Readability for All: Fostering Adult Literacy Through Personalization
Highlighting the improved reading impacts delivered by readability changes, readability research results, and new tools, a team from Adobe and World Education presented at the Florida Literacy Conference.
Rick Treitman, Entrepreneur in Residence, Adobe, kicked off the session with a review of the state of reading in the United States. Citing US Department of Education data, he noted that only 34-37% of students are proficient readers. He explained Adobe’s interest in providing improved reading experiences through new features delivered last summer in Adobe Reader for mobile platforms. He shared results of an early prototype Adobe built for a Readability Matters proof of concept study.
Dr. Zoya Bylinskii, Research Scientist, Adobe, shared her work in adult reading research. Further, she discussed an interdisciplinary group of researchers she formed to collaborate, share learnings and advance the work. She invited interested researchers to join the Readability Tech Channel on Medium and the related Slack Channel.
Dr. Jen Vanek, Director, Digital Learning and Research, World Education, discussed the preliminary results of their field test using the new Adobe Liquid Mode with adult learners. Further, she shared a new World Education website, Readability Central, with links and resources for educators interested in getting involved.
Participants were active in the chat module; they were excited to learn about the possibilities readability features create and to introduce readability to their students.
About The Florida Literacy Coalition: Established in 1985, The Florida Literacy Coalition (FLC) promotes, supports and advocates for the effective delivery of quality adult and family literacy services in the state of Florida.
As a statewide umbrella literacy organization and the host of Florida’s State Literacy Resource Center, FLC provides a range of services to support more than 300 adult education, literacy and family literacy providers throughout Florida. Special emphasis is placed on assisting community based literacy organizations with their training and program development needs.
About the 37th Annual Florida Literacy Conference: This event will feature 30 offerings over three days, all designed to energize educators with new ideas and hands-on strategies that they can put to work for their programs and students.
