Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Listorious: Adult Literacy - The definitive list of who matters on Twitter

Listorious: AdultLiteracy
The definitive list of who matters on Twitter

Thanks to Peter Cleary for including SCLLN on his Listorious Adult Literacy list:

sclln literacy
Adult and Family Literacy in Southern California libraries. Learn To Read. Volunteer as a literacy tutor at your local public library !
142 followers
Follow

Check 'Em Out and Follow !

Larry Ferlazzo
Inner-city High School teacher -- ESL & Mainstream
4,692 followers
Follow


Ben Merrion
The Jackie Chan of adult literacy - I do my own stunts. Blog for http://dclearns.org Into social justice issues and on the board of @hollabackdc
1,007 followers
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nzchrissy
aka: TeachingSagittarian, on a web2.0 learning journey to flatten walls of classroom
731 followers
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Florida Literacy Coa
The Florida Literacy Coalition (FLC) promotes, supports, and advocates the effective delivery of quality adult and family literacy programs.
581 followers
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Nashville Literacy
Follow us to find out more about Adult Literacy and English Language Learners in Nashville!
425 followers
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Jan_Gallagher
communications strategist, writer, editor, web content manager, mostly for nonprofits
327 followers
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Kate Marshall
Creator of guided journals for people with life stories, love and wisdom to share. Coordinator of adult literacy program. Wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend.
313 followers
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MN Literacy Council
The Minnesota Literacy Council provides free adult basic education classes for immigrants, refugees and life-long Minnesotans. Email us at volunteer@themlc.org
313 followers
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Literacy Center
Free, Confidential Reading Instruction for Adults
285 followers
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Literacy Assist. Ctr
Literacy is more than the ability to read a book. It is the ability to open new worlds.
247 followers
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OLC
Ontario Literacy Coalition is a not-for-profit organization that makes adult learning opportunities possible by inspiring ideas and informing action.
243 followers
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Patti Groce
Trainer for adult literacy volunteers.
241 followers
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Literacy Kansas City
Our mission is to advance literacy among Kansas City area adults through direct services, advocacy and collaboration. Our vision is literacy for all!
209 followers
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Johanna Stirling
Teacher / teacher trainer / materials writer / presenter. Strangely interested in teaching spelling, also ICT and EFL generally.
167 followers
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VA Adult Literacy
159 followers
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AlphaPlus Centre
A non-profit organization committed to advancing adult basic education through the smart use of readily available Web-based technology.
142 followers
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TarrantLit Coalition
Making literacy programs strong and relevant, enabling high quality instruction, investing in knowledge, & addressing the silent adult literacy crisis
134 followers
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Leah Tremain
Literacy information for families. I Love When You Read, The Literacy of Video Games, I Love When We Count are just a few DVD's we've created.
134 followers
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Voices4Literacy
ProLiteracy champions the power of literacy to improve the lives of adults and their families, communities, and societies.
117 followers
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United Literacy
UL encourages the use of technology to help adult learners on their road to literacy.
95 followers
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Joyce Whidden
I'm the Executive Director of the Adult Literacy League, which supports and develops individuals who want to improve their English reading and writing skills.
41 followers
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Peter Cleary
Adult Education, Adult Literacy, Lifelong Learning
31 followers
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Adult Literacy
The Clarksville Montgomery County Adult Literacy Council provides free one-to-one instruction to adults who want to learn to read or to improve reading skills.
17 followers
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Monday, April 5, 2010

San Luis Obispo City-County Library - Fµ¥å¬ µniº ø't†ß - Can't read that? Now you know how it feels.

Fµ¥å¬ µniº ø't†ß
Can't read that? Now you know how it feels.

New Times: March 30, 2010 by Glen Starkey


If you’re reading this right now, count yourself lucky: You’re not among the estimated 21 to 23 percent of American adults who are either wholly illiterate, functionally illiterate (those who might be able to understand a couple thousand words memorized by sight in grade school but who are unable to understand such basic written instructions as warning labels or driving directions), or have substandard reading skills that negatively affect their earnings.

Studies suggest that among these semi-literate 40- to 44-million American adults, even those who possess some reading skills may lack the ability to locate information in text or make low-level inferences from printed materials.

As a reader, you might think, “Oh, well. That’s their problem, not mine,” but American illiteracy affects us all. A literate workforce is a productive workforce, and semi-literate workers earn far below their literate counterparts, meaning they don’t contribute effectively to our economy.

