TECH21 implements and evaluates the many technology products and knowledge created by federally funded (and other) educational technology projects, as well as collaborate with ongoing adult education research efforts, professional development activities, and accountability initiatives. As TECH21 develops effective models over time, these models will be disseminated to the field on a national scale through the project’s Internet portal.
Content
NCAL, in partnership with OTAN/SCOE, PBS, and NAEPDC, implements TECH21, which consists of a principal NCAL National Technology Laboratory in Philadelphia, a companion OTAN/SCOE Technology Lab in Sacramento, a "hands-on" Demonstration Lab in Washington, DC, six adult education program-based field sites nationwide, and an Internet portal called Virtual-TECH21. In each site, adult learners and educators learn how to use and participate in the development of IT-based models for learning, instruction and professional development.
Researchers, practitioners and adult learners collaborate in a "real-time" process of research and evaluation, utilizing the expertise of top specialists in educational technology and incorporating the practice-based experience of practitioners and learners. Innovative technology-based instructional materials are being examined, tested, refined, and implemented. Videoconferencing, digital broadcasting, and the Internet are used to extend the temporal and geographic diffusion and adoption of model training and materials.
Learners and practitioners involved in TECH21 are becoming leaders in the use of IT in adult education, and their leadership is being leveraged to build capacity throughout the adult education system, thereby assuring a robust process of scaling up. Substantive internal and external evaluation assures that TECH21 provides the highest quality information to the field and is, at the same time, responsive to a broad range of constituencies in the field of adult education.
Labs/Field Sites
TECH21 has established an NCAL National Technology Laboratory (NTL) at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
At the same time, TECH21 establishes a companion OTAN/SCOE Tech Lab in Sacramento, CA that focuses on various specialized R&D activities, especially in the area of IT-mediated ESL learning and instruction. This lab works hand-in-hand with OTAN/SCOE’s close working partner, the San Juan Public School District (SJPSD). As with NCAL, OTAN/SCOE and SJPSD are well equipped in IT infrastructure, so few resources need to be committed for those purposes. The OTAN/SCOE Tech Lab also provides TECH21 with an opportunity to reach to the other side of the nation, especially the vitally important area of the Southwest where immigration issues have put pressure on the adult education system. This lab provides a home for training and development activities in the West, reducing travel costs for those who live in that half of the United States.
One of the field sites, Project REEP, serves as TECH21’s "hands-on" Demonstration Lab, and is configured so that policymakers and other specialists in or visiting Washington can have easy access to the best of what TECH21 has to offer. Located within the District of Columbia’s metropolitan area, Project REEP (Arlington Public School District, VA) is acknowledged nationally for its work on ESL as well as a range of other services. This field site provides a hands-on opportunity for demonstrations of authentic technology applications in a practice setting. Project REEP also has an extensive working relationship with TECH21(SM) partner PBS.
Six other adult education field sites serve as a network linked to TECH21, establishing a continuous flow of information through both ongoing, site-based contact and through virtual linkages:
- Center for Literacy (CFL)/Center for Community Partnerships (CCP) and the NCAL National Technology Laboratory in Philadelphia, PA, will work as a combined field site and research and evaluation laboratory. A multiyear collaboration already exists between NCAL and CFL, a nationally renowned community-based provider of services across the full range of instructional areas. CCP is the University of Pennsylvania’s local education innovation center that is involved in community revitalization projects, with considerable private and federal funding. Using CFL’s IBM Adult Education Center in central Philadelphia, a joint team of NCAL researchers and CFL teachers and staff specialists will collaborate to offer direct services, engage in R&D on IT-mediated tools for students and teachers, and evaluate impact in a real-time environment.
- San Juan Public School District (SJPSD) and the OTAN/SCOE Tech Lab, both in Sacramento, CA, work in tandem as well. A longstanding partner of OTAN/SCOE, the SJPSD is a nationally recognized innovator in technology and distance learning, with a special focus on ESL. They have served for years as a testbed for many of OTAN’s projects in IT in adult education.
- Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) in New York, NY, has established a major reputation by providing high quality, innovative services to adults learning basic and life skills. BPL has been a leader among libraries nationwide in incorporating technology into instruction, and has been featured in the LiteracyLink series of professional development videoconferences.
- Connecticut DOE (Bureau of Adult & Career Education, Hartford, CT) has long been recognized as a leader in systemic quality initiatives. In collaboration with NCAL and PBS, the CT DOE launched an extensive IT-focused professional development program, resulting in substantial improvement in technological capacity throughout the state system. The state continues to serve as a model and a test-bed for systemic capacity building through its linkage with TECH21(SM).
- KLRN-TV Adult Learning, based in San Antonio, TX, has served as a participating hub in the PBS-NCAL Project Connect, and has served a unique role in coordinating services among adult literacy programs in the San Antonio region. KLRN’s involvement in TECH21(SM) is a rich opportunity to explore innovations in broadcast and satellite technology in a diverse area of service in a region with considerable immigration.
- Blackwater Community School Pima Reservation, in Coolidge, AZ, serves the Gila River Indian Community on the Pima Reservation. The Blackwater School has collaborated in a series of national, IT-enhanced initiatives to provide comprehensive services, educational services, and family literacy. Currently, the school is utilizing a federally funded Community Technology Center grant to expand community services, thus affording TECH21(SM) an opportunity to leverage resources with this Native American community.
Partners
NCAL, in partnership with Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN, within the Sacramento County Office of Education/SCOE), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC), implemented TECH21, which consists of a principal NCAL National Technology Laboratory (NTL) in Philadelphia, a companion OTAN/SCOE Technology Lab in Sacramento (NB: each Tech Lab already has existing hardware and communications-ready infrastructure), a "hands-on" Demonstration Lab in Washington, DC, and six practice-based field sites within selected adult education programs nationwide.
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