From Challenges to Outcomes

The pioneering efforts of these early adopters have already turned challenges into outcomes. At East Los Angeles Skills Center, Distance Learning teacher Gabby Carrasco’s students Imelda Ramirez and Victor Garcia are the Division of Adult and Career Education’s first and second student completers of the Putting English to Work 1 online course.

Imelda Ramirez, Gabby Carrasco & Victor Garcia of East LA Skills Center

For Ms. Carrasco implementation of Distance Learning online was a bit of a challenge at first. “It wasn’t hard to learn because of the click-by-click teacher’s guide, but it did take patience to absorb the information. Now when a student comes to me, I offer them the three choices: they can buy a workbook and leave a deposit to check out a DVD; they can buy a workbook and watch the video episode online at DLTV; or they can do Distance Learning online without any cost. They decide what’s best for them based on what they’re most comfortable with and what they can afford.”

The first student to complete PETW1 online, Imelda Ramirez says, “It was confusing in the beginning. I didn’t know how to use the internet. My husband and I got it installed for our children. They have to research on the internet to finish homework assignments for school. My teacher helped me get started. Now I like learning English and technology at the same time. It’s convenient to study on the computer because I can use the Spanish dictionary online. I feel better now because I know the internet and what my children are doing when they’re online.”

Gabby Carrasco recalls, “In the beginning, Imelda would come to see me several times a week asking questions on how to navigate the website, how to submit answers, what the different buttons are. After about a month, I didn’t see too much of her anymore, but I kept getting email notifications every time she’d finish a unit. And she kept finishing units! Next thing I know, Imelda completed all 20 units of Putting English to Work 1 online. I’m really proud of her.”

The second student to complete PETW1 online, Victor Garcia is a former middle and high school art teacher from Mexico City, who likes to read the news and listen to music online, and stay in touch with family and friends through Facebook and Twitter. “I have a laptop and I can study at home, outside on the grass at East LA Skills Center, at the library, Starbucks, anywhere with internet. If I have a problem, I know I can come to school to see my teacher Ms. Carrasco. The thing I like most is that it’s free.”

A self-professed non-techie, Distance Learning teacher Quinn Harmon-Kelley of Venice-Emerson CAS was apprehensive at first about going online with her students, but now admits that you don’t have to be a computer geek to get it. She became inspired after witnessing her students’ enthusiasm. “They like the interactive features, especially the immediate feedback. Answers submitted are scored right away. The correct answers are highlighted in green and the errors in a mild, pinkish red, not the offensive siren red you might imagine. Some students see this as a challenge and they repeat the exercises to improve their scores. It’s almost like a game.”

Rodolfo Hernandez and Quinn Harmon-Kelley of Venice-Emerson CAS

Ms. Harmon-Kelley’s student Rodolfo Hernandez is the Division’s first completer of the Putting English to Work 2 online course. A multi-talented musician who plays several instruments, Rodolfo recently discovered the wonders of creating music on the computer. When he’s not composing on his laptop, his favorite online activities include chatting with friends back home, watching videos, listening to music, sending email and now studying English. “I’m a day laborer and my work schedule is different every day. I like that I can study English anytime. I just turn on my computer. Studying English alone is not easy, but there’s a lot of help online like Google translator.”

Ms. Harmon-Kelley has noticed a change in Rodolfo. She remembers, “In person Rodolfo used to be very timid. He didn’t say much. After a period of communicating by email to discuss his lessons, he began to write funny things, make jokes. A whole new side of him came out online.”

Rodolfo has plans for the future and he’s not shy talking about them. “Everybody needs English to get a better job. With English and technology I will have even more opportunities. And now, after finishing Putting English to Work 2, I can type too! I want to work with computers, maybe write programs.”

Moving Forward

Distance Learning online and DLTV were not designed to replace DVDs and workbooks but rather to compliment them with more program options. Our students are now empowered with the ability to choose the format that best suits their learning style when they do Distance Learning. To be sure, some students will continue to use DVDs and workbooks because they’re familiar. And that’s fine. In time, students with internet access will continue to increase in number and their habits will evolve. Whether internet or DVD, it cannot be denied that knowing how to access resources online with a computer to learn something, like a language or a skill, or acquire information, like job openings or apartment rentals, is probably the most important life skill of the 21^st century.

