Literacy In The News :: Spanning North America
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Spectrum Local News: 2.11.2021 by Seth Voorhees
The
pandemic changed the way schools taught their students, and highlighted the need
for technology in learning. Experts say many adults who go back to school don’t
always have access to computers. One Rochester program is helping adult
learners cross the digital divide.
For
Rodneisha Corbit, it felt like Christmas Day, as she unwrapped a gift — to help
reach her goal.
Advocates
say the need is great for adult learners, not just for an access to technology
“We’re
doing our training online,” said Corbit, of her school work. “We’re doing our
testing online.”
When
she first became a young parent, Corbit — now a mother of three — had to put
school aside. Now, she is studying to get her high school equivalency diploma
through Rochester’s Office of Adult & Career Educational Services,
or OACES.
And she is not alone.
“Most
of our students face that challenge,” said Alla Dewolf, OACES program
coordinator.
In
early February, five adult learners at OACES, including Corbit, received
laptops, Wi-Fi and other accessories — through a partnership with Literacy
Rochester. The laptops are theirs to keep. The Wi-Fi
hotspots are on loan to students for six months. WATCH 01:32
@LVRochester
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| Our Stories, Pandemic Reflections |
The Redlands
Adult Literacy Program recently published “Our Stories, A
Collection of Writings, Volume 3,” which includes writings from adult learners
enrolled in the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Over 40 adult learners and tutors
contributed written works for the anthology. These works focused on the
learners’ journeys to literacy, personal reflections, family and friends,
memories and adventures, and reflections about books the learners had read.
This year, a special chapter entitled “Pandemic Reflections” was added to the
anthology providing an opportunity for authors to share the impact that the
pandemic has had on their lives.
The
anthology provided an opportunity for adult learners to write stories from
their hearts, choosing just the right words to express themselves, and then to
share those stories with the broader community. Previously, the Redlands
community would be invited to a “Celebration of Authors” event, where adult
learners would read their works to an audience that included their families and
friends. Because of the social distancing requirements caused by the pandemic,
this year the library recorded authors reading their stories, so that the whole
community could experience the joy of hearing the works of adult learners who
are working to improve their literacy.
This
anthology’s pandemic reflections were especially heart-felt and relevant as
everyone continues to adapt to changes caused by the pandemic. Several learners
wrote about the losses they had experienced, like the inability to see family
or gather in large groups, supporting children with online school, learning how
to meet with tutors remotely, and adapting to wearing face masks. READ MORE ➤➤
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Literacy Council of Montgomery County Podcasts: 11.30.2020
Equity
is a word that is getting thrown around a lot these days, but what does the
word mean for actual people on the ground. We speak to two leaders in the Black
community here in the DC area, C. Marie Taylor and Julian A. Haynes along with
our own Denise Hill to see if we can unpack the word, Equity, and make it more
meaningful and more useful as we work to be allies for antiracism. LISTEN 59:14
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Barriere Star Journal: 2.16.2021 by Jill Hayward
Reading,
writing, math, and computer literacy are all part of the learning programs that
are now available with Yellowhead Community Services (YCS) new literacy tutor,
Kim Gavin.
Gavin
says she is ready to meet new learners as of Thursday, Feb. 18, and is eager to
get started assisting them with their literacy goals.
The
free tutor program for both youth and adults runs under YCS’s Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach,
which facilitates ongoing literacy programs, initiatives, events and supports
that provide an important component towards the social and economic well-being
of the area. A significant amount of funding for adult literacy programs comes
from the Community Adult Learning Program (CALP), and funding for youth and
family literacy programs is provided by the annual Raise A Reader Day
fundraiser held every September in Barriere, and numerous other communities
across British Columbia.
Galvin
says she is “super excited” to start meeting new learners and helping them to
navigate towards the goals that they wish to achieve. READ MORE ➤➤
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