Would you like to use your learners’ daily lives to better answer their learning needs?
Join us for a series of 3 workshops in which you will explore different ways to use learners’ daily tasks to create activities that develop digital skills, other skills and knowledge.

We will look at how to go from a simple daily activity such as using a web mapping app to identify digital skills that can be developed through various means.

The training series is three workshops on Wednesday, January 14, 21, 28, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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

• Explore how integrating daily-life technology supports literacy learning
• Expand your list of apps and websites that support learners in completing daily life tasks and accessing resources
• Develop a practice of integrating daily life apps and websites into curriculum and lesson plans

See what other workshop series are coming up in the next few months: Workshops at AlphaPlus

Or you may be interested in a quick update at a Lunch and Learn.

And to see what colleagues around the province are achieving with the help of educational technology, join us for a Virtual Showcase.

Would you like to be more skilled at finding answers to support your work and find ways to be professionally less isolated?
Join us for a series of 3 workshops in which you will learn about new places and ways to learn and support your professional development. We will look at Personal Learning Networks and how they can help you discover new perspectives on your practice. We will also explore ways to  share with and learn from others.  

What is a personal learning network?

Personal Learning Networks are formal and informal networks of people with similar goals and interests who interact using digital tools to share information, learn from each other, problem solve and collaborate. 

Personal Learning Networks are curated lifelong learning opportunities for professional development. They support practitioners who want to activate their intellectual curiosity in the company of others in a world of rapidly changing information.

Why do I need a personal learning network?

Here are some reasons we have been discussing at AlphaPlus and why we think you might enjoy these workshops.

• Diversity matters: personal learning networks create space for a variety of experiences and perspectives and can help us find interesting ways to innovate in our practice.
• Teaching can be isolating: personal learning networks help educators to escape the isolation that can become part of the profession.
• Connect anytime, anywhere: a virtual personal learning network can help you overcome networking barriers related to time, place, and distance.
• Opportunities to reflect: online discussion forums, blogs, and courses can prompt you to reflect more regularly on your teaching practice.
• Finding information or support: as a seeker of information, your personal learning network can help you solve challenges, learn about how other practitioners are applying methodologies and resources, and find mentors who might not be available locally.
• Sharing your expertise and ideas: as a creator of information, you can help others by talking about your experiences, interesting experiments and what you are researching. Participating in virtual discussions, workshops and courses helps others get to know you and benefit from your professional wisdom. 

The training series is three workshops on Wednesday, November 12, 19, 26, 2025, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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

• Explore the role of professional learning in enhancing your practice
• Expand your list of learning resources as participants share their favourite places to learn
• Develop a curation plan that supports your own needs, goals and preferences

See what other workshop series are coming up in the next few months: Workshops at AlphaPlus

Or you may be interested in a quick update at a Lunch and Learn.

And to see what colleagues around the province are achieving with the help of educational technology, join us for a Virtual Showcase.

Join us for a new workshop series: Create an Online Learning Site

In this three-workshop series, you will learn how to create an online space in Google sites to communicate and collaborate with learners.  

Why do I need an online learning site?

Here are some reasons we have been discussing at AlphaPlus and why we think you might enjoy these workshops.

• Meet learner expectations
  An online learning site can help meet learner’s expectations to find information easily online and lets learners connect to learning materials from anywhere at any time.

• Develop lifelong learning skills
  Your site can provide a centralized platform for sharing information, resources, and interactive learning experiences and promotes lifelong learning by modelling the ways we can stay updated with the latest knowledge in online environments.

• Streamline classroom communications
  You can cut down on the number of handouts and emails you need to share and the strategies you use to remember with whom you shared them.

• Tailor your site to your specific needs
  You can develop your site to meet your specific communication and collaboration needs and the needs of learners who attend your program. You can use the site as a simple communication space and post announcements, events, and calendars as well as course outlines and learning pathways with links to assignments, study materials and resources. Or you can create mini-courses with embedded reading materials, interactive slides and quizzes.

Come with your own ideas or join us to be inspired

Of course, you may arrive at the workshops with your own reasons for creating a site. Whether you come with ideas or are joining to be inspired, you will have an opportunity to develop a plan.

