Volunteers for Adult Literacy in Florida (VALF)

Adult Literacy Statistics to Tell the Story

2012-02-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

Since it is grant writing time, many of you are searching for the most current literacy statistics. For a variety of reasons, a lot of the data you are finding may be considered old. The best data is almost 9 years old and comes from the National Adult Literacy Survey. Census data on educational attainment is now 10 years old--since the new number of those lacking a high school diploma or for those at the 8th grade or lower level is not yet published. This requires you to be creative as you make the case for the need which relates to the grant guidelines or the story you want to tell.

There are many ways to demonstrate that low literacy is a problem in your community. You will want to start with the most solid data based on the National Adult Literacy Survey and link it with current statistics. The Survey was done in 1992 and repeated in 2003 which provided trend data for the first time. Even though Florida chose not to participate in the 2nd survey, county data was extrapolated from the national findings and released about a few years ago. Here is that data.

Other more current indicators of low literacy

Florida Graduation rate is at 80% This link takes you to several publications at the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) web page. You will need to scroll down on the page to see the actual tables with the graduation and dropout rates by county. Florida Department of Education announced the improved rate in December 2011. This rate is expected to go down next year because the numbers enrolled in adult education programs will not be included for the first time.

When you view the publication with dropout rate, you will see that Florida's dropout rate was 1.9%. Data is also available by counties and even schools. When using this data for a grant, the data can be better understood when you provide comparisons. For example, Highlands County had a high 7% dropout rate. Neighboring Okeechobee had a 5% rate as compared to a low of point two per cent (.2%) in Okaloosa County in the Florida panhandle.

School testing grades: An assumption can be made that if the school' scores are poor, eventually students dropout and blend into their community. The national survey found that 55% of those with out a high school diploma read at a below basic prose literacy rate as compared to 15% with a high school diploma.

For more background data go to the VALF public wiki or to the Florida Literacy Coalition. The Coalition has a booklet of statistics which was published in 2007.

Grant Opportunities for Florida Literacy Programs

2012-02-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

Dollar General Grant Due February 28, 2012 $15,000 grant

Health Literacy Grant Due $5,000 grant
A conference call is today, February 6, 2012 at 10:30.

Connecting Learners to Social Services

2012-01-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

Providing connections to social and community services are an important part of a successful volunteer adult literacy program, and these services are becoming harder and harder to access. As Florida continues to close government offices, libraries and information and referral provider are filling the void.

Find out if you have an Information and Referral provider or where your closest library is located to learn about your community's social services. All volunteer literacy programs need to provide this information to their tutors and students with-in workshops and via tools like Facebook, Twitter, E-mail and more.

Florida has a statewide organization representing information and referral professionals. Their conference is in February.

Filing for Unemployment--an Opportunity

2011-11-29T11:33:00.000-08:00

Consider developing a partnership between the literacy program and your library to help with a new demand. Beginning August 1, 2011, some of the rules changed for filing for unemployment. Adults now have to file for benefits online. Previously they had the choice to file online or make a phone call. New applicants also have to complete a skill survey--which is being called discriminatory by some-- for those who cannot read well enough to complete the survey. Adults are scrambling to meet the requirements and are waiting inline at computers in libraries. Learn how you can help....

What can you do???? Your literacy program's trained tutors could help staff library computers set aside for E-Government. Adults usually need longer than the time limits in libraries for their regular computers. Libraries need to set up E-government and adult literacy computers to allow two at a station. I know volunteers are in short supply, but there will be some out there who would be interested. Tutors may be able to volunteer monthly to staff a computer to help someone apply for unemployment --when they cannot tutor weekly. They could come in one day a month. Mondays and Tuesdays are busy days for filing. Snowbirds who get some training in working with those who cannot read well are another pool a literacy program can tap in partnership with their library.

If your literacy program wants to build a closer relationship with your public library, this may be an opportunity. Again, I know that we don't have enough volunteers --and thus you may be wondering why you should share??? Well, the more a literacy programs help the library as a partner, the more you will get back. Even though money is in short supply, many libraries have funds for literacy books, online literacy instruction and more etc.

You probably have unused talent in your program. Often programs have trouble matching tutors because of scheduling or location issues. This could be one way to tap into a volunteers interest in giving their time at their preferred library. It might even be a way to use unemployed volunteers interested in helping. They would know this process well.

Let VALF know what you think and share other strategies below related to partnership opportunities.

Thanks,
Sandy Newell, President, VALF

Researchers' Symosium December 3

2011-11-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

Sharon Jaskula, VALF Advisory Board member, is inviting you to the following free workshop.

The Florida Literacy Coalition, the Jacksonville Public Library, and the Literacy Council of Jacksonville are proud to host a Researchers’ Symposium focusing on Workplace Education, Writing Strategies, Comprehension Skills, and Transitioning Learners to Post-Secondary Education. Researchers from universities across the country will be on hand to share best practices and new approaches.

