The Verizon Literacy Foundation
from Barry Shaffer

Below is some information I just received from my USDOE contact.  Although you may not be interested in the Tech Award part of this message, I encourage you to go to the Verizon Literacy Foundation website at:   http://literacynetwork.verizon.org   to check out the other resources that this site has to offer. 

The site has free online courses available at:  http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/Free-Online-Courses.21.0.html    for potential volunteers, existing volunteers and program directors/staff. 

Their course catalog is at:
http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/fileadmin/download/VLNCourseCatalog.pdf

The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards recognize exemplary programs that demystify technology for parents and caregivers, and enable them to better guide their children in using new media.  http://www.famlit.org/site/c.gtJWJdMQIsE/b.1335479/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={8856FBAC-0720-4F4C-B7EA-ABF04FF24542}&notoc=1

“Many children today are digital experts, moving with ease from texting to blogging to downloading movies and music online, while many parents are novices and face significant barriers in understanding how their children communicate and learn,” said Christie Vilsack, First Lady of Iowa and a Verizon Literacy Champion. “Through the NCFL/Verizon Tech Savvy Awards, we hope to provide an incentive for nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools to integrate information and communications technology literacy programming for parents into their existing curriculum.”

Four $5,000 regional awards and one $25,000 national award will be presented annually at NCFL’s National Conference on Family Literacy, with the first presentation in March 2007, in Orlando, FL. The deadline for submission is Jan. 12, 2007. For a complete list of criteria and a nomination form, visit <http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/> or www.famlit.org/techsavvyawards. <http://www.famlit.org/site/lookup.asp?c=gtJWJdMQIsE&b=2180327>

The announcement of the new Tech Savvy Awards program was one of several innovative initiatives unveiled today, National Family Literacy Day, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Other initiatives include:

• Creation of the Verizon Literacy Network (VLN)
• Unveiling of the Verizon Life Span Literacy Matrix, which will guide literacy instructors and learners as they implement research-based practices to achieve measurable outcomes in lifelong literacy and learning.

Verizon’s new literacy portal — the Verizon Literacy Network (VLN) at <http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/> — is a free, online resource that leverages technology to deliver needed and valued training and information to anyone interested in improving literacy — at home, in the classroom or in the community. The content is developed and approved by NCFL, ProLiteracy America and other noted literacy organizations and experts.

“Technology is more than a tool for literacy improvement; it is the new literacy — changing the way we learn, live and work. This is evident in the design of the Verizon Literacy Network, which not only offers rich resources in online training and information, but also enables greater information technology literacy for teachers, program directors, students and volunteers. The Verizon Literacy Network embodies Verizon’s goal to advance technology that touches life,” said Kathryn C. Brown, senior vice president, policy development and corporate responsibility for Verizon Communications.

The new VLN also introduces the Verizon Life Span Literacy Matrix — an innovation that translates research into practice and promotes measurable outcomes in lifelong literacy and learning. The Verizon Life Span Matrix identifies relevant literacy outcomes, appropriate measures for those outcomes, and effective research-based practices that allow programs and individuals to increase lifelong literacy and learning. It was developed by NCFL, in collaboration with the American Library Association, Georgetown University, the National Coalition for Literacy, ProLiteracy America and Verizon Foundation.

“The focus in literacy must be on the lifespan. We must address the requirements of literacy for the 21st Century at each stage of development, knowing that people must not only achieve the basics but continue lifelong learning in order to participate and be productive in an environment that requires greater skills than ever before in history,” said Sharon Darling, president and founder of the National Center for Family Literacy.

“The Verizon Life Span Literacy Matrix is the first look at outcomes needed at each stage of development, how these outcomes are commonly measured and how the outcomes can be successfully achieved through evidence-based practices and strategies that programs and individuals can implement. It’s a resource that can have a dramatic impact for literacy providers, families and communities.”

Rebecca J. Moak, Ph.D.
Education Program Specialist
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington DC 20202-7242
email:    Rebecca.Moak@ed.gov