ncfl 2012 it just keeps getting better

It Just Keeps Getting Better ReadCreateShare

is the Complete Package

Mark W.F. Condon Unite for Literacy

National Center for Family Literacy

San Diego, CA – March 24, 2012

The Challenge is in the Numbers

1,000,000,000 Illiterate Adults

(2/3 are women who raise the children)

Speaking 7,000 Languages

0 appropriate books in the home

There are 7000 Languages !

• The 100 most common languages are spoken by nearly 85% of humanity. For them, there are plenty of picture books…if they can afford them.

• The 6900 other languages are largely un-served because it is just plain too expensive to produce sufficient books for all of these small populations… they get pretty much no picture books… regardless of cost.

Top Languages in California

And there are more languages of smaller and smaller percentages. There are 224 identified languages in Los Angeles County, alone.

But EVERYBODY Needs Books

• Twenty-seven years ago, the National Commission on Reading announced that "the single most significant factor influencing a child's early educational success is an introduction of books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.“

• Those Six years of being read to and six years of book discussions are lost to the “bottom billion”

How many books is enough?

• 100 books in the home

• 65 % likelihood of graduating HS.

• 90 % likelihood of finishing 9th grade.

• Every book up to about 100 especially counts, for bookless homes.

Evans, M.D.R., Kelley, J., Sikora, J., Treiman, D.J. 2010. Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 28, 171–197.

Every Book makes a Difference!

Copyright Stands in the Way Printing Stands in the Way

• Copyright makes books private – they cost money

• Printing makes books limited – we can run out of a favorite. Sorry….All gone!

Hurdles to using Printed Books for Solving this World Literacy Challenge

The costs of normal printed publications … Time, money, effort, space, equipment, etc.

• The Rejections – We can’t make any money with that! • The Wait - for publishing - on average, 2 years • Marketing - Artwork, layout, Planning, Rollout, Sales • Printing – paper, ink, presses, printing labor • Binding – Cover stock, binding machines, binding labor • Storage – Space, warehouse labor • Transportation – Rolling stock, drivers, fuel • Shelf space – Finite room in (vanishing) bookstores

The Publishing Matrix

Private Public

Digital Digital

Publishers

Unite for

Literacy

Print Traditional

Publishers

Public

Libraries

How do we make books PUBLIC?

Creative Commons!

Attribution? Adaptation? Commercial Use?

How do we make books Digital?

Computers

Scanners

Digital Cameras

The Web (Internet and Mobile)

RealeWriter and ReadCreateShare

How do we reach the 6900 other languages?!

Computers

Tablets

SMARTPHONES! By 2015

Cell phones = People on Earth

Smartphones!

• Who can afford a smartphone? – delivering 10,000+ books?

• Well, who can afford even 10 consumable paper, books? - @ ≈ $14.95 Apiece?

• Who will create those books in a language spoken by .01% of Californians?

How do we reach every speaker of that language in the

the far corners of the world?

Mobile Networks By 2015

Mobile Network Access

> Clean Water or even Electricity

Smartphones – They’re everywhere!

• Smartphones and the expanding mobile network have been the most rapidly adopted technological innovation ever

• Smartphones are just small, affordable computers

• Connectivity costs are minimal and with many phones unnecessary for reading books.

• There are even projectors for smartphones now that allow an entire family to view the screen

Where do we get the Books ?

Literacy is simple

if you understand

the power of

participation in

The Book Cycle…

The Possibilities for each of us Pitching In

Just a little…

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” – JFK

Unite for Literacy

to make a difference that makes a difference in the world

Who?

Well,YOU! children, students, organizations, families

SCHOOLS

ELL, Special needs, Foreign language, Pre-school

But how does MY 1 book help? 1. You decide

to write a book about something that is a universal topic.

2. You add text, images and an English narrator

3. You put it online, UNcopyrighted.

4. Someone in another part of the world sees its potential for readers in their language community.

5. They download it, change the images to suit that community (and/or text in that language)

6. They add a second narrator

7. They put that second version back online.

Sharing Your Book Starts a Book Cycle

So does everyone else’s in this room.

How could we do that?

Well….if

everybody pitched in?...

just a little

Creating – Digital Exponents

• Every digital book can be multiplied easily into thousands of books, interpreted into other languages… or by adding

• Or replacing images

• An additional language text

• Sound files for (each) language

After that initial 100 ? Careerists, Hobbyists and Experts

Accountant Acrobat

Arab Arborist Attorney

Australian Ball player

Banker Biker

Business owner Carpenter Cherokee Christian

Clerk Clown

Computer Geek Cyclist Dancer

Electrician Engineer Families Farmer

Firefighter Fitness Pro Gardener

Good Samaritan Hindu

Islander Jeweler

Junk Collector

Manufacturer Mathematician

Mechanic Office Manager Octogenarian

Pet lover Photographer

Physicist Pilot

Plumber Poet

Police officer Postal worker

Rancher Rodeo Rider

Sailor Salesman

Skier Skate Boarder

Sky Diver Stamp Collector

Stevedore Student Surfer Tailor Teen

Therapist Truck Driver

Waiter Writer

Literacy is not for Literacy Tests It’s for LIFE!

• Reading TO BECOME an informed and empowered audience… to enable participation in democracy, to create one’s own destiny.