Furthermore, Americans with reading deficiencies are more likely to require such social services as welfare, food stamps, and Section 8 subsidized housing. They’re more likely to be unable to afford health insurance. They don’t have the means to further their education to improve their condition. In other words, not only are they a drag on the economy, tax dollars may subsidize their needs. Luckily, there’s an organization that does something about this problem.
The Literacy Council of SLO County estimates there are as many as 25,000 functionally illiterate adults in the county. While many of the Literacy Council’s clients are English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, some are native speakers who simply never learned to read and write. For many of them, the hardest step to improving their reading and writing skills is admitting they have a problem and seeking help. READ MORE !


Wednesday, March 31, 2010

CA & National Literacy Calendar: April 2010


California Literacy Calendar: April 2010


SCLLN Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
-local, California and National Conferences-
Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information

Updates of Tutor Training Workshops Scrolling in Left Frame

Local and California Literacy Events
Apr 10 9am: Sensory Friendly Films: How Train Your Dragon
AMC Covina Ontario Mills Orange SD Torrance Woodland Hills
Apr 10: Literary Orange – Festival of Authors = UC Irvine
Apr 10 10am: Learning Disabilities Adult Support = Providence Tarzana Medical
Apr 16: Day in the District w/ CA State Legislators = Sacto
Apr 19+ Remediation for Dyslexia = OnLine CYBERSPACE
Apr 22: Read For Life - Kern Literacy = Bakersfield Bell Tower
Apr 22-25: CATESOL State Conference = Santa Clara
Apr 24: Law & Rights: Navigating Public Education = California Lutheran
Apr 26 7:30: Learning Disabilities Parent Support Group = Sherman Oaks
Apr 29+ Days Village of Tales Storytelling Festival = Ojai


National Literacy Events
National Poetry Month
Apr 2: International Children's Book Day

Apr 8+ Global Language Convention = Melbourne AU
Apr 10 10am: Sensory Friendly Films

How to Train Your Dragon AMC theaters around the country
Apr 11+ National Library Week
Apr 11+ National Conference on Family Literacy = San Antonio TX
Apr 12: Drop Everything & Read Day
Apr 12: Young People's Poetry Week
Apr 12+ Computers in Libraries = Arlington VA
Apr 21+ Mountain Plains Adult Ed Conf = Tempe AZ
Apr 23+ Latino Children's Literature Conference = University of Alabama
Apr 25+ IRA Annual Conference = Chicago, Illinois
Apr 28+ Solutions for Assistive Technology Conference = Baton Rouge LA
Apr 29: ClearMark Awards-Plain Language = Washington DC
Apr 29+ American Occupational Therapy Assoc = Orlando FL


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Escondido Library - AmeriCorps and SCLLN Conferences

AmeriCorps and SCLLN Conferences
Escondido Literacy Newsletter: Mar/Apr 2010 by John Guigayoma

Two transfer flights, four continental breakfasts, and one drive through a rainy highway later, I have finally returned from two literacy conferences across the country, and the Annex feels even more like home. I journeyed out of sunny Escondido to present a two training workshops, meet other tutors and learners, and learn a few strategies to take back and share.

I hopped on a plane for the three day Literacy*AmeriCorps Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I met other AmeriCorps members visiting everywhere from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. After braving 30-degree weather and a couple inches of snow, I presented a workshop on goal-setting for learners, using our program’s orientation session as a model. I received great feedback from other AmeriCorps members who were eager to apply our methods to their programs.

Just a day after returning from Pittsburgh, I drove up to L.A. for the Southern California Library Literacy Network’s annual conference in Buena Park. Attendees included tutors, staff and learners from across the state, and the energy among everyone committed to literacy was exciting. Literacy coordinator Myrna Montano and I presented another workshop on goal setting, and it was great to be able to apply our strategies to help direct the goals of the learners in the room.

After a week of traveling, I’m glad I’m back at the Annex, and I’m ready to jump back into classes. I attended a few great workshops, including one on transitioning G.E.D. students to college and one on teaching learners to decode new words using a few quick tips. If you’d like to hear more about what I learned or even about the weather on the other side of the country, stop by the Annex sometime so we can chat!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Newport Beach Library - Reading can include three letters – U.S.A.

Reading can include three letters – U.S.A.
OC Register: March 12, 2010 by Teryl Zarnow


Claude Bonham is learning to read.

He moves his fingers across the words, stumbles at times, and jumps from the first letter of a word to guess at its end.

"To visit peoples?"

No, in the book it was "visiting places to eat."

Claude works intently with his tutor, Cherall Weiss, for almost two hours. "What happened on this page?" Cherall asks, working on comprehension. They review vocabulary flash cards and Claude writes them on the back.

Claude is 55 years old.

