Case Studies
Unraveling your program’s technology challenges with support from an AlphaPlus coach
30 June 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a focal point for any of us thinking about digital skills and tools in the last two years. AlphaPlus has been providing AI support via training opportunities, “sandbox sessions” and virtual showcases for adult literacy educators in Ontario. At a recent virtual showcase, we highlighted the experiences of educators using AI in adult literacy education, and we invited one of our presenters, Sara King, to answer a few questions.
Q-and-A: Talking about AI with adult literacy educator Sara King
Sara King has worked in literacy and basic skills (LBS) at Northern College in Moosonee for over 12 years in various positions, including instructor, program co-ordinator and overseeing programming. Working primarily with Indigenous students, today Sara is an instructor for academic upgrading, post-secondary education and community employment services in the James Bay area (Moosonee, Moose Factory, Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat). Here’s our question-and-answer (Q-and-A) with Sara:
When did you first get interested in AI?
I jumped on board with generative AI as soon as the first boom happened a couple of years ago. While we educators need to learn how to deal with many of the issues, I could see that AI isn’t going away, and we also need to support and embrace it.
How have you used AI so far?
I’ve used AI for many things, including supporting adult literacy education in and out of the classroom and in my personal life. In class, I’ve tried to show students how the technology can support them. For example, I’ve generated ideas, prompts and images that we can use for creative writing activities.
I’ve also shown my learners how to use AI tools like ChatGPT when they’re struggling to express themselves. AI can correct and reword writing to make things sound nicer, better, friendlier, angrier, more persuasive, etc. AI also makes it easier for my learners to advocate for themselves. For example, suppose someone has to voice their concerns in a formal manner for medical care issues, access to medical care or even to address bad experiences at a restaurant or other customer service situation. I demonstrate to my learners that using AI to structure a complaint letter is very simple.
What excites you about the potential for using AI in your work (planning, teaching, etc.)?
I’ve always liked innovation. There’s nothing worse than having to teach the same subject, the same way, over and over. By incorporating AI, I can create fun assignments that get students excited to use new technology. Prompt writing is another example. We created an image in Canva based on my students’ prompts and creative input. The result was an image that the learners were excited to take home to show their children and continue the conversation with them.
Can you describe a specific project that AI has helped you with?
This past summer, my husband (an early childhood educator) and I developed a five-week employment skills training program for the “tutor escort” position, a role hired by elementary schools in our local communities. Similar to a teacher assistant, the role emphasizes one-on-one support for children with exceptionalities. We created a rough outline of topics to cover and used ChatGPT to generate a list of lesson plan ideas specifically tailored to children with exceptionalities. This gave us a strong foundation, which we then refined and customized to suit our goals.
What reservations do you have? What challenges are you thinking about when it comes to AI?
Of course, there’s the potential for abuse. For example, for one recent assignment, I asked students to pick three writing prompts and write a paragraph about each one. Some of the paragraphs that came back had clearly been generated by AI. But knowing my learners have access to the tools, my responsibility is to explain when to use ChatGPT for an assignment, when not to, and the impacts of AI on developing communication skills.
Do you have AI tips or tricks to share with your fellow adult literacy educators?
Here are two helpful uses for ChatGPT:
- Simplifying content. I like to ask ChatGPT to speak to me as if I have a Grade 8 education. It’s an easy way to take complex material generated by the tool and bring it to the right level for your learners. Remember, you don’t have to take the information initially generated by ChatGPT; you can ask it to go one step further and simplify it.
- Writing promotional materials. When I need to create advertising materials, I’ve asked ChatGPT to make it sound marketing-ish or write me a promo ad. It’s been a helpful way to generate content with the appropriate tone, along with suggesting hashtags and emojis.
What’s next for you and your exploration of AI?
I’m excited to keep playing with ChatGPT for marketing writing since I’m the main marketer for this location and our access centres. Here are a couple of recent examples I’ve generated:
Example 1
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Example 2
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📅 Tuesday, November 12, 2024
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Do you have any messages to share with fellow educators grappling with AI?
Imagine AI as an assistant, with you in charge — it’s there to support. It doesn’t replace my work but enhances my confidence in areas where I need it.
We can help you explore AI in your teaching practice
Are you interested in exploring AI with fellow literacy educators? We’re here to help you take advantage of AI’s benefits, use it ethically and be realistic about what it can and cannot do. Don’t miss these offerings from AlphaPlus:
- Training: AI to Create and Manage Learning Activities, November 27, December 4 and 11
- Training: Creating AI Policy With Learners, January 24 and 31 and February 7
- Virtual showcases (recordings): AI Use in LBS and AI Policies, Ethics and Practices in LBS
At AlphaPlus, we’re here to support adult literacy educators in your daily work. But we’re also committed to bringing the adult literacy sector’s voice into necessary spaces, taking your issues — and potential — into national conversations.
An adult education perspective on digital inclusion
Recently, our team member Christine collaborated with Matthias Sturm, adult education researcher and evaluator (and my former AlphaPlus co-worker), to publish a paper for the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). Christine, our policy and research specialist in education and technology, has been working with Matthias to find ways to advance the conversation about digital inclusion.
The IRPP is a national organization that informs debates on policy issues facing Canadians and their governments, with strong connections to federal and provincial policymakers. Christine and Matthias noticed their publication featuring adult basic skills and pitched a topic examining digital access, equity and literacy. The result is the paper Adult Education: The Missing Piece to Bridging the Digital Divide (a French version will be available in December).
