ACE educators sometimes express resistance to the use of technology in education due to the view that "we're about people, not technology" or the view that technology may not fit with the humanistic approach that traditionally underpins ACE. On the other hand, other ACE practitioners believe that if you're not encouraging learners to engage with technology, you become an instrument of their alienation within the digital divide.

• Is this an issue in your organisation?
  
• Do "computers" have a place in community based programs?
  
• Have you found ways to enhance delivery through the use of technologies while keeping the learner at the centre?

In this event - ACE in South Australia: Keeing the learning at the centre - members of the Community looked at a case study that looked at how one group introduced new learning technologies in Adult Community and Education. The discussion was moderated by Jan Peterson from the South Australian Department of Further Education Employment Science and Technology and took place 8 - 19 September 2003. The discussion focussed on the question:

What is the real potential for ICT in community-based programs?

Summary of discussions:

Concerns about technology...

I think there is a fear that "Using technology in education" is all about replacing teachers with computers and taking the social relationships out of the learning process. As we all know these relationships are a key for effective learning. We need to be able to expand our thinking and how we can use technology to improve learning and access to those who aren't able to access learning in regular face to face sessions.

I'm wondering whether the introduction of technology in education coinciding with a stronger push for vocationally based education is somehow fusing the two issues in the minds of some educators? I get the sense that some educators feel that the "heart" of ACE is its response to the total learning needs of an individual rather than the smaller sub-set of vocational learning needs. Perhaps they associate the use of "technology" with other trends and scenarios they find problematic?

Vocational Education and Training is seen as the 'ideal' towards which ACE providers should strive - the 'official' language that we should speak if we want to be understood - so it stands to reason that if VET is promoting the use of technology that this is what is behind it.

The relevancy factor does not seem to influence our learners as much as I imagined at the beginning, as many of our (mature) students enrol for classes out of curiosity, improving general knowledge and for a social activity rather than immediate benefit.

My only concern is the cost - there is little funding available for resources in ACE in SA, and some of the technology is so costly to access. Having said that, I do think that this problem will be overcome with time - look at how far we have come so far!

My estimate of preparation for my own classroom face-to-face teaching is something like 2-3 hours for each hour of class time. I can’t imagine what it must be for a teacher in an online teaching role. I find myself thinking about:

• The multi-faceted nature of the teacher’s role in on-line learning – technical, pedagogical, psychological, social, intellectual and artistic to name but a few.
  
• The amount of time and effort required to create and sustain ‘good on-line practice’.
  
• The potential of this educational mode. It has enormous potential in its reach and scope for adult further education students - but only if in the hands of gifted, creative, generous and well-resourced teachers.

We mustn't forget that the social aspect is also a feature of adult education that students value. If people can develop the support networks within the class, then they feel comfortable and can learn more effectively.

I think I understand the role of some technology as a resource or methodology - what concerns me is the way it can narrow interactions amongst students and the potential that education has in the development of the human person. What concerns me is not the student to lecturer relationship but the student to student relationship. Whenever I ask people to evaluate sessions more than 90% will say that interactions with other students is their preferred and most effective way of learning. That seems to me more important than any way technology can impact on the ease of a teacher's presentation.

Technology working in ACE...

Our RTO recently employed a Horticulture Trainer who was so adamant that computers had no place in her style of teaching that everyone left her to her own devices… One day I asked her if she would like to critique my PowerPoint presentation. After checking out the show and seeing the impact of projecting the presentation onto a big screen, she was hooked!! After some brief instruction on how to use the digital camera and insert images into PowerPoint she was on her way! The lady in question has now eclipsed me in several software packages and I'm finding it hard to get a hold of my laptop. I have no regrets as it is so good to see a former 'anti-tech' educator moving with the times. Her trainees are also benefiting as the timing of her 'coming out' has coincided with all the trees bearing flowers and fruit - she couldn't have chosen a better time to record images of nature on film!

I am concerned about the tendency that we sometimes have to narrow what we do to meet available methodologies. Where we can use beautiful pictures of blossoms, why would we take students to experience it in other important ways i.e. touch, taste, smell etc. Is there a danger that technology becomes a determinant of content rather than a useful tool?