• Writing as a new voice FOR audiences of people one cares about and can help

Literacy is about

Making a difference that makes a difference

Even as focused as Family Specific Books

• Using the learner’s own words makes even a challenging text comfortable

• Using the learner’s own image(s) makes the content forever fascinating

• Using the learner’s own voice helps connect language with print

• Using the learner’s own interests helps maintain high motivation / interest

What Kind of Books?

• Culturally Relevant

– Topics – of interest to family / reader

– Values – shared, congruent with life experience

– Goals – Commitment to the good life

– Images – familiar faces and places

• Linguistically Appropriate

– Level – sophistication of vocabulary, syntax, intention

– Length – from single words to full narrative

– Dialect – language, local dialect / familiar idioms

The Power of INTEREST

• Multiple demonstrations / models

• Opportunity to safely try while coaching

• Chance to step out, while watching • Growth is in a curve

Engaging Families – in What? • Well, Reading – Not just reading lessons…

READING.

• PLUS, this is not just the

• National Center for Family Reading.

• National Center for Family Literacy –

– Reading yes, but also engaging in…

– Listening

– Speaking

– Writing

Engaging Families – When?

• CULTURAL CHANGE is needed.

• Not a daily Event, THROUGHOUT Every day

• Not just one parent, Not just the kids, but the WHOLE FAMILY

• WEEKDAYS, WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS, SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Creating a Living Culture

of Reading and Writing

What if Families took a child’s first 6 Years to establish a literate culture?

To create a culture of reading…

• To read for and with a child

• To discuss the world presented in books

• To answer questions about books, reading, letters, words and print

• To make literacy a part of every day life

• To make pleasure reading a daily ritual

• To collect and read together 100s of picture books

• To create their own books

• To share them with friends and family & the world

The Case for Late Intervention Krashen, S. and McQuillan, J. 1996

Early intervention? – Well, of course! –

Late Intervention? – Every bit as good …

So long as learners understand that

there’s no RACE to worry about, It doesn’t matter how long it took or at what point

literacy is accomplished Once learners are interested, they just need good (self-

selected) books and time to read.

Reading – Always the Starting Point

• Reading of self-selected culturally and linguistically appropriate books yields:

– Insight into the WHY of reading and writing

– Access to the “end” product of literacy

– Clarity about audience

purpose

genre

An Illustration!

Unite for Literacy Why?…to complete the Book Cycle

Read

Create

Text

Image Files

Almost any cell phone -- Pics4Learning.com -- About any Government site

Sound Files

Fluently Read and Record the Text Interpret it into second language

(Add new language text if you like) Add background narrative

Maybe some Music Certainly, Sound effects

------- Save as files named for their book pages

Drag and drop onto pages Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy!

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

Share

The Demonstration!

Unite for Literacy Facebook

RealeWriter

http://realewriter.com

PLAY TIME!

• I’ll show you RealeWriter, our old program that is in use in dozens of your programs already.

• We’ve taken the best of RealeWriter, improved it and are nearly finished building the firsr version of a system that will put books in the hands of families and their children, everywhere.

• So let’s play today. Then when ReadCreateShare is stable and ready, every one of you and your programs and families may have it for free, to read, create and share narrated digital picture books

• I’ll collect whatever you create and send it to you along with directions for printing it if you like.

Save your books

• Save your books onto the desktop or to a flash drive device.

• For those without flash devices, Do NOT turn off the computers

• Enter your contact information in the DESCRIBE Panel of the RealeWriter file

• Name, Phone, email

• I’ll send you the file and directions for printing and binding it into a book if you like.

Consider being involved in making a difference in the world’s Literacy…

Unite for Literacy

to make a difference that makes a difference in the world

Who?

Well,YOU! Your children - your K-12, ELL, Special needs,

Foreign language, Pre-school kids

Your SCHOOLS organizations and families

You can decide how to be involved… • Consider the new Common Core State Standards for K-12 “…use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing” (That’s in 1st

Grade) “…Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as

well as to interact and collaborate with others” (That’s in 6th grade) “…Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update

individual or shared writing products” (That’s 12th grade) • Lead Service Learning Projects K-12 • Involve Immigrant families • Invite Service Organizations and Charitable groups. • Enlist parents and civic leaders

We can start to end illiteracy for the entire bottom billion

NOW!

ReadCreateShare

At home…back at school…

• To review today’s slides and the handout, go to: www.slideshare.com/markwfcondon/presentations

• To view a sample ReadCreateShare book, please visit: http://www.readcreateshare.com/books/203

• To see some RealeBooks from RealeWriter: http://Discover.realelibrary.com

• To contact me: mark.condon@uniteforliteracy.com • Visit us at Facebook for latest developments with

ReadCreateShare: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unite-for-

Literacy/120257514682090

Contact Information

• Mark W.F. Condon, Ph.D. • mark.condon@uniteforliteracy.com • +1 502 291 9780 • Unite for Literacy info@uniteforliteracy.com

532 W. 66th Street +1.970.669.2389 tel Loveland, CO 80538 +1.303.952.4444 efax

USA

Write to us, email us, call us or fax us. We'll be happy to explore with you how to optimize a partnership in service to literacy.

LUNCH TIME!

• We are all going to the kickoff luncheon!

• Be sure to bring your “registration stub" to gain entrance to the luncheon.

• You’ll need to show that to enter.

Thanks for coming. Have a great conference.

and

Bon Appétit!