Join FATDEC Feb. 1, in Orlando!

You are cordially invited to join FATDEC’s next meeting to be held at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 1, at Mid Florida Tech in Orlando (2900 West Oak Ridge Road Orlando, Florida, 32809).

Come learn more about the online courses we offer adult students, who our members are, and how you can join, and get involved!  FATDEC would love to have you as a guest!

FATDEC, Florida Adult and Technical Distance Education Consortium, is a group of public schools, school districts, and community colleges who are working together to deliver curriculum in a web-based environment for adult education and career technical programs in Florida’s postsecondary public institutions.

Who can attend? Anyone involved in adult or career/technical education at a public educational organization – CBOs, this means you, too!!

Please email Kim Gates (Kim@fatdec.com) to RSVP and for additional information.

Where will FATDEC’s next meeting be?  At the Florida Literacy Conference in May! Hope to see you there.

FATDEC Adds 2 New Members

FATDEC is proud to announce that 2 new members have joined the consortium!  The organization warmly welcomes Flagler and Baker County Schools!

FATDEC, Florida Adult and Technical Education Consortium, is a group of public schools, school districts, and community colleges working together to deliver curriculum in a web-based environment for adult education and career technical programs in Florida’s postsecondary public institutions.

Now, the FATDEC network consists of 35 members serving adult students with online ABE, GED, ESOL, and Adult High School courses in 38 counties across Florida!  Click here to see our membership map!

The online courses offered are very beneficial for adult learners as they have 24/7 access to the program – allowing students to customize their schedule and learn from home - and many of the courses are free of charge!

Want to know more about FATDEC?  Click here!

Upcoming FATDEC Meeting (9/29/10) at ACE!

Please join FATDEC at our next face-to-face meeting that will take place during the ACE Conference!  This meeting is open to members & potential members or anyone else who would like to know about online courses for adult students.  The meeting will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, 9/29/10, in the “Lake Hart B” room of the Hilton Orlando.

Check out the updated FATDEC member map found here.   Welcome to the new members who are joining FATDEC for the 2010-2011 school year: Hernando County Public Schools, Lee County Public Schools, Northwest Florida State College and Sarasota County Public Schools.

Don’t see your area represented yet?  Contact Kim Gates (kim@fatdec.com) for information on how your organization can be a part of FATDEC!

FATDEC Welcomes New Members

The Florida Adult and Technical Distance Education Consortium (FATDEC) is proud to announce some new members!  Hernando, Lee, and Sarasota Counties, as well as Northwest Florida State College, will be offering online courses for adult students for the 2010-2011 school year!  Hooray for them!  As other new members join, we’ll update our website and also announce it here on the FLC blog!

FATDEC is a group of public schools, school districts, and community colleges working together to deliver curriculum in a web-based environment for adult education and career technical programs in Florida’s postsecondary public institutions.

The online courses offered are very beneficial for adult learners as they have 24/7 access to the program – allowing them to customize their schedule - and many of the courses are free of charge!

Want to know more about FATDEC?  Click here.

Click here to read a previous post about FATDEC.

What a great conference it has been!

FLC blog readers, I hope you’ve enjoyed the Florida Literacy Conference as much as I have!  What a great time it’s been at the South Seas Island Resort!  Is there anywhere else (in Florida) that’s more beautiful?  The palm trees, the beaches, the flowers…they were all amazing!

But I think what was even more amazing were the terrific conference participants who were here!  I can only speak for myself, but my sessions were well attended and had energetic, enthusiastic people who were genuinely interested in the topics: technology, writing and math!  Thank you for your participation and kind words.

I hope that no matter what sessions you attended, that they met (or exceeded) your expectations!

So, until we meet again at the next conference (May 4-6, 2011, Lake Mary, Fla.) keep on keepin’ on and doin’ the wonderful things you do! 

