Literacy Council of Northern Virginia

Literacy LinesWinter 2009

A Move Toward Online Training

by Belle Peñaranda

The Literacy Council is always looking for ways to deliver valuable services to the community more effectively, efficiently, and economically. Needless to say, this frugal approach is especially necessary in these staggeringly difficult times, when the recession has forced many local non-profit organizations to tighten their belts more than ever. Thankfully, the Council has the resources to take advantage of accessible, user-friendly technology, which will not only help us survive the next few years, but also keep us competitive in an increasingly digital realm.

This online-only edition of the newsletter is just one of the first steps we are taking as we look for ways technology can benefit the organization. Another grand initiative is to make volunteer orientation and training materials increasingly available on the web. To tackle this major enterprise, I have joined the Online Volunteer Orientation and Training staff task force. Our team leader is Katie Beckman, and the other members are Susanne O'Neill, Rebekah Bundang, Amy Moy, and volunteer multimedia consultant Thomas Wilburn. All of us on staff joined the task force with a vested interest in seeing more online orientation and training materials available to our prospective and current volunteers. Mr. Wilburn is a multimedia producer for a national publication-- therefore, he has the expertise and technical skills needed for this endeavor that not many of us on staff possess! Thus far, we have established a small list of priorities for the upcoming months:

Create an online multimedia-based (using video, audio, and interactive graphics) agency orientation to educate all prospective volunteers. This will provide factual and essential information (the Council's mission, history, timeline, educational programs, and volunteer opportunities) that can be easily and inexpensively disseminated in an online format.
Work with community partner Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center (VALRC) to make our volunteers aware of existing online educational materials. Some of their online courses include topics ranging from adult learning disabilities to advanced lesson planning, which are extremely beneficial as continued education opportunities for those volunteers who have already undergone basic training. We should be taking advantage of these resources available as an augmentation of our volunteers' learning experience.
Begin to examine the Council's existing trainings (Basic Literacy, ESOL, and classroom) by videotaping and analyzing the content to see which segments might benefit from being placed online. These can include supplementary reading materials, videos of real-life tutoring and classroom situations, and links to other helpful websites. This allows for any volunteers who wish to do so to go home and learn more at their own pace.

For the future, we are envisioning volunteer orientation and trainings that effectually combine the personal, interactive training that our dedicated volunteer trainers have worked tirelessly on to keep up-to-date and relevant (as well as the many hours they spend delivering the trainings on Saturdays!) with the convenience and possibility of digital resources. The Literacy Council is an educational organization, and we place great value on face-to-face interaction and personal contact. By no means are we looking to replace in-person trainings and go completely online. By implementing more digital options, we aim to offer more supplementary educational opportunities for our volunteers, who in turn can better provide for the many students in need in the Northern Virginia area.

Visit the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia on these other sites as well: