as of April 1, 1996
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.
Yes, our pages have new graphics. We think it gives the site a crisper, friendlier look and feel.
Compare the original logo
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with the next generation.
Your comments are always welcomed!
A new literacy web site in Region IV to explore is the Governor's Council for Literacy and Lifelong Learning Hawaii State Literacy Resource Center's pages. In Hawai`i, literacy is defined as, "an individual's ability to read, write, speak, and to function in society as an effective worker, citizen, parent, and consumer."
While you are in the Islands, visit the PMRIS pages. PMRIS stands for Performance Measurement, Reporting, and Improvement System, a project within the Office of the State Librarian, Hawaii State Public Library System that will provide information about available data in the area of literacy and lifelong learning. PMRIS will focus on a different aspect of adult life--learner, worker, citizen, and family member--and the community's role in these areas.
The Nevada State Literacy Resource Center (SLRC) has books, newsletters and a wide variety of multi-media resources plus makes special resources and services available to literacy program managers and offers technical assistance. Check out Nevada's CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
The Family Literacy Center at Indiana University promotes all types of family activities related to reading, writing, and general communication. Besides developing and disseminating family literacy materials and offering workshops across the country for parents and for parent educators, the Center engages in research on family literacy. Nice page! Check it out!
Saturday, March 9, 1996 has been proclaimed Adult Learner Day in California by Governor Pete Wilson in recognition of the work and contributions of adult learners in the state. To honor the day, the State Literacy Resource Center of California and the State Collaborative Literacy Council hosted the first ever California Adult Learner Conference: "Adult Learners Leading the Way." Planned and implemented by adult learners from throughout the state, the Conference brought together 120 Californians who have become literate as adults. The Conference was held on March 8 -10 at the San Francisco Airport Westin Hotel. All the workshops were led by adult learners.
Overcoming the shame and embarrassment of illiteracy is not easy for any adult. Admitting the problem and coming forward to seek literacy instruction is difficult. This conference not only honored many California adults who have done both of these, but it provided an opportunity for them to begin to take an active, decision making role in their own learning, with their families, in their work, their communities, and their state.
The 13th Annual Pacific Educational Conference will be held August 6-8, 1996 at Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. The conference theme is "The Pacific Family: Navigating to Excellence". Co-sponsored by, the Pacific Region Educational Laboratory (PREL), the Annual Pacific Educational Conference is the largest educational conference for this part of the Pacific region, with attendance expected to exceed 1,000 participants.
The Conference is planned and executed by Pacific educators for Pacific educators. Ninety percent of the approximately 150 workshops at the 13th Annual Pacific Educational Conference will be led by Pacific educators, sharing their successes with colleagues from throughout the region.
The Hub IV State Literacy Resource Centers will be represented by staff from American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap), Guam, Hawaii, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau as well as Hub IV and OTAN staff.
Part of the description from the Conference announcement states that "there is a quality to this event that sets it apart from all other professional educational conferences: The Pacific Way. Among the traditions of this Conference are sharing in song and dance, story telling and gift giving, and expanding learning into the realm of cultural understanding."
For more information, contact PREL at (808) 533-6000, Fax: (808) 533-7599
E-mail: prelconf@prel.hawaii.edu.
PRELs mailing address is:
13th Annual Pacific Educational Conference
Pacific Region Educational Laboratory
828 Fort Street Mall, Suite 500
Honolulu, HI 96813-4321
As of March 11, the CNN SF Bureau's World Wide Web page went active. Produced by the California Distance Learning Project and OTAN (with the assistance of the Hub IV Project), the Web site offers Northwest United States regional news and an interactive resource tool, Interactive Learning Resources for supporting classroom and distance learning instruction.
The site makes available current news stories, in video, audio, and text format, to students with reading levels that are not high enough to read and understand standard newspaper articles. A variety of interactive learning activities help reinforce and provide greater understanding of what is presented on the screen.
The Northwest Regional Literacy Resource Center serves adult basic education programs in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. These states formed the Resource Center in 1993 to coordinate staff development and training activities and to provide resources to literacy practitioners.
