Virtual Literacy Concept and Tools

Developed by VALUE (Voice of Adult Learners United for Education)

Ira David SocolMichigan State University

And the Iowa State Pilot Project on Virtual Literacy

Remember, “reading” is information access. It is a purpose, not an art form. The “art” is in what you do with that information.

If we create readers, however they choose to read, they will read, and they, and our nation, will be the better for that.

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

Part I - The Changing Nature of Literacy and the impact on Technology on that Nature

Part 2 - What technologies are needed for Virtual Literacy? -What is the wide range of technologies available right now?

Part -3 One concept of a working model – Iowa Pilot Project

Part One

The Changing Nature of Literacy and the impact on Technology on that Nature

Concept of “Literacy”

Changing concept of Functional Literacy

Pre-500 BC – being able to recall epic poetry made one “Literate”

Early 19th Century – being able to sign your name made one “Literate”

Early 20th Century – Finished primary school Mid- 20th Century – Finished high school

Concept of “Literacy”

Changing concept of Functional Literacy Now - The

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has drafted the following definition:

"'Literacy' is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.

Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society.

Technology Changes Literacy

To be able to function in the modern economy and to be considered “literate” in the modern world, we need to include “computer literacy” and “technological literacy” as a vital element in the modern definition of functional literacy …

Computers and technologies now dominate in the areas of: Communications Research Purchasing Entertainment

Need – For Literacy in the US

Using the modern definition of literacy – Based on the findings of the National Assessment

of Adult Literacy, there are some 50 million American adults without the needed literacy skills needed to truly be functional and competitive in the new world economies.

See: http://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2007/2007480_1.pdf

National Crisis

This level of low literacy is considered a national crisis as it impacts: The ability of the American workforce to compete

in the global economy The ability of the military to find qualified personal The ability of the people to stay current in health

care issues; and The ability of the US to maintain a functional

democracy

Out of Date Approaches

The current solutions for low-literacy issues offered by governments are; Based in 19th century approaches and technology,

and Focus on older definitions of literacy, and Still uses standard teaching approaches.

Adult literacy programs in general still rely on “classrooms,” the use of “worksheets” and mastering of reading of children’s books

The Current System is Failing

VALUE sees this current system of training Is still basically operating on the model that was

developed in the 1890's and has taken little account of the technological revolution.

Has little expectation of rapid growth in skill levels for its “customers”

The system expects that the average person involved with take at least 3-5 years for obtaining their stated literacy goals.

Annual is spending billions of Federal and State dollars with little return on the investment.

We Want Change

VALUE wants a system that recognizes: The real needs of persons with low-literacy skills to

gain access to information in a rapid fashion, and to enter or re-enter the workforce quickly.

That there is more then one approach to gaining information (other then learning to read in the standard fashion)

That the time spent in training to become “literate” should also be spent in preparing people for the modern workforce.

Virtual Literacy is the Answer

VALUE sees that virtual literacy addresses all of these three main points

With the use of modern technology and the “virtual literacy” approach;

We can cut the time in training down to perhaps 1/5 the current model

Modernize the Approach to Low-Literacy and its Removal as a Barrier VALUE calls for:

The ending of the monopoly of literacy approaches based on the classroom/teacher model

The investment in the development and distribution of technological solutions to low-literacy needs and in the training of low literate persons in their use

The evolution of the standard literacy program to a technological support service for persons with low literacy, and

The upgrading of “testing programs” such as the GED, qualifications for training programs, and job certification, to allow for the use of virtual technology in the taking of these exams

Still a Role for Teachers

The ability to gain information through virtual technology does not solve the problems of “learning,” it just rapidly increases and expands the ability to gain knowledge Teachers are still needed to help the adult learning find the

knowledge needed, and understand the knowledge, and to help focus the efforts of the adult learner.

Virtual technology simply eliminates the 3-5 years currently being used to teach someone how to decode … and therefore enables the adult learner to become more able to understand the knowledge that the teach can provide in a far more rapid fashion.

Timeline For Old and New Concepts

What we have Five Years

Twenty percent drop out In first six monthsMeets about 4% of projected need

About 5% actually meet literacy goals within five yearsNo training in modern skills – long wait for employability

What we want

Technology allowing for rapid expansion of slots available Keeping everyone engaged People able to reach goals within a year People trained in modern skills needed for the workplace

On-The-Job support

Creating Independent Learners

VALUE sees that through the use of Virtual Literacy we can create people who are: Braking the cycle of dependency of most low-level

readers Adding their own “digital divide” issues – creating

the basis for a life long ability to adapt to new technologies

Becoming independent learners capable of learning in almost any environment

PART TWO

What technologies are needed for Virtual Literacy?

What is the wide range of technologies available right now?

The Revolution is Almost Complete

The Key Components of Virtual Literacy involve issues of Hardware and software

Laptops, mobile phones, scanners, text to speech software, speech recognition, etc

Mobility Very potable computers Ability to scan through the use of cameras on phone,

etc Training and technical support for the use of the

technologies

The Revolution is Almost Complete

In each of these areas, there are products available (freeware in the software areas) that work together to enable a person to become “virtually literate” now.

Working models of virtual literacy are being used all the time in the blind and low vision communities, now.

VALUE is creating a working model of the blind/low vision working models to meet the needs of low-literate adults.

Virtual Literacy Access BasicsWorkplace Computer Solutions

Personal Computer Solutions

Mobile Phone Solutions

Media Conversion Solutions

SMS and Chat Solutions

Free Telephony Solutions

Shared Software Solutions

Shared Calendar Solutions

Multi-Application Email Solutions

Virtual Literacy Tool Basics

Text-to-Speech

Accessible Browsers

Speech Recognition

Interactive Calendars

Convertible Messaging

Handheld Devices

Pocket Technologies

Access Technologies

Provide information and communication in directly accessible form via adjustable print and controllable audio.

Offer workers, students, family members full interaction in all situations no matter the status of their reading decoding or physical writing skills.

Are often free or inexpensive and included in or available on ubiquitous contemporary devices (computers and phones).

Are compatible with workplace equipment.

Text-To-Speech Anywhere

Website Conversions

Computer Tools

Telephony Tools

Hand-Held Systems

Text becomes speech in the office, at school, at home, in your car, on the job, in your hand…

Premium Literacy Support Suites

WYNNhttp://www.freedomscientific.com/LSG/products/WYNN.asp

Read and Write Goldhttp://www.texthelp.com/

Kurzweil3000http://www.kurzweiledu.com/

Word-by-Word highlighting with scanner document conversion and full study and writing supports.

Phone Text-to-Speech

http://www.abbyme.com/

http://www.syncmyride.com/

Allows those interacting with the “print-disabled” to convert text-messages to audio.

Phone Text Conversion

http://www.scanr.com/

http://www.qipit.com/

Allows mobile phone camera users to ‘photograph’ documents and convert them to accessible, voice-possible, text. Free or low-cost.

Speech-To-Text AnywhereComputer Tools

Telephony Tools

In Vehicle Systems

Speech becomes text, easily usable by others…

Phone Speech-To-Text

http://www.vlingo.com/

http://www.spinvox.com/

Operate your phone with your voice, respond to messages, emails.

Vehicle Speech-To-Text

http://www.syncmyride.com/

Interact with your messaging hands-free, keyboard free.

http://www.tx2ph.com/

Also: Amazon Kindle/iPhone

Books delivered directly to mobile phones with text-to-speech capability.

Part III – One Version of a Working Model The Iowa Pilot Project Model –

One vision of a working model

Iowa Working Model This pilot design for “virtual literacy” was created through the

collaboration of several state agencies, universities and community based literacy programs. The team members include:

Curtis Chong Iowa Department for the Blind Jane Gay Iowa Program for Assistive Technology Gary Johnson Iowa Program for Assistive Technology Ken Kass Drake University Karen Keninger Iowa Department for the Blind Monty South Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services Jim Stachowiak Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research Phil Weber Second Vision, LLC—Eden Prairie, MN (Iowa distributor)

Iowa Pilot Project

The goal of the Iowa Virtual Literacy Initiative is to increase the employability and productivity of adults with low-literacy in the workforce through the use of emerging technology and training methods.

Iowa Working Model

Laptop: Dell Latitude E5400, Intel Core 2 Duo T7250,

2.00GHz, 2M L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB: http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop_latitude_e5400?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04

This concept can operate on limited laptops; with the goal of moving towards a wireless, hand held option as these tools become more developed.

Iowa Working Model

Software: Options - Kurzweil  3000:

http://www.kurzweiledu.com/kurz3000.aspx Read & Write Gold 9: 

http://www.synapseadaptive.com/textHELP/read&write_gold/read&write_gold_default.htm

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred/microphone http://www.nuance.com/naturallyspeaking/products/preferred.asp

kReader PC (pending): http://www.knfbreader.com/products-kreader-pc.php

Iowa Working Model Freeware:

Natural Readers www.naturalreaders.com VozMe: http://vozme.com/index.php?lang=en ReadPlease: http://www.readplease.com/ Voicethread: http://voicethread.com/#home Dial 2DO: www.dial2do.com Scan R: www.scanr.com Bookshare: www.bookshare.org Google Book Search: http://books.google.com/ Project Gutenberg:

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page?sess=25607a1aa5

Iowa Working Model

Feed Scanner knfb Mobile Reader (Nokia N82): 

http://www.knfbreader.com/products-kreader-

mobile.php Classmate Reader: 

http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/products/learning_disabilities/_details/id_107/classmate_reader.html

http://www.valueusa.org/ http://speedchange.blogspot.com/