Family & Community Adult Education Adult & Community Learning Services
Adult and Community Learning Services

Distance Learning Project Report-February 2006

Distance Learning Professional Development Opportunities for Spring 2006
Six people have pre-registered for the workshop entitled, "An Introduction to Blended Learning for ABE/ESOL Learners" on Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 from 5:30-8:30pm at the ALRI in Boston. There is still space in this workshop. One dl teacher from the Project will attend. If this workshop is received well by participants, the Project Manager will submit a proposal to Network 2006.

The DLAB (Distance Learning Advisory Board)
The March 2006 DLAB meeting will take place via web conferencing with Elluminate Live, on March 22nd, 2006. The advocacy sub-committee (Robert Foreman, David Rosen, Tom Perreira) met on March 1st, 2006 to address a number of topics. They agreed to set out to accomplish the following tasks: Address the DL FAQS sheet at the 3/22/06 meeting, address the Seamless System Concept paper by David Rosen at the 3/22/06 meeting, contact Ed Sipowicz about the MITI (Internet2), contact QCC concerning their PSA being discontinued on public access television in Worcester, and develop a list of FAQS for career centers and other possible providers of distance learning.

Digital Licenses for GED Connection and Workplace Essential Skills
ACLS has purchased the digital licenses for GEDC and WES. This will allow the Project Manager to make DVD duplications for the dl programs. The Project Manager is in the process of taking inventory in the programs so duplications can be made.

Site Visits
The DL Project Manager has scheduled two site visits for the month of March. She will visit the Juntos program in Holyoke on 3/6/06 and The Literacy Project in Greenfield on 3/7/06. She is in the process of setting up site visit dates with the remaining programs at this time.

GED Connection Books-Interlibrary Loan
Jennifer will deliver a box of GED Connection books to the Turners Falls library when she is visiting Greenfield for the site visit at the Literacy Project. With the help of Shelley Quezada (DLAB member) she was able to place the books in a library that will catalogue them for interlibrary loan. This will enable true distance learners to access the print materials from anywhere in the state.

DL Newsletter
The first project newsletter was released on February 27th, 2006. A mailing was completed which included: the six dl programs, the five regional SABES centers, ACLS, and the DL101 participants from Fall 2005. The newsletter will also be distributed at the upcoming Goals/Countable Outcomes Conference in Sturbridge. The six dl programs will meet during their upcoming monthly videoconference meeting to discuss the publication and plan for the summer edition. The deadline for submission to the summer edition in May 12th, 2006.

DL Summit
Preparation for the DL Summit has begun. There will be 30-35 attendees this year and Jennifer Elmore will be the co-facilitator. The focus of this year's conference will be on the future of distance learning in ABE in the Commonwealth and considerations that must be addressed before the project becomes full-scale.

DL Outreach DVD
The Project Manager will travel with a UMASS film crew the week of March 13-16th, 2006 to interview distance learning students in Notre Dame-South Boston, Brockton Private Industry Council, and in the Juntos program-Holyoke. They are scheduled to film in Boston and Brockton on Monday, 3/13, and in Holyoke on 3/16/06. The DVD is slated to be finished before the DL Summit on May 19th, 2006.

Committee Participation Summary
ALRI Search Committee
The Project Manager concluded her participation in the ALRI Search Committee for the Boston SABES in late February when a new Assistant Director was hired. Nancy Sheridan, the new Assistant Director, will begin at ALRI on March 14th, 2006.

IT Committee
The Professional Development IT Committee for SABES completed its last meeting on February 13th, 2006. The DL Project Manager made recommendations concerning the integration of dl professional development opportunities for instructors who serve distance learners. She suggested that as the pilot phase of the project comes to an end, SABES will need to consider how they will incorporate PD offering for dl teachers into their offerings and what staff will be responsible for delivering these workshops. This PD DL Plan for the SABES system is being drafted by David Rosen and will be reviewed by the SABES regional offices in March. Jennifer will be responsible for gathering input from the ALRI/SABES staff.
Jennifer was also responsible for drafting the section of the PD DL work plan that deals with assistive technology, universal design, and Bobby Compliant web pages. She submitted this draft to David Rosen so that he could incorporate it into the work plan that the IT committee will submit to ACLS.

Submitted by Jennifer Rafferty on March 3rd, 2005