Please join us on Saturday, December 3 from 1:00-5:00 for this free event at the Jacksonville Public Library (Conference Level Auditorium). Registration is required; the registration link to the pdf with a list of presenters and session descriptions below.

For more information, please contact the Florida Literacy Coalition (800-237-5113) or visit www.floridaliteracy.org

For more information and to register...

Graphic Organizers

2011-11-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Graphic organizers provide an interesting way for a writer to outline their thoughts before they put their pen to paper (or fingers to computer keys!). There are many forms that can be used -- based on the purpose of the writing. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr1grorg.htm describes the different types of graphic organizers and how they could be used with students.

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/ has a variety of forms in pdf format to print off and use. This site is maintained by the company, Houghton Mifflin.

Here are some examples from the site:
http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/sandwich.pdf Sandwich: uses different parts of a sandwich to outline details for a story

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/factopin.pdf fact and opinion

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/ideawheel.pdf Idea wheel

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/storymap2_eng.pdf Story Map plot

http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/persuasion.pdf Persuasion map

Voce of America for ELL ...and maybe basic English readers

2011-11-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Who knew that Voice of American has a wide variety of topics, news, practice session, vocabulary building activities??? The site is well done with podcasts, audio articles sentence by sentence that is read to those interested in learning English.. It has a dictionary, matching activities that could be used by adult basic new readers. The topics are of adult interest. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Adult Orientated Stories, Games, Nonfiction and more

2011-10-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for an interesting adult oriented site that mixes up audio, books, movies, games and more, then check out Candlelight Stories. In October scary themes were highlighted. Check it out to find a ghoulish game where you shoot the vampires. On October 25, the home page featured the movie, Day the World Ended, a 1955 , a film by Roger Corman and a horror short, Legend of Michigan's Dogman.

You can down load free podcasts that are fun to listen to. Some are based on classics with books free to download. Other free podcasts are written around books that can be purchased in paperback or as an ebook. from the web site.

The site has short stories like Reaping, written by an Australian author. Since it is Australian, some of the language is different. Torch is the word for a flashlight in the story. This might make it a harder read--especially for English Language Learners who are working on American English vocabulary. It is not a real low level story but would be high interest for adults and teens. A woman comes home to her farm from a night of partying and finds her lights out and her cat dead. The story is very short --which does make it an easier read.

Do be aware that the site does have some advertising. For example, when you listen to a story, there ma be a promo for other resources on the site.

I like this site --because it is accessible, uses multimedia and fun...and more importantly appropriate for adults. It does get political at times. There are postings related to the Occupy movement.

Check it out and let us know what you think. Are there parts you like or dislike? Tell us in the comments below.

TECHNOLOGY DONATIONS FOR NONPROFITS

2011-10-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

TechSoup is a nonprofit program that distributes donated and deeply discounted software and technology products to eligible nonprofit organizations and libraries. An organization can save as much as 80 – 96% on brand-new software donated by top companies. All products are available either for a small administrative fee if donated, or at prices that are deeply discounted.

Each of TechSoup’s donated and discounted product programs has specific eligibility guidelines. Organizations wishing to apply should review the Nonprofit Eligibility Requirements and Donor Partner Restrictions before making a donation request.

Public libraries that are listed in the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) database or that have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status are eligible for TechSoup’s services. Each branch of a library system, not just the main branch, must register with TechSoup individually to request software products.

For additional information, including a list of available programs and links to the Nonprofit Eligibility Requirements and Donor Partner Restrictions, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/TS11.

Trends in Dropout Rates

2011-10-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

A new report on high school completion of students 24 and under published this month –provides a variety of trends. In many ways—graduation rates have been trending up since the 1970’s. Hispanic rates tend to be much lower than whites and blacks.

Rates are higher when they include populations that did not go to schools in the U.S. which includes many enrolled in Florida’s adult literacy programs. Lower income students have a higher drop out rate.

This study presents the dropout rate trends in a variety of ways. One is based on the graduation rate of schools. As you see from report data below, Florida is just below 70% with 8 other states.

State averaged freshman graduation rates for public school students:

Eight states had rates below 70.0 percent—Alabama, 69.9 percent; Florida, 68.9 percent; Georgia, 67.8 percent; Louisiana, 67.3 percent; South Carolina, 66.0 percent; New Mexico, 64.8 percent; Mississippi, 62.0 percent; and Nevada, 56.3 percent—as did the District of Columbia, 62.4 percent.

Check out the report at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012006.pdf

Get VALF Blog Posts in Your Email

2011-10-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Enter your email address in the block that says "Follow by Email" to get these posts sent to your email.

Testimony of an Adult Literacy Learner

2011-10-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

VALF will be sharing stories from adult learners. Read this one to get a better understanding of what it feels like to not be able to read. It is from Gadsden County Public Library, Quincy, Florida, Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA)

VALF Member

In their own words.......

In the beginning, I was trying to see if my tutor was serious about helping me, so I would leave with the van driver when I was suppose to meet with Mrs. Hall. I wanted to see if she would give up on me like other people did, but she didn’t.

