Meet Olga Herrmann, the newest member of the AlphaPlus team! Olga joined us in late 2022, and we’d like to introduce her — and her project — to you.

With 25 years of experience supporting adult learners along their unique journeys, Olga has worked as a literacy and basic skills (LBS) practitioner, English as a second language (ESL) instructor, learning strategist, vocational counsellor and career advisor in post-secondary and community-based agencies. She also has a master of education (M.Ed.), which included research in adult education and community development.

Before relocating to her current home in rural Ontario — where she loves to cross-country ski, walk her puppy and participate in a creative writing group — Olga lived in Toronto. She has worked at organizations including Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML), PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs, George Brown and Centennial colleges and the University of Toronto.

“In a past role as a project manager for MTML, I benefited from the AlphaPlus team’s innovative work concerning integrating technology. It’s exciting for me now to join this group of creative, supportive, reflective individuals,” says Olga. “And this project has been a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with past colleagues and explore new developments in the field during a time of change.”

Lesson planning and digital integration from the practitioner perspective

Olga is inspired by adult literacy instructors and their resolve to deliver literacy programming to learners during the pandemic, no matter the circumstances. She notes the many ways practitioners learned and used any technology that would help them meet learners’ goals, including phone calls, Zoom and new ways of sharing learning materials online. Today, she’s excited to work on a project that will result in meaningful support for them.

“We’re conducting focus groups and consultations to figure out instructors’ needs more deliberately, outside of the urgent pivot to online learning,” explains Olga. “After being isolated, it’s time to come together, reflect and gather information about how people plan and conduct lessons, integrate technology, and what supports and resources would help front-line educators. We’re examining whether we can provide curriculum resources, planning tools or other materials that will allow instructors to integrate technology in a way that complements teaching and is relevant to adult learners’ lives.”

For this project, Olga is bringing her teaching and research backgrounds together, and she hopes to recreate the “magic” that happens in teachers’ staffrooms — the ways resources and ideas get shared and the conversations that happen. Her goal is to create a similarly generative space with AlphaPlus taking the lead. This winter and early spring, Olga is conducting focus groups and individual phone calls, identifying themes across teachers and organizations. This exploration will set the stage for the next step: co-creating materials with a group of instructors.

“In a world where we live and learn and function in digital spaces, the learning journey has been transformed,” says Olga. “We can build upon and fine-tune teachers’ innovations and adaptations from the pandemic by developing and co-creating resources from the instructor’s lens. We’re hearing from dedicated professionals about their successes, things they’d like to learn more about and things they’ve created (perhaps in isolation) that might be valuable to share.”

The AlphaPlus team is excited to have an experienced front-line teacher with an innate curiosity and analytical approach at the helm of this project. We are benefiting from Olga’s capacity for listening, gathering information and finding patterns to reveal crucial information.

Are you a Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deafblind practitioner in Ontario?
If so, come join our FREE Google training sessions with ASL interpreters to build your digital skills in the classroom!

In a series of four Zoom meetings, scheduled for Thursdays, March 9, 23, 30 and April 6 from 2:30 pm to 4 pm, you will have a chance to work with Monika from AlphaPlus and two ASL interpreters. 

Together, we will take a closer look at cool features and applications of Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Slides, Forms and Jambord.

Each session will build on the previous one. There will also be an option to stay after each session for additional questions. 

Even if you have tried Google Apps before, you will be surprised at how many new options you will discover and walk away with lots of new skills, ideas, tips and resources.

Secure your spot now! Space is limited.

Visit the website to learn more details about what we’ll cover in these free training sessions, as well as the format, timing and deadlines for registration. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs!

Here is a printable flyer to share with the community. 

We hope to see you there.

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.

2. 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. 

3. 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

Stay up-to-date with what we are thinking about at AlphaPlus and what we are doing to support  Ontario’s adult literacy instructors and program administrators.

Announcements

• What’s new at AlphaPlus and in the field.

Case Studies

• How we work with instructors and administrators.

Insights

• What we’re thinking about our work and the sea we swim in.

Leadership Letters

• How AlphaPlus is putting our vision and strategic plans into action.

Solutions

• Tech tips and ideas we gather during our work.

Back to the blog

We’re excited to announce the launch of our microsite called The Digital Inclusion Playbook that’s filled with ideas, information and resources you can use to support local digital inclusion efforts. We hope the site builds awareness at a provincial and national level on behalf of all literacy and basic skills (LBS) programs and the many learners who find themselves excluded from full and equitable participation in a digital society.

Resources, articles and mini-infographics you can use

Digital inclusion and literacy development work together, and LBS plays a key role in digital inclusion as a provider of digital learning opportunities for adults. LBS educators, volunteers and program co-ordinators are on the front lines of digital inclusion work and often address issues — such as access to devices for learning and low-cost internet plans — that go beyond everyday teaching and learning work. The playbook’s facts, resources, articles and mini-infographics can be used to:

• Help adult learners access affordable internet and devices.
• Discuss key issues with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Make a presentation to your board or institutional partners.
• Build a case for support with funding partners and community partners.
• Get involved and take action.

