Blog Archives
Norma Lesperance Receives Lois Land Award of Achievement
Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and Good Learning Anywhere (GLA) are proud to announce the 2011 recipient of the Lois Land Award of Achievement. Congratulations Norma Lesperance of Nipigon, Ontario!
When we are working at a distance with our learners, many outsiders have a hard time understanding what we do at Good Learning Anywhere. How are we helping learners achieve their goals? And truthfully, we sometimes wonder what sorts of impacts we are having on learners too. The results are not always quantifiable and recorded in statistics. It’s part of the challenge when working at a distance.
However, I would like to introduce you to Norma. I got to know Norma over a period of almost 4 months. Norma is a tremendously hard worker. Norma clearly had her goals in sight and worked very hard at figuring out what she needed to do to reach her goal. We commend Norma on her focus and we know that Norma will continue to apply what she learned from the Good Learning Anywhere and ENABLE programs. Here is a short video about the ENABLE program that was produced by Thunderstone Pictures.
When I told Norma that we selected her for this award, she was very excited. I asked if we could share her success story by means of answering a few questions. She declined that and decided she would like to reply in a paragraph format. This is her journey.
I first heard about this program through an “ENABLE” project that was offered to a handful of adult learners at Lake Helen Reserve. The on-line course was one part of many that we were required to participate in. As an adult learner these on-line courses made me less afraid of the computer. By this I mean, that I took a college course on-line a few years ago and I can honestly say that I was not prepared to do certain tasks with the computer. I didn’t understand networks, modems, e-mails, attachments; nothing. But now thanks to these courses and the jobs that followed; I am more confident in my computer skills.
When I was in high school the first time around, (in the late seventies, early eighties) I was a shy, gawky teenager, you wouldn’t catch me reading out loud, public speaking, or even standing up in front of a room full of my classmates. The computer had given me the ability to “speak up,” to “express my opinion,” to “participate,” without the fear of being laughed at, ridiculed, or rejected.
Like I’ve stated before, I’ve become more confident in my computer skills and this meant more job opportunities were becoming available to me. Since I have graduated in October of last year, I have gained employment as a relief secretary, an after-school tutor, then onto the Band Manager’s Assistant for the Red Rock Indian Band. I’m very proud of all my accomplishments and I plan to celebrate my achievements at our Annual Graduation Dinner on June 20th.
The only advice I can offer others is, “Just do it!”
If I had one word or sentence to describe my experience with GLA/ENABLE, it would have to say: “AWESOME, TOTALLY AWESOME!”
Norma
Norma earned her Grade 12 diploma with the help of the ENABLE and Good Learning Anywhere programs. As a matter of fact, she is having a graduation celebration today at Lake Helen Reserve 53A. She is also going to take the skills that made her successful and continue to apply them throughout her lifelong learning journey. Norma has told us that she wants to continue her learning and eventually become a school teacher.
Norma…we can’t wait for that day and who knows, maybe you’ll be teaching online too!
On behalf of Sioux Hudson Literacy Council (SHLC) and Good Learning Anywhere (GLA), we congratulate Norma on her achievements and sincerely hope all her dreams come true.
To learn more about the ENABLE program with Anishinabek Employment and Training Services, please visit their website: www.aets.org. To learn more about SHLC and GLA, please visit us at www.siouxhudsonliteracy.com or call us at 866-550-0697.
Distance? “Ain’t No Thing But A Chicken Wing!”
Our language is constantly evolving with words and phrases being added all the time. Some are added officially and some not so officially. One of the newer additions that I love is the phrase “Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”. In case you are unfamiliar with the phrase and what it means, here is how www.urbandictionary.com defines it:
Used to describe an event, object or person which is of little importance. Stems from the fact that chickens (at least those bred as food) have wings but can’t fly, rendering the wings unimportant. Can be used in place of a reassuring “don’t worry about it” statement but often used as a sarcastic retort suggesting that which is being described is really not as important as the person saying it believes.
