On March 9, 2023 AlphaPlus hosted our sixth Community Gabfest.

The conversation starter was Lori Armstrong’s video The Personal Web.

Lori is a knowledgeable and inventive literacy instructor who currently works at the Thunder Bay Literacy Group and will soon be moving to the Lakehead Adult Education Centre (part of the public school board in Thunder Bay).

In the summer of 2022, Lori participated in the AlphaPlus Wayfinders Maker Space and created a video about the Personal Learning Web – a map of how Lori works with learners to identify the ways connection, relationships and power impact the whys and hows of learning for each of us differently and specifically.

We used a Jamboard to guide our conversation: Wayfinders Gabfest 6 Jamboard.

It was a lively and engaging discussion as usual.

We started by talking about the elements that create good learning. We then watched the first part of the video — the overview of the Personal Web — and moved to breakout rooms to discuss how the web resonated with us and our practice. One group made connections to the issue of digital justice.

We watched the second part of the video and stayed together to talk about how teachers dance with chaos and navigate the web of webs. We all found that the pace and flow of Lori’s video — her calm and encouraging tone — put us into an open-minded and meditative space.

Lori finished the session by walking us through some of the ways she has been expanding the personal web concept.

Lori shared a couple of examples of how she’s been extending her Personal Web reflections lately. She showed us how she

The PDF linked below shows some concept mapping for the following:

Personal Web Additionsarrow

Thank you Lori for sparking this good conversation and for your generosity in sharing your research and insights with us.

Thank you all Gabfesters for your wisdom, experience, knowledge and, most of all, your fine collegiality.

We agree with this participant: “Brilliant!! Incredible learning, thank you so very much! Always a pleasure.”

On February 9, 2023 AlphaPlus hosted another in our series of Community Gabfests.

We started by asking people about where they like to learn best.

The conversation starter was: If there were no barriers to running a program, what program would you want to run?

We talked about

We moved into break out rooms to discuss the three questions.

Here is what the groups shared on the Jamboard.

We wrapped up by thanking each other for their contributions and generosity.

On January 12, 2023 AlphaPlus hosted another in our series of Community Gabfests.

We started by asking people to share the things that they were proud of from 2022.

The conversation starter is: New Year’s Blended Learning *Aspirations

We talked about

*not Resolutions – the things that are still in dreams, wishes and ambitions phase of planning.

We had a an amazing conversation about

It was inspiring and interesting.

We wrapped up by thanking each other for their contributions and generosity.

On November 24, 2022 AlphaPlus hosted another in our series of Community Gabfests.

We started by asking people to share the things that people love about them.

Our conversation starter was: Learner identity (and blended learning)
Here is what Wayfinder Evan Hoskins said:

Each learner has a connection to the past to be considered. All teachers know … every student comes to learning with a different backstory … and you have to know how to adapt your teaching methods quickly. For example, one day we’ll be talking to a learner about how they learn while dealing with anxiety. On another day we will have to talk about what happened in their world before they dropped out of high school in grade nine. What made them not feel comfortable on the computer? We as teachers learn how to help the learner work through that emotional pain in order to gain the confidence needed to learn how to use the computer, to get their fingers moving again.

What do you think? How do you navigate this terrain and support learners as they develop their learner identities and confidence?

We had a an amazing conversation about

It was a lot. And it was inspiring and validating.

We wrapped up by thanking each other for their contributions and generosity.

On October 27, 2022 AlphaPlus hosted our second Community Gabfest.

Picture of the Jamboard we created during the Gabfest.

We asked the September participants to share their ideas for conversation starters. We got a great list. We decided to combine two ideas that we thought might go together.

The conversation starter for the October Gabfest is warm ups and motivation.

We started with an Answer Garden warm up: What is your favourite thing about talking to literacy workers?

We used a Jamboard to guide our conversation: Wayfinders Gabfest 2 Jamboard.

More warm ups here:

Building Community in Remote Learning Environments

On September 27, 2022 AlphaPlus hosted our first Community Gabfest.

The conversation starter for the first Gabfest was Jim Tysick’s video The Way Forward.

Jim is an experienced and innovative literacy instructor who works at the Sharbot Lake location of the Northern Connections Adult Learning Centres literacy program. In the summer of 2022, he participated in the AlphaPlus Wayfinders Maker Space and created a video about changing his teaching styles to increase learner agency and independence. In The Way Forward, Jim describes how he is changing from a “sage on the stage” approach to become a “guide on the side” teacher.

Here are two quotes that inspire and inform Jim’s work:

We used a Jamboard to guide our conversation: Wayfinders Gabfest 1 Jamboard.

Resources mentioned in the video

Scott Young

Google Applied Digital Skills

On this site you can read our Position Paper on Blended Learning online and browse a collection of resources to help you and the audiences you communicate with learn about blended learning as an approach.

What else you will find on this site

and graphics you can share with staff, learners, volunteers and community partners

If you’d like a copy of this site to use as a starting point to adapt and expand for use in your program, please get in touch. AlphaPlus can give you a copy and support you in learning how to use a website builder such as Google Sites or Weebly as online learning spaces for learners, staff and volunteers.

Blended Learning Research

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Blended Learning Resources

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People often tell us that some of the best learning happens in the ad hoc conversations they have with other practitioners in hallways or in breakout rooms at conferences.

Those are the questions we are exploring at the Wayfinders Studio.

The Wayfinders are people just like you – and perhaps you – who are exploring, experimenting, piloting and reflecting on how digital technology can enhance learning in creative ways.

Visit The Wayfinders Studio to see what others are doing and thinking about and make connections with colleagues.

Wayfinders 2020-2021

Wayfinders 2022-2023

What some Wayfinders are saying about the studio

It has been a great move towards creating a community of practice among literacy instructors who have been experiencing a new challenge that was forced by Covid-19.

Besides the valuable information and experiences, it is great to know various instructors’ perspectives.

AlphaPlus has collected a set of interesting frameworks, approaches and theoretical foundations that are relevant to adult literacy practice and can inform planning, designing and decision-making.  

We’ve included a blended learning toolbox, an annotated bibliography of tools, apps and websites curated using the framework principles.

If you’re interested in exploring blended learning options for your program, please get in touch. 

The role of resource curation is an important one and can be overwhelming and time consuming.

AlphaPlus developed this site to help literacy practitioners 

There are three sections.

If you’d like to learn more about curating resources, contact Tracey, sign up for an Educator Network program or sign up for one-to-one support through Coaching.

If you’d like a copy of this site to use as a starting point to adapt and expand for use in your program, please get in touch. AlphaPlus can give you a copy and support you in learning how to use a website builder such as Google Sites or Weebly as online learning spaces for learners, staff and volunteers.