The Power of Technology to Transform Adult Learning

October 21, 2009 (New York)  -- The Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) today released The Power of Technology to Transform Adult Learning: Expanding Access to Adult Education and Workforce Skills Through Distance Learning. This 65-page paper is based on a 9-month project directed by Dr. Mary L. McCain of TechVision 21 in Washington, D.C. Federal and state government is the primary audience but CAAL also aims to help inform private sector engagement and assist program and curriculum development professionals.

Among the report's recommendations are a call to establish a national web portal to meet the needs of both adult learners and professional/skilled ICT users; federal incentives to encourage and help states integrate technology-assisted learning into overall adult education and workforce skills planning; projects to support the development of distance learning in a variety of areas (such as distance learning certifications, performance measures that validate ICT literacy, and online learning assessment); a strong research, analysis, and evaluation program; and activities to foster stakeholder involvement, including the philanthropic and business communities.

The Power of Technology includes a primer section on the tools of technology. Another section presents exemplary national and state technology-based program models for instruction, professional development, and program/data management. Findings of recent research on distance learning are presented and analyzed, and an extensive bibliographic appendix is included. The report is available as NC-CAAL11 from the CAAL Web site at http://www.caalusa.org/POWER_OF_TECH.pdf. It can also be purchased directly from CAAL ($20 plus postage, volume discounts available).