Literacy Learning with Friendly Neighbourhood Computers

BY ROBERTA F. HAMMETT

Multiliteracies, a term coined relatively recently by the New London Group to capture the many diverse modes of communication and their cultural contexts, describes well the literacy activities of the Friendly Neighbourhood Computers project. In this project, computers opened up many possibilities for learning, communicating, and generally broadening literacy practices.

In proposing to take computers student tutors into a community resource centre to work with adults, my colleague, Phyllis Artiss, and I were uncertain as to what we might be researching. Research literature about women using computers, literacy statistics for Newfoundland and Labrador, and preliminary discussions with our community partner, the Brighter Futures Coalition of St. John’s and District, suggested to us that we might find women and men interested in acquiring a basic knowledge of how to use computers and basic print literacy. We wanted to establish a project that was as much as possible directed by the learners themselves, not controlled by any texts, packaged programs, or even the tutors or researchers. We hoped we could expand understanding of what literacy is and broaden the kinds of literacy practices that all participants engage in during their daily lives.

During the first days of the project, we found adult learners interested in our project. Working with one or two learners each, graduate and undergraduate students began tutoring adults, mostly women, in the basics of computers – beginning with turning them on and off, opening programs, saving files, and so on. As suggested by the computer research literature, the women were hesitant and worried about not being able to learn how to use computers. They soon proved themselves capable and gradually became confident and competent with a variety of computer programs and tasks: word processors, spreadsheets, e-mail, scanning, editing images, and Web surfing.

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New Training Manuals from AlphaPlus

BY ELYSE SCHWARTZ

AlphaPlus has recently unveiled nine online training manuals, which can be viewed using Acrobat Reader. The Tech skills–general manual is a useful resource for instructors who wish to use computers with literacy students. The remaining manuals are intended to help users become more comfortable with AlphaPlus resources such as AlphaRoute and AlphaCom.

The units in Tech skills–general cover such useful and diverse skills as creating shortcuts, changing your screen saver, using keyboard shortcuts, downloading programs, zipping and unzipping files, and using Internet Explorer. The 214-page manual could be used strictly for online study, or selections could be printed and photocopied. (Some of the instructions can be followed simultaneously while reading the manual online, but in most cases that doesn't work). The publisher permits photocopying at will as long as there is no financial gain involved. A Table of Contents at the beginning of Tech skills-general lists the skills covered. Each unit begins with Objectives and Learning Outcomes sections, followed by Steps to Learning. These steps are numbered and written in simple, clear language, providing excellent practice in reading and following instructions. The instructions are accompanied by photographs of the desktop or the appropriate menus or buttons, with arrows clearly indicating where to click the mouse.

Tech skills-general provides a very user-friendly reference guide for instructors who wish to upgrade their technical skills. It also provides excellent teaching material to enhance both literacy and technical skills. You can find the AlphaPlus manuals at http://alphaplus.windnetcs.com/onlinetraining.html.

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