The training series is three workshops on Wednesday, October 8, 15, 22, 2025 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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

• Enhance your understanding of what learners need in an online learning space (we will discuss the different ways teachers are using online spaces)
• Create a Google site that you can adapt to your needs and the needs of the learners (we will guide you through the process of setting up a site and adding elements — you can build alongside the facilitators or watch the demonstrations and build later)
• Expand your list of teaching resources (we will encourage participants to share resources that learners love to populate the sites we build)

See what other workshop series are coming up in the next few months: Workshops at AlphaPlus

Or you may be interested in a quick update at a Lunch and Learn.

And to see what colleagues around the province are achieving with the help of educational technology, join us for a Virtual Showcase.

Have you been thinking about offering test preparation for the new Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC)? Do you need help supporting learners as they prepare to take these tests?  As we kick off the academic year, we have a new guide to help you.

In the spring of 2024, the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) was released. This new credential replaces the GED® for Canadian adults seeking a secondary equivalency. While the CAEC offers important and useful changes from the GED®, it requires significant teaching and background knowledge, and the transition to a digital platform has implications for both test-taking and literacy. Until now, little support has been available to build teachers’ knowledge so they can assist learners.

New guide available: Preparing for the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC)

AlphaPlus is pleased to unveil a new, comprehensive guide to help you learn about the new CAEC and support adult learners. The guide includes teaching tips, curriculum planning outlines, lesson routines, and other resources. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find inside:

• Test overview to help you get familiar with the unique features, demands and requirements of the CAEC and how to effectively prepare learners.
• Subject overviews and teaching tips on each of the five CAEC test subjects: reading, writing, math, science and social studies.
• Templates, curriculum plans, and lesson routines to help you develop your own test preparation courses and workshops.
• Test readiness tools: To identify your learners’ skills and determine their readiness to take the CAEC tests.

Check out this brand-new guide and get up to speed with the digital, content, and cognitive complexity changes you will need to understand to support learners with the CAEC.

Additionally, please let us know your thoughts on the content of the guide so far and what you’d like to see added. We welcome your feedback! Complete the form to let us know what you’d like to see in the guide. 

Enjoyed our Lunch and Learn sessions this Spring? 

Get ready to level up your digital skills with four more Tips and Tricks sessions starting this September! Whether you’re looking to streamline your workflow, explore new tools, or stay ahead of tech trends, these quick 30-minute sessions are packed with practical insights and hands-on tips.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 | 12:30 – 1:00 PM

Stay ahead with the latest in AI! Discover new and innovative AI tools, explore advancements in assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini, learn how to apply AI in your daily work, experiment with advanced prompts and customization, and more.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 | 12:30 – 1:00 PM

Boost your online presence! Learn how to set up a free Google Business Profile so customers can find you on Google Search and Maps, explore current social media trends, find out whether hashtags still matter, and discover tools for content creation and graphics management, and more.

Don’t miss out! These sessions are perfect for anyone looking to stay sharp, save time, and make the most of today’s tech tools. Learn more at https://alphaplus.ca/our-services/lunch-learn. 

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has announced one-time funding to support Windows 11 upgrades for Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) service delivery sites, support organizations, and e-Channel providers.

This funding is available to replace core computer equipment—such as laptops and desktops—that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11. Devices that meet Windows 11 system requirements are not eligible for replacement, but can be upgraded for free via Microsoft’s site. Peripheral equipment (e.g., monitors, docking stations, keyboards) may only be included if it is essential and cannot be reused.

To access this funding, programs must complete a short application survey developed by AlphaPlus. The survey opened on August 11, 2025, and organizations will have until EOD September 19th 2025, to submit their responses.

📌 Important links:

• Ministry Announcement – Windows 11 Upgrade Funding
• Printable PDF copy of the survey (for planning purposes)
• Online Application Survey – Opens August 11

Please note: Only organizations that complete the survey will be eligible for funding.

If you need support completing the survey, please contact:

Michael Andrews – Project Manager

AlphaPlus/CLO
mwdandrews+win11@gmail.com

What is the current state of professional development for adult literacy instructors in Ontario? This is a question we’ve been exploring over the last year.