Bridging the digital divide requires skills development
This new paper sheds light on issues you know well but that haven’t been addressed at the policy-making and funding decision levels. For example, those of us working in adult literacy education know that bridging the digital divide is about more than access to devices or the internet. A lack of digital skills prevents people from taking full advantage of essential services and deprives them of potentially life-changing education and employment. Overcoming inequities requires equitable opportunities to benefit from technology — which requires the development of specific skills.
The adult literacy sector is already doing this work — but we need support
Adult literacy educators often work with the very adults on the other side of the digital divide. As a field, we are well-positioned to help bridge that divide within our upgrading, vocational, language and literacy programs. However, as Christine and Matthias highlight in the paper, we face barriers:
Complex system: The system in which we work is complex and siloed, with a mixture of federal and provincial funding sources and providers, including community non-profits, school boards/districts and colleges.
Unstable funding models: We lack sustainable core funding and instead rely on short-term, project-based funding. Organizations delivering adult literacy education programs rely on part-time staff working on contracts.
A lack of formalized, supported professional development: The sector offers limited professional development and does not mandate professional qualifications.
Recommendations
In the paper, Christine and Matthias recommend two measures directed at Employment and Social Development Canada to help adult education programs add digital learning to their offerings:
- Provide sustained core funding to provincial and territorial adult education programs. This funding is needed to stabilize operations, facilitate long-term planning, reduce administrative redundancies, and ensure predictable support for equipment acquisition, IT infrastructure and software licensing. It would also enable the creation of a national platform to share learning materials and best practices among educators.
- Connect community-level adult education with broader digital literacy efforts. We need a cross-sectoral network to co-ordinate digital skills programs and increase access for underserved communities. Building on existing partnerships and establishing new collaborations would help integrate informal and formal learning, ensuring equitable access to digital resources across diverse Canadian communities.
New priorities for AlphaPlus
This paper’s publication coincides with AlphaPlus unveiling our refreshed strategic outlook. Following the pandemic-era rapid adoption of technology within literacy programs and two years of funding that allowed us to experiment with how we support you, our new direction better reflects the state of your work.
We’re broadening our role from promoting the use of technology to sustaining the momentum that has already been created, and we’ve identified five priorities for the future (plus a new mission and vision). For the next several years, AlphaPlus will:
- Focus on teachers who strive to place learners and their experiences at the centre of the learning process.
- Support building literacy and learners’ digital confidence to participate in society.
- Provide teachers with actionable content that integrates well-researched sector shifts.
- Facilitate teacher collaboration and leadership networks across language and cultural communities.
- Understand the adult literacy sector across Canada and pursue collaborations.
You’ll notice an alignment between our new priorities and our recommendations to the federal government. We recognized that our approach must go beyond “what has always been done” and short-term challenges. We can’t afford to operate in silos and within an Ontario-only context. To keep up with the relentless pace of technological change, we need a comprehensive, co-ordinated and sustainable approach — for AlphaPlus and our whole sector.
Learn more about our refreshed strategic direction
Download the IRPP paper on their website
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:
Spark Employment Services
Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML)
We are excited to share Adult Education: The Missing Piece to Bridging the Digital Divide, a paper co-written by Christine Pinsent-Johnson, one of our staff, and former staff member, Matthias Sturm. In the paper, published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), they argue that the digital divide extends beyond mere access to technology and is fundamentally about the ability to benefit from it, which hinges on digital literacy. Canada’s adult education programs are well positioned to offer essential digital learning opportunities but are currently excluded from the digital learning conversation.
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.
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.
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 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.
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:
- develop a pedagogical understanding of how to use instructional videos to engage learners.
- explore platforms that can enhance the creation of personalized, efficient learning materials.
See the training overview for more details about what we’ll cover.
The training series is two workshops:
- Wednesday October 30 and
November 6November 13 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.
This three-workshop series is designed to support educators in understanding and using accessibility functions to create effective learning experiences for diverse audiences.
- Ten Key Practices for Accessible Content Creation – Discover ten essential practices and tools that elevate the accessibility of your content.
- Revolutionizing Accessibility with AI – Explore the transformative effects of artificial intelligence (AI) in making digital content accessible.
- Exploring Accessibility Features Across Platforms – Acquaint yourself with the top five accessibility features across each platform: PC, Apple, and Google.
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.
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:
- gain an understanding of the ethical standards for AI use.
- develop a pedagogical understanding of AI concepts and frameworks, enabling them to think critically about the tools they use to create learning experiences and materials.
- explore platforms that can enhance the creation of personalized, efficient learning materials.
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:
- Wednesday November 27, December 4 and 11 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.
This three-workshop series is is about what an AI policy for adult learners in literacy could look like. We will look at how to work with learners to create a policy that offers guidance for using AI ethically and safely to do research, make material more accessible and support creativity, communication and collaboration.
In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), you will discuss:
- gain an understanding of the ethical standards for AI use.
- develop a pedagogical understanding of AI concepts and frameworks, enabling them to think critically about the tools they use to create learning experiences and materials.
- explore platforms that can enhance the creation of personalized, efficient learning materials.
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:
- Friday January 24, 31 and February 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.