Enterprising Change: Forging New Frontiers

"Enterprising Change and Forging New Frontiers with Technology"

(Scroll down for presentation, "Reaching Students at a Distance: Using New Technologies"

Presentation by:
John Fleischman
Assistant Superintendent, Technology Services
Sacramento County Office of Education
jfleischman@scoe.net

PowerPoint file
Note: This presentation is 12.6 MB.  I saved the file in an earlier version of PowerPoint (97-2003) in order to be more broadly compatible.

Microsoft Word handout or PDF version handout with a list of all sites mentioned during the presentation.

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Presentation description:
During June, 2008 the National Commission on Adult Literacy, through a report entitled Reach Higher - America, called on Congress to create an adult education and workforce skills system with the capability to effectively serve at least 20 million adults annually by 2020.  The Commission recognized that this goal could not be accomplished without heavy use of technology – to expand services to adults through distance learning, and to provide cost efficient approaches to program and data management.  Thus, one of the Commission's nine key recommendations was to deploy technology on an unprecedented scale.

At the same time that Reach Higher - America was being written, Sacramento County Office of Education, using U.S. Department of Education funding, was developing a prototype for a national adult learner (ESL) portal.  That prototype, known as U.S.A. Learns, was launched just over one year ago.  Since the launch last November, the site has been visited nearly 3 million times with the average visit lasting close to 28 minutes.  Clearly, this represents demonstrable proof that the demand exists and that adult learners with limited language and literacy skills can and will access the Web for instruction.

What role might an expanded Web portal have in reaching significant numbers of learners?  How would our existing delivery system be used in conjunction with a readily available and comprehensive Web portal?  And what other promising technologies might be used to enhance and extend learning within and beyond our classrooms?

This presentation will offer a glimpse into the future of technology and basic skills instruction, one that is backed by emerging federal policy, and one that we cannot afford to ignore.  Information will be offered about what you need to know and what you need to do in order to connect this technological change to the classes and instruction you offer.

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"Reaching Students at a Distance: Using New Technologies"

Presentation by:
John Fleischman
Assistant Superintendent, Technology Services
Sacramento County Office of Education
jfleischman@scoe.net

PowerPoint File
Note: This presentation is 8 MB.  I saved the file in an earlier version of PowerPoint (97-2003) in order to be more broadly compatible.

Microsoft Word handout or PDF version handout with a list of all sites mentioned during the presentation.

Brief presentation summary:
Adult literacy instruction and English language learning is no longer confined to a physical space.  Video, computers, the Internet, and other technologies have brought about new opportunities for extending learning, giving students greater opportunities for learning at times and places more convenient.  This presentation will offer information about how programs are using technology to extend learning beyond the classroom.  Participants will have an opportunity to view and discuss a variety of instructional resources designed for online, blended and Web-facilitated learning.