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Telecommunications
Multimedia Technologies (a combination of text, graphics, sound, animation, and video)
offer new hope to those who have repeatedly failed in paper-and-pencil educational activities. Computer-aided education enables learners to proceed at their own speed in a non-threatening environment, using materials relevant to their lives. Hand-held electronics, such as pocket language translators, allow adults to learn on the bus, on coffee breaks, or whenever they are able to study.
Closed Circuit Television is useful and effective in an employment setting. Closed captioning, now a standard feature in new television sets, allows learners to see and hear words on broadcast or cable television to reinforce language and reading development.
Dialogue and sound effects are rendered into a text representation concurrent with the action on screen. Closed captioning was originally developed for the hearing-impaired; however, it has been shown to be an effective teaching tool with adult basic education students. Many television programs in the United States are closed captioned. These captions can be seen only on televisions having a decoder chip; older televisions may be outfitted with an external decoder box. Some videotapes include closed captions that are useful in adult basic education. All televisions 13" or larger manufactured for sale in the U S must have a closed caption decoder built in. Closed captioning and subtitling can be added to existing materials through purchased technology.
Telecommunications Technologies (communication by electronic means, including, radio, telephone, telegraph, television, and computer) are equally important. An emerging trend is that a growing number of adults with learning disabilities and literacy needs are seeking educational and career opportunities. Distance learning is an option for adults with learning disabilities to avail themselves of new opportunities to learn and grow. Distance learning systems bring the best teachers from around the country to the most remote learners. Electronic networks remove the isolation and stigma of low literacy as adults share experiences in computer-based group discussions. Television video-conferencing may accomplish the same effect.
Distance Learning
Distance Learning Networks: According to a survey conducted by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, well over half of the colleges responding use distance learning programs.
Interactive Television Broadcasting, for the most part, broadcasts adult basic education and GED instruction to different sites. The adult learners can view the programs at one of the learning sites. Each site has a facilitator, a dedicated telephone line, a coder/decoder device, television camera, and microphones, enabling students at any site to see, hear, and speak with the learners at other sites. The use of distance education technologies can be extended through the Star Schools Program, administered by the U S Department of Education. New provisions of the Star Schools Program Assistance Act authorize instruction for those with disabilities.
Telecourses: Distance Education can be defined as instruction given where the students are in a different physical location than the teacher. An interactive telecourse provides an opportunity for one teacher to reach students in many locations at once. Typically, the instructor teaches a regular class in a classroom equipped with television cameras and microphones. The teacher’s image and voice are then sent through microwave transmission, cable TV or other sophisticated “narrowcasting” formats to remote classrooms or homes. Remote classrooms may be equipped with television cameras and microphones so the instructor can see and hear the students attending class in that remote location.
Distance learning includes courses offered by educational institutions, businesses or other entities away from the regular campus site by computer conferencing, cable TV, telephone conference calls, videocassettes, and correspondence courses. The student may access some courses at home, or they may be offered at a public library, business headquarters, adult basic education/literacy classroom or other community site.
Methods of Instruction: Courses can be taken via the computer through university consortium programs that include cable television, telephone conference calling, and interactive telephone service. The telephone lines of the students and teachers are linked through a bridging device, enabling the student to tape the call and review it later to be sure her notes are accurate. Other methods include courses organized around a core of videotaped presentations, some closed-captioned; correspondence courses, beneficial to students with learning disabilities who can work in a non-threatening environment at their own pace or who have auditory processing problems and rely on this essentially print-based method of instruction.
Students watching a telecourse on cable TV might have the opportunity to call the instructor during class to ask questions or participate in a discussion using an 800 telephone number.
Internet Online Services: The easiest way to access electronic information is to subscribe to a commercial online service. Listings of online services, also known as Internet Service Providers, may be found in regional issues of Computer Currents, published monthly. Users may check with their public library or call 800-365-7773 for subscription information. Online Services are available for both Windows and MacIntosh systems and provide numerous resources for adults with learning disabilities: electronic mail, a learning disabilities forum, access to hundreds of electronic books, other useful software.
World Wide Web: Internet and the World Wide Web are becoming the distance media through which much of distance learning occurs. The Internet is the largest computer network in the world. Computers on the Internet have two things in common: all the computers are connected and all use a common language. The Internet provides software and document retrieval, electronic mail, bulletin boards and other services to users. All users of the Internet and the Web need to learn information management skills, otherwise users may be overwhelmed by the wealth of information available to them.
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This page last
reviewed July 23, 2008
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