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Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education |
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Web Resources for Adult
Educators
127
by
Michele Benedict
Temple University
There are copious resources available online for adult
education administrators and teachers, but busy educators have little time to
search both the Web and various directories to locate the information or to
evaluate its quality. In addition, it takes time and practice to learn to
formulate an effective search with which to begin. To help practitioners quickly
and efficiently locate the many cost-free classroom tools available to them on
the Web, MAR*TEC staff-in collaboration with James Yeager of Pennsylvania's
Central Intermediate Unit #10-have presented "Web Resources for Adult Educators"
(http://www.temple.edu/martec/adultlit.html)
at numerous regional adult literacy conferences. This presentation acquaints
practitioners with online resources, particularly those that have been reviewed
and evaluated by peers and experts.
Finding
Specific Resources
The needs of practitioners in the mid-Atlantic region vary significantly. For
those who want to learn about search engines and acquire more extensive skills,
the five-step learning tool Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial
(Barker, 2003)
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provides
a comprehensive strategy for formulating an effective search (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html).
A downloadable topic worksheet asks specific questions to help
individuals narrow and refine their searches. Several
directories of educational search engines use a "search engine
within a search engine" technique. Refdesk's (2003) website,
My Search Engines (http://www.refdesk.com/indxsrch.html),
gives an A-Z list of search engines including those listed
under Education. A MAR*TEC favorite for teachers is the
Awesome Library Search Engine. Selections appropriate for
adult educators include Bartleby, News Stories, Britannica,
and Biographies.
For those who want to spend some time with tutorials to
develop skills, Teaching and Learning with Internet-based
Resources (Cowles, 1997) is recommended (http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/fellowship/reports/susanc/inthome.htm).
In 1996-1997, Susan Cowles conducted the Instructor Needs
Assessment survey with adult learners and adult education
instructors in Oregon to ascertain what practitioners would
like to learn in terms of the Internet. She subsequently
published an extensive set of curricular materials for
educators of adults, the aforementioned Teaching and
Learning with Internet-based Resources.
The responses to the survey indicated significant interest in
learning to navigate the Internet and search databases; to
locate teaching aids in science, social studies, language
arts, and math; and to integrate these resources into
classroom instruction. Using the educator metaphor of
participating in a marathon, Cowles takes the educator from
warm-ups to "The Press Conference," that is, using the lessons
for project implementation and staff development. The course
provides a step-by-step approach to navigation and
exploration, activities that demonstrate incorporation of Web
resources into curriculum, and guidance in becoming a
discerning and efficient information gatherer. This is an
excellent tool for adult educators to use, simultaneously
orienting both themselves and adult learners to Internet use.
For those practitioners seeking
peer-reviewed collections of sites, the Texas A&M University
Center for Adult Literacy and Learning offers World Wide
Web of Resources for Adult Educators and Learners
(Moffett, 2001), a highly recommended, 11-page, research-based
document (www.tcall.tamu.edu/).
The author reviewed hundreds of adult education websites out
of which approximately 70 sites were analyzed in depth, and 50
were classified as teacher- and learner-friendly.
User-friendliness was defined as the availability of free
resources, easy navigation of the website, and suitability of
content for target audiences. The sites chosen for publishing
contain the most exemplary resources found during the
research. They were evaluated in the following areas:
Governmental Agencies, Adult Basic Education/General Education
Development (ABE/GED), English as a Second Language (ESL),
Family Literacy, and Using Technology in the Adult Classroom.
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