She did not yell at me or give up on me she talks nice to me all the time. Sometimes I tell her that if she is willing to teach a dummy like me, then I want to learn, but she says I’m no dummy. She says I learn different from other people. Mrs. Hall told me not to call myself no dummy and I don’t anymore. Our school time makes me feel good about me. I have learned how to write my name on my license and that made me feel big. Now I am no longer Mr. X. I want to keep seeing Mrs. Hall and for as long as it takes because I want to go all the way to grade 12.

Adult Learner, Age 84

Tutor Inservice for Adult Literacy in Tampa on October

2011-10-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Register today for the October 22, Saturday, workshop in Tampa, the Fast Track Reading System: Exploring the Relationship Between Sounds & Syllables. It's an essential skill many adult literacy programs fail to teach. It is a method that helps adult learners see immediate results and encourages them to stay in programs longer. This training is for adult literacy tutors and for those who want to learn strategies to help teens and adults who have learning differences.

Sharon Jaskula will provide an overview of a curriculum developed by the Jacksonville Public Library with the support of a Library Services and Technology Act Grant administered by the Florida Division of Library and Information Services. This curriculum focuses on using syllable division and syllable types as a way to strengthen the word attack skills of new readers. Discover the piece that your students have been missing and open up a whole new world.

Location: Hillsborough County Public Library
              Town 'N Country Regional Public Library,
              7606 Paula Dr., Suite 120,
              Tampa, FL 33615-4116
              Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Lunch is being provided by the Hillsborough Literacy Council To register email DouglasJS@hillsboroughCounty.org by Friday, October 14.

VALF stands for Volunteers for Adult Literacy in Florida.
OUR
MISSION
The mission of Volunteers for Adult Literacy in Florida is to enhance and promote the abilities of individuals and organizations to provide direct and indirect literacy instruction to adults and families in need through volunteer service.

OUR VISION
The ability to read, write and speak the English language shall be provided in all 67 counties of the State of Florida by trained literacy volunteers. These volunteers will equip adults and families with the tools necessary to solve the literacy problems encountered in daily life.

Library Snapshot Day November 2, 2011

2011-10-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Make sure you literacy program is recognized in your public library's snapshot day. Talk with your library to see if they are participating. If so, coordinate with the library to show library partnerships with literacy programs. Ask the library to make sure they snap a picture of a tutor with a student working together in your library. Of course, get the permission of the pair first. Other ideas for pictures-- your literacy program manager browsing the library's adult literacy collection, photo of a tutor talking with the reference librarian about his/her needs for topics to use in lessons, student taking his family to story time or using the instructional programs on the computer .... or --come up with your own brainchild for a photo and share with VALF too.

Plan Your Florida Library Snapshot Day on
November 2, 2011 With These Simple Steps

Are you thinking about participating in the Florida Library Snapshot Day- November 2nd - but are not sure how? Just follow these simple steps:

Step 1 - Visit our website to learn more about the event and talk to your co-workers, supervisors, and friends about this initiative and get them motivated!

Step 2 - Stay in the loop and connect with other libraries by visiting FLA Snapshot Day on Facebook or Twitter and let us know your library is participating by emailing your library name and website address to: snapshotfla@gmail.com

Step 3 -Visit the Florida Library Snapshot Day website in October to get ideas for planning events, promo materials, and the data collection, photo permission and comment forms you will need to collect on the day of the event.

Step 4 - Participate on November 2, 2011 (or whichever date you’ve selected) by taking photographs and collecting statistics and patron/customer comments

Step 5 - Collect and submit statistics, photographs, comments and more by November 16!

Step 6 - Use the results to your Library’s advantage! Check out these 16 easy ways to Make Snapshot Success Work for Your Library

Still have questions? The FLA Public Relations Committee is here to help you, so please contact us if you need any assistance.

FLA Snapshot Day is sponsored by the Florida Library Association and the Florida Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services.

Welcome to our New VALF Members

2011-09-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Broward County Library Learning Services

Community Learning Center

DeSoto County Literacy Council

Hillsborough Literacy Council Inc.

Hope Community Center

Library Literacy Friends, Inc.

Literacy Council of St. Petersburg

Literacy Council of Upper Pinellas

Literacy Volunteers of Gadsden Co., Inc

Literacy Vol. of Big Bend

Martin Co Library Center for Reading & Literacy

Palm Beach Library Adult Lit. Project

Bay County Public Library Volunteers for Literacy

Recent Tools and Trends in English Language Literacy and Social Networking Literature Search

2011-09-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

This summary highlights findings related to instruction, especially in the context of English Language Learners (ELL) and reading, writing and telling stories. It also concentrates on use of technology, a tool that can motivate while providing implementation challenges for adult literacy programs.

