Hello Erik and others,

On Nov 22, 2005, at 12:00 PM, Jacobson, Erik wrote:


> I share other posters concerns about access to up-to-date internet

> technologies, and I think that radio should be integrated into the

> outreach/delivery process. This is for several reasons (and not just

> because I think radio is just about the coolest technology ever).


I love radio too -- it's a warm medium -- the hearth in our  
household.  How do you see radio being used in this context?
Here's one example -- from Southern Mindanao in the Philippines: The  
Notre Dame Foundation/Women in Economic development program has a  
project that supports community radio stations in Mindanao  
(broadcasting in a variety of languages.) With the proliferation of  
cell phones -- even in the very poorest communities -- there are  
community education call-in programs.  Using this medium and format  
one could -- on a larger scale have a daily or weekly radio show  
around a particular curricuum (on CD-ROM on broadcast on TV or on the  
Web)

Other ideas?

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net



> 1) For people who do not have internet access at all, the radio is  

> still

> a common way of getting information. In advance of, or in the midst  

> of,

> an epidemic it would probably be easier to develop radio specific

> content than to identify and distribute computers to people that don't

> have them, presuming you already have wifi everywhere (which is a big

> assumption).

>

> 2) Even if they have a computer and internet access, you may have  

> people

> unaccustomed to going online for education. They would not be  

> regularly

> checking the net, and phone calls to let them know about courses might

> be too time consuming. Broadcasts on the radio about when and where

> things will be available online might be more productive, and could

> include some helpful hints about how to get started.

>

> 3) English language learners listen to ethnic radio stations in a wide

> variety of languages. For example, rather than trying to find somebody

> who speaks Kurdish to make phone calls, broadcasts on Kurdish  

> community

> radio programs would cover much of the community. In addition,  

> materials

> could be adapted for radio lessons for that community - this would

> probably be cheaper than trying to retrofit websites or web lessons

> (say, in Kurdish).

> It would also help students whose English literacy skills might make

> internet-based courses difficult.

>

> Erik

>

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov

> [mailto:technology-bounces at dev.nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David Rosen

> Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:03 AM

> To: The Discussion List Technology & Literacy

> 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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