Please join us at our annual Distance Learning Academy on October 26^th, 2011, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, at Abram Friedman Occupational Center. We will be rolling out new online courses: Putting English to Work 3, The Now and Future Parent, Surviving the Teen Years and U.S. Citizens.

Contact Rosalba Orellana to make your reservation at (213) 765-2481.

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Interview with Carlos Madrigal

Carlos Madrigal first became involved with Distance Learning at Van Nuys CAS as a teacher, quickly moving on to the position of DL coordinator. After ten years with DACE, Mr. Madrigal was promoted to assistant principal of operations at Manual Arts-Crenshaw CAS at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. One of his first assignments was to oversee their DL program.

In this conversation, we get a unique and insightful perspective on Distance Learning, technology, student achievement and retention from somebody who has been in DL as a teacher and as an administrator.

Let's go back to your years at Van Nuys. Student participation in DL was very high during your time there. What do you attribute that to?

First of all, I told the students that coming to school is fantastic, but to get to the next level in a quicker and more substantial way, it's important not only to study at school, but to study at home as well. Distance Learning is designed to do just that. Once students started taking home the videos and workbooks, they were hooked.

Did you get all of your classroom students signed up with DL?

Not all of them, but a good many. However, after a while I started to notice something very interesting. Several students told me that family members at home started to watch the videos, too. Spouses, parents, children, even friends. Many of whom couldn't come to class for a variety of reasons. I saw this as an opportunity to recruit new students.

How did that work?

Let's say, for example, Rosa is my student at school. She takes the DL materials to her husband at home. He completes the work, and she brings it back. I communicate with her husband on the phone, or he comes in briefly for a few minutes when he drops her off. We schedule a few meetings a year so he can take the CASAS tests. Now we've got two students improving their English, earning attendance, as well as an additional benchmark.

It sounds like the students who took home DL materials became, in essence, an excellent recruiting tool for your school.

Exactly. And they didn't even have to pitch it. Just by participating at home, they modeled the process. Interestingly, many of these family members who signed up for DL would later sign up for on-campus classes, too, when they had time. It works both ways. The classroom brings in DL students, and DL brings in classroom students.

How did you reach students who couldn't come to school and who didn't have family to pick up materials?

We actively reached out to parent centers, churches, local companies and so forth. In some of the local elementary schools, for example, we might have a regular ESL class two nights a week. I would provide a DL teacher on one of the other nights. For the students, they just saw it as another night to come to school. Today, with ESL classes being completely cut at some elementary schools due to budgetary challenges, DL is a great way to continue serving that community in a cost effective way.

You started as an administrator at a time that many consider one of Adult Ed's most challenging. How did you deal with the difficult task of being in a new position at a new school under these circumstances?

When I got here to Manual Arts-Crenshaw, I felt that it was important to continue serving the students to the best of our abilities. There were many thoughts within the division on the subject of DL at the time of the cut-backs. My thinking was that we needed to make DL available to the classroom ESL students as well as the DL-only students with the same enthusiasm as before.

Why put more resources into classroom students since they're already enrolled in school?

Students can't come to school every single night of the semester. Sometimes work schedules change, someone falls ill, new responsibilities come up. They could miss class for a few days, weeks, months, we don't know. But if they're also enrolled in DL, and doing work at home, they are still attending school, so to speak. When time permits they return to meet with their teacher one-on-one, exchange DVDs, get books graded and so forth. They might even rejoin their regular class if their schedules allow them to. Distance Learning serves as a great net for retention. And they never miss a lesson!

Because the DL lessons are continuous.

That's right. DL students don't miss any of the life skills lessons, they don't miss any of the grammar lessons. They go through each unit one by one. Even if they stop Distance Learning for a while, they pick up where they left off. All of this benefits benchmarks.

Could you explain more on how it benefits benchmarks?

DL helps students earn benchmarks either 1) by supplementing the lessons for those students who do make it to class on a regular basis, 2) by providing the lessons for those students who miss classes, and 3) by simply helping to keep students coming back, who might otherwise drop out after a few absences. Of course, those students who can only enroll in DL are going to get benchmarks that would otherwise not be attainable. That goes without saying.

