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Redcar Adult Education Centre

Case Study 1

My name is Anne Donovan and I am the Project Manager of the Laptop Initiative at Redcar Adult Education Centre. This is an overview of the project to date. Case Study 2 consists of four individual pieces of writing by students. Case Study 3 is a longer case study by another tutor. I also enclose a copy of the newsletter created on the laptops.

Due to security and transport issues, we decided to keep the laptops in the centre at present and not use them for the outreach classes. This means that at the moment twelve classes have access to them. They are all dedicated basic skills classes and the laptops are well used in a variety of ways.

They are probably used for word-processing more than anything else by students tidying up their letters, pieces of writing and work for Wordpower and Numberpower. The Internet has been well used and has proved to be extremely popular with both tutors and students, who have visited a wide variety of sites and used the information for projects and accreditation. Encarta has also been used frequently for research into various topics.

As well as the software provided we also use the following: New Reading Disc, The Jobsearch Reading Disc, The Numbers Disc and Pages. These help provide a variety of opportunities for students wishing to study alone.

Our greatest success to date has been the publication of the newsletter. We publish a newsletter every term and decided to enhance it using the laptops. We were extremely pleased with the results and the students were very proud of what we had achieved. I enclose a copy so that you can admire it!

To sum up; the laptop project has been very successful to date. I have seen students, who in the past were reluctant to use the computers, asking to go on the Internet. It has opened up a whole new world of information to the students and we hope the project will continue.

Case Study 2

I was born partially sighted and in July 1992 I had an operation on one eye and it gave me my sight back. In 1993 I went to the library for a book and they told me I needed a tutor. I was 65 years old then. I have been at Redcar Adult Education Centre for five years. I have been using the laptops since July 1999 and I find it very interesting. I used it for my diabetes project and I have typed up poems and stories. I am now 72 years old.
Rose Billings

I have used the laptop to look for things on the Internet for my Numberpower Level 2 and my Wordpower Level 1. I have done my CLAIT databases on the laptop. I have written a letter to a magazine for my Wordpower Level 1.
Amanda Currie

My name is Keith Blower and I go to Redcar Adult Education Centre. I have been doing a project about World War Two and I have used Encarta to find some information about Hitler, Churchill and Spitfires. I also used the Internet to look at the site for Eden Camp which is a World War Two museum.

My name is Robert Kneeshaw and I attend Redcar Adult Education Centre. I am working through the Brookie Basics pack and I have used the laptops to word-process my work. I have also used the Internet to look at the Brookside web site.

Case Study 3

Susan is thirty seven years old and has attended an Adult Training Centre since leaving school. She has been attending basic skills classes for several years and she has achieved the following: Education for Personal Development Programme – Communication Skills – Level 1 and Healthy Eating – Level 1.

Prior to the arrival of the computers, Susan was very lacking in confidence in her literacy skills, even when working one-to-one with a tutor or tutor-assistant. In reading, she found it very difficult to attempt words which her actions suggested she recognised. For example, even though she recognised the words ‘tea with sugar’ and ‘hot chocolate’ on the drinks machine, she was reluctant to read them aloud and would say that she didn’t know what they said. Similarly, with writing, she felt she couldn’t attempt to write anything, except her name, unless she copied it.

Susan has now completed 15 hours of work with the laptop. She had never touched a computer before this, and was enthusiastic to try. In this short period of time she has learned and retained the knowledge to:

In the extract below, words have been underlined which Susan read aloud, unaided, in this week’s class. It is difficult to quantify how much of Susan’s progress is due to learning and how much existing knowledge has been revealed through increased confidence, but the result is remarkable progress in both reading and writing, as well as overall confidence.
by Lesley Evans

Redcar by Robert Kneeshaw

There are big changes in Redcar, they are knocking shops and houses down. A new shopping centre is going to be built. A lot more people will be visiting Redcar, the shop keepers will make more money. I hope Norman will still be busking in Redcar, he gives his money to charity. I think it will be a good idea because there will be more shops to visit.

Extracted from Basic Skills Voices – December 1999

 

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