First, this is ESOL (taken from the DIUS website)
“ESOL is an acronym that stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. Other acronyms are widely used in English language teaching, including English as an Additional Language (EAL), English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Language Teaching (ELT). In post-16 education the universally accepted term is ESOL, whereas EAL is always used to describe this work in schools.”

Now the why….

Having spent the last five or so years working with ESOL learners, not directly as a tutor, but supporting and encouraging technology usage, I have been keen to explore how we can make good use of all this online stuff. The current tools available to both tutors and learners are of varied use and as per usual, spread all over the web. So the idea is in the first instance, is to gather a selection of tools, blogging, video, audio recording and make these available to learners in an easy to access manner. Then, show them how to make the most of these tools to support their learning. This is what it’s all about? yes, but…..
There is an increased awareness about access to technology and how we encourage those with limited IT literacy. There are many reasons why people can’t or won’t access the technology. In this case, we are faced with language and cultural barriers. The idea is to increase the confidence of the learners, to encourage them to dabble with the tools and to not be afraid. Again, staple aims of our project, but now we’re looking Family Learning as a possible route into achieving sustainability. By involving “the kids” who of course have no fear of technology, we can maybe encourage the learners to try the technology away from the classroom. Combine this with routine classroom access to technology, supporting their learning, we can begin to embed this approach to learning as standard, not gimmicky or off putting.
We are planning some sessions in the very near future to trial this approach. If we can (a): develop an interactive, usable system of web tools for learners / tutors / managers etc, and then (b) increase learners access to this system – we can assess if the technology can really make a difference. If we get some positive results (and i’m quite confident we can), we are looking further down the line to creating an online resource that will be available to anyone wanting to improve their English, for free.

The Government’s response to tackling the digital divide has them coming up with a new scheme offering “vouchers” to low-income families enabling them to get online at home. This scheme is costing £300 million. Providing these vouchers will not address the problem, let alone overcome it. We’ve said it before and we’ll keep on saying it until somebody with ears in the appropriate places, gets the message.

It’s not about the access….

The ongoing evolution of the Internet..and it will be all about the Internet, means that people who are still to use the technology or have limited experience, are being left behind at an unacceptable rate. There are some small movements to address the real issues here but it’s all too slow and lacking in volume to make a difference.

I chatted with Nick Booth last night about the situation and we drew similar conclusions about what should actually be happening with that money. It should be providing training, guidance, communication, advice etc delivered by the people with the right skills and attitude and in a manner that recognises that the way we learn will need to change to make the most of what the internet is becoming. These “digital mentors” can be the answer to an as yet fully realised situation.

Our project is in the throws of equipping these mentors with the kind of knowledge and skills that will benefit those excluded from the digital community. Hopefully before too long, those who make the decisions will be aware of what’s actually going on and who knows, maybe do something about it.

Another extremely relevant debate sparked by Nick Booth (Podnosh) this time addressing the issues of the digital divide. This is a subject which is at the very heart of what I believe the NBSE project will look to address. I agree with most of what is being said in that the focus should be on the communities not the technology but I do have some fears that the wrong people will be rushing to throw their weight behind any potential progress.