OTAN Digest - July 2024
Digest #41
July 2024
Spotlight On...
OTAN Artificial Intelligence (AI) Presentations
Subject Matter Experts (SME)at OTAN play an innovative role with not just presentations, but in all the workings of OTAN projects. To become a SME, a person must exhibit expertise in EdTech with a passion for sharing it. To read more about the people who are instrumental to OTAN, check out their biographies on the Meet the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) page.
Training of Trainers 2023 (not all SMEs shown here.)
With the AI explosion, our inventive SMEs continue to update and create presentations to share with fellow educators across California. This month’s spotlight is on the invaluable work figuring out the many facets of AI and how it can be taught responsibly. Resources are continually added to the short list included below, so check OTAN.US to keep current.
OTAN SMEs, Susan Gaer & Audrey Dierdorff seem to be everywhere with their AI presentations. Susan Gaer shared these pictures, not inclusive of every audience or of the many talented SMEs who present on AI. From left to right, CASAS SI 2024, Pittsburg and Bakersfield to share a few.
Video Presentations
TDLS 2024 - AI and Adult Education!
Presenters: Barry Bakin, Susan Coulter, Elisia Doonan, Dana Thompson, Debbie Jensen & Jaemi Naish
TDLS 2024 - See the latest in AI! Free Online Interactive Resources for Adult Learners
Presenter: Debbie Jensen
TDLS 2024 - You Got Canva? You Got AI!
Presenter: Audrey Dierdorff
TDLS 2023 - Rock Your World: AI in AE Saves Teachers' Time
Presenters: Kristi Reyes, Susan Gaer & Debbie Jensen
AI Prompt Mastery: How to Become a Prompt Genius
Presenter: TDLS 2023 Keynote Speaker Joe Marquez
OTAN Tech Talk
OTAN Tech Talk - Streamline Planning with AI: Craft Custom Lessons
Presenter: Susan Coulter
OTAN Tech Talk - AI Tools for Adult Education
Presenter: Kristi Reyes
Web-Based Class Activities
Put a Little MagicSchool Into Your Classroom (Recording Available Soon)
Written by Audrey Dierdorff
Enhance Adult Education Lessons with Online Video Using AI Tools
Written by Kristi Reyes
Using AI Tools in Citizenship Prep and Civics Education
Written by Jennifer Gagliardi
Streamline Planning with AI: Craft Custom Lessons
Written by Susan Coulter
Enhancing Adult Education with Ethical AI: Using with Students
Written by Susan Gaer
ChatGPT: Risks, Challenges and the Future
Written by Susan Gaer
At the forefront of EdTech, our Subject Matter Experts continue to curate inventive presentations for adult educators everywhere not just in AI but in Accessibility, Canvas, Microsoft, Google, Canva, to name but a few. To schedule an in-person or online presentation with one of our OTAN SMEs, contact support@otan.us.
Organizing your Canvas Account For Account Administrators
ProLiteracy's Mobile Learning Fund - Solutions for Online Learning Resources
The New Jim Code? Race and Discriminatory Design
What do we Gain and Lose when Students use AI to Write?
Access for all has long been the mission of OTAN. Resources below feature this enthusiasm to create accessible digital spaces and encourage our educators to apply it within their own learning programs. Some video recordings, Tech Talks, and their companion Web-based Class Activity articles are featured below.
TDLS 2024 - Creative Ways to Engage All Levels of Online Learners
Companion Articles
Creative Ways to Engage All Levels of Online Learners
5 Tips for Engaging All Learners with Digital Literacy
OTAN Tech Talk: Creative Ways to Engage All Levels of Online Learners
Presenter: Elisia Doonan, OTAN SME
TDLS 2023 - Accessibility: Making Your Resources Available to Everyone
Companion Article: Using Accessibility Features to Help ALL of Our Students Improve Their Learning
Presenter: Debbie Jensen, OTAN SME
A11y - Accessibility: Considerations for AE Teachers
Presenter: Penny Pearson, OTAN SME
OTAN Tech Talk - Creating Accessibile Documents
Presenter: Penny Pearson, OTAN SME
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Blended Learning: The Power Couple are also perfect for the EdTech space. These models both support and enhance Accessibility and practical professional development can assist with adoption. To schedule UDL & Blended Learning professional development contact OTAN at support@otan.us
The California Adult Education Canvas Commons houses many Open Educational Resources developed by our SMEs and adult educators. This platform welcomes and invites ALL California adult education agencies, non-credit community college partners, community-based organizations, library literacy programs, and workforce partners can join with this linked form without a Canvas MOU through OTAN. Sharing Canvas modules and materials via the Commons is an excellent way to curb “reinventing the wheel.”
Some favorites have been moved from Moodle into Canvas and this transformation didn’t happen by magic. Several SMEs, Francisca Wentworth, Paul Yung, Alisa Takeuchi, Debbie Jensen, Penny Pearson, Blair Roy and Dana Thompson dedicated an extraordinary amount of time to this ever-evolving project.
What courses from Moodle can I access in the CA Adult Education Canvas Commons?
- Advanced ESL
- The Write Stuff
- Putting English to Work 1 & 2
Videos
The Write Stuff - A Writing Skills Course for ELL Students
Presenter: Francisca Wentworth, OTAN SME
TDLS 2023 - Putting English to Work 1 and 2 on Canvas
Presenter: Paul Yung, OTAN SME
Instructure Community Guide
How to Access the Canvas Commons?
For more questions about setting up your Canvas Account, professional development opportunities and creating a multi-year plan for adoption, please contact us at aecanvas@scoe.net
OTAN appreciates the passionate, inventive work of our Subject Matter Expert partners. Thank you for your continued expertise and dedication to Adult Education.
