Riding the Technology Wave Now Online

The Canadian Council on Social Development recently completed research into the extent to which adult literacy teachers and students in Ontario have access to and make use of computers and the Internet. Students and literacy teachers from community-based programs, colleges and school boards across Ontario were involved in the project through focus group discussions and three surveys.

Riding the Technology Wave: Experiences of adult literacy students and teachers in Ontario by Jean Lock Kunz and Spyridoula Tsoukalas outlines this research and it's findings.

Inside this issue. . .

The report describes how most adult literacy students in Ontario have access to computers but only 60% use the Internet. Unlike students, almost all teachers have access to computers and the Internet. This difference could be attributed to the fact that only one-third of students reported owning a computer and only two-thirds of the computers in literacy programs were connected to the Internet.

The report also outlines how computers and the Internet are being used by literacy students and teachers. Both students and teachers said that they used computers primarily for word processing. Students and teachers used the Internet for reading newspapers, searching for jobs, downloading software and participating in chat rooms. Most literacy students learned how to use a computer from their teachers and teachers spent an average of 32 hours per month delivering literacy instruction using computers.

Researchers identified both advantages and disadvantages to using computers in literacy programs. On the one hand, computers provided students with a new learning environment, one in which they had greater control over their learning. Using computers to improve literacy skills also provided students with an opportunity to gain valuable computer skills. Teachers also commented on the usefulness of the Internet to obtain resources for teaching.

On the other hand, computer technology was often frustrating to manage. Many students found computers too expensive and there was a lack of software appropriate for adult literacy learners. Teachers also reported that many students felt overwhelmed by the volume of information on the Internet. Finding useful information on the Internet was difficult.

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