Summary of Points from Recent Reports

There is little research on adult literacy and adult English Language Learners (ELL). The findings for these reports were thus based, in part, on other populations. Because of this, more research needs to be done to confirm whether or not the findings apply to adult literacy.
Adult ELL in the United States are very diverse. Their education levels range from those who are highly educated with advanced college degrees to those who cannot read or write in their home language. Those who come from countries where the home language is based on the alphabet rather than symbols generally have an easier time learning English.
Adults who cannot read or write in their home language need more intensive instruction. This instruction may be more productive if they initially learn to read and write their home language as a bridge to reading, writing and speaking English.
Adults learn best when instruction is learner centered and based on authentic instruction that can be immediately applied to their daily life. Tutors need to find ways to develop learner centered lessons for their students.
Writing is a necessary skill for many jobs and daily life. It also is important to reinforce reading and writing English. Writing is a complex process which can be broken down into planning, text production, evaluation and revision. Poor writers do not know how to rewrite, and they rarely consider their audience as they write. Tutors need to work with ELL learners to help them build their vocabulary to speak and read English better. Tutors and students need to work together so that learners have multiple ways to easily practice writing. Tutors also need to write stories along with students to model what they teach.

Technology (including the use of computers, multimedia, and tools on the Internet) has expanded the ways adults learn to read, speak and write English. Adults are attracted to learning on computers and younger adults are even more comfortable with multimedia and smart phones. There are many free and inexpensive tools on the Internet and for smart phones to enhance learning. Adults, especially those who are younger, enjoy learning through digital storytelling. They “write” these stories using their recorded and written words with photos, drawings and video media blended with other tools to create multimedia stories about topics important to them.

VALF Members can go to the VALF members only site to read the full summary of the reports and to get the link to the reports.

Join or renew your membership today! It is only $15 for individuals and $25 for literacy groups.

VALF Board Meeting -- September 20

2011-09-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

VALF is holding their monthly board meeting tomorrow.

Upcoming Adult Conferences

2011-09-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

I guess there is not a national conference that is really dedicated to the needs of volunteer literacy programs, their students, tutors and program managers any more. ProLiteracy, a membership organization for volunteer programs, now calls its conference the United States Conference on Adult Literacy (USCAL). In the initial description, I don't even see the word, volunteer.

The ProLiteracy Conference is in Houston, November 2. Their registration is open. I guess there is not enough money today to hold a conference 100% for volunteers. Years ago, when I went to my first volunteer conference, it was so motivating, to be around committed volunteers and program managers. I know there is the need to partner and applaud that--but I also think there is a place for more for volunteer programs.

Please post in comments whether or not you are attending--or presenting at the USCAL. VALF would like to capture the Florida presence there.

Also, Florida has excellent training for adult education. The next one is more focused on school-based programs but sometimes has programs appropriate for volunteers. It is in late September. The other conference is the wonderful, Florida Literacy Conference--which does a good job at providing sessions for volunteers and adult learners.

Post by Sandy Newell, President of VALF

Smart Phone Apps -- Not Just Momma Bell's Phone

2011-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ways to learn continue to evolve. Collaborative learning is now possible because of social networking and the new media. New technologies accommodate different learning styles than pen and paper lessons, and smart phones put the potential for learning in the hands of many. E-books are becoming more mainstream in 2011, and one of the newest tools being used today is the smart phone.

Your phone comes with the ability to record video, an easy way to record a dialog for your student. They can then listen to it, practice and send you their practice session.

If you don't want to use video, there are Apps that can be downloaded to turn a phone into a tape recorder. Students can record their audio stories through a traditional recording on this.

There are even Apps that capture a person’s vacation with photos, audio and writing. One of the popular ones is (My Vacation). There is a free lite version that will capture one trip. To do more, pay $2.99 to ITunes.

Even a humorous program like Talking Tom can provide a silly way for an ELL to practice speaking English and send a short story to their tutor via their Smart Phone. The the basic version is free but can be enhanced if you pay.

While mobile phones have brought multiple ways to enhance to the tutoring experience, they are just tools. It still takes well trained tutors matched with adults who want to learn, along with lots of repetition and practice combined with learner centered instruction to make a difference.

It is up to the tutor to partner with his student to make learning as interesting, easy and practical as possible. As tutors develop lessons, they can use smart phones to record stories told or written by students. Phones provide new ways for independent learning and practice. As copy machines replaced carbon paper to copy student stories, phones can scan, photograph and share stories, lesson plans and examples of student work. Once you have the scan you can email it as evidence of your lesson to the volunteer literacy program manager. This can make it alot easier for a program to move from paper to electronic records. We all know it has to be easy for volunteers to do the record keeping needed for a program to show progress to funders.

Tell us how you use your smart phone....

Smart Phones and Literacy

2011-09-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Smart phones are the newest technology tutors and students can use to build up literacy skills. If you think that only rich people have smart phones, read this post to learn more about who has a phone.

Free Workshop on Working with Low Level New Readers on October 22

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sharon Jaskula is presenting the Fast Track Reading System Workshop on October 22, Saturday in Tampa at the Town' N Country Regional Public Library. VALF is partnering with the Tampa Hillsborough Public Library to bring you this award winning program developed by the Jacksonville Public Library. This workshop is for you if you are looking for new strategies to tutor the lowest level adults in basic reading. Sharon will cover the relationship between sounds and syllables. Check out the workshop flyer for more information.

