OTAN News

Upcoming OTAN Activities to Support Adult Educators – Week of 3/30

In response to COVID-19 and the closure of schools across the state, OTAN is setting up a number of online webinars and Office Hours for our adult education colleagues who are continuing to teach and support their learners.

• OTAN has set up a dedicated COVID-19 Field Support webpage that we are continually updating with relevant information for teachers, students, and administrators: COVID-19 Field Support

• We are scheduling a number of open OTAN Office Hours to give teachers a chance to ask more detailed questions and get support on specific tools that teachers are using with students. You can sign up for these OTAN Office Hours at the California Adult Education Training Calendar:

  • Monday, March 30 from 1:00 to 2:00

  • Wednesday, April 1 from 4:00 to 5:00

  • Friday, April 3 from 10:00 to 11:00

• On Monday, Yescenia Delgado will present Best Practices for Teaching Online. Topics include: best practices for anyone just getting started in the online environment; review of strategies and practices that contribute to effective, efficient, and satisfying teaching and learning experiences for both instructors and students; and practices presented can help develop confidence and comfort in teaching online. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

• On Tuesday, CASAS will present Considerations When Implementing Distance Learning. Many schools and colleges are taking a “crash course” in distance learning implementation. This session looks at some of the key issues - such as pre- and post-test assessment, determining how to count instructional hours, and recording this activity in TOPSPro Enterprise - that have presented challenges. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

• On Tuesday, Barry Bakin will present Easy Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Projects for Language Practice. Participants will be shown simple project-based activities for language practice and learning using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which serve the dual purpose of language practice (writing and speaking) and learning basic functions of common software programs in use at home, school, and the workplace. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

• On Wednesday, Yescenia Delgado will present Student Engagement in Online Learning. Empirical research will be presented on student engagement in online learning. The presentation will discuss specific dimensions of engagement considered to be effective educational practices: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, and enriching educational experiences. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

• On Wednesday, Monica Espinoza will present Using Padlet to Engage Online Learners. Padlet can be incorporated into your (online) classes as a place where students respond to prompts in writing or through a variety of media. The goal for this webinar is for participants to learn the basics of how to use Padlet to encourage engagement in a Distance Learning setting. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

• On Thursday, CASAS will present Recording Distance Learning in TOPSpro Enterprise. Capture the attendance hours properly in TOPSpro Enterprise (TE). This session will build on the CASAS presentation on Distance Learning Implementation reporting requirements and demonstrate how and when to mark a class as “distance learning” and the TE reports which show this data. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

• On Friday, Melinda Holt and Debbie Jensen will present Google Classroom for Adult Education, Part 1. Google Classroom is a free Blended Learning system that allows educators to create online classes where they can then enroll students, distribute, grade, or return assignments, communicate with individuals or entire classes, send feedback, and see everything in one place. This workshop will cover the basics of Google Classroom. You can sign up for this webinar at the California Adult Education Training Calendar.

Please contact us at support@otan.us or call our office at 916-228-2580 for more information! We are here to support you!