. This was a great alternative.