So how exactly do I use this phrase you may ask? What kind of situation would provoke this kind of response? Well the situation that makes me want to use it most often is when critics challenge the fact that people can effectively learn or teach online. Amazingly, there are still people out there that genuinely doubt that real connections can be made when there is no actual face-to-face contact involved. When people find out I teach online, they often skeptically ask, “But what about the distance? Isn’t it a huge obstacle?”. To this I respond (or at the very least, I strongly think it), “Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”! In short, it is of little importance.
As a recent example of how distance is a non-issue, I have been working with a group of learners since January. I couldn’t be more distant from them. They are from three Matawa First Nations communities in Northern Ontario: A-Webequie (pop.685), B-Nibinamik (pop.404) and C-Neskantaga (pop.373). I am in D-Peterborough (pop.75,000). As you can see from the map, we have not had any face-to-face interaction!
However, I know that the community of Webequie looks like this:
I also know that one of the portables where the learners come to get online and meet me every night looks like this:
One student's favourite spot to sit and learn.
How do I know this? I know this because learners sent me these pictures. I didn’t ask for them. They wanted to share these with me. It was important to them, and I’m really glad they did. A connection has been made. It doesn’t matter that we don’t have face-to-face interaction and that we only get to interact online because there are many miles separating us. As long as everyone involved is there for the same reason and is committed to it, I challenge you NOT to make a connection. So, remember….distance? With the wonderful world of online learning, it “ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”!
The Journey with Matawa First Nations
In January of this year, Good Learning Anywhere and Matawa First Nations Education Council launched a pilot program with participating communities in remote Northwest Ontario. The goal of the program is to help community members attain their GED and to pursue careers in the various trades. GLA is the first step among many that these learners will be taking on their journey.
While I have been part of this project from the start, I feel the story that our instructors can tell is much more relevant and a real testament to what Good Learning Anywhere tries to achieve and stands for. The blood, sweat and tears that the three instructors put into this project is reflected in the incredibly moving feedback and progress that the participants have made.
I asked Julie Mallon and Stephanie Park to take a moment to reflect on the challenges and triumphs that they faced: as with all pilots, this project has had it’s ups and downs, but the ups outweigh the downs by a tonne.
Tragic Circumstances – Very early on in this project, one community was faced with two tragedies that could have had crippling effects on the learners. In early February, Jordan Wabasse, 16, went missing. The tragedy was relived again when Jordan’s body was discovered early this month. Shortly after Jordan’s disappearance, the community experienced another tragedy when it lost one of their youngest members, an infant. Despite the tragedy, the learners came to class, determined to continue on their learning path. The tragedies hit the small, close-knit community hard. To honour the lives lost and the community itself, learners and instructors reflected that week, sharing stories and showing support for the grieving families.
Freezing Cold – Learners from one community stood outside their learning centre for an hour, on a cold March night, waiting to be let into their class. Stephanie points out that these learners never give up on nights when the internet connection acts up and they continually are booted out of class over and over again. Now that’s dedication.
The Laughter – one of the most striking things about our classes is the laughter. An elearn blogger wrote recently that the biggest key in distance education is laughter: once you have them laughing, you’ve got ‘em hooked. For example, Stephanie relates this incident, and I dare you not to chuckle: “I called them “folks” one night and they thought that meant they were old, I suggested I’d use ‘peeps’ from now on, they suggested ‘homeys’.”
Exploring the Unknown – one of the greatest moments we see in our classes, is the moment when learners realize that our classes are a safe place to explore. When learners are “rocking it out on the drama nights by taking on some fantastic, emotionally charged roles”, you know that heart and soul is being given to each and every class.
Sharing – The remarkable thing about this group of learners is their openness and willingness to share a bit of their world with their instructor. Stephanie has never physically met any of these learners, but she knows what their community and classroom looks like, and has even been sent some personal photos. Yet, the connection goes much deeper than sharing pictures; learners have shared short stories, letters and very personal stories with our instructors. To be a part of their story is an honour indeed.
