Whiteboards with Frames:
Whiteboard.chat, Padlet Sandbox, Canva
In whiteboard.chat, you can make frames so that different learners of groups of learners can work on activities. It can be integrated with Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams. Users do not need to create accounts to participate on the white board. It has activities such as math quizzes that you can insert. You can play around for free – you do not even have to make an account to test it out. There is a teacher guide and a student guide that will introduce you to all the tools. You get 10 boards with a free account. These boards expire after 7 days unless you go in and refresh them. There are three levels of paid accounts that allow you to create more boards and keep them longer.
Padlet has introduced a digital whiteboard they are calling Sandboxes. Padlet Sandboxes have similar features to Jamboard plus extras. It has tools for voice recordings, drawing, typing, sticky notes, shapes and video uploads. You can create a slide show and play it like a slide presentation or use it as an activity board. There is a set of education templates that can help you get started. You can have different groups working on different cards (frames or pages) and prevent them from seeing what others are doing. The Sandboxes can be integrated with Google Drive and Classroom. Padlet does not require users to create accounts to participate on the sandboxes. Padlet allows you to have three active sandboxes and boards on a free account. You can store your old work but you can only have three working at one time. They have several tiers of pricing that allow for more sandboxes and boards to be active and for different numbers of editors per sandbox or board. (We made a Padlet Tip Sheet that explains how to use the boards.)
Canva has a free whiteboard where you can create pages — look in the bottom right corner of the whiteboard. It is not designed for educators the way that Whiteboard.chat and Padlet Sandboxes are, but Canva has created a set of education templates. Users do not need to create accounts to participate on the white board.
Infinite White Boards:
FigJam, Lucidspark or Miro
When Google closed down *Jamboard in December 2024, they recommended FigJam, Lucidspark or Miro as possible replacements. These boards are different than Jamboard in that you get one big, seemingly infinite board where you can create areas of activity. You do not navigate by going from frame to frame (page to page) but by floating across one continuous space and finding the area you want to work in. I think for some learners it could be quite confusing. Others may be delighted by the bouncy, nonlinearity of the boards.
- Lucidspark has a free account but they have a note that this option may not last forever.
- FigJam is free for students and educators but institutions need to go through a verification process.
- Miro promises that they will always have a free account. On a free account, you get three boards that other people can edit. After that, any boards you create are view only. Boards that have been shared with you are included in that number. It seems that you cannot delete any of the boards that have been shared with you so once you hit three, you need to create a new account to create more.
Google Slides
One way to replicate some of the functionality of frame-based whiteboards is to use Google Slides. See how here: Creating a collaborative learning space using slides.
To see how this could work, take a look at some of these samples in the Collaboration Slides Folder.
*Jamboard
was a free online whiteboard. Users could add text, sticky notes, images, and links. You could create online discussions and opportunities for synchronous or asynchronous collaborative or individual learning. A nice thing about Jamboard was that workshop facilitators and instructors could see what individuals and groups were doing on each frame (page).
Sample Jamboards to translate into another whiteboard environment
In the Sample Jamboards folder you can see activities by some Ontario literacy practitioners (and me) that you can copy and adapt.
You will also see a folder called EDTechTeacher Samples where you will find copies of many of the Jamboards that were shared in the shared in the Building digital skills with Google workshop.
If you’d like to learn more about whiteboards or schedule a demonstration, contact Tracey or our Quick Tech Help service.
Our idea that literacy workers might be interested in AI policies and guidelines came from a question that a literacy instructor asked in an Ai for Educators workshop, “I showed a learner how to use AI to get help on a simple task. Now that learner is using AI for everything. I feel that this is hindering them in developing some skills that they will need. How can I get them to stop?”
The facilitator, Shawn McCusker, suggested, “Work with the learner to create guidelines that work for you and that specific learner or group of learners in the specific contexts where they are learning.”
We thought this made sense. AI is so new that there are no great templates for the use of AI in adult literacy classrooms. Literacy instructors work with learners to create guidelines for the ways they will work together and are used to facilitating this process.
Here are three workshops presented by AlphaPlus where we discussed the topic of how to create a set of classroom AI guidelines to determine ways teachers and learners can use AI to support teaching and learning in specific contexts. We kicked off the conversation at a Showcase and took a deeper dive into the particulars and how tos in a series of workshops.
To see more about using AI in educational settings, check out our What is Generative AI? resource.
