Digital Literacy Initiative

Across the U.S., adult students are required to meet the rigorous requirements in the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in order to complete a secondary degree and transition to further post-secondary education, training, and career. Integrating technology into instruction, increasing student access to technology, and leveraging learning outside the classroom can help students develop the skills they need to support their long-term educational goals.

As part of this effort, World Education is working with the Literacy Information and Communication System to promote digital literacy and access in the adult education field. We are piloting a project that will accelerate learning for adult students by increasing their digital literacy and problems loving skills. The project is supported under the LINCS Regional Professional Development Centers for Adult Education in Regions 1 and 3 and funded by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U. S. Department of Education. World Education will implement the Digital Literacy and Problems Solving pilot and invite 6-10 adult education programs to pilot lesson ideas. These programs will include library literacy programs, HUD public housing authorities, and other community-based organizations.

Resources such as EveryoneOn.org/adulted, a library mapping tool, and a broadband toolkit have been developed to help students resolve access to technology issues. LINCS will provide a 1-2 hour face-to-face workshop for teachers and other staff for each program to guide students in this learning process. This workshop will give participants practical ideas on how to integrate digital literacy skills and technology access into lessons. In addition, teachers will be trained on how to integrate into instruction problem solving using technology.

The overall goals of this initiative are to improve access to and use of technology across the programs to help students advance their digital literacy and problem solving skills. The project also seeks to help classroom teachers become more comfortable with using technology in instruction and to inform adult education programs about low-cost technology that they use to enhance teaching and learning through face-to- face workshops and webinars.