TEXAS Adult & Family Literacy QUARTERLY

Professional Wisdom for Adult and Family Literacy

Click on Over. . .

Browsing the Web, TCALL staff found these literacy-related sites particularly relevant, helpful, or just plain fun.

U.S.A Learns is one of the newest and most exciting developments in student access to online learning. A project of the Division of Adult Education and Literacy of the U.S. Education Department in collaboration with the Office of Adult Education of the state of California, U.S.A. Learns is an electronic portal for adults to learn English and improve their basic skills completely free with lessons and videos at three different levels of proficiency. Teachers can register to have their class participate for extra practice online. Worth Visiting!

Adult Education Online. Just as exciting to adult education teachers as U.S.A. Learns is to students, this site is a portal for teachers and administrators to assess their own readiness and comfort level with the use of instructional technology and distance learning. The two assessments (each available for teachers and for administrators) are extraordinarily helpful to assess your technology integration skills and distance learning skill and potential. Once you have completed the assessment, Adult Education online will take you to list of resources you may need for technology centered professional development. This is true MUST for teachers and programs looking for a ready way to improve their students persistance!

Adult Literacy Technology Network. This site is a service of the National Institute for Literacy. Here you can access a wealth of technology resources including lesson plans to integrate technology in the classroom, tips for using technology, access to discussion lists, and learner resources; maintained by an extraordinary group of experts including our own Stan Ashlock.

National Institute for Literacy (of which ALTN is part). This site offers a variety of services for Literacy professionals. The section on publications has a good selection of reports on reading for educators, parents and students. The section on Facts and Statistics allows you to access reports and facts on a variety of topics of interest to adult educators, including Correctional Education, Health Literacy, ESL Literacy, and Learning Disabilities, among others.

ProLiteracy is arguably the world’s largest literacy organization. This website offers information about literacy around the world, including information on programs near you. There are resources for Professional Development and Trainer Certification, as well as access to free Practitioner Resources. Their classroom materials are published by New Reader’s Press and can be accessed through their website.