Information, ideas and strategies to help build awareness

Digital inclusion is bigger than LBS and involves affordable and adequate broadband internet service, internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user, quality and affordable technical support along with applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration. The playbook contains information, ideas and strategies that explore the following topics:

• Digital inclusion and the digital divide.
• Impacts of digital exclusion.
• Digital literacy in learners’ lives and leveraging their use of smartphones.
• Sources of free and open digital literacy resources.

We invite you to explore the site and share your feedback with us. We’d also love to hear about your digital inclusion initiatives and stories.
You can also contact Christine (christine@alphaplus.ca) or Alan (acherwinski@alphaplus.ca) directly.

Need help with technology set up or training?

Connect with us to take advantage of our FREE technology coaching services where we will work with you hand-in-hand to help you explore, integrate and adapt various technology tools and solutions.

The Virtual Showcase sessions are back this fall!

Our third session Should we Kahoot it? Using game-based learning and quizzes for fun and quick learning activities is scheduled for October 18, and the fourth session is planned for November 15.

Do you ever wish that you had time to stop and think?

We all do, especially after the hurly-burly of the pivot to remote learning during pandemic lockdowns and the pivot back to the blended and hybrid models that programs developed to meet the needs of new learners who joined during the pivot and returning learners who were unable to connect remotely.

Here are some opportunities to stop and think about technology and teaching that AlphaPlus is offering this fall: two collaborative learning spaces, two self-directed learning spaces and the results of our new maker space project

Two collaborative learning spaces

Two self-paced, self-directed learning spaces

And something we are working on

Happy December!

We made it through another year and as we reflect on 2021, we are — as always — wildly impressed with the thoughtful work of our colleagues around the province.

At AlphaPlus, we have the good fortune of hearing about all the amazing and innovative ways programs are working with literacy learners across the province. Our focus is digital technology, but our conversations with practitioners meander over many fields and we find treasures in each one. Thank you all for contributing to our knowledge and to making literacy work the best work.

One of the ways we hear about and share promising practices is through eNet.

Join Us for eNet – Winter 2022

eNet is our short name for the Educator Network — a collaborative, supportive space where literacy instructors can connect with colleagues from other programs to share new tools, resources and ways of doing things.

As an AlphaPlus eNet participant, you will:

• Find support to plan, experience and evaluate new approaches.
• Build relationships with colleagues and develop your own professional development network.
• Increase your confidence in applying blended learning theories and methods in your practice.

French eNet takes place in collaboration with COFA (Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes) and is delivered within four online workshops starting December 15. Contact Guylaine to find out more about subjects, dates and registration.

English eNet will meet synchronously via Zoom and asynchronously in Moodle. Do not worry if you are not familiar with Moodle, because we will support new users.

Our tentative time for Zoom sessions is Tuesdays from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., but we can adjust this to accommodate the schedule of the group.

Date	Topic
January 18	Getting Started
January 25	21st Century Learners
February 1	Literacy Learners
February 8	21st Century Learning
February 15	Planning the Digital Toolbox 1 – Goals
February 22	Planning the Digital Toolbox 2 – Learner Agency
March 1	The Digital Toolbox
March 8	Reflection and Evaluation

Contact Tracey to find out more and register.

Planning a Digital Toolbox (English)

If a self-paced version of eNet would work better for you, you can sign up for Planning a Digital Toolbox. 

Planning a Digital Toolbox is six modules for exploring digital technology tools and resources that will enhance and expand learning in your program.  You can work through the modules at your own pace starting any time after January 17, 2022. 

The program is delivered in Moodle. Do not worry if you are not familiar with Moodle because we will support new users.

Contact Tracey to find out more and register.

Join us for a Virtual Showcase — a series of 4 Zoom sessions showcasing how innovative programs and instructors use digital tools and approaches to connect and work with learners remotely.

Each session will feature guest presenters who’ll share their approaches, strategies and tips on how they connect with learners and build a virtual community using online tools and resources. Participants will have a chance to discuss and share their own experiences in breakout rooms. Afterwards, we’ll have a Tech Q&A to explore some of the digital tools mentioned during the session.

ASL interpretation services will be provided.

SESSIONS

1. Fighting the Zoombie fatigue: Making online learning more “human” for teachers and learners

June 22, 2021, 1:30 to 4 p.m.

2. Online tools to the rescue: Engaging learners to collaborate together remotely

July 20, 2021, 1:30 to 4 p.m.

3. Digital resource collections: Extending learning and critical thinking beyond virtual meetings

August 17, 2021, 1:30 to 4 p.m.

4. LMS in LBS: Figuring out if a learning management system is the right fit for your program

September 14, 2021, 1:30 to 4 p.m.

To learn more and register, visit the showcase website at http://virtualshowcase.alphaplus.ca

Follow us on social media using #LBSshow and @alphapluscentre.

WHY ARE WE HOSTING THESE VIRTUAL SESSIONS?

While connecting with instructors and coordinators through our coaching, research and support services, we’re often asked about best practices, examples and tips for connecting with learners and building a virtual community — especially now, during COVID-19. In fact, the most common question we get asked is “What are other programs and instructors doing?” We’re very excited to organize the showcase and hope to have the guest presenters help us answer some of these questions in a virtual setting.