Education and improving literacy is a continuous process throughout our lifetime. No matter how old a person gets, they still need to learn new things which also includes different skills. The learning could either be formal or informal. Technological advancements in today’s society have made learning more comfortable and accessible to everyone, especially for adults. Technology has helped improve adult literacy in ways such as the following.

Existence of Applications Which Promote Learning

Most adults nowadays have smartphones and other electronic gadgets which enable them to access information from the internet. In technologically advanced nations such as the United Kingdom and New Zealand, there are excellent facilities that promote adult education. There are products, such as mobile applications that support literacy among adults. People can access learning information from the apps hence improving their literacy. These countries have invested heavily in internet connection, so accessing such apps and online content will not be a hard task.

Teleconferencing

Teleconferencing is a technological advancement which involves the use of telecommunication devices to communicate with a person in a different location. This technology is accessible to adult persons in countries such as New Zealand and the UK. Using this technology, a person can be taught by somebody else in another location, providing he or she has the required teleconferencing devices and also a good internet connection which is available in most developed countries. This will help greatly in improving literacy levels in adults.

Blogging

Blogging is writing about something so that it can be read by others. Blogging can help in improving literacy. Adults who have an interest in reading and writing can utilise blogs to increase their literacy. A group of adults can keep a blog between them, and they can write about anything. This will help improve their level of literacy. Other adults who can access the content on the blog, and also on other blogs, will read what is contained there, and they will definitely get to learn new things, therefore improving their literacy.

Gamification

Gaming may be a relatively difficult method in educating adults, but it can work. The existence of online games which will help in improving the literacy of adults may be of much help to some groups of people. Such games should be mature games that will make the adult persons engage their brain well, to get through the game and go to higher levels. Games that will engage adults include quizzes, word puzzles and others that might need one to do mathematical calculations. Such games can be put in the form of software and mobile applications for adults to access them. All adults have the right to use electronic devices, and hence they can download and install the games on them. This will greatly improve their literacy.

Online Libraries

Technology has eased people’s activities since you can access most things on your smart device from the comfort of your home. Adults who may find it difficult to go to physical libraries and get resources to read, can now study anything they want on the internet, provided they have a good connection. There are websites where you can find books you want to read in digital form; hence, you do not need to go to a library and borrow a book. This even saves you the risk of losing the book and replacing it. This will improve adult literacy in a big way.

Portable Document Format

Commonly referred to as PDF, documents can be downloaded online, and they help in educating adults. When you go online and search for anything in your area of interest, you are likely to find it in PDF form, and you can download it and read it later. This technology will help in promoting adult education and hence improve literacy.

Countries such as the United Kingdom and New Zealand have most of these technological developments to ensure adults within their jurisdiction can access information and hence become more literate. It is admirable that many countries are embracing technology in the quest to improve adult literacy levels.