Sharon presenting the workshop at Tavares.

To register email your name, name of program and email address to VALFlorida@hotmail.com. . Put Fast Track Workshop in the subject line.

Audience at Tavares workshop in Lake County

The mission of VALF is to enhance and promote the abilities of individuals and organizations to provide direct and indirect literacy instruction to adults and families in need through volunteer service. We are funded by memberships and donations.

What's a Glog?

2011-09-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Or you might want try your hand at including a glog in your lessons. Glogster, http://glogster.com

which allows the creation of public or private “glogs” mixing graphics, photos, videos, music and text.

ESOL Learners who use multiple media in digital storytelling amplify their sense of authorship and find deeper meaning in what they want to say through the process of combining modes.

Mobile Apps for Adult Literacy

2011-09-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

MOBILE APPS FOR ADULT LITERACY by Harvey Pressman and Andrea Pietryzk, Central Coast Children’s Foundation http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102474671827-87/adult_literacy_apps_5_30.pdf viewed August 2011

Adult literacy programs are just beginning to use smart phone apps for tutoring. This article provides an overview of the use of phone applications for all types of learners. The Apps are categorized by Reading Skills, Vocabulary, Grammar, Spelling and Apps that parents could use with young children. It includes the title, link, purpose, cost, platform and reviews if available. The authors stress the value of parents using these with their children as a way to help the children and reinforce their own learning. Here is a sample related to English Language Learners.

Easy to Read Wikipedia

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Simple English Wikipeida http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Did you know there is an easy to read version of Wikipedia online for those who can not read English very well? Students can contribute to it. Check it out today.

More

You can create your own book from this Wikipedia. As you just go through, you just click the page at the top to select it. It is then compiled into a book format. You download it at no charge as a pdf, or you can order a fancier online version or even a print copy to be delivered to you for a charge.

Creating Learning Games

2011-09-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

There are tools online that tutors can easily use to make lessons more interesting. Study Stack provides a way for students to memorize information. Students can play the games online or download them to a smart phone. Once you create cards, they can be used in a variety of ways ranging from matching activities to creating a crossword puzzle. Check out Study Stack and tell us what you think.
More...

Students can learn geography, history, math, languages, and science which are already online or create your own.. Users of the site can select one of the existing stacks, which consists of virtual study cards allowing them to learn at their own pace until they are satisfied with their progress. What is also particularly novel about this learning tool is that data entered for customized study stacks can be automatically displayed as a matching game, a word search puzzle, a crossword, a quiz,a hangman game or several other games. The site contains hundreds of study stacks for each subject, with the areas dedicated to math and science containing a number of helpful stacks. With its wide range of applications, this site will be very helpful to students at different levels and tutors who may be seeking to develop a new study tool for any number of topics or themes within a subject area.

FREE Podcasts for English Language Learners

2011-09-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

WWW.ESLpod.com is a site of free podcasts on a wide variety of topics. The podcasts are free for you to listen online or download to your ipod. Additional items, like the learner's guide, from this site do cost. You can purchase a guide for each podcast or subscribe.

The speaker talks slowly. I listened to the podcast English Café 309. It is about the movie, West Side Story, but also includes questions from listerners on the meaning of terms like “ship” in friendship. Music helps adds to the slowness of the session and you can move the recording ahead.

There are a variety of ways you could enhance this lesson about a classic movie. For example, the student could borrow the movie or listen to the musical sound track after listening to the podcast. Then he or she could come to a tutoring session prepared to talk or even write about it as part of a lesson or independently.

If passing the GED was a goal, the learner could study classic literature by watching the Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. The topic is a popular one with multiple themes. A dicussion could be about family relationships or gangs today. You could talk about how gangs today are similar or different from those pictured in the move.

Other topics on www.ESLpod.com are business, daily life, dining, transportation, entertainment, health, relationships and travel. The Travel section includes 72 recordings including several on hotel rooms, traveling as a single, flying, winds and storms and traveling on a cruise. The newer sessions have higher numbers. Recordings in travel go back to 2005.

New Instructional Tool for ELL -- Grant Application Due September 30, 2011

2011-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Florida Literacy Coalition is partnering with IBM again to offer up to ten Reading Companion grants to eligible ABE, Literacy and Family Literacy programs throughout the state of Florida. Here are last year's grant winners. This grant (valued at $10,000) provides free access to IBM’s Reading Companion software.

Reading Companion uses innovative speech recognition technology that "listens" and provides individualized feedback to the user, enabling emerging readers to practice their pronunciation as they acquire fundamental reading speaking skills.English Language Learners really like the program. You need higher level equipment and band width to use the program. Because of that libraries and schools may be better positioned to apply for the grant. The actual specs are below.

