CONNECT - Canada's Resource Publication on Technology & Adult Literacy - April/May 2003

“I’m so afraid of the computer,” said one student as she sat shaking in front of the keyboard. She was attending the first class in a new course being offered at the library called Computers for the Petrified. She was hoping to learn to overcome her fears of using the computer.

Local libraries in Olds and Didsbury, Alberta had agreed to partner with the community Literacy Specialist in offering basic computer classes. Literacy Specialists are part of a two year project, Connecting Literacy to Community, funded through Bow Valley College and the National Literacy Secretariat. Literacy Specialists provide literacy awareness, promotion and support to community agencies, service providers and businesses in six communities in Alberta.

While working in the community as a Literacy Specialist, a number of agency workers spoke to me of the need for very simple, basic computer instruction. They felt there
was a large audience who couldn’t afford or even understand the many computer classes that were being offered in the community. Since I was looking to provide a service to meet the needs of the community, I decided to follow up with the concept of simple, basic computer classes.

Computers in the Classroom
A Collaborative Approach

The recent launch of Ann Haney’s book, Computers in the Classroom, A Collaborative Approach, has helped to fill a need for computer resources written with the adult literacy field in mind. The book is an in-depth examination of an approach to utilizing technology as a tool in adult literacy education. As the title suggests, Ann Haney’s approach to technology is based on the belief that adults are motivated to learn when they are in control of their learning and it directly relates to their personal goals. The handbook describes how to set up a program that connects literacy learning with real-life tasks and the computer skills needed to complete them. It covers everything from the theory behind this approach to practical issues such as layout of equipment.

The process outlined in the book describes the background work needed to ensure that a program meets the needs of all the stakeholders. Although the model described tends to focus on designing a program in a workplace setting, most facets could be applied to a variety of settings. This includes resources such as a Curriculum Chart that helps instructors to plan a course that integrates a variety of literacy and computer objectives.

The handbook includes sample lessons and a CD of supporting files that were used in a pilot project at the Learning Experience Centre of the Union of Needletrades Industrial and Textile Employees, at Phillips and Temro Industries and Palliser Furniture in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The publication was funded by the National Literacy Secretariat and can be purchased from Grass Roots Press, 1-888-303-3213, www.literacyservices.com.

View this issue of CONNECT in PDF format (560k)
	The free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms. To download Acrobat® Reader click on the button.

You are visitor number
NALD		Next Page