I also like this question and will respond in depth later. However, I'd
like to add to Tommy's concern. When I read through David's posting, I
stopped cold at "broadband access." If we (the field) do not offer the
proposed distance education resources across a variety of new and old
media, and attempt to move the learners into a technology/Internet
environment only, wouldn't we further expand the divide by including
tools that require high speed access?

I agree with Tommy that that access to education in a situation of dire
necessity requires a broad sweep of inclusive thinking and planning.

Carol Christensen
Research Analyst


-----Original Message-----
From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov
[mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Tommy B McDonell
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:19 AM
To: The Technology & Literacy Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity?

David, finally a question I am really interested in--and finally 
someone who believes as I do that a listserv is to explore things. 

I taught for many years in NYC at the public library and the thought 
of teaching people how to learn online--just at the bare roots of 
technology--scares me. Not the teaching so much, but it scares me the 
number of people who could be left out of the loop. 

Do we really know how many people have access to technology of any 
kind?

I wonder if we really use the telephone enough in teaching. It was 
used more than 40 years ago in PA for distance ed, before we thought 
the computer was only way to teach. 

Could we start a grass roots "something" that would prepare for 
something like this, while other "experts" are supposedly planning 
what to do?

Just thoughts. 

while I hate the bird flu, I like the premise of this topic. Perhaps 
even if the flu does not come, we will learn more about educating 
people in a far reaching way. 

Tommy

Tommy B. McDonell 
Tommy.McDonell at nyu.edu 
Adjunct, Steinhardt School of Education 
tbr202 at nyu.edu 
Doctoral Candidate in TESOL at NYU 

Sales Agent, 
Debra Kameros Company Inc. http://www.debrakameros.com 
tm at debrakameros.com 
http://www.tommybmcdonell.com 


H: 212-929-6768 
F: 212-929-1129 
C: 917-514-1354 



----- Original Message ----- 
From: David Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> 
Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 11:03 am 
Subject: [Technology] Distance learning -- an option or a necessity? 


> Technology Colleagues, 

> 

> Indulge me. This post may seem a bit of a stretch, but that's 

> what a 

> discussion forum is for -- a place to try out ideas. It also 

> follows 

> from a discussion here earlier this year on adult education 

> distance 

> learning. 

> 

> I have been thinking about Asian Bird Flu. I hope the predicted 

> epidemic does not come to pass, or if it does, that its scope is 

> tiny; but many experts claim that it is inevitable, and at a scale 

> 

> that could be between 5 and 50 million people afflicted. In 

> earlier 

> world epidemics, for safety reasons public gathering places were 

> closed or limited to only those that were essential. Schools were 

> 

> closed. 

> 

> Suppose schools in North America or in other parts of the world 

> actually were all closed, including all adult education schools 

> and 

> programs. Suppose adult education could only take place by 

> Internet, 

> TV broadcast, radio broadcast, CDROM or DVD, and telephone. Those 

> 

> with experience in delivering adult education at a distance -- 

> many 

> of you on this list -- would be asked to step forward and think 

> through how to organize this adult education distance learning 

> delivery system. 

> 

> I have been thinking about this, and would like to invite you to 

> think about it, too. What would be needed to deliver all adult 

> literacy education (including English language learning) by 

> Internet? What would the issues be? 

> 

> * Access from home, including broadband access 

> * Good content online in all areas, all levels: ELL, basic 

> literacy, 

> ABE, ASE, Transition to higher ed, etc. 

> * Counseling 

> * Online training for participants using online learning -- 

> including 

> technology skills 

> * Online teachers/facilitators recruitment and initial training 

> * Ongoing professional development and training for online 

> facilitators* An online assessment system 

> * An online MIS 

> * How to provide services to low-literate adults and beginning 

> level 

> English language learners 

> 

> What else? 

> 

> How should this be organized? By community? By state? Nationally? 

> Internationally? Some other way? 

> 

> What pieces of such a distance learning system do we have now? 

> Can 

> some of the Project IDEAL states -- and Florida, California and 

> other 

> states which may be doing distance learning -- do some of this -- 

> or 

> all of it now? If so, tell us what is in place in these states. 

> Could Alpha Plus or other Canadian models point the way? What 

> about 

> Australian and Irish (NALS) distance learning models? 

> 

> Let's think together on this one, hoping we never have to use such 

> as 

> system under such calamitous conditions, but through the thinking 

> and 

> planning being prepared. It may also suggest some things we 

> should 

> be doing whether there is an epidemic or not. 

> 

> David J. Rosen 

> djrosen at comcast.net 

> 

> 

> 

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