For more information on the Reading Companion Program, and to view a 4-minute video demonstrating this software, visit http://www.readingcompanion.org and click on “explore”. For more information about using technologies for adult literacy go to this report published last year. To get the application:

more
The grant seems to be open to all literacy programs, but it does require certain technologies. Thus public libraries or those who partner with libraries may be the most likely to be able to take advantage of this learning resource.

Computer equipment required: :
• Windows 2000, Windows XP , Windows Vista or Windows 7
• A high-speed Internet connection (DSL or higher)
• Audio capabilities
• Access to the Internet via Internet Explorer (version 6 or higher) or Firefox

According to the report, Emerging Technologies in Adult Literacy and Language Education, an evaluation study found that Reading Companion was especially effective for helping ESL learners develop their language skills at a school or community organization.

Students liked it because it helps them with their pronunciation (often requested by ELL). For example, when adults encounter a false negative (i.e., when the program fails to tell them about mispronouncing a word), they are unlikely to notice. When they encounter a false positive (i.e., when the program stops them and diagnoses an error even though they read the word correctly), they assume that the program is correcting their pronunciation and they appreciate it. These learners like the self-paced nature of the program and appreciate the opportunities for repetition. Many of them, especially recent immigrants, like the specific content (e.g., information about citizenship) and feel it is helpful to them.

Hurricanes and Florida

2011-08-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year, when hurricane's stalk the Florida and eastern coasts. We were lucky this week, but the season is just getting going. Check out this Hurricane Preparedness lesson created by Martha Lane, former VALF President to be used by volunteer tutors.

If you and your student want to learn more about storms that have hit Florida go to Florida Memory for photos from across Florida.

Fact Sheets on Each Section of the GED Test.

2011-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Check out these fact sheets on the GED test. They are posted online and are available in a printable version.

Instructional Games

2011-08-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Check out these online instructional games at FloridaTechnet. Games make learning more interesting for students.

Web Quest--One More Way to Jazz Up Learning

2011-08-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

If your student or program is lucky enough to have access to a computer on the Internet, you may want to jazz up lessons by giving your student a webquest. The term webquest was coined in 1995 as the Internet became more prevalent in adult learner classrooms.

Even if you or your student lacks the Internet at home, a learner may have a computer and be able to go online via wireless at the library or even at Mcdonalds. Some learners may have a computer --but can't afford the monthly Internet charge. On a smaller scale, a smart phone could be used to do the research. It won't be so easy to write up on that small screen, but the phone can help find lots of interesting facts.

A webquest is a great way to learn issues to help them pass the GED while practicing their research and critical thinking skills.

More about webquests can be found at FloridaTechnet.

Here are some steps to include in your webquest. It is important to start with a topics of high interest to an adult learner. For example, global warming may be impacting an English Language Learner's home country. If so, he could start researching this topics. Is weather changing in his home country or in his home town in America? Are diseases like malaria moving into places they have never been before (or not?) Is the water level rising? Are temperatures changing --or not?. A learner could go in and reserach these or other topics of interest.

.Here are specific steps:

A WebQuest is a lesson format defined as a lesson in which most or all of the information used by learners comes from the Web.

A WebQuest has the following parts:

an introduction designed to engage interest and wirtten up in partnership between the tutor and student. The tutor may want to do his own webquest while the student does his..
a description of the task written up by the tutor— a statement of what the learners will have accomplished at the end of the lesson. Again, it is important that the impact be learner centered and of high interest to the student.
the process, which lays out how the task will be accomplished. Within the process are external links to information, learning advice, and other forms of scaffolding. A tutor will need to do his own webquest first to be able to write up this advice.
the evaluation, where the tutor and student talk about the webquest/what worked what didn't what was learned or not.
a lesson plan, which contains implementation details and other information relevant to tutors interested in repeating or adapting the lesson.

WebQuests can be a very effective tool for adult learners to practice skills and learn new information while gaining online research skills. Some webquests might be completed in one sitting, but others will require some time for students to research as homework. They can be a good way to expand on topics that you are discussing in your classroom. Some parents might be able to do a quest with their child around a homework assignment.

After you have reviewed a few WebQuests, you and your student could work together to write one about a topic that interests both --maybe around the environment and ocean as a theme!

Mission Possible--Adult and Community Education (ACE) Conference

2011-08-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

The ACE conference is always held the end of September. This year it starts on Monday, September 26 in Orlando. To register

This one is very expensive, $350 for members. I am guessing most volunteer programs cannot afford it, but it is a good place to learn the latest on school based programs. It is also a good place to see exhibits. You might be able to get into the exhibits only if you are in the Orlando area. Contact ACE to find out. Often, they want to have exhibit foot traffic --so you might have a chance...

The theme is Mission Possible.

Palm Beach Organizational Member Renews

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that the Palm Beach County Public Library Literacy Project recently renewed their organizational membership with VALF. This program is part of the library's outreach department. The Board of County Commissioners is actually the library's governing board. The program recognizes the support of the Commission by listing names of each Commissioner on program announcements.