Claude knows what it means when you can't read.

He defines it by things he could not do – he couldn't pass the written driving test, or a written certification test at work, or fill out a medical form. He couldn't read a menu or balance his checkbook. He says he's tired of relying upon other people.

"People take advantage of you. I signed some things I wish I hadn't... I've got to depend on myself."

So he's been coming to the adult literacy program at the Newport Beach Library for over two years.


Without reading, the world has high walls that keep you out. Words become a code you cannot crack. Illiteracy means life is a stream that flows all around you – you're like the boulder stuck in place.  READ MORE !

Monday, March 8, 2010

Share a Story – Shape a Future 2010

Share a Story – Shape a Future 2010
March 8 - 12
It Takes a Village


Share a Story - Shape a Future is a blog event for literacy. Throughout the week, blogging librarians, teachers, parents, authors, illustrators and people passionate about literacy will offer ideas on ways to promote reading and books. You won't find statistics, academic analysis, or judgments that tell you why you should read. Instead, we are using the power of the Worldwide web to share ideas about ways to engage kids as readers.

Day 1 - The Many Faces of Reading
Host: Terry Doherty @ 
Scrub-a-Dub-Tub
Topics of the day will encompass the relationship aspect of helping children learn to read: parent-child and teacher-parent partnerships, literacy outreach; and libraries, to name a few.


Day 2 - Literacy My Way/Literacy Your Way
Host: Susan Stephenson @ Book Chook
Creative literacy in all its forms (writing, art, computers) will be the topic of the day.

Day 3 - Just the Facts: The Nonfiction Book Hook
Host: Sarah Mulhern @ The Reading Zone
This is the day for exploring the different genres of nonfiction (biography and memoir, science, nature, math, etc), as well as the use (or not) of historical fiction.

Day 4 - Reading Through the Ages: Old Faves & New Classics
Host: Donalyn Miller @ Book Whisperer
Topics include "boy books" and "girl books," as well as newer titles that fit with some classics we loved as kids.

Day 5 - Reading for the Next Generation
Host: Jen @ Jen Robinson's Book Page
Join us as we talk about how to approach reading when your interests and your child's don't match. It may be that you don't like to read but your child does, how to raise the reader you're not, and dealing with the "pressure" of feeling forced to read.


Reading is Fundamental is donating two full sets of its Multicultural book collection for our It Takes a Village giveaways! There are 50 books in each set.
The Giveaway is tied to the Writing on Reading initiative, and here is how it will work.
1. Select one of the Writing on Reading questions.
2. Put together your thoughts and post them on your blog.
3. Come back to the daily Writing on Reading post and add your link to Inlinkz box AND add a comment with the name of the school or public library you would like to see receive the books.


Each day, RIF staff will be reading your posts and will select their favorite posts. See Complete Rules

Monday, March 1, 2010

California Literacy Calendar: March 2010


California Literacy Calendar: March 2010



SCLLN Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
-local, California and National Conferences

visit
Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information


Updates of Tutor Training Workshops Scrolling in Left Frame


Southern California Literacy Library Events
Mar 1+ : Dyslexia: In-Depth Look = On Line
Mar 4+ : Computer-Using Educators - Palm Springs Convention Center
Mar 6: Kid’s Magic Mile – Literacy Run – San Diego
Mar 7: Union-Tribune Race for Literacy – San Diego
Mar 9 1pm:BALIT - ProLiteracy Northern California Summit San Leandro Library
Mar 10+: CABE Conference San Jose Convention Center
Mar 11+ : California Language Teacher's Association Conference San Deigo
Mar 12+ : Charlotte S Huck Children's Literature Festival University of Redlands
Mar 12+ : Mariposa Storytelling Festival Mariposa CA
Mar 13 9am: Adult Literacy Spell-A-Thon – Hi Desert
Mar 13 10am: LD Adult Support Group Providence Tarzana Medical Center
Mar 22+ : Dyslexia: Remediation = On Line Cyber Space
Mar 22+ : Technology & Persons Disabilities Conference - San Diego
Mar 23 7:30pm: LD Parent Support Group The Help Group - Sherman Oaks


California & National Literacy Events
Mar 2: Read Across America Day
Mar 17+ : ProLiteracy Conf with COABE - Chicago IL
Mar 20 10am: Sensory Friendly Films - Diary of a Wimpy Kid AMC theaters around US
Mar 23+ : Into the Wood: Antonio Frasconi's Art for Children The Eric Carle Museum Amherst MA
Mar 23+ : Public Library Association Portland OR
Mar 24+ : TESOL Annual Convention Boston MA