October 1998
The "What's New!" page is intended to showcase current news, events, publications, projects, and any other items that concern literacy and the Region IV Hub. Check out past issues under What's New Oldies.
Applications are available for the "National Connections" reading and discussion series for adult new readers offered in partnership by the Vermont Council on the Humanities (VCH) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office. The project is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The deadline for applications is December 11.
"National Connections" uses children's literature to offer adult literacy students an opportunity to gather with their peers to discuss timeless themes and to make connections, sometimes for the first time, between books and his/her own life. It is based on a successful series of the same name that took place at Vermont libraries and literacy centers from 1986 to 1998 enrolling more than 10,000 participants.
The project will be offered in the spring and fall of 1999 at 40 public libraries nationwide by a coalition that consists of the library, the state humanities council, a local literacy organization, and a scholar. The librarian will create the coalition with the help of the humanities council, which will identify the scholar.
The literacy program representative will recruit 15 students and provide whatever support is needed to transport them to the program. The group will meet three times, one month apart during each series. Each 90-minute session involves a guided discussion of the books which students have read in advance with the help of their tutors. During the discussions, the scholar leads the student to discover connections between books and their own lives, and to explore the larger theme of the series.
The coalition will choose two different themes from among five possibilities: "The Legends of King Arthur," "The Odyssey," "Biography," "Friendship," and "Read With Me." "The Legends of King Arthur" includes four books, "The Odyssey" includes one, and the other three themes include nine books each. Multiple books will be provided for each program. Participants keep the books for their own home libraries.
Selected sites will receive travel to, and lodging and meals, for a training conference February 18-20, 1999, in Chicago, for the librarian, literacy representative, humanities council representative and scholar. Libraries will also receive a detailed programming guide that includes discussion guides for scholars, publicity materials and a total of $900 for scholar honoraria.
Applications, which must be submitted by a coalition of four members * librarian, humanities council representative, local literacy organization representative, and scholar * can be printed from the ALA Public Programs web site * by October 1, or are available by contacting ALA Public Programs, 312-280-5045. E-mail: malittle@ala.org, or the VCH, 802-888-3183. E-mail: vch@together.net.
The Internet Poetry Archive offers a selection of poems from a number of contemporary poets over the Web. The goal is to make poetry accessible to new audiences and to give teachers and students of poetry new ways of presenting and studying these poets and their texts. The archive includes the work of living poets from around the world reading several poems, the poet's comments on the works, a photograph of the poet and any other graphics that would help a reader understand the poem, texts of the poems, a critical biography of the poet prepared by a scholar familiar with the poet's work, and a short bibliography. Poems are presented in their original languages, as well as in English translation.
Webtime Stories is an annotated collection of web sites for people who love children's literature. Using themultimedia aspects that the Web offers, the site links to sites that combine the printed word with graphics, sounds, interactivity and animation to create "rich andmemorable reading experiences". Webtime Stories is not a comprehensive collection but a "best of" list of sites worth a look.
Webtime Stories is funded as part of the Pacific Bell's Education First Initiative grant to San Diego State University's Department of Educational Technology in theCollege of Education. More resources can be found on the Blue Web'n Web site.
Blue Web'n is a searchable database of outstanding Internet learning sites. Categorized by subject area, audience, and type (lessons, activities, projects, resources, references, & tools), Blue Web'n does not attempt to catalog all educational sites, but only the most useful sites--especially online activities targeted at learners.
Cyberguides: Teacher Guides and Student Activities is a Web site dedicated to on-line activities developed by Don Mayfield and Linda Taggart-Fregoso, Coordinators of the SCORE Language Arts Project in San Diego. The site contains an extensive list of literary works, each containing classroom-tested lessons, activities, and evaluation strategies developed by teachers.
CyberGuides are supplementary, standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction centered on core works of literature. They are designed for the classroom with one online computer. Each CyberGuide contains a student and teacher edition, standards, a task and a process by which it may be completed, teacher-selected web sites and a rubric, based on California Language Arts Content Standards.
Sun Microsystems has donated an Enterprise 3000 server to the Western/Pacific Literacy Network (Western/Pacific LINCS) and the Peninsula Library. Worth close to $60,000, the server will host the region's literacy Web sites, email, listservs, databases, and educational material. Sun has long been a support of education. With this grant, they are helping adult and family literacy programs through out the West and the Pacific Islands receive and contribute literacy curriculum and material through the Web.