This library based literacy project has a Friends of Literacy that provides material and support for the library's volunteer literacy program. Watch for more blog posts about Florida's volunteer literacy programs..

Thinkfinity Courses Move To ProLiteracy

2011-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

You don't have to be a member of ProLiteracy to take online courses now available at their site. The courses are free and most were originally on Thinkfinity which has now gone to k-12 (kid focused).

All you have to do is set up an account.

Once you take a course, provide a review of it via comments on this blog.

Here are courses available in mid-August 2011...

Adult Literacy Instruction.
Principles of Adult Learning
Working With Adult Literacy Learners
Phonemic Awareness Instruction for Adult Literacy Learners
Volunteering in English Language Learner Literacy Classes
Culture and English Language Learners
Citizenship: The Literacy Test

Graphic Organizers: Tools for Instructors and Students
Making Math Manageable
Using the Newspaper in Adult Literacy and ESL Instruction
Developing Reading Fluency
The Language Experience Approach
Understanding the Reading Process
Using a Problem Posing Approach for Authentic Language Learning
Unleashing Potential through Multi‐Intelligent Literacy Instruction
Technology and Literacy
Succeeding as an Online Learner
Literacy Program Administration
Making Evaluation Work for Your Program
Volunteers are Vital: Incorporating Volunteers into Your Program's Future
Valuing Volunteers: Effective Methods of Retaining Today’s Volunteers
How Can My Organization Get Involved In Literacy
Creating Community Linkages
Reducing Student Waiting Lists
Improving Learning Gains through Intensity of Instruction
Communicating Success to Stakeholders
Creating a Volunteer Program in the ABE/ESL Classroom
Data Analysis for Program Decision‐Making
Data Collection and Management
Literacy and Home Safety: Partnering to Save Lives
Literacy for Social Change
Overcoming Poverty through Action‐Based Literacy
Using Volunteers in Your Adult Education Classroom

Free Literacy Material

2011-08-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Florida Literacy Coalition has a variety of grant funded posters, bookmarks, books and more available for free. Order them today.

Ideas for Reaching Boys and Men

2011-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I recently ran across an idea for promoting reading to men and boys. A library in England developed Football Family Fun Day with activities and games to promote the variety of sports resources available in libraries. Volunteer literacy programs could provide a family sports day where dads could come and play sports with their children --AND be exposed to sports computer web sites, high interest magazine articles, short stories, biographies, audio books, dvd's and more --all borrowed from the library,donated by your local sports store, a sports bar etc..

Other examples for hooking boys and men as readers can be found in the following article. The examples are British and Australian--but still can provide a few tidbits on how to reach out to fathers and their sons. We all know that we are more likely to read topics in which we are interested. To attract new readers, start with short passages from the Internet, stories from magazines and newspapers, and then move up to longer books all centered on their favorite topics.

To learn more go to the Florida Electronic Library and enter the full title of the following article:

Palmer, T. (2008). Reading the game: Using sport to encourage boys and men to read more.
APLIS, 21(2), 78-83

Once you enter the title, you will get the full text of the article through this free site provided by your public library. FEL provides access to articles that are found in magazines which are not freely available on the Internet.

Share how you encourage men who are new readers to enjoy reading about their favorite sport in our comments below.

Sandy Newell, President VALF

Social Networking Tools, Literacy and Libraries

2011-08-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

A discussion started this month on social networking tools and literacy. One article, written by the ALA Literacy Office, Dale Lipschultz, covers issues that are not a surprise for tutors. You have to read and write before you can effectively use the Internet on a computer or smart phone.

What was interesting to me was a new word: Auding...

David Rosen, a long time authority in adult literacy and technology provided a post about -- Auding is the ability to learn by listening. This word seemed so new that I couldn't find it in wikipedia. People who are blind have often had to have good "auding" skills to learn but so do adult learners who can understand English. Learners with the goal of getting the GED--can start studying by listening to articles on science, history, literature etc. even if they can't read very well. As I have mentioned in the past, free magazine and research articles are available through the Florida Electronic Library. All they need is an IPod to download an authoritative article. I get my newspaper online now and can listen to articles on my I Phone.

Learn About the Marion Literacy Council

2011-08-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

Marion County Literacy Council

Karen Hill is the MCLC Executive Director. This community based volunteer literacy program is located in Ocala, Florida and offers programs for ABE, GED and ESOL. Funded mostly by United Way and DOE grants they served about 400 students in 2010. They offer managed enrollment for ESOL students and hold classes of about 12 students in locations throughout Marion County. About 50% of their students are ESOL, 30% ABE and 20%GED (Please see descriptions of these programs below). Classes in citizenship, career development and financial literacy are also offered. This year the council has two VISTA volunteers who are busy recruiting volunteers and running classes. The big fund raiser for each year is “Kiss the Horse.”