What are your thoughts on the future of DL?

The potential for DL is limitless. Anybody can get online right now and view streaming video of any number of ESL lessons for free – instantly. And it will only continue to grow and evolve.

The proliferation of ESL websites has brought competition not only to DL but to our regular classes as well. How do you think this technology will affect us and our community?

Well, I sort of think of L.A. as being the capitol of ESL. Our community should continue getting its education here, as opposed to only going online to other programs that could be out-of-state, or even out-of-the-country.

As you know, we are developing our own program to give students the opportunity to study online in an interactive way.

We should because we know our students and our community best. We see, work and live with them first hand, so we know the most effective ways to teach them, to help them. As mentioned at the DL Academy last fall, students from our community benefit by enrolling in our programs because they will study with qualified, credentialed teachers on a one-to-one, personal basis. This is our advantage. And that makes it the students' advantage. The internet has changed the way the world operates and that includes how people learn. I'm glad to see that your department is moving in that direction.

Mr. Madrigal may be reached by email at carlos.madrigal@lausd.net.

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Interview with Janie Chavers

A 20-year veteran of the Division of Adult and Career Education, Janie Chavers talks about her concurrent students with the excitement of a high school football coach leading a winning team. Her enthusiasm comes from personally witnessing her students improve their self-esteem, refocus their goals and better manage peer pressure after taking distance learning parent education courses. Janie recently dropped by the distance learning main office to share her experience using DLTV (www.distancelearningtv.net) with her students.

Tell us about your current assignments.

My distance learning assignments at Manual Arts-Crenshaw, Fremont-Washington and South Gate CAS send me to six different high schools. Basically, I run around all week with a trunk load of The Now and Future Parent and Surviving the Teen Years DVDs and workbooks. (laughs)

How many of your students watch The Now and Future Parent and Surviving the Teen Years online at DLTV?

Right now, a little over a hundred, which is about 35% of all the students I have on my rosters.

How do you introduce the website to your students?

I distribute flyers at the schools promoting all the benefits of distance learning parent education classes: high school credits, at your own pace and convenience, DVDs, internet, etc. When a student enrolls, I explain that there are two ways to watch the videos, on DVD with a deposit or online for free.

If a student is interested in watching online, do you demonstrate the website to the student?

Not usually. I give the students some simple written instructions, the web address, the username and password and they figure it out because it’s not hard. I will show how the website works if a student comes back and says that she can’t figure it out, which has happened but not very often.

How do your students access DLTV?

Some students have internet at home. Those that don’t might log on at their friend’s house, use the computer lab at school, or go to the library.

What has the response been?

The concurrent students really like it. They love going online to chat with their friends, play games, listen to music, update their facebook pages and this is a natural extension of their online activities.

In the student surveys you’ve done, we notice that a few students have said that the website is slow.

Video on the web, as everyone knows, can be slow at times. I tell my students, “If on any given day the connection is slow, just queue up the video and go to the kitchen to get something to eat or drink. By the time you get back 2 minutes later, enough of the video will have gotten a head start loading that it’ll play all the way through.”

Even with high-tech sometimes you need a simple home remedy when the connection is slow!

Sometimes that’s what you have to do. Nothing’s perfect. Not even DVDs. Sometimes you hand a student a DVD and they get home and it won’t play because the disc is damaged. Or it plays but it’s the wrong episode because it got mislabeled back at the office. Or you don’t have the episode that the student needs in the trunk of your car. (laughs) Personally, I haven’t had any problems with the website when I access it at the schools.

We recommend a high-speed connection like DSL or cable. We built the website knowing that the videos needed to be in high quality in order for someone to be able to sit in front of their computer and pay attention to an entire video episode.

The videos look great. They’re sharp. The colors come through. The sound is clear. And they play full screen!

What do you as a teacher like about it?

I like the fact that the students are learning online because that’s the future. The kids know that when they get to college there’s going to be an online component to their college courses. They’re happy to be getting that experience now.

How has DLTV impacted the way you work?

For me, the benefits have been huge. It has saved me so much work. I no longer have to copy and carry around as many DVDs. I don’t have to manage as many deposits, receipts and refunds. Like most teachers, working with the students is what I enjoy most. Now I have more time to grade papers and talk with my students.

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