Power in Numbers: Newsletters

The Math Minutes: Issue 6

Special Bulletin - 1st March, 2019

See Power in Numbers at SXSW EDU next week

Power in Numbers is heading to SXSW EDU 2019 and we hope to see you there! Luminary Labs Strategist Christina Ward will present on behalf of the Power in Numbers initiative on Monday, March 4 at 4:00 p.m. CST.

Our session, titled “Making Open Educational Resources Work for You,” will explore how open educational resources (OER) and edtech more broadly can transform learner outcomes in adult education. Christina will present insights from the Power in Numbers work with educators across the country to pilot OER. She will share what educators need to know to identify and start using OER in their own classrooms.

If you’ll be at SXSW EDU next week, we’d love to say hello — please email powerinnumbers@luminary-labs.com to connect. See you in Austin!

- The Power in Numbers Team

The Math Minutes: Issue 5

17th January, 2019

New report: Bringing higher-quality edtech to adult education

Power in Numbers just published its third report: From Creation to Adoption: How to Develop and Deploy Successful Edtech. The report explores the most common pathways for new edtech to enter the adult classroom, showing how key process changes could increase the quality and quantity of adult edtech tools. The report proposes steps that critical stakeholders — including developers, funders, administrators, and employers — can take to improve the impact of edtech on adult learning outcomes. Read the full report.

AAACE recap: SME Kathy Safford-Ramus presents in South Carolina

SME Kathy Safford-Ramus and Power in Numbers team lead Christina Ward led a session in October 2018 at the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) Conference. They discussed how OER can transform learning outcomes in adult education and presented resources to support educators in using OER.

NCTN recap: SME John Comings presents in Massachusetts

Power in Numbers also presented in Cambridge, MA in November 2018 at the National College Transition Network (NCTN) Conference. SME John Comings and Christina Ward hosted a session called “Making Open Education Resources (OER) Work for You,” to share what educators need to know to start using OER in their own classrooms.

Upcoming conferences: See you at SXSW EDU and COABE 2019!

We’re delighted to announce our session was accepted for SXSW EDU 2019, taking place March 4 – 7, 2019 in Austin, TX. Thank you for helping to get us there by voting on PanelPicker — stay tuned for our session information!

Later this year, Power in Numbers will also present at COABE 2019, taking place March 31 – April 3, 2019 in New Orleans, LA. User group member Brooke Istas and Christina Ward will present actionable insights for using OER that emerged from our Power in Numbers user groups. We hope to see you there!

- The Power in Numbers Team

The Math Minutes: Issue 4

16th April, 2018

New Report: A guide to investing in edtech for adult education

Power in Numbers just published its second report: Multiplying Impact: Five Frameworks for Investment in EdTech for Adult Learners. The report proposes that edtech investors and developers focus on five areas where technology can drive maximum impact for adult learners. From optimizing educators’ scarce time to contextualizing content, each area offers compelling use cases for transforming adult learners’ experiences and preparing them for the workforce of the future. Read the full report.

Announcing our second teacher user group

Our second user group kicked off their work on OER curriculum design! We recruited 20 educators from 19 states and a variety of adult learning environments — including community colleges, community centers, correctional facilities, and local education agencies. These educators will create curriculum guides for integrating OER into math lesson plans, and will publish their materials on OER Commons this June.

Look out for a Power in Numbers webinar invite this June to learn more about our user group findings and how to use the resources they curated. In the meantime, you can browse the 70+ free and standards-aligned math OER our first user group added to the OER Commons’ library.

Conference update: See you at ALM and AAACE!

Power in Numbers will be at the Adult Learning Mathematics (ALM) and American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) conferences this year. In July, our SME Dr. Katherine Safford-Ramus and user group member Brooke Istas will head to the ALM conference in London to discuss how OER can serve the unique needs of adult learners and what to expect during the final year of the Power in Numbers initiative.

Our Power in Numbers team will also attend the AAACE conference this October — stay tuned for more details!

Know someone who wants to get involved? Share The Math Minutes signup so they can receive upcoming issues.

- The Power in Numbers team

The Math Minutes: Issue 3

6th February, 2018

Thank you to User Group 1  

As User Group 1 comes to a close, we celebrate the many accomplishments of our first Power in Numbers cohort. Over six months, User Group 1 curated more than 70 open educational resources (OER), strengthening OER Commons’ library of standards-aligned, free, and accessible resources for adult math learners.

In the process, group members learned from one another, and engaged in an impactful series of conversations with Power in Numbers SMEs, including Jo Boaler, Amee Evans Godwin, Dan Meyer, Chonda Long, Kathy Safford-Ramus, and Gerard L. Hanley, experts in the fields of math, pedagogy, and technology. The experience also highlighted the ability for OER to address some of the needs of the adult education classroom, from limited resources to adapting for a diverse student body. We applaud our User Group 1 members, and thank them for their work.