Under the sponsorship of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Patron of Britain's Basic Skills Agency, California's State Literacy Resource Center Director Dr. Carole Talan recently traveled to London, England, to speak at a day long conference. The conference was jointly hosted by the Basic Skills Agency and the Library Association of the United Kingdom and held on Tuesday, March 12. Click here to read a review of the conference!
Presenting the first Hub IV Quarterly Report. The critics are raving! "Fascinating reading! The reader is riveted by each fascinating page and well developed plot twist." - NY Times Book Review. "A must read!" - The New Republic. "The stuff great movies are based on!" - Siskel and Ebert. "A sure cure for insomnia." - The New England Journal of Medicine.
The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP)announces Lifelong Learning Online. This site features new training programs including Key To Community's Voter Involvement Project material and an Employment Application tutorial.
The Key To Community's Voter Involvement Project's site includes the Easy Reader Voter Guide complete with political party information, ballot measures, voting tips, and political office job descriptions; How To Vote workbook, a guide for showing the steps of how to register, where to get valuable voting information, and what it is like to vote at the local polling place; and How To Be Heard And Make A Difference, a step-by-step manual showing how to tackle a problem within one's own community. Each workbook offers the user to input and print their own responses to the on-line activities. All of the Lifelong Learning Online on-screen text offers sound files that read the pages to the user.
This is a true story about Enrique Ramirez. Like millions of others in the United States, he never learned to read in school. He tells in his own words how he came to learn how to read as an adult and how it changed his life and the lives of those in his family. It is a story of his failure and his success.
There are two video versions available. One for libraries and one for adult schools, community colleges, and CBOs. For libraries: This version highlights the fact that it was a library literacy program that Enrique attended. Enrique is seen entering a library program and working with his tutor. Two editions are contained on the same video, one narrated and one non-narrated. Each edition is 7.5 minutes long. For adult schools, community colleges, CBOs: This version does not specify the type of program Enrique attended. It refers to the adult literacy program in a generic way and could be used by any group to promote its own offerings. Two editions are on the video, one narrated and one non-narrated. Each edition is 7 minutes long.
If you would like to obtain a copy of Enrique's Story, write the California State Library Foundation, 1225 8th Street, Suite 345, Sacramento, CA 95814 or call at (916) 447-6331.
Click here to view video
Enrique's Story 1.5K
Click here to hear audio
Enrique's Story
Note: You must have a movie player application or Real audio to access this file.To download real audio player click here. Click here for more info about web helper apps.
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@otan.dni.us.
Dear Caroline:
I teach citizenship classes to adult students and being a conscientious sort of person, I am always searching for new and interesting teaching resources. Could you direct me to some, I believe the word is "cool" in the current vernacular, Web areas that I could find citizenship content? I would be most appreciative!
Signed,
Cyber Citizen To BeDear Cyber Citizen Wannabe:
The Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) Web site is a great resource at the Citizenship Page. You will find pages on Citizenship Skills Testing, General Purpose, Description of CASAS Citizenship Test, and the CASAS Bibliography of Citizenship Materials. Of course, you can find the complete text of the Constitution, Web pages of most federal agencies including the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches and more by using the many search engines available on the Web. One good source is Government under the Yahoo search engine. Good luck surfing!
The Web is down right bursting with citizenship resources. As you can see above under The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) the Lifelong Learning Online site includes the Key To Community's Voter Involvement Project's How To Vote workbook that shows a new citizen how to register, get voting info, and what it's like to vote at that those polling places.
Dear Caroline:
I am without money and want to take literacy classes. What is the best way to teach myself more reading skills? I am sending this email from the Las Vegas Public Library.
Signed,
Luckless in Las Vegas
Dear Luckless:
Have no fear for, like most states, you can get literacy lessons for free in Nevada! For starters, ask your local library if they have literacy classes or if they can point you to the nearest Literacy Resource Center. Many Adult Basic Education providers such as adult schools (located at your local school district) have classes for free also. Check out the Directory of Literacy Providers on the Nevada State Literacy Resource Center (SLRC) for the literacy provider nearest you. Caroline is sure you will find a great program and soon you will be "Lucky" in Las Vegas!
