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Basic Literacy & Numeracy

ESL/ELL/Citizenship

High School Equivalency

4 Apps That Empower Adult Learners

January 20, 2023

In the always-evolving digital age, being able to use technology is becoming a necessity, especially in education. Educational apps have become more popular, instructing on topics from basic education and literacy to workplace readiness, financial literacy, and more. This is good news for the adult literacy field. As we learned with the COVID-19 shutdowns, learning apps gave students a way to continue learning when they can’t physically be in a classroom. Nearing the end of the pandemic, this is still important for students who face barriers getting to class or who are on waiting lists.

ProLiteracy and its publishing division, New Readers Press, offer several apps and online learning platforms that many programs use to empower adult learners at any level. Through our Mobile Learning Fund, programs in need can access grants to purchase licenses for online learning platforms so they can serve students remotely or in a blended learning capacity. 

Learning Upgrade 

Learning Upgrade is a fun and engaging digital solution to help adult learners build reading, English, math, digital literacy, work, and life skills. Learning Upgrade enables adult learners to study anywhere using smartphones or computers. Learners quickly gain confidence and reach their goals. 

Features include: 

  • 27 courses with 1,000+ lessons that include songs, videos, and games 
  • web, smartphone, and tablet access for increased time on task 
  • english, reading, math, and ged and hiset test prep 
  • practice problems accompanied by immediate intervention and remediation with multimedia support 
  • repeatable lessons awarding gold certificates when completed 
  • digital literacy and work-life skills courses included with all learning upgrade licenses 
  • detailed reporting for assessment and time tracking 
  • district-level reports and student progress reports by nrs level 

Get Learning Upgrade

 

EnGen  

EnGen is an AI-driven platform that adapts and personalizes instruction for each learner’s goals, level, and interests. The platform gives organizations and educational institutions the ability to help provide English language learners with economic mobility, civic participation, and a better quality of life. General English, digital literacy, and career-specific courses are designed to support education and job-related needs. Learners can upskill or reskill while growing personally and professionally. 

Features: 

  • Career-specific instruction with industry and job-focused pathways that are aligned to educational and vocational requirements 
  • Quick, scalable implementation 
  • Customer and learner support 
  • Hands-on teacher training and tools 
  • Real-world resources 
  • Custom content 
  • Varying difficulty levels for students at different stages 
  • Adaptive technology 
  • Live instruction 
  • Reporting dashboard 
  • Research-backed assessments 

Get EnGen

 

Leamos 

Leamos (Let’s Read) is an easy-to-use, pre-ESL online course that teaches non-literate Spanish-speaking adults to read and write in their native language. Learning to connect print skills with oral language skills in their native language before trying to learn English makes the transition a lot easier. Leamos has been used successfully by thousands of individuals, adult education programs, libraries, and more. Leamos has 43 lessons that take a student from low- or non-reading and non-writing skills to being able to read street signs, forms, prescription labels, and more. It can be used by learners at home or in a class setting with minimal support from a tutor or family member. 

Features: 

  • 9 modules and 43 self-paced lessons 
  • Audio instructions from a virtual instructor 
  • Lessons teaching two- to three-letter syllables, target words, basic sentence structure 
  • Quizzes in each lesson and at the end of each module 
  • Progress evaluation assessments 
  • Course curriculum that meets key reading and listening components of CASAS 
  • Tutor resources including a diagnostic assessment, an implementation guide, and training videos 
  • Downloadable worksheets 
  • Live phone support 
  • Access to student progress report 

Get Leamos  

 

Podemos Leer 

Podemos Leer is an app especially designed to provide offline basic literacy instruction in Spanish. Instruction is based on the Laubach Way to Reading, a time-tested curriculum that has enabled millions of adult learners to become literate in more than 300 languages. Because the program can be used offline, learners in remote areas can access the content without an internet connection. 

Features: 

  • Basic literacy skills practice, focusing on sound-symbol relationships, symbol decoding, and word-blending instruction 
  • 9 units: 8 based on syllables instruction and 1 based on numerical instruction 
  • A self-paced design for individuals and for organizations, NGOs, and governmental agencies that implement literacy programs for youth and adults 

Get Podemos Leer

 

Learn more about all ProLiteracy New Readers Press digital solutions

Need funding?

Our Mobile Learning Fund offers grant opportunities for adult literacy programs to purchase licenses to use digital instructional resources.  Mobile Learning Fund Grants