~Kimberly Gates~

Meet FATDEC At The Florida Literacy Conference

Did you know that online courses for ABE, GED, ESOL, VPI, and Adult High School (AHS) are available to adult students in Florida?  These allow busy adults to still fit education into their lives when the option of physically going to a school or center is just not a possibility.

The Florida Adult & Technical Distance Education Consortium (FATDEC) will be having a meeting during the Florida Literacy Conference.  Please join us at 5 p.m., Thursday, May 6, to find out more about online course opportunities for adult students throughout Florida.  FATDEC members represent various schools, school districts, community colleges, and state colleges.  Partner members include Florida Virtual School (FLVS) and the Florida Association for Career and Technical Educators (FACTE).  By working together, we’re able to leverage our collective buying power and to help adult students who might otherwise not have an option for education. 

Come learn more & find out how you could be a part of this collaborative effort!

Florida Literacy Conference – Best Part!

There are so many great reasons to attend the Florida Literacy Conference.  There’s the networking with colleagues from all over the state.  There are fabulous sessions on a variety of topics.  There are inspirational speakers and presenters.  There’s the chance to meet with vendors to see what’s new for students & teachers, and don’t forget about the convenience of the computer lab and the wonderful hands-on tech sessions that are held in there!

So what do you consider to be the best part of the conference?

Speaking the Language of Math

When you think of “literacy,” do you think of reading, writing, and speaking?  What about math?  Do you think about that?  Well, you can’t be good at math without being literate in the language of math!

But math is full of intimidating words and phrases such as “integers,” “linear equations,” “variables,” and “exponents.”  What about those hard-to-interpret verbs like “distribute,” “simplify,” “evaluate,” and “plot” for starters?  Being able to “speak math” is just as important as being able to speak English (or any other language in which you want to communicate).

As a GED teacher, one of the things I struggle to get my students to see is that math isn’t as bad or as hard as they think it is.  Once a person has mastered the language of math, he or she will be much better equipped to handle all of those tasks being presented.

Let’s talk about this some more!  Which parts of math are the most difficult for your students to understand?  Do they “speak” the language of math?  What strategies & resources to you provide your students to assist in this goal?  Come work with me at the Florida Literacy Conference at 9 a.m., Thursday, May 6, as I present a session called “Speaking the Language of Math.”

For a full list of session offered during the Florida Literacy Conference click here. 

Math and Writing Tricks, Techniques and Shortcuts

If I had to identify the two areas of the GED test that most students (and even teachers) struggle with, I’d pick math and writing!  (Wouldn’t you agree?)  That’s where the inspiration came in for “Math and Writing Tricks, Techniques, and Shortcuts.” 

Come be a part of this fantastically fun & informative session at 3:45 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, during the Florida Literacy Conference to go over various tricks, techniques, and shortcuts that can be used for these two subjects.  In fact, this is a session that adult learners are invited to attend!

Dennis Radice (from Central Florida Community College) will be co-presenting with me, and if you’ve never seen a presentation by him, you’re in for a real treat!  He’s a spunky GED teacher who will get everyone pumped up about writing!  I hope to be able to match his energy & enthusiasm with the math!  Don’t miss out!

FLC Session – Open Mic: Bring Your Technology Questions

Have you ever been to a comedy club or a coffee house when they have an “open mic” night?  I love those events because it’s a time when the audience members can participate and determine what happens (in terms of performances). 

Well, the “Open Mic: Bring Your Technology Questions” session at the Florida Literacy Conference will be similar!  At 2 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, you get to determine what topics we cover!  So bring any technology question you have.  It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small! 

Maybe you have always wanted to ask what Twitter is or how you might use YouTube with your students.  Perhaps you’re wondering about wireless networking and why you should password protect your network.  These topics and a million others are all fair game, so come & be a part of a unique, fun, relaxed, and informative session!

If you have a few questions you’d like us to prepare for in advance, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.  Remember that even if you don’t have questions, you can still come to watch, listen and learn!