Sun's generous donation will support the work of the Western/Pacific Literacy Network's development and implementation of Web-based curriculum for adult literacy. Literacy information and resource materials will be delivered through the server over the Internet at no charge.
The Western/Pacific Literacy Network is on of four literacy technology regional hubs of the National Institute for Literacy's Information aNd Communication Network System (LINCS). The National Institute for Literacy is an independent federal organization that is leading the national effort towards a fully literate America. By building and strengthening national, regional and state literacy systems, the Institute fosters collaboration and innovation. Their goal is to ensure that all adults with literacy needs receive the high-quality literacy and basic services necessary to achieving success in the workplace, family and community.
This summer, Western/Pacific LINCS awarded three mini grants for promoting LINCS resources and producing adult literacy material. The three are:
1. Hawaii State Library Foundation and Hawaii State Literacy Resource Center to provide web-based presentations and training for practitioners, community partners, volunteer tutors, and learners to raise awareness of LINCS, LINCS' resources, and of Internet use for adult literacy teaching and learning.2. New Mexico Coalition for Literacy to produce a web-based curriculum for teaching New Mexico history, basic genealogical research techniques, and basic reading and analytical skills for adults with low level literacy skills.
3. Oregon Office of Community College Services to design and field-test science lessons using Internet resources that build computer literacy and basic literacy skills.
Alaska
The 11th Annual Professional Development Conference "Alaska's Vision: Leadership & Learning" will provide adult educators and work force preparation leaders with opportunities to update skills, share information, network with colleagues and explore new developments in their fields.
The conference will be held October 14-16,1998 at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel. For Questions concerning registration, finances, or conference schedules, please contact Bernie Blaine at (907)279-7827, or send e-mail to: bblaine@ninestar.com. For more details, check the website at http://literacynet.org/alaska.
Hawaii
Hawaii State Literacy Resource Center will conduct workshops on adult literacy and LINCS resources on the Web at IBM in Honolulu on September 24, 1998.
The America Reads in Hawaii Roundtable will meet on September 23, 1998.
NWRLRC
This quarter's issue of the Regional Resource Roundup is available on their website at http://literacynet.org/nwrlrc. From the homepage, click on Regional Resource Roundup, then click on Winter 1998.
California
California Literacy Inc. will hold it's annual literacy conference October 14-17 in Orange County. Check out the website for online registration and more conference details at http://literacynet.org/callit.
As part of the National Institute for Literacy's LINCS Special Literacy Collections, the Western/Pacific Literacy Network is co-producing two new Web sites.
The English as a Second Language site at http://literacynet.org/esl is being maintained by Fran Keenan, National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) Assistant Director. This site will provide current Adult ESL news, resources, educational material, and an review of new material added to the ERIC Adult ESL database.
Susan Cowles, a former NIFL Fellow and an instructor at Linn-Benton College, Oregon, is developing the Science and Technology web site at http://literacynet.org/science. The aim of this special collection is to provide the opportunity for instructors and learners to increase their scientific and technological literacy. This collection will allow instructors to incorporate into their teaching and learning processes a series of content-based activities in science and technology. This site will target scientific resources for families and family literacy programs for adult learners and their families. It will include: Science News, Education Standards, Teaching Materials, Electronic Field Trips, Events, and Discussion/Distribution Lists.
Other Special Collections maintained by the other three NIFL LINCS technology hubs are:
- Region I -Eastern Literacy Information and Communication Network System
- Region II - Southern Literacy Information and Communication Network System
- Region III - Midwest Literacy Information and Communication Network System
Is there a literacy question that's keeping you up late at night? Questions about literacy manners, literacy relationships, literacy trivia? Caroline has the answers! Email her at cdobison@literacynet.org.
Dear Caroline:I am an adult ESL Instructor with lots of students interested in science, but I cant seem to find age appropriate resources on the Internet. Do you have any ideas of where I can begin my search?
Signed,
Science Illiterate
Dear Science Illiterate,
Coincidentally, this month two new site which may be of interest to you and your students debut: the WPLN Science & Technology Special Collection and the WPLN Adult ESL Special Collection. Surprisingly there are many adults who feel they are literate in science, but really aren't, myself included. They're finding out things they never knew through our new web site.
I was especially impressed with the information provided on current science news events, such as El Nino, a phenomenon, we are getting to know all too well. You will also find Teaching Materials, Discussion & Distribution Lists as well as Electronic Field Trips. Check it out!
I welcome any additional suggestions on science or ESL resources on the net.
