Into the Great Wide Openness

I've been meaning to talk about this idea of 'open' in educational technology.  It's not new, but it is en vogue. The question I have is, "Is it good?"  For the field of adult education, the answer is really complicated. I want to kick off this topic with a little article from The Atlantic.

With your comments and the follow up that I hope to do, we can build some bridges between the questions around 'openness' in the article and adult ed's realities and potential directions.  A few ideas to consider:

• Can ABE/GED students manage their own learning, or is facilitation key? 
• How do subscription based learning programs and free online sites compare? 
• Should learners only spend time doing NRS reportable tasks, or should teachers integrate a wider range of source materials and learning experiences? 
• Do students learn better in a structured course, or when they are encouraged to explore? 
• Which model of providing educational resources helps adult ed programs with retention and expansion? 

Maybe we should make a list of Open vs. Closed learning models... (to be continued) 

The Case for Raising Expectations

There is no denying that the odds are stacked against adult learners successfully 'going back to school' while juggling life's challenges and earning the credentials they need to open doors and begin a transformed and/or more lucrative life.

The teachers in adult ed are mostly part-time and so under-resourced that it's no wonder they can't retain students and dread a new computer-based test like the sky is falling.   

What a star-crossed pair!  Has there ever been a match-up of two underdogs with the only hope being that they can help one another to achieve an unlikely goal?  Their profile and position is defined by their limitations, and yet, those narrow parameters can help to focus their/our efforts.  There is actually much cause for optimism.

The job in adult education is to thread the needle.  Hustling is the name of the game.  Despite the circumstances, the best bet is to double-down.  Ask for more from each learner and teacher.

This is a very simple equation of integers here. A negative times a negative equals a positive. 
Two underdogs together equals an even more potent Cinderella story. Be your own Prince Charming  Teachers, throw the hail mary pass and see what happens. 



Specifically, how do we raise expectations? 

• Learners: put in more time studying in between classes. 
• Teachers: play cheerleader and guide on the side, 24/7 
• Learners: try new things, all of them - one of your options is going to pay off 
• Teachers: dig up everything you can find on the content and the evolving ways to teach it and then model the versatility you demand of your students 

 (what would you add here? leave a comment!)

Does Distance Learning Need to Change?

Here is a heavily circulated article from Edudemic about online learning.  It resonates with me, and there's lots to chew on.

Why (And How) Distance Learning Needs To Change, by Nina Hassing

See anything new here? I see some forward thinking insights, but also some long established basics, which is a good place to start.  But that's just it. Distance ed in the adult ed sector doesn't need to change.  It needs to start. We don't need to get it right out of the gate. It's not going to 'evolve' if it doesn't come out of the cave, or down the from the trees (or get taken off the shelf). 

I'm curious what are the most crucial components outlined in this piece? Which are important next-generation reforms?  Are there any recommendations that are superfluous? Let's discus in the comments right here so we can tailor our response to the context of adult education, ABE/GED/ESOL.

Is Online Learning Right for... ?

A company called Online Schools asked me to share their new video about students' experiences with online learning, specifically higher education. Obviously, this blog supports distance ed, but I have to admit that I've got my doubts about online credentialing. Preparation, yes, but at some point, you should probably have to present yourself in-person for some portion of the experience, at least the assessments. If you want to watch the video, check it out here and then come back to this site to share your thoughts.

The Online Schools company specializes in infographics (if it's in an infographic, it must be true, right?), so I posted one of theirs here that resonates with me and the theme of this blog.

Your 2014 Curriculum Blueprint

Even though my company focuses on innovative web-based instructional tools, one of the biggest impacts we've ever made on the field of adult education has been the publication of a little free resource book for teachers preparing to teach toward the 2014 GED test.  At Essential Education, we're excited to share edtech products that will help the field of adult education make the switch to computer-based testing.  But what this 2014 Curriculum Blueprint focuses on is less about the medium and format of the test, but the actual shift in content, whether it's for online or classroom instruction.   

Your Free Copy: Shoot me a message at jason (at) essentialed (dot) com along with your mailing address and I'll get you a sample copy. If you've already got one, leave a comment here with your thoughts on the usefulness of the Blueprint.

The instruction required for the GED test needs to adapt from procedural knowledge to reasoning skills. Your students won't be able to get by memorizing a bunch of mnemonic devices for solving problems. Instead, they'll have to understand how the elements within a procedure relate to one another. The 2014 Curriculum Blueprint features an alignment of the new GED Assessment Targets to the Common Core State Standards as well as Webb's Depth of Knowledge, which helps teachers determine their approach to each skill and topic. Naturally, we include GED Academy's lessons in that alignment, but we also added Khan Academy's math lessons, since those are free and full of great explanations of mathematical reasoning (and Khan isn't providing his own GED alignment, for whatever reason).

Once you've got your copy of our 2014 Curriculum Blueprint, I hope you'll let your local Essential Education representative tell you about all of our innovative updates for the new test and maybe give you a tour of our computer-adaptive online learning system.  Again, just shoot me a message at jason (at) essentialed (dot) com so you can start adapting your classroom instruction for next year.

Teachers: It's All About YOU

In the Why the Tech Not post, I promised to go through a laundry list of barriers to successful tech integration in adult ed and give each issue their own blog post.  I still will, but many of the comments that followed seemed to add another item to the list: teacher training, expertise, and motivation.

Okay, you got me. I'd left it off because I didn't want to point the finger directly at YOU, my readers or adult educators as a group (except for that snarky PICNIC graphic).  And yet, I know from my own experience that many many people, learners and teachers, were given a chance to realize the opportunity of information technology in education because I stepped up and chose to prioritize it.  The power to dictate the success of technology initiatives in adult ed very much rests in the hands of individual teachers and bureaucrats.  Take my origin story, for instance: 

Back in 2001, I was answering the statewide GED Helpline in Virginia helping loads of people find their local adult education programs (that phone continued to ring on my desk for over a decade).  I could have seen the job as a simple switch-board operator gig, but I didn't. My position at the state's professional development organization, and physically my spot in front of a web-connected computer all day long, exposed me to a wealth of information about online GED resources, helpful TV shows on PBS, and periodic initiatives with incentives built-in.  I wanted to put these tools in people's hands and find ways to help people who were far way from right where I was sitting. 

The Future > The Present

In my job promoting and training teachers to use a computer-adaptive GED prep program, I encounter a lot of anxiety about the changes and uncertainty as the free market shakes up the high school equivalency (HSE) playing field. It reminds me of something that I'm going through with my family.  Basically, our 10 week old Matilda Clementine is often inconsolably upset.  Day in and day out our colicky baby makes me think I'm not going to survive this parenting thing with its incredible decibel levels, demanding schedule, and unsustainable workload.  She's got me wearing earplugs, looking for escape routes, and occasionally drowning my sorrows.

We're both a little upset here. Not pictured: earplugs, large glass of extra-strength beer.

We've been down this road before with our two boys, but it's easy to forget how we managed, or even the simple fact that we did get through it.  Eventually, the kids got more capable and started to gradually reveal their personalities. Similarly, adult education programs are survivors that weather stormy political climates, budgetary neglect, and occasional bouts of homelessness. The new HSE tests will just be more bumps in a road that isn't really changing direction, if you ask me.

With Change Comes Opportunity