The Maryland Adult Literacy Resource Center at UMBC, in partnership with staff at the New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) at World Education, is conducting an intensive 6-session training on the use of the Internet in Instruction during the winter and spring of 2001. This partnership—and this project—is a product of the Northeast Literacy and Technology Consortium, an informal collaboration between State Literacy resource Centers and other literacy agencies in the Northeast (USDOE Region 1).

Background

The Maryland Adult Education and Family Literacy Plan 2001-2004 lists technology use as a priority. The first strategic objective of Goal VI, to increase Maryland's effectiveness to improve adult education and literacy outcomes, is to increase learner access to and use of technology in classrooms. The performance measures for this objective are to increase:

• learner access to the Internet,
• teacher level of technology knowledge and skills,
• learner knowledge of and comfort with the computer, and
• learner demonstrated acquisition of technology skills.

Objectives

The purposes of this training are:

1. To provide teachers the opportunity to become proficient at integrating the Internet in instruction and the curriculum on a routine basis
2. To introduce teachers to project based learning using telecommunications technology
3. To create a database of teacher developed lesson plans, projects and semester plans for integrating the Internet into instruction
4. To create a cadre of experienced teachers who routinely use the Internet in instruction and curriculum to train teachers across the state.

The overall goal is to develop teachers who can serve as trainers/mentors within each local workforce investment area of the state.

Products

Upon completion, teacher participants (either in teams or individually) will:

1. Produce a plan to integrate the Internet more extensively in their own teaching during Fall 2001, in the form of a project-based learning activity or a group of sequential lessons that are part of an overall project or goal. Each participant's "project," including each step or lesson, will posted on the Web as models, and we will include:
• A description of class and the curriculum being taught.
• A description of technical capacity of program, teachers and additional setup tasks required (e-mail accounts for students, amount of time in lab, time for prep etc.)
2. Write a brief (one or two page) report on the above; and
3. As technology "mentors," provide a training to teachers in their respective LWIB area sometime between August 1 and December 30, 2001, using materials developed for Northeast Literacy Tech by the NELRC.

Selection Process

Regional trainers, representing the 12 Local Workforce Investment Areas, were selected by MSDE. The local Consolidated Adult Education grant administrator recommended to MSDE a team of two candidates who both work in the same local workforce investment area. Candidates selected will participate in an intensive all-day training once a month for six months and will conduct teacher training within their local workforce investment area within the timeline.