June 2008

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Community Literacy of Ontario

Our Voice

E-Channel: Alternative Literacy Training Right at Your Fingertips

By Heather Robinet, Avon Maitland District School Board

Adults seeking more opportunities to maintain and upgrade their skills to ensure their personal, social and economic well-being in today’s knowledge-based economy have another option. It is called e- Channel, and it is the online alternative or supplement to Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) upgrading programs.

Currently, in-person literacy training is provided at almost 300 sites across the province, for adults with goals which may include personal independence, further training and education, or improved employment opportunities. However, many adults are unable to access that training due to distance, transportation, work schedules, childcare, personal preference or other barriers. E-Channel has been designed to address these barriers, and to increase access to learning opportunities for adults in Ontario.

The concept of e-Channel (or e-literacy) began in 2003 with a pilot project that involved four LBS agencies in Ontario – Centre de formation pour adultes J’aime apprendre inc., Community Learning Centre Napanee, Sioux-Hudson Literacy Council and Confederation College. These agencies explored possibilities for distance and flexible delivery of the LBS Program in Ontario. Today, three lead agencies have been selected by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to act as e-Channel hosts and champion e- Channel delivery of literacy services for Native, Francophone and Anglophone Stream learners. Development of e-Channel services for the Deaf stream will begin this fall. Current e-leads include: Sioux Hudson Literacy Council, Centre d’Apprentissage et de Formation Plus (CAF +), and Avon Maitland District School Board.

While e-Channel is considered one entity, each of the e-leads functions independently, offering both specialized programming unique to its stream and generalized programming as well. E-Channel literacy is especially effective with self-directed, motivated, independent individuals with higher level LBS skills and academic and workplace upgrading goals. However, at present it is also achieving success with lower level learners through supported learning opportunities.

(Continued on page 2)