Featured teachers were selected from recommendations garnered from postings on adult literacy listservs, state literacy directors, presenters at conferences, and through word of mouth. The project attempted to provide variety in the kinds of activities shown, technologies utilized, and instructional content.
To develop each of the Captured Wisdom stories, teachers and learners were filmed describing and demonstrating how they use technology in classroom-based projects. Each edited, videotaped segment was viewed by focus groups of adult educators. These educators then wrote down questions that they wanted to ask the teacher. They felt the answers to these questions would prepare them to use activities in their own classrooms. Their questions were grouped into convenient categories such as Instructional Activities, Project Management, Assessment, and Technical Issues, and were directed to the presenting teacher. Responses were tape-recorded and are included as companion segments on the CD-ROM and website. This development process assures that the implementation needs and concerns of real teachers in real adult education programs are addressed.
The model for Captured Wisdom was developed by the North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) for K-12 teachers and was extended to address the needs of adult literacy instruction by the National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL) under the NorthCentral Regional Technology in Education Consortium (NCRTEC) project. Disseminated in videotape and CD-ROM formats, Captured Wisdom provides the adult educational community with inspiration and insight into what technology can accomplish.
Content
The two CD-ROM set contains seven different short videos of authentic adult education classrooms. Included with each video clip are sections with the featured teacher answering questions posed to her/him by other adult education teachers who first watched the video clips in focus groups. The questions are divided into the following categories: Learners, Instructional Activities, Project Management, Technology Issues, and Products and Assessments. Also included with the set is a short instruction booklet that tells you how to get the most out of Captured Wisdom.
Video Scenarios from the two CD-ROMs
Adult Education CD-ROM No. 1
- "The Antarctica Project": Could you survive in an ice-covered environment? Adult learners in Susan Cowles' class gathered information and corresponded electronically with a scientist in Antarctica to find out about research and life on the continent. (Read the transcript.)
- "Home Countries": How can you share your memories with new friends? ESL learners in Suzanne Leibman's class use the Internet to find pictures and information about their home countries for oral and written reports.( Read the transcript.)
- "The Mars Project": Did you ever dream of visiting Mars? Susan Cowles' adult learners went on an electronic fieldtrip to Mars and used project resources to learn about the environment and rocketry. (Read the transcript.)
Adult Education CD-ROM No. 2
- "The Restaurant Problem": If you were a consultant hired to save a failing restaurant, what would you do? Lyndy Girten's GED class uses technology to deal with irate customers, schedule work hours, and design new menus. (Read the transcript.)
- "Intrepid Tales": Have you ever thought of publishing a book? Stephanie Thomas' class relied on technology to help them publish an account of their fieldtrip to the "Intrepid". (Read the transcript.)
- "Creating Family Histories": How can you develop English and technology skills simultaneously? Susan Gaer's ESL learners use a variety of technologies to present family histories online. (Read the transcript.)
- "Presenting the Whole Package": What will you do at your next job interview? Crystal Hack andDavid Baker's learners will show electronic slide presentatio ns and the professional portfolios they created with business software. (Read the transcript.)
How to Preview This Product
The Captured Wisdom on Adult Literacy CD-ROM set and the 2 videotapes, Captured Wisdom Videotape Library, Adult Education No. 1 and No. 2, can be previewed and/or borrowed at State Literacy Resources Centers across the country and U.S. territories. Click here for contact information.
The videotapes contain only the classroom vignettes that were used to create the full question/answer CD-ROM set. Captured Wisdom: Professional Development is a "How to Use" guide for using the videotapes in professional development activities. This booklet has been specifically written to help professional developers use the videotapes for a wide variety of activities on topics such as understanding project-based learning, using alternative assessments, and designing multidisciplinary instruction.
Recently the entire program has been uploaded to the Internet and can be accessed for free at the following URL:
http://www.ncrtec.org/pd/cw/adultlit.htm
Ten Ways to Use the Captured Wisdom CD-ROMs
Adult education teachers, providers of professional development, and program administrators can use Captured Wisdom CD-ROMs for multiple purposes. The educators and learners featured in Captured Wisdom provide inspiration, information, and guidance to enrich instruction and learning both with and without technology. Those who are just beginning to think about integrating technology into adult learning settings and those who use technology daily for educational purposes may well find that they are motivated by the enthusiasm, accomplishments, and wisdom captured in these stories.
Teachers can use Captured Wisdom as a part of their instructional planning and preparation to:
- Discover new ideas for technology-rich classroom projects that have been successful with adult learners.
- Get answers to questions about how to implement a particular project from a teacher who has actually done the project with adult learners.
- Facilitate collaboration among teachers to arrange multi-class learning projects.
Professional development providers can use Captured Wisdom to provide common focal points for observations and group discussions as a component of:
- Technology integration workshops focusing on how technology can be used effectively to enrich instruction.
- Workshops on learner-centered instruction and project-based learning.
- Practitioner inquiry and teacher research.
Program administrators can use Captured Wisdom as a tool to help establish a shared vision of learning and instruction among multiple stakeholders as they:
- Show funders what can be done with technology in classrooms.
- Inform the organizational planning for staff development.
- Encourage new teachers to observe high quality adult education classes as part of their orientation program.
- Gauge progress on improving instruction during an internal program evaluation.
|