I started in community education as an ESL teacher and for me the move to technology was a natural one. It opened up a new world for all of us, and we viewed it as a tool to help us learn English and understand the many cultures we had represented in the class. I could see what the potential WIIFT factor was – what could be in it for them (the students). I have come across many teachers who have a healthy scepticism, and some who feel that technology is just not their bag. That’s fair enough. I think reluctance is sometimes based on the fact that in the early days the technology could be very unreliable and particularly time consuming - with a very steep learning curve thrown in for good measure!

We all need to get used to the idea that our learning curves are increasingly taking place in "real time" (rather than during a nice, safe course where we get to practice a bit first and then return to the workplace to apply our new skills with confidence).

Technologies are simply tools, just like a sword or a telephone. I suppose the key is working out how best to use them (or not).

We need to get over the idea that we're still the "sage on the stage" or somehow need to be the expert all the time. We don't, and the best teachers I know are the ones who are genuinely comfortable being "lifelong learners" - as cliché as that sounds.

Some teachers are aware that their students may be more advanced in computer use than they are, and they don't feel comfortable in that knowledge. I have one 17 year old student in IT studies, and she is teaching me all the short-cut keys and other tricks (I am a chronic mouse clicker). I am teaching her HTML so it is a two-way street. I am quite comfortable with the arrangement, and it does make the student feel more a part of the learning experience when they are actually teaching at the same time.

We teach a lot of Indigenous Students, and some would fall into the category of 'difficult', rather than 'at-risk', but we always make a point of assuring them that they also have something to teach us in return. Learning should always be a 'two-way street' in my book.

I agree whole heartedly! AVEC ESPRIT - a New Practice in Flexible Learning program is using the reversal of power (students teaching teachers) and peer to peer teaching in its model to develop employability skills with at risk kids.

Engaging fragile learners...

I recently heard a very interesting expression describing a process of 'engaging the fragile learner' - “Fields of Fascination.” My understanding of what was meant by this is as follows:"...first find out what the areas of interest are for the fragile learner and then lead them to some pertinent technology based resources or practices that would help them enjoy their interests event more...." An example: a group of textile weavers may gain valuable information from the Internet on the practices of other textile weavers.

I certainly have found that this ‘What's in it for me’ (WIIFM) approach works well in such environments. I used it for a community setting last year and found that there were already some very useful Fact Sheets provided by the Community Caravan sponsored by the Victorian Library.

I love that - the 'what's in it for me? approach’. It certainly fits with the way I approach developing learning programs. If I can't answer that question for everyone I teach and for everything that I plan, then I have to re-think my plan. I believe that you have to 'sell' your ideas to learners if you want them to come along with you on the journey - and when I say 'learners', I mean the practitioners that I teach and support as much as the other learners we are all trying to help.

Success stories depend on nurturing the adoption of new practices in a WIIFM approach. I'm a strong advocate for mentoring online and I have found that you can do this successfully, for those who resist, if you focus on what benefits them. Find out what they need, what problems they have etc then help them explore the new practices to find a solution to their problems. My recent experiences in a regional TAFE illustrate this very well. I had been working very hard to engage some staff members in the use of WebCT and the TAFE VC and found huge resistance. After about 18 months I realised that I had to 'show' them how the use of a WebCT communication hub could help them with their distance learners. This was done mostly via emails and online discussions forums with just them participating in a secure and safe place. Then they felt comfortable to try it with their colleagues, then with their students. Now they cannot get enough of the new practices and it has enabled them to ensure the future of their program and their students are just thriving online.

I teach computing subjects and I find that I do get a lot of these fragile learners who have had painful experiences. What I like to do is try to relate to the students fragility in some way. One example is that I try to relate some kind of 'bad' experience I have had in a similar vein. For instance, I love to tell my beginners classes about how I wrecked my very first computer within half and hour and had to pack it up and drive it 30km away to get it fixed. They can all laugh at me, with me, and relax as I unfold the (true) story and I can see a good percentage of the students drop a lot of their fear of the computer.