Since spring 2024, AlphaPlus has been researching the complexities surrounding professional development in our sector. The research, commissioned by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), was completed this spring, and we’d like to share a few top-level findings and recommendations with you.

Why research the state of professional development?

Although the ministry commissioned this research, we too were interested in deepening our understanding of the topic beyond what we know anecdotally. As an organization dedicated to supporting adult literacy programs, we wanted to learn more about the most effective professional development formats, the challenges and barriers you encounter, and the factors that impact your participation, engagement, and ability to apply the knowledge you gain. We also wanted to explore potential solutions and models to support successful implementation. Recognizing that professional development is often underfunded and undervalued, understanding strategic paths forward is critical.

What we learned reflects what we already know: barriers and needs

To do this work, we contracted a researcher who conducted a literature review and facilitated 26.5 hours of focus groups and interviews with 30 individuals from across all delivery sectors and cultural streams. Here’s a glimpse of what we learned.

To foster meaningful participation in professional development, you need flexible and inclusive delivery formats, opportunities to design and test practical tools aligned with real-world needs and culturally responsive and holistic materials that are developed collaboratively.

Underlying these specifics is a need for structural investment in professional development that is separate from service delivery funding to ensure sustainability and effectiveness. Here’s what one research participant from a community-based program had to say: “If it’s just another line item in our service agreement with no additional support or flexibility, we won’t be able to do it — not without cutting something else.”

Potential solutions

While the research findings reflect what we already know anecdotally, they sharpen the focus on a few key points. Primary among these is the structural issue of dedicated funding for professional development. We also propose a set of four recommendations:

1. Piloting paid professional development time

2. Establishing a centralized provincial professional development hub for tools, learning events, and sector knowledge

3. Supporting peer-led maker spaces and informal mentorship networks

4. Exploring micro-credentials to support recognition of practitioner growth and development.

Some of these recommendations draw on options currently offered by subsets of our community; we suggest combining complementary approaches to work synergistically. See the full report to learn more about how your peers are implementing professional development, and for the details of our recommendations.

Using the data to find a path forward

We know that ongoing professional development is valuable and necessary to support your success and effectiveness. We recognize that, as a field, we are doing all we can under the current circumstances. And we know that optimizing professional development for adult literacy educators will require both a financial commitment and strong leadership. Although not surprising, this research provides the data we need to find a path forward.

Access the professional development research report

We encourage you to download the summary or the full report, explore this research in further detail and use it to inform conversations with your team (which we’ll be doing here at AlphaPlus) and with the ministry.

This June, join us for a four-workshop series about different approaches to teaching and learning information literacy with a focus on digital media.

June 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Learn new things about information literacy

An essential 21st century skill is learning how to distinguish information that is reliable from disinformation, misinformation and fake news. We all struggle with this at times. Information literacy requires an understanding of the media landscape and knowledge about how to use our critical thinking skills in this landscape. It is very difficult for us to keep up-to-date as this landscape shifts and evolves.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were resources that meet the needs of the people who want to learn about information literacy AND teachers who want to develop instructional approaches to engaging learners in conversations about information literacy?

Explore resources with teachers

We have been researching online curriculum resources that meet both those needs. We  are inviting you to explore them with us and curate your own collection.

Become part of a cohort of creative teachers in a facilitated, collaborative environment and:

• Engage with peers in rich conversations about the practice of teaching.
• Explore examples of resources that support teaching and learning in adult literacy programs.
• Curate a selection of co-learning resources to use with learners.

We will take a look at curriculum resources that: 

• Enhance our knowledge of how news and information is created and disseminated.
• Expand our capacity to evaluate information and information sources.

Engage learners in discussions about information literacy

These resources include teacher-facing guides, instructions, objectives and/or teaching tips and support instructors to:

• Cover a topic comprehensively.
• Build a series of lessons that flow together. 
• Co-learn rather than feel pressure to be the expert.

Attendance policy 😊

We hope that you will find all the workshops relevant to your work and will want to attend the complete series. We think it will be beneficial to the group to have a cohort that develops a discussion over four weeks but we also know that people are busy and have to make choices. We will share an outline so that you will have the information you need to make the choices that work for you.

To learn more, click here or contact Tracey and Guylaine directly.

Join us June 5, 12, 19 and 26 between 11:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.