Florida Literacy Virtual Conference

As a response to COVID-19, the 2020 Florida Literacy Conference has gone online!

Welcome to the Florida Literacy Virtual Conference. This web portal will allow you access to all of the Conference sessions and activities. Please pre-register for all webinar sessions that you would like to attend using the “Register Now” button under each session description. You will then receive an email with sign-in instructions for each session.

We encourage you to participate in the discussion forums during the Conference, and to check out the virtual silent auction in support of FLC’s programs. We do hope that you’ll enjoy this event and will find the sessions useful to your good work as adult educators!

Opening General Session

Thursday, June 25, 2020
10:00 – 11:00 AM

Join us for the Conference opening to include welcoming remarks, a briefing on the newly released PIAAC state and county adult literacy data, and student authors reading their entries from this year’s Florida Adult Learner Essay Book.

Henry Mack
Chancellor for Career, Technical, and Adult Education
Florida Department of Education

Dr. Stephen Provasnik
Branch Chief, International Activities Program
National Center for Education Statistics

Schedule

All times marked are in Eastern Standard Time.

Thursday, June 25

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM

Connect and Collaborate: Strategies to Boost ESOL Enrollment and Retention

In this interactive session, ESOL professionals will explore best practices for community outreach and student orientation. We will share experiences and ideas on creating a welcoming environment to increase student engagement and retention. Participants will leave with gain strategies and resources that can be implemented easily and effectively in ESOL programs.

Presenters

Daisy Shah, Linda Fermo-Garcia
School District of Palm Beach County, Department of Adult and Community Education

Watch Session Recording

Download presentation slides

Cultivating Instructor and Student Mental Wellness through the Practice of Self-Care

While it may be unpleasant, stress is a natural, normal part of life. In order to effectively manage stress, we all need coping skills to provide us with a sense of balance. Self-care is an empowered practice in which you actively foster your mental wellness by developing and practicing coping mechanisms to help you combat stress throughout your life. In this experiential session, participants will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the purpose of self-care and learn essential strategies to enhance the practice of self-care. By the end of the session, educators will have methods to both attune their personal self-care practice as well as methods to help students improve their self-care.

Presenter

Shainna Ali, PhD, LMHC, ACS, NCC
Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC

Watch Session Recording

1:30 – 2:45 PM

Publishing Student Writing: Using Authentic Writing to Motivate and Inspire

Authentic writing—real world writing for a purpose—helps motivate reluctant writers. Learn tools and techniques to help students communicate with the larger world while practicing skills necessary to improve TABE scores and pass the GED in an engaging and meaningful way.

Presenter

Anne Meisenzahl
ACE of Leon County

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Download presentation materials

Calling All Collaborators! — Finding and Sharing Free Learning Resources

CrowdED Learning invites educators to share effective, high-quality, FREE resources in an effort to inspire their increased use within adult education. See how our “experiments” have resulted in a growing library of free and open education resources, and participate in a “maker space” to see how easily you can contribute!

Presenter

Jeff Goumas
CrowdED Learning

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3:30 – 4:30 PM

Florida Department of Education Update

The Division of Career and Adult Education team will provide updates on the following topics: Florida State Plan, new strategic plan, frameworks, IET and IELCE training webinars, remote testing, program requirements, grants, and new initiatives.

Presenters

Carol Bailey, Lisa Williams, Philip Anderson, Marcia Maxwell
Florida Department of Education

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Friday, June 26

10:00 – 11:15 AM

Leveraging Google Sites in the Adult ESOL Classroom

We all know about Google Docs and Sheets, but how much do you know about Google Sites? Attend this session and leave knowing how to build a basic Google website and how to use that site to up-level digital literacy in your adult ESOL classroom.

Presenter

Pamela Jo Wilson
School District of Palm Beach County – Department of Adult and Community Education

Watch Session Recording

View the sample Google Site

Create a Self-Sustaining Model for the Recruitment and Retention of New Learners

Persistence can be challenged by many factors along an adult learner’s journey. Addressing learners’ needs through innovative,research-based practices that enable students to ultimately reach theirgoals is essential. This session will explore adopting an effective orientation process, providing student support, and involving learners in program development to attain a self-sustaining model for the recruitment and retention of new learners.

Presenter

Cheryl Hernandez
Kenosha Literacy Council

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12:00 – 1:15 PM

Weathering the Storm: Exploring Opportunity Occupations and COVID-19 Financial Assistance Resources

Many families are experiencing profound financial impacts as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This session will examine short-term financial assistance resources as well as longer-term career development resources to help our students prepare for good jobs that pay above the national median wage but don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Participants will learn how to help students find and prepare for these jobs as well as access classroom lessons, personal finance resources, and an infographic poster.

Presenters

Lesley Mace
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta- Jacksonville Branch

Heather Hepler Surrency
Florida Literacy Coalition

Watch Session Recording

Download presentation slides

Teaching Computer Literacy to Adult Learners

In today’s job market, and the shift for most programs to distance learning, there has never been a more important time for students to have computer literacy skills. This presentation covers strategies and resources for teaching computer skills such as: basic mouse and keyboarding skills, Internet safety, and using the Internet as a job search tool.

Presenter

Cris LaFortune
Florida Department of Corrections

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2:00 – 3:15 PM

Strategic Deconstruction of Text to Improve Comprehension of Struggling Readers

Deconstructing text and strategic or close reading involve using evidence-based comprehension strategies embedded in repeated readings of a text in order to increase student comprehension. Struggling readers must be guided to become actively involved in creating understanding of text by building connections and by transforming information to improve comprehension. This interactive session will provide practical, research-based strategies for instructors to improve learners’ reading comprehension.