Virtual Showcase: AI policies, ethics and practices in LBS
“In this Showcase, three guest presenters plus three AlphaPlus staff members (Alan, Guylaine and Tracey) discussed how they are integrating AI into their practice and how they are thinking about AI policies and guidelines for organizations and for classrooms.” (November 2024)
Creating AI Policy with Learners
“This three-workshop series, facilitated by Tom Driscoll, 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.” On the Padlet board, you can see how literacy instructors responded to the scenarios with thoughtful and well reasoned ideas about when using AI can support learning and when it can hinder developing certain skills and knowledge. (January 2025)
- Workshop 1 Slides and Recording
- Workshop 2 Slides and Recording
- Workshop 3 Slides and Recording and Padlet
AI Policy for Literacy Practitioners and Learners
AlphaPlus was invited by Calgary Learns to expand on part of what we presented at the November 2024 Showcase. Guylaine and Tracey facilitated the discussion. “Generative Ai for teaching and learning is still a relatively new technology. In this workshop, facilitated by AlphaPlus practitioners, we will discuss the why and when of using generative Ai tools in adult education classrooms. As the technology and our practices evolve, so do our questions. We will share some of the questions we have been grappling with and invite participants to add theirs to the conversation.” The stoplight discussion is one way to start the conversation about AI use with colleagues and learners. (Calgary Learns, April 2025)
Stoplight Discussion Template
This session, delivered on May 13, 2025, focused on how to create Canva designs from scratch—be it presentations, flyers, or social media posts, building your brand kit with preferred fonts and logos, inviting team members, sharing designs, and leveraging templates, AI tools, and advanced editing features such as background removal.
PRESENTATION SLIDES
VIDEO RECORDING
This session, delivered on April 8, 2025, focused on learning how to update your Zoom desktop client, use the AI companion, manage captions and transcripts, and explore features like reactions, spotlight, meeting timers, whiteboard, sharing layouts, settings, Zoom Apps, and more.
PRESENTATION SLIDES
VIDEO RECORDING
In today’s digital age, building and nurturing a vibrant community is essential for the success of our LBS programs.
In this Showcase, delivered on May 6, 2025, guests presenters from St. Albert Learning Centre in Sudbury and Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy, discussed how they leverage innovative marketing campaigns, podcasts, videos, and other engagement strategies to grow their client base and community connections.
They shared insightful tips and best practices that will help you create lasting connections with your clients and partners.
PRESENTATION SLIDES
VIDEO RECORDING
PRESENTERS
Ambreen has 20 years of experience in the education field. Possessing a Masters in English Literature and in Educational Planning and Management, she has maintained successful positions as a Vice Principal, English Language Instructor, Manager HR, Communication Executive and Literacy practitioner.
Currently, she is working as an Executive Director at Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy, a non-profit organization that supports adult literacy in Toronto and York Region. Her previous work experience and life-long learning certificates and diplomas bring a wealth of information to develop learning strategies, recruitment procedures and governance.
Her dedication and determination in helping individuals grow and develop are highlighted in all her professional achievements. She is also passionate about volunteering and has been an ardent volunteer in many non-profits across GTA. She loves to cook and paint in her free time.
Susan has been active in adult education since 1986 across a variety of roles and has developed a broad and deep understanding of the field. She has worked as a literacy and basic skills (LBS) assessor, instructor and LBS manager for the Toronto District School Board, and as an assessor and LBS instructor for the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
As a past Vice President on the board of directors, Susan helped the Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy dramatically improve its visibility and the services it provides to the adult education sector.
Susan has developed numerous LBS resources. These include learning resources for Community Legal Education Ontario and a comprehensive Zoom manual for adult educators that’s now being used across Toronto as well as other regions across the province. She has also trained more than 200 LBS, language instruction for newcomers to Canada (LINC) and English as a second language (ESL) instructors on how to use Zoom in the classroom.
Christina brings over 25 years of experience in education and currently serves on the Board of Directors for CESBA, the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators while also in her fourth year as principal of St. Albert Learning Centre in Sudbury, an adult and alternative education school that offers innovative, community-driven programming for learners of all ages.
Throughout her career, Christina has focused on Special Education and Experiential Learning, primarily as a consultant for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. Her deep understanding of student needs and commitment to inclusive education inform her work in adult learning and literacy.
Christina’s entrepreneurial spirit has fueled the growth of a student-led business at St. Albert Learning Centre where learners earn secondary school credits while creating and selling handcrafted items. Profits support charitable projects through a parish partnership. This initiative recently earned first place and the national title of Canadian School of the Future in an Innovation Challenge, along with the prestigious Michael Monk Award for service-learning.
Happy December!
Here are some activities that you can do with learners before or after the winter break: Winter Break Activities from AlphaPlus
Plus one Christmassy activity for those who celebrate.
NEW ACTIVITIES have been added focussed on the Winter Solstice.
Start by watching a video overview about the Winter Solstice and then watch these two videos:
- Author and Journalist Waubgeshig Rice from Wasauksing First Nation shares the importance of winter solstice as a time of change and storytelling for indigenous peoples.
- Wilfred Buck of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba sharing the Cree story of the winter solstice.
After the introduction, you will have a choice to
- Learn about Cree Astronomy from Wilfred Buck and make a Turtle Calendar based on the 13 Moons.