See their excellent web page http://www.marionliteracy.org/

Adult Basic Education (ABE)

The ABE program helps adults learn to read. We provide tutors who work one-on-one with the student. The student/tutor pair meet at a predetermined public location and work at the students pace. Our tutors make sure all learning levels are accommodated and work toward the students personal goals. These may include learning to read, obtain a drivers license, registering to vote or filling out a job application.

General Education Degree (GED)

The GED program prepares students for the general equivalency exam. Students are paired with a tutor who works with them at their pace in a predetermined public location that is convenient to both the student and the tutor. Students are evaluated upon registration and progress is checked periodically. Upon completion of curriculum, students are evaluated again to ensure success.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

MCLC offers English classes to speakers of other languages (ESOL). We currently serve students from 20 countries who range in ability from basic literacy to advanced grammar and pronunciation.
Our classes are grouped according to ability and are scheduled throughout Marion County at various times of the day. Class size is limited so that students can receive individualized instruction.

New Education Commissioner

2011-08-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson started work this week at a $275,000 salary. Robinson came to Florida from Virginia and is a school choice advocate. He was appointed by Governor Scott in June.

Who's Reading Our Blog

2011-08-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

While the majority of our VALF blog readers are from the U.S., we do have people from other countries. Surprisingly, France had the most readers after the U.S.this month and the UK ranked next. We also had people from Germany, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and India. We can't tell where people are from in the U.S. or in Florida. So, please post in the comments where you are from.
Thanks,
Sandy Newell, VALF President

Fact Sheet on the GED

2011-08-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

The U.S. GED testing service has posted a new fact sheet on the GED.

Volunteer Recognition

2011-08-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

Literacy Month is just a month away, and many program's recognize volunteers then, but most program managers strive to fold in little gestures of thanks throughout the year. Here are a couple of ideas we have gleaned from other sites. More ideas are available at our Members Only Wiki. Join or renew VALF today.

STICK WITH IT Put a sticky note on a volunteer’s file saying—“Stick with it!” when a student doesn’t seem to be making progress, and the tutor is getting frustrated.

THANK YOU TREE Ask an organization with public space (the library or city hall) to host a thank you tree. Use a Christmas tree and hang cards with the picture of the volunteer with a”Thanks for Being a Tutor”. Working tutors will see they are appreciated, and the tree can attract new volunteers.

For more, become a VALF member today and check out our members only wiki.
This year you can join VALF by completing the membership form and paying via our PayPal Account.

Writing for the GED

2011-07-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

Looking for more online tutor training options, then check out this new OTAN video on writing for the GED. The essay test is the 2nd hardest part of the GED test. Math is the first. A GED teacher working with basic reading students who are American born and former English Language Learners describes her strategies for working with adult learners, and then you get to view the process. Tutors who work individually will find ideas for adapting this technique.

Florida Schools Charging for Adult Education Classes

2011-07-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

Starting today, school systems will be required to charge for adult basic education, GED and classes for English Language Learners. I heard NPR report this morning that students would be charged $30 and no more than $90 a year. Ronda Cooper, the Leon County Library LVA program director, told me that she expected this will feed more students into the free volunteer literacy programs.

This change was one of many passed by the Florida Legislature this spring. School systems were one of many institutions that got hit. NPR also noted that schools would also be laying off teachers this fall as state funding cuts are realized.

This will likely mean volunteer programs may have longer waiting lists or face turning away students. Waiting lists have been a hot topic on the ProLiteracy Listserve. Programs have been sharing how many students they have on the list. They also describing learning alternatives for students while waiting for a tutor. Some programs have a policy to keep their waiting lists short. What do you do? Put your comments below.

Sandy Newell, President, VALF

Big Changes this Weekend in Tutor Training Online Courses

2011-07-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

ProLiteracy's site is up with online tutor training courses. Here is more context on recent changes.

If you are on the ProLitearcy Listserve you may have caught the announcement that Thinkfinity
is no longer the go-to place for online courses for tutors needing in-service or initial training on working with adult learners. If not, here is a recap.

Starting this weekend, Thinkfinity will be dedicated to only K-12 students. It will not host courses for adult education or for family literacy. The announcement said that ProLiteracy is picking up the courses focused on adult learners who are English Language Learners or basic reading learners. The National Center for Family Literacy will be hosting courses for family literacy.

Learn more from this ProLiteracy email posted on the ProLiteracy listserve by Linda Church.

Use Pay Pal to Join VALF

2011-06-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Join VALF today. Complete this membership form.

Using You Tube to Promote Your Adult Literacy Program

2011-06-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

Are you wondering how to raise funds and recruit more volunteers? Use You Tube. Here is an example:

View VALF Vice President on a youtube spot produced for Learn to Read Jacksonville.

If you are interested in meeting Joses DeMoranville, VALF VP, interviewed for this spot contact valflorida@hotmail.com.

If you want to make a difference, be involved in a statewide project, learn more about adult literacy and using media to tell stories, contact VALF today.

Sandy Newell, VALF President

VALF Brochure

2011-06-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

Learn more about VALF by viewing our brochure.

Join VALF today. Membership renewal starts July 1 and runs through September 1.