I use the same myself with adult literacy learners! I am what you might call 'athletically challenged' and students love to hear stories about how difficult their teacher might find certain things that they have no trouble with! It helps them to realise that I can appreciate the difficulties they may face in learning in an area that they have a lot of trouble with. It helps break down that expectation that many learners have - 'you're the teacher, you have no trouble learning things'. I think the adult to adult learning relationship that this promotes is very healthy for all of us.

I try to break the barrier that often separates the tutor from the student by just being one of the group in many ways. Many bad experiences can revolve around the person feeling stupid in the classroom and therefore being afraid to ask questions or for clarification, or even admit they are missing the point being taught. I tend to break that barrier down rather fast and students soon find themselves interrupting me for clarification often, and they get a positive response from me that the interruption is very valid and that if they are having a problem, then likely lots of people are too. There is nothing quite like having students come to you at the end of a session or course and exclaiming their initial fears and how good they now feel about themselves, their skills and the whole idea of further learning. No matter what 'subject' we are teaching, we have a responsibility to the student as a whole person. If we wish to foster 'learning for life', then we need help all students develop a love of learning, and this comes with confidence.

I let my students know very early that I never pick on anyone, BUT if someone has an error come up on their computer screen, I will want to get everyone to look at it. I explain that computer errors need to be read and if one person gets an error, it's likely the others will too. I then explain that the very best place to make mistakes is IN THE CLASSROOM. If the student gets it all right in the classroom, then goes home and gets an error, they have no idea what to do next! I can see people relax as they realise that mistakes are useful learning tools. Fragile learners often just presume they did something stupid and the computer is 'going off' at them. This of course is not always so, computers make plenty of their own errors! Students often end up asking others in the class to come see what has gone wrong. I think this is a big break through, as at school we were too encouraged to do our own work and get things right. Getting those fragile learners to collaborate and share mistakes is a great way of breaking them out of their fears.

I teach basic computers in regional South Australia to adult learners, the great majority being mature people. These people have the double disadvantage of not having participated in studies for many years and having to tackle a new and scary technology with expensive machines that go "ping" for no apparent reason. I also find that showing them that it was not easy for me either (and still is not) as well as appealing to their sense of humour works relatively well.

I teach 'fragile' older students starting out with computers. My first step is to take three digital photos of all of the individuals in the class, as well as a group shot. These images are loaded onto floppy discs, with the three individual shots, and the group shot. The Students are shown how to open the images in a basic paint program, and they spend a couple of hours seeing what improvements they can make to the images. Most of the Students work on the group photo, drawing moustaches etc. on their class mates, and I encourage this, as it seems to break the ice with everyone. Then we open a word document and insert their favourite photo into the page, and add some text of the Students' choice. The fact that the product of the day's labour is centred on each individual seems to bring out the 'learner' in everyone.

The role of ACE...

People who work in VET who have limited knowledge of ACE may see ACE simply as a pathway to VET. Or, they may see ACE as 'leisure courses' and not as a genuine contributor to education.

In the past the ACE path was seen as 'lifelong learning' and the VET path as 'vocational’. In more recent years the paths have become entwined and there is much more traffic to and from. The major differences in the twins ACE and VET are their funding models and their management styles.

I remember with passion the days in the mid 80s when I worked in a neighbourhood house and ran an ACE program. Running through this program were modules from the local TAFE's Women's Studies Certificate. Those women who wished to, used their ACE courses towards the Cert. Many didn't want to and didn't even know (or care) that a link was possible. I like to think of ACE and VET as not so much either/ or but rather as sometimes one or the other, sometimes one and sometimes together but distinct!

See the attached documents for:
Case study - ACE in SA: Same Principles, New Skills
Background document for this event.

Contributors
Dorothy Waterhouse, Greg Sutton, Cynthia Rohner, Anita Rodriguez, Daniel Robertson, Carole Mcculloch, Penny Krause, Norm Henrickson, Laura Hendrick, Jenni Harding, Rose Grozdanic, Jacinta Gascoigne, Megan Funston, Steve Fisher, Judy Fawcett, Kate Fannon, B Driver, Lynne Chapman, Rodger Carroll, Claire Brooks, Margaret Aspin, Mary Aquino, Chris Ainsworth