Helping adult literacy educators navigate AI and misinformation: Q&A with Guylaine Vinet

In her role at AlphaPlus, Guylaine Vinet, organizational development specialist in education and technology, works closely with adult literacy practitioners across Ontario. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape how information is accessed, the pressure on learners’ ability to read and assess information has increased. Recognizing the critical importance of information literacy in this context, Guylaine finds herself at the intersection of emerging questions and practical support. 

In this interview, Guylaine shares what she’s seeing in the field, what practitioners are asking and how she and her AlphaPlus colleagues are helping them adapt to the changing information landscape.

Q: Guylaine, how would you describe your role at AlphaPlus?

A: I work in both English and French, and my role touches on many aspects of AlphaPlus’ work. I deliver coaching, co-lead our training series, help develop resources (such as our open educational resources (OER) collection) and support communications. I also lead our partnership with Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) to deliver technology training for francophone educators.

Q: What perspective does this mix of responsibilities give you?

A: Working across multiple areas and in both languages provides me with a broad view. For example, I’m always searching for French resources, and that practice sparks ideas, inspiration and potential crossover opportunities between communities. I use my training as a librarian to continuously gather, curate and share ideas, information and support options across educators and communities.

At the core of my wide-ranging responsibilities is a focus on listening and responding to the needs of adult literacy educators and coordinators.

Q: What are you learning alongside practitioners in this space?

A: In adult literacy, every learner operates in their own world, with very specific goals and contexts. I’m always learning from educators’ ideas and approaches to this challenge.

Q: What feels most different to you about the information landscape learners are navigating now?

A: For many years, we’ve been grappling with information coming at us quickly. Now, the same pace continues, but the current information landscape is heavily tainted with misinformation and disinformation, whether through algorithms, poor-quality AI-generated content or deepfakes.

Q: What information literacy concerns are adult literacy educators sharing with you?

A: Here’s one example: some instructors have noticed that learners are getting “trapped” by algorithms. Learners are going in circles, stuck in information bubbles and missing other points of view.

Another example: today’s learners must consider that information may be created specifically to mislead, and even strong readers can struggle to distinguish facts from false or manipulated content.

And educators themselves struggle with AI tools like ChatGPT. Some have questions about hallucinations and biases. Others, despite having more experience and knowledge, are uncertain about how to respond to learners’ questions. These are concerns we explored alongside educators in our recent AI in Daily Life training.

Q: How can adult literacy educators help learners navigate the changing information landscape?

A: The same skills that were useful before remain useful now. Educators have experience teaching critical thinking, which is needed more than ever, and they continue to teach skills like lateral reading (checking the source). It’s the intensity and need for these skills that have been amplified.

It’s also important to reassure learners that reliable sources of information remain available. They have to get into the habit of recognizing them, and when sources aren’t recognizable, to double-check the information.

Q: How do you and your AlphaPlus colleagues help adult literacy educators navigate information literacy?

A: Topics such as AI, misinformation, disinformation and media literacy have been top of mind for our team for the last few years, and we’ve been providing support in many ways, including our training series and virtual showcases (where peers share approaches) and through curated resources on our website and in our OER collection.

We can also work through information literacy challenges together through coaching. I encourage any adult literacy educator in Ontario to reach out with any questions or concerns, and we’ll figure out the right first steps together.

Q: If readers walk away with one clearer understanding of information literacy and AI, what would you hope that would be?

A: Technology has been supporting us in many ways, but today it must be used with more caution than ever. The AlphaPlus team is here to help adult literacy professionals navigate it safely.

You don’t have to know it all, and you can turn to us for help. In fact, we’d like to hear from you: how are you doing and how are you addressing these topics with learners? We invite you to share your experiences and contact us with your questions anytime — whether that’s right after reading this interview or three months from now.

As the information landscape continues to shift, none of us can keep up alone, and we don’t have to. At AlphaPlus, we’re committed to walking alongside you in this work.

Learn more about how you can navigate information literacy challenges with an AlphaPlus technology coach by your side. Start by simply emailing either guylaine@alphaplus.ca or her colleague monika@alphaplus.ca to share your question or concern.