Jacqueline Aguilera, adult educator and digital equity advocate, joins Laura to explore how teachers can embed digital literacy into their lessons—without needing separate “computer classes.” In this episode, Jacqueline shares practical tips for building digital skills with limited tech, discusses the impact of the digital divide in Texas, and encourages teachers to focus on what learners already use in their daily lives.

Key talking points

Silo Busting in Education: Moving beyond subject-specific instruction to integrate real-world digital skills into all areas of teaching.

Digital Equity in Texas: Infrastructure, device quality, and access vary widely—even within cities—impacting learners’ experiences.

Teaching with What Learners Have: From smartphones to QR codes, using everyday tech to develop essential digital skills.

Creating a Learner-Driven Curriculum: Encouraging students to bring in examples from their environment and build personal connections to digital literacy.

Empowering Educators: Why teachers don’t need to know everything about tech—and how curiosity can be a superpower in the classroom.

**About Jacqueline**

Tutoring. Teaching. Training. From first-generation college students and the work of student support services to TRIO programs, college success courses, and adult education programs at universities, community college, non-profit community-based organizations, READ commissions and a Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy... Jacqueline has been on quite an adventure in adult education! One that also includes digital literacy and upskilling through EdTech, online edutainment gaming, winning a team award in an Xprize adult literacy apps competition and a Ford Foundation Mujeres Legendarias award for technology innovation applications in adult education and family literacy. She is a passionate advocate and trainer who is excited to share what she has learned, and continues to learn, in her professional journey.
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References & Resources

The Mayor's Office for Adult Literacy, Houston TX

Watch the video with closed captions or refer to the transcript below.

Transcript

Jacqueline: One of the big things is integration.
We used to really concentrate very well on our subject matter. So if I was teaching, you know, ESL or adult basic education or, you know, GED, civics—whatever the subject matter was, I was a subject matter expert. And that particular siloed topic.

And one of the things that we're seeing now is silo busting—that we are breaking out of our individual topics, our subject matter expertise, and actually contextualising it with technology.

One of the things that I've been helping instructors understand—and I had this conversation just a couple of days ago—is this does not mean that you have to have separate computer classes anymore.
The fact that you can integrate text messaging, you speak about using a smartphone, you talk about the QR codes that are everywhere now.

The different things that we need to know in order to participate in this digitally driven world that has now pretty much become a part of daily living is digital literacy.

Jacqueline: So, it sounds a little daunting. It sounds like, ‘Aw, one more thing to do?!’ But it really is that.
And one of the keys is to assess your learners, your students, about the technology that they are encountering every day and use that as a catalyst to integrate digital literacy.

Those conversations integrate everyday skills into whatever subject matter you're teaching and build it.

Laura: I love the fact that you described this as a silo busting kind of scenario that we're in at the moment. As you were describing that, it really is significant, isn't it, what we're facing—the rate of change and digitalisation of our lives as a whole.

It’s always been there, right, in terms of the internet and things like that. But it's happening a lot faster.

In terms of your context of Austin, Texas, what are you seeing on a ground level? Could you give us a taste of what's happening?

Jacqueline: Of course. You know, Texas is a big state.
So, Texas as a state is huge. And one of the challenges here is that vastness. A lot of it is rural. A lot of it is still considered country, farm, agriculture.

So when we're looking at digital equity and access... not all internet is created equally. We know this. And just to say that you have connectivity is not enough.
Look at the pandemic itself. When we were all locked away and the only means of communication was relying on that technology.

Jacqueline: But the quality of that technology. Some people had great connectivity—high-quality internet access. Their experience was glorious. Others didn’t. Even when the infrastructure is put in, it’s still difficult to participate.

The other challenge is the equipment itself. Not all laptops are created the same. Not all smartphones are created the same. And then we add the knowledge gap on top of that.

So, in Texas, it's so diverse. It doesn’t necessarily mean if you live in a suburb or inner city that it's automatically better. Even within cities, some parts have better quality service than others.

Jacqueline: So, looking at this as an equity issue and access issue is a common challenge.
And then when we finally get connected, have the equipment—then it’s time to learn how to use it. Reflecting back on the pandemic, schools sent loads of laptops, hotspots, funding... sent it to people’s homes and said, “Now you're ready.”

But people were like, “Okay, what do I do with this? How do I log in?” There were so many challenges.

Jacqueline: And here in adult education, you’re not just teaching basics—which, you know, that is the foundation, the basics of digital literacy—but then what is the next step? What comes beyond?

As you know, most of our dedication, you know, to our learners, whether they're refugees, second language learners, or those who’ve had stop-outs in their lives and they're studying for alternative certifications, they're all needing that type of instruction and knowledge from knowledgeable instructors.

That has been the challenge, too, because here it is again. Instructors need more than the basics, and in order for them to help learners be competitive, be able to adjust not only for themselves, but for their children, their families that are growing up in this massively, quickly evolving industry that's driven by technology, they have to have higher level technology experiences.

Jacqueline: And where does that take us again? To budgets and funding.

Laura: It's really complex, isn’t it? Infrastructure, access, training. And many listeners will relate to this gap.
Some students don’t have the hardware or tools in their home. And I know you see teachers working creatively to bridge that.

Could you share some best practices?

Jacqueline: Sure. Even if all you have is a smartphone, you have a keyboard. When I worked with second language or low-literacy learners, we’d break down words, spellings.

The great part is the keyboard isn't in alphabetical order—so students really have to learn the keys. It’s a milestone when they type a word, their name, a sentence.

Jacqueline: From there, we’d go to text messaging. That’s one of the easiest ways to build digital literacy.
Start with pen and paper, write out a message, then input it. It doesn’t take high-tech gear—just what’s already around you.

You can study symbols—like QR codes—and ask, “What does this mean? What does it do?”

One of my colleagues, Dr. Glenda Rose, made a brilliant point: talking about digital literacy is digital literacy. Just introducing the concept gets the conversation started and opens the door to practical use.

Laura: I love that. And I love that you’re breaking it down into ways that don’t overload students.

Some learners—especially seniors I’ve worked with—need time to get comfortable. We’ve had to go from the very beginning: this is the on button, this is the off button.

Even what we assume is digital literacy—email, web browsing—that's already five steps ahead of where many learners are starting.

So it’s about asking, “Where are your students at? What’s part of their daily life?”

Jacqueline: Yes. And also for teachers to be okay with not knowing everything. I had to learn that too—I’m not supposed to be Professor Know-It-All.

Jacqueline: Ask students to bring in examples of where they see technology. If they have phones and cameras, let them take pictures of their world—those images become their own picture dictionary.

That’s digital literacy. They can explain what they saw, why it mattered, where the technology was, and how they can learn from it.

And all of that can be integrated into any subject.

Laura: That’s such a powerful idea—bringing it back to the learner’s world. It builds confidence, removes barriers, and lets them move in the direction they want to go.