Applications open for User Group 2

We invite you to participate in a paid professional development opportunity to open doors for adult learners.

User Group 2 is a two-month, paid professional development opportunity for 20 passionate educators to come together and create OER curriculums for the adult education classroom. In this group, you will create and test your own curriculums, work alongside and learn from a diverse group of adult education teachers, and collaborate with experts. Together, you will add to a growing library of resources as part of a broader effort to help adult learners excel in applied mathematics.

Visit our page on LINCS to learn more about participating in our second Power in Numbers user group and to learn more about our Power in Numbers experts.

Adult education research

Power in Numbers Market Scan: Research for our second market scan is well underway. The report will include a look at the current adult edtech market, what’s on the horizon, and recommendations for lasting impact. You can download our first report, The Math Gap: Implications for Investing in America’s Workforce, which makes the case for the use of OER in the adult education classroom.

 

Dr. Jo Boaler

Experts Spotlight: Jo Boaler at Joint Mathematics Meeting
Power in Numbers advisor, Dr. Jo Boaler, recently spoke at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Diego. Jo led a talk about her work on changing mathematical relationships to help all students succeed in the math classroom.

What’s next

Know someone who wants to get involved? Share The Math Minutes signup so they can receive upcoming issues.

- The Power in Numbers team

The Math Minutes: Issue 2

14th September, 2017

New Research: What tech adult learners really need  

Power in Numbers is excited to announce the publication of the first of three research reports: The Math Gap: Implications for Investing in America’s Workforce. The report is a collaboration between the Power in Numbers team and our expert advisors.

The research makes the case for the use of open educational resources (OER) in the adult education classroom. It delves into the adult math landscape, analyzing the key stakeholders — employers, learners, and educators — and exploring how technology solutions can meet their needs, with a focus on OER. Read the full report.

Launching the first teacher user group!

We are pleased to introduce the first of two Power in Numbers teacher user groups. This group of 20 adult math teachers will identify and curate the best math OER for the adult classroom. Hailing from 12 states and educational institutions that include community colleges, workforce development organizations, and correctional facilities, these 20 educators represent the wide spectrum of adult learning environments. Stay tuned for updates on their progress and findings in Issue 3!

Expert Spotlight: Dr. Katherine Safford-Ramus at Adults Learning Mathematics Conference

Dr. Katherine Safford-Ramus

Power in Numbers advisor, Dr. Katherine Safford-Ramus, recently spoke at the 24th International Conference of Adults Learning Mathematics (ALM) in the Netherlands. Kathy led presentations to the international adult mathematics education community on the work of Power in Numbers, as well as her ongoing research in the field.

Power in Numbers at OpenEd17

We are excited to speak at the 14th annual Open Education Conference in Anaheim, CA in October. The Power in Numbers team will moderate a panel featuring SMEs Jo Boaler, Amee Evans Godwin, and Gerard Hanley. The panel, titled “This Hidden Market is the New Majority: What OER Creators Need to Know About the Unique Needs of Adult Learners,“ will discuss the state of OER in adult education, and how OER creators can better serve the adult market. Additionally, we’ll share our research report findings in a presentation titled, “New frontiers: How OER can reshape adult math education”.

Know others interested in adult math resources? Share The Math Minutes signup so they can receive upcoming issues.

- The Power in Numbers team

The Math Minutes: Issue 1

31st March, 2017

Advancing Math for Adult Learners

Power in Numbers is a new initiative from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education to help adult learners receive the higher-level math skills they need to succeed in the real world. Power in Numbers is teaming up with teachers and other experts to identify and review high-quality open educational resources (OER) that adult ed instructors across the country can access for free.

Join a Teacher User Group

We need teachers like you to make it work! We invite you to participate in a professional development opportunity to open doors for adult learners.

Made up of passionate educators, these groups will identify, evaluate, and review advanced math OER in the adult classroom. Together, we will build a library of standards-aligned, free, and accessible resources to help adult ed teachers put their students on the path to proficiency in applied math skills.

Visit our page on LINCS to learn more about participating in a Power in Numbers user group.

Meet your partner experts

We’ve assembled a panel of leaders in math, pedagogy, and technology to guide and support our teacher user groups. They will develop and shape our research and support efforts across the initiative.

Read more about our Power in Numbers experts.

What’s next

Each quarter we’ll send The Math Minutes to share Power in Numbers updates and to bring you insights from our ongoing research. Our next issue will feature our first report — a look at the real-world demand for OER in adult math — in Summer 2017.

Know someone interested in reading the research or getting involved?
Share The Math Minutes signup so they can receive upcoming issues.

- The Power in Numbers team