OTAN Digest - October 2024

“Educators cannot provide effective digital learning experiences without first understanding adult learners.”

Chapter 3 – Foundations of Adult Education and Digital Learning

Reader’s Guide

Facilitator’s Guide

This is excerpted from Chapter 3: Adult Learning Theories section from the California Adult Education Digital Learning Guidance.

Andragogy includes the following core adult learning principles. Adult learners:

• need to know the why, what, and how of learning;
• are autonomous and self-directed;
• use prior experiences as mental models and resources for learning;
• have a readiness to learn and seek life-related learning experiences;
• are contextual and problem-centered (rather than theoretical); and
• have an intrinsic motivation to learn.

The andragogical process model includes the following steps:

1. Preparing learners for the learning experience
2. Establishing a collaborative, respectful, and open climate for learning
3. Mutual planning and decision-making about the learning process
4. Establishing learning needs; considering both individual and organizational goals
5. Mutual creation of learning goals and objectives
6. Designing the learning experience
7. Participating in learning activities (e.g., experiential or inquiry-based learning)
8. Evaluating learner outcomes and perceptions of the learning experience

Six Civic Resources

Written by Jennifer Gagliardi, OTAN Subject Matter Expert

Six Civics resources that you and your students can use immediately to construct Civics Literacy.

1. LINCS: Civics Resources for Constitution and Citizenship Week 2024

   Updated list of resources and activities that celebrate Constitution and Citizenship Week which coincides with Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (Sept 16-20).

2. National Constitution Center: 2024-2025 Civic Calendar “Election Connections”

   Explore the history of elections and voting rights in the United States, highlighting key events such as the Electoral College, Inauguration Day, and voter technology. Sign up now and receive your free copy of the Civic Calendar or download the pdf.

3. NewsLit: Election 2024: Be informed, not misled

   NewsLit includes lesson plans focused on information media literacy. Their Misinformation Dashboard: Election 2024 empowers advanced students to identify and avoid viral election falsehoods.

4. Pro Literacy: Election 2024 Interactive Voting Guide pdf | online class

   Simple interactive videos and pdf that give an overview of voting rights, responsibilities, and activities. Stay tuned for the upcoming ProLiteracy News Literacy Course.

5. USA Learns: Access America UPDATE
6. uscitizenpod: 10 Practice Citizenship Interviews based on the USCIS Form N-400 (2024)

   The pdfs are fillable (to encourage digital literacy and support distance learning). Additionally, every effort has been made to make the pdfs accessible to people of all abilities. More pdfs will be posted soon

What’s an ePortfolio?

EPortfolios accessed cost-free through your Canvas instance creates a digital space for students to display and share their work. There are also ways to use ePortfolios as a repository for all work/career related items like a resume, cover letters, example/s of class projects or work, which can then be shared with future employers. Guide to begin with Canvas ePortfolios.

A Framework for