Monthly, SMEs write an article about technology and how it correlates with teaching and learning. These articles become companions of each OTAN Tech Talk. While OTAN welcomes an article or Tech Talk from any adult educator in California, our SMEs without fail consistently write about the most innovative ideas for adult education classrooms.
July
Enhance Adult Education Lessons with Online Video Using AI Tools
By Kristi Reyes, Subject Matter Expert, OTAN
Videos support enhancing background knowledge for our students. Culminate video viewing with a post-viewing activity such as a reflection, discussion or a writing assignment or project. Creating these materials can be time consuming. Luckily there are several AI options available. Two are detailed within this article.
June
Put A Little MagicSchool Into Your Classroom
By Audrey Dierdorff, Subject Matter Expert, OTAN
As large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Gemini are being utilized more and more in education, we, as adult educators, need to become prompt engineering aficionados, finessing prompts to get the results we want. But really, who has time for that? Here is where the rays of light come from the heavens and illuminates MagicSchool.AI . This tool was created to alleviate teacher burn-out by creating easy to use AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools for lesson planning, differentiation, assessments, and more.
May
Using AI Tools in Citizenship Preparation and Civics Education
By Jennifer Gagliardi, Subject Matter Expert, OTAN
On April 1, 2024, USCIS released a new fee rule and an updated N-400 Application for Naturalization. This article communicates an overview of the changes, helpful links to updated forms, and a compare/contrast of the material with the N-400 updated Interview and the past one. There are recommendations for Voice-enabled Gen AI Apps to practice for the interview. With this article, your Citizenship classes will be ready for updating and more students attaining citizenship.
The OTAN team lovingly said goodbye to our 2022-24 DLAC cohort, May 16-17. Teams presented their work, progress, challenges, and successes with each of their goals. Each agency shared their DLAC story, team personalities, and plan to continue the work. We will miss each of you and look forward to staying connected. DLAC presentations were recorded and will be made available coming soon.
Message from the Director
How do you reset and recharge for a new program year? Personally, I prioritize time for new learning, which often includes attending conferences and exploring new educational technology resources online. In late June, I attended ISTELive 24 and walked away with so many fresh ideas and tools that I can’t wait to dive into.
One new tool I discovered is Twee, an AI-powered platform for creating personalized lesson plans and materials. As a former ESL and ABE teacher, I spent countless hours developing lessons to support my students with reading, writing, vocabulary, etc. Twee allows you to create materials for your lessons by simply providing the tool with a topic and an instructional level. For example, I could choose the topic Interviews and ask it to develop the exercises at a B1-B2 (Intermediate level). Within seconds, Twee will push out materials that are ready to go for students. It’s a game change for teachers and students!
Another new tool that could be beneficial to administrators and support personnel as well as teachers is Brisk Teaching, a free AI Google extension that helps staff to automate their workload. I was able to create a template for a newsletter and draft a professional email with remarkable efficiency.
Are you intrigued with these new tools? OTAN is here to support you and your team with all your technology goals. Don’t hesitate to reach out to OTAN to discuss free, customized training for your site. Wishing you a fantastic start to your new program year!
-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education
OTAN July and August Events
| Date/Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 1 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM |
Canvas Pages and the RCE | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Friday, July 12 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM |
OTAN Tech Talk July '24: Augmenting Video Content with AI Tools | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Monday, July 15 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM |
Canvas Assignments | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Thursday, July 18 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Creating your Canvas Training PD Plan | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Monday, July 22 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM |
Canvas Grading and Feedback | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Monday, July 29 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM |
Canvas Outcomes and Rubrics | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Thursday, August 1 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Canvas Panel Discussion with Agencies | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Monday, August 5 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
ASAP & Canvas: A workaround from the field | OTAN Zoom |
| Thursday, August 8 09:45 AM - 11:45 AM |
Tech Tools and Insights for DEIB in AE ★ | ABC Adult Education |
| Thursday, August 8 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Canvas Course Settings and Sharing | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Thursday, August 8 12:15 PM - 02:15 PM |
Tech Tools and Insights for DEIB in AE ★ | ABC Adult Education |
| Monday, August 12 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
Using AI in Adult Education | Rancho Santiago Community College |
| Monday, August 19 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Canvas Groups, Collaborations, and Discussions | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Thursday, August 22 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Using AI (and ChatGPT) in Adult Education [AM] ★ | San Mateo Adult Education |
| Thursday, August 22 05:00 PM - 08:00 PM |
Using AI (and ChatGPT) in Adult Education [PM] ★ | San Mateo Adult Education |
| Friday, August 30 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Using AI (and ChatGPT) in Adult Education ★ | Sierra Community College |
OTAN training events are OPEN to Adult Education staff.
★ = CLOSED, In-Service Training
Professional Development - Plan Ahead!
Did you know OTAN provides FREE professional development workshops to help Adult Educators integrate technology?
Think about scheduling OTAN Professional Development in the 2023-2024 school year. With a wide variety of technology topics from which to choose, OTAN training staff can provide in-person workshops or presentations at any approved California adult education agency or professional development event, either online or face-to-face with a computer lab or devices connected to the Internet.
All OTAN's workshops are provided at no cost!
Each session is hands-on - everyone will learn new skills related to technology or using technology that they can use in their adult education class or program. And all OTAN online or face-to-face workshops can be tailored to fit the needs of the requesting program. Select the links to see a list of the current online or face-to-face workshops and descriptions. If you don't see a workshop that is exactly what you need, contact OTAN - we'll work together to create a training that's best for you and your staff!
Need more information? Contact OTAN training staff anytime by phone at (916) 228-2580, or by email at support@otan.us.
To view workshops already scheduled, visit the California Adult Education Professional Development Calendar and search for workshops sponsored by OTAN. Don't miss out!