Chat, Email and Everything Else – One of the most challenging things about teaching online is effectively communicating with the learners–at least that is what critics of distance education might say. However, at GLA, we strive to overcome this potential obstacle: the software that we teach with allows everyone to communicate in so many different ways that there is always at least one method a learner feels comfortable with. Stephanie notes that with her group, they aren’t big microphone users, so it’s a pretty quiet class. However, text chat is always hopping as learners are constantly sending messages to her and other learners. The other place that gets a lot of action is the whiteboard, which provides a blank space for the learners to type on, draw on, highlight on, etc. There is continuous participation between instructor and learner and interaction between learners as well.
The interaction doesn’t stop once class is done either! Stephanie was astonished at how wonderful these learners are with using email. She comments, “I’ve been getting a ton of assignments both emailed and faxed to me–more than any other group I have taught.” They also email her to let her know if they are unable to make class, and even once emailed when they were at the centre and having trouble logging in to let her know they were there. It was only because they took the time and cared to do that, that we were able to troubleshoot the problem with them and essentially save the remainder of class.
Learning Outside The Project Box – As a project, with set courses, schedules and expectations, project participants are given their class schedule and that is generally what they stick to. The project learners don’t have much contact with the mainstream GLA learner, as their classes have been set up for a specific purpose. In February though, to honour Family Day, GLA held a writing contest, where all learners were invited to explore what family means to them. Two learners from Matawa joined that contest and submitted beautiful writings on their families. Our NHL Hockey Pool is no different. Not only are 6 learners participating, one learner even consulted online stats to make his picks! Now that is learning outside of the project box!
As the learners are getting ready to take another step in their journey, I want to thank the instructors, Stephanie and Julie. Bridging distances, breaking down barriers and developing skills is what we are here to do: you have done that and so much more. You have been a part of a journey that has only just begun, but I know that these learners are now equipped and ready for the next challenge.
Chi miigwech, friends.
Follow Up: 1st Class – 2011 Canadian Federal Election
This new blog post is a follow-up to our blog announcing the new Centra course we launched called 2011 Canadian Federal Election.
Our first class was on Thursday April 14th, 2011 and the results were fantastic! If I were to speak in Elections terminology, I can say that we had an 81% turnout rate for this class. These numbers are actually high for what we are typically used to in a LIVE Centra class. There are still learners that may go back and listen to the recorded Playback which may in fact increase the turnout rates even more.
There were some interesting observations from this class. There was approximately 85% of the group that have never voted before. And I mean never voted for anything. They have never voted for mayor, their band council, the provincial government or anything at all. One might think that this is shocking and disappointing but I looked at this as an opportunity and a definite reason why we needed to run this course.
The class was structured in format and outline but flexible because learners were encouraged to use their voices and text chat to discuss their concerns about the upcoming election. Here is a sample of their concerns from the class:
- TRUST was a big concern for these potential voters – How do they trust that a leader will follow through on their promises?
- Votes don’t seem to count if the person you vote for loses
- Are water issues present on First Nations reserves because not enough people are voting?
- How do I know who I should vote for?
Tough Times for Adult Literacy in Ontario
The Adult Literacy world is facing some tough times in 2011.
Cutbacks are expected to hit all of Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills organizations, though the effects will be felt throughout Ontario, in workplaces, social services and homes.
Good Learning Anywhere started in 2003, reaching people in remote areas of Ontario, and giving them a chance to upgrade their skills.
2009 was a big year for Good Learning Anywhere. The Province’s Budget Initiative for 2009-10, 2010 -11 gave our program the opportunity to grow and reach so many more people in need of basic upgrading and literacy skills. Many Ontarians living in remote and rural areas have had the ability to access services previously not available to them – and now may be denied these services again.
Now, with that two year funding about to disappear, Good Learning Anywhere, along with Literacy groups across Ontario, will be forced to cut back services, and in some instances, shut their doors.
But all is not lost.
You can help.
As a Canadian citizen and a taxpayer, you have a voice.
By sending a letter to your MPP, you will add your voice to those learners and literacy practitioners who know the value of adult education and training.
If you would like to send a letter to your MPP, please fill out this form below and we will help you send it out!
