Case Studies
Unraveling your program’s technology challenges with support from an AlphaPlus coach
30 June 2023
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 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.
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 6 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 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:
- the purpose and goals of AI use in the classroom
- what are ethical and purposeful uses of AI in education by teachers and by learners
- how to plan the key areas where AI will be used by learners (e.g., activity creation, assessment, feedback) and the potential impacts
- how to plan the key areas where AI will be used by learners (e.g., homework help, content creation, research assistance) and the potential impacts
- draft guidelines that address how AI should be used responsibly, ethically, and effectively
- strategies for collaborative guideline development
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.
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:
- the purpose and goals of AI use in the classroom
- what are ethical and purposeful uses of AI in education by teachers and by learners
- how to plan the key areas where AI will be used by learners (e.g., activity creation, assessment, feedback) and the potential impacts
- how to plan the key areas where AI will be used by learners (e.g., homework help, content creation, research assistance) and the potential impacts
- draft guidelines that address how AI should be used responsibly, ethically, and effectively
- strategies for collaborative guideline development
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:
- Times to be announced soon
If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.
- What are literacy educators’ classroom goals?
- What professional development and resources are your peers seeking?
- How are reporting and compliance requirements impacting your capacity?
We asked these and other questions in a recent survey, and I’m writing today to share what we learned with you.
What adult literacy instructors are saying about their experiences
Earlier this year, AlphaPlus conducted research to inform our strategic planning and product design work. We wanted to better understand the priorities and needs of literacy educators as we continue to shape our programs, services and training opportunities. Through our online survey, we heard from 328 teachers and practitioners from community-based, school board and college settings. We also conducted phone interviews with nine teachers and six sector leaders. Thank you to all who took the time to provide input.
The research has helped us to understand your needs, challenges and desire for support in areas including:
- Classroom goals
- Professional development
- Resource and technology needs
- Compliance with ministry requirements
- Sector challenges
Here’s a sampling of what we heard:
- Teachers want to learn and improve. Your commitment to learning and improving teaching methods to support your students is very strong.
- Compliance is time-consuming. A significant percentage of teachers noted that the time they spend on compliance with ministry reporting requirements negatively affects the time they spend or would like to spend developing effective teaching practices.
- You’re motivated to meet your learners’ needs. Responding appropriately to student needs and assisting them in achieving their goals motivates your pursuit of professional development.
See the survey summary for more details about what your peers had to say about their experiences.
AlphaPlus: Strengths, challenges and future effectiveness
We also asked you questions to understand what you most value about AlphaPlus. You mentioned our:
- Technology focus and expertise.
- Thought leadership and team members.
- Knowledge of teaching and working in the literacy and basic skills (LBS) field.
- Reach across the college, school board and community-based streams.
- Connections to umbrella organizations and connections to government.
- Research to understand and improve the sector.
We learned that to support you effectively in the future, we need to leverage our strengths to address the day-to-day needs of your students and classrooms. We need to listen continuously to the changing challenges you face. And because practitioners are experiencing pressure due to restricted funding, heavy administrative loads and measurements that aren’t shifting with changing student needs, we must advocate for changes that impact the practitioner level.
Shaping our future approaches to supporting educators
Your survey responses are already informing our strategic planning and service design, ensuring the decisions we’re making now align with educators’ needs. This sometimes means documenting frameworks for what’s already in place. For example, we’ve already offered advisory groups, training and communities of practice, which we’re now organizing more formally. Your feedback is also influencing decisions about changing the types of support we will offer or increasing the amount of support available.
Digital environments are changing much of what adult literacy educators do, including lesson planning, creating learning environments and managing online spaces. Technology is not a separate element; it’s impacting everyone’s work. The good news is that our collective understanding of the impact of technology on our work is much richer and more varied now than it was five or 10 years ago. As a field — and at AlphaPlus, an organization supporting the field — we’re ready and open to continuous adaptation and improvement.
Would you like to learn what your peers had to say about teaching adult literacy in Ontario? See the survey summary here.