- Go to the Winter Animals activity and hear stories about animals (see below).
- Plan a Winter Solstice Party.
- Make a twig lantern or a jam jar lantern for a lantern walk.
- Make clove orange decorations.
- Make a warm, spicy drink.
- Make a winter playlist.
Winter Animals is made in Google Slides and gives learners a choice of stories or songs to listen to:
- Deer: A song called Deer Dancing Round a Broken Mirror by Bruce Cockburn and Rik Emmet.
- Owl: A TVO short about Kenojuak Ashevak and her painting, The Enchanted Owl.
- Raven: The Raven and the Owl, an Inuit legend put to song. There are two versions: one by The National Film Board of Canada and one by Becky Han.
- Fox: The Fox and the Whale, a 2016 Canadian animated short film directed by Robin Joseph.
- Skater: a 1980 animated film from the National Film Board of Canada narrated by the author of the story, Roch Carrier. There is a link to a 2023 riff on this story called the Hockey Jersey.
There are follow up activities in a Google Form and collaborative Slides.
Winter Break is a drag-and-drop and Answer Garden conversation starter where learners can think about what they will do on the break.
Winter Poem is a poetry activity based on the poem Dust of Snow by Robert Frost. Learners can read and listen to the poem and then examine the rhyming pattern (ABAB). They can then compare that rhyming pattern with the rhyming pattern in Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam (AABB).
Christmas Songs is an advent calendar of Christmas songs. You can see the whole playlist and links to the lyrics or play the songs one by one and look them up. If you want to make your own calendar, contact Tracey.
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/learners 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 building prompts and referencing AI generated content/images?
In this Showcase, three guest presenters plus three AlphaPlus staff members (Alan, Guylaine and Tracey) discussed how they are integrating AI into their practice and how they are thinking about AI policies and guidelines for organizations and for classrooms.
Presenters
Jaclyne has been an instructor for nearly 10 years, with almost 7 of those years dedicated to Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS). During this time, she has taught various subjects including digital technology, employment, communication, and language skills (including ESL), mathematics, and more! Jaclyne is a Moodle LMS Lead, online mentor, and adult educator for Good Learning Anywhere (GLA) / Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC). In her LBS role, she is responsible for developing, administering, and teaching courses to adult learners throughout Ontario, particularly for northern and Indigenous communities.
As the technology lead for Contact North’s AI in Higher Education initiatives, Michael drives the integration of AI tools to enhance learning and teaching experiences for students and faculty. He oversees the design, development and management of web-based solutions for higher education at Contact North | Contact Nord, including the conceptualization and implementation of accessible, user-friendly online portals. With over a decade of high-impact private sector experience, he has successfully spearheaded digital, print, and e-commerce solutions across various industries, bringing a wealth of expertise in scalable web architecture to his current work in advancing online education through innovative technology solutions.
Rick Sleaver leads Contact North | Contact Nord’s internal and external marketing and communications functions.
The topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Many instructors have tried ChatGPT/Copilot prompts and/or attended AI workshops, but still find it overwhelming to contemplate using it in the Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) classrooms.
In this Showcase, three guest presenters who have tried AI in their programs on the administrative side and with their learners, discussed why they are integrating AI into their practice, what has worked for them and what hasn’t.
Presenters
Sara has worked in Literacy & Basic Skills at Northern College in Moosonee for over 12 years in various positions ranging from instructor, program coordinator and overseeing programming in the James Bay area (Moosonee, Moose Factory, Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat). She enjoys curriculum design, innovative practice and digital skills. Education is a big part of her life and she is always learning new things from courses and training online.
Jessa is an experienced educator exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance learning for adult literacy learners. With a Master’s degree in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto and ongoing studies in Counseling Psychology, Jessa has both successfully and unsuccessfully applied AI in her teaching. A dedicated lifelong learner, she continues to seek innovative ways to integrate technology into education.
Other resources
- duckduckgo.com – search engine
- goblin.tools (chatbot with MagicToDo, Formalizer, Judge, Professor, Estimator, Compiler and Chef tools)
- Poe chatbot
- Poe LBS-Assistant chatbot
- perplexity.ai chatbot
- gauthmath.com chatbot
- Roshi.ai chatbot for lessons
- AI and Environment – UN Environment Program report
- The RACEF framework for prompts
- Neuron’s Introduction to ChatGPT, Module 2: Prompt Engineering 101
- Zoom recording tools – built in Smart Recording with AI Companion, otter.ai, read.ai, and more – PLEASE NOTE that some organizations don’t allow/disable AI companions for zoom.
What’s involved in creating an LBS lesson that flows?
A Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) lesson is a narrow, yet revealing window into the complexities, challenges, and rich opportunities so much a part of teaching adult learners who also are aiming to strengthen their digital skills. Whether you are teaching fully online, delivering instruction through a hybrid model, or are fully back in a physical classroom, planning an engaging lesson where skills are honed, connections are made, and a meaningful use of digital technologies is applied, is likely what you aspire to.
During the session, we shared how the Planning a Lesson (PAL) working group came together and explored the intricacies of lesson planning by considering the on-the-ground realities of teaching LBS learners and integrating technology whenever possible. Learn how we met regularly to discuss and identify the common challenges practitioners face before a lesson begins, during the lesson itself, and after a lesson, and how the insights we shared and the tasks we reflected on became the foundation for co-developing resources aimed at bringing flow and deeper learning into lesson planning.
Some tips and lesson planning resources were shared and a sneak peek into the Planning a Lesson website that houses the PAL resources.
Presenters
With twenty-five years of experience supporting adult learners along their unique learning journeys, Olga led the Planning a Lesson (PAL) project drawing on her skills as a seasoned community-based LBS practitioner, an ESL instructor, a vocational counsellor, and an adult education researcher. Her commitment to good teaching that respects adult learners and the real-world skills they bring to their own learning, coupled with her passion for practitioner collaboration and innovation is what set the stage for the PAL project.
Olga is thrilled to have facilitated the working group discussions which were fertile ground for the co-creation of the PAL suite of resources. The working group’s robust teaching experiences, keen insights, diligence, and thoughtful considerations resulted in the co-development of resources that the LBS field will be able to use in order to enhance digital delivery as they engage learners through the lens of purposeful digital integration.
Georgina has worked in adult education (mostly LBS as well as ESL) since 2010. Prior to that, she was an elementary teacher. Georgina is an LBS Instructor with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She has designed and taught a variety of courses including employment programs, computer skills and academic upgrading.
Joe is an Ontario Certified Teacher who has experience working in education both in Ontario and Nova Scotia. He has worked as an instructor in the Adult Learning and Skills Development department with the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OSCB) since 2022. Joe has taught computer skills, employment preparation, and life skills and has facilitated a remedial class for learners taking online high school credit courses. He currently delivers the Virtual Academic Upgrading course in the OCSB Adult Learning and Skills Development program and also teaches high school.
When John is not in front of his computer taking care of his adult learners at The Literacy Group (TLG) Cambridge location, he is waiting for the day when he can take his twin granddaughters out for a ride on his motorcycle with their Papa John and then curl up on the couch and watch the New York Giants football game on TV.
Leila is a dedicated educator at PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs with a profound passion for teaching adult learners. With a diverse background spanning several years teaching ESL internationally, she has developed a deep understanding of cross-cultural communication and seeks to empower learners with the skills and confidence to navigate the digital world.
Smita started her teaching career in England in 2009 as an Adult ESL instructor and then continued as a Functional Skills instructor until 2016 where she used technology synchronously in her classes to make the teaching topics more interesting and engaging. As part of her teaching duties, Smita designed Schemes of Work, prepared lesson plans, assessment plans, and assessment activities. Currently, Smita works as an LBS instructor at the Toronto District School Board (since 2017), and also teaches Microsoft Office workshops.
Other resources
What is PAL?
The Planning a Lesson website — PAL for short — is a lesson planning companion that’s a little like a conversation with a teaching peer—a peer who has already thought about planning engaging lessons that flow.
The ideas and materials in this digital space stem from thoughtful questions, robust discussions and the collaborative efforts of the PAL working group. Thus, PAL is a space to engage with the insights from front-line LBS practitioners just like you, and to garner some handy tips.
PAL could also be used as a place to return to for inspiration or to spark discussions around learner-centred approaches and strategies with LBS colleagues.
PAL is
- A new way to look at lesson planning
- An opportunity to reflect on your practice
- A space for front-line insights, tips and resources
You will find a blended-learning lesson planning flow developed for and by literacy practitioners grounded in research and research-in-practice. It is kitchen tested but flexible enough that you can add your own flavour and refine the process to meet the needs of your evolving practice.
PRE-LESSON:
Anticipating challenges
- Challenges to lesson flow present themselves before the lesson even begins. Technology issues and day-to-day class logistics can impact a lesson.
- Consider the most common pre-lesson challenges that can become bottlenecks to flow and try to turn them into learning opportunities.
THE LESSON:
Planning for learning and lesson flow
- Skills are honed not only through discrete tasks, but through active learning strategies and lesson components that build upon each other for connections to be made.
- Take a look at planning a lesson where adult learners work with digital tools and each other by way of activities that are purposefully planned.
POST-LESSON:
Taking the learning beyond the class session
- Taking the learning and newly acquired digital skills into the real world, post-lesson, is a way for adult learners to solidify their learning.
- Explore some simple ways to encourage learners to think about their digital wins and reflect on how to apply their new skills beyond the LBS classroom in a meaningful way.