Jeannette Lambert, educator at the Seminole Adult Learning Center, was awarded a $1,000 cash prize from the Coalition On Adult Basic Education (COABE) for a submission regarding her recent adoption of curriculum.
This national contest was sponsored by a blended partnership between Google and COABE.
"We are required through Texas Workforce Commission to provide a computer skills class. I felt the curriculum needed updated. I researched and found The Google Bootcamp where educational leaders could implement this new curriculum. I felt it would be perfect for our Adult Education. From this curriculum, our students are able to enter the workforce after gaining real life work experience."
This curriculum provides our learners the ability to become G-Suite Certified upon completion of the course. In short, this integrated platform is comparative to utilizing Google Classroom.
Lambert attended the Missouri State conference because she knew she wanted to implement the curriculum beginning this fall, but Texas would not have it's own conference until the summer of 2020.
"I had to get special permission from the Missouri conference leaders, because I was an out of state educator. I just really wanted to go and do this for my students. So, I got in my car and drove for about 3 days."
The Mission of COABE states, "Some 55,000+ adult education leaders stand united in a national campaign to educate America about the importance of Adult Education in advancing career and college readiness for millions of people. We urge policy makers to stay informed on our successes and to fund Adult Education at the $649 million level as called for in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act enacted in 2014."
"I have been asked if I would be interested in helping teach at the Texas conference...but that is kind of scary," joked Lambert.
COABE continues to partner with more organizations, and as of today, are now partnered with Skills USA.
Below is the actual submission from Mrs. Lambert:
Seminole Adult Learning Center is a friendly and welcoming place. We have a fairly unique population at our Adult Learning Center. The majority of our students are women from either Mexico or South America. The majority have relocated to West Texas with their Mennonite communities. The students come in speaking German, Spanish and limited English. They basically read and write in none of those. The only computer experience most have is with their cell phones. We have taught basic computer skills in the ABE class for the past few years. I was looking for something more user friendly as well as something that would be an advantage to students in the world of work. GOOGLE APPLIED DIGITAL SKILLS is a perfect fit for the students. It is exciting to watch them learn to learn on their own. The video based lessons are great! The material covers things they use in the world of work. They are seeing immediate results as the lessons cover things they can actually use! As a teacher I love the lesson plans that cover each lesson .They can be modified and saved for my specific class. My students were very new to technology other than cell phones, so I first completed the Basic skills guide that is recommended before the actual implementation of the APPLIED SKILLS. Students have learned to collaborate on projects that are useful. They like working together as well as a boost to their confidence! If you are looking for a great confidence builder and something to help your students be able to function in the world of work just jump right into the APPLIED DIGITAL SKILLS curriculum! It is fun and will benefit you as well as students! We are very excited for the next class to begin!
"In this day and age, my students want to be able to help their own children with class work. However, if not equipped with the skills to utilize and balance the ever changing demands of digital media, they will not be able to. My calling is to help bridge that gap. I understand that gap, I have been in their shoes. I am passionate about helping my students."
"I know for a fact we have one of the strongest Adult Education programs around. This entire process has really given me a new perspective of the national landscape of adult education, and where we rank. We are leaps and bounds ahead of many others, so we are truly fortunate to have this offering for our community. I feel really good with where we are."
We appreciate all that Mrs. Lambert provides to our Adult Education program. She makes a big impact each and every day, and we are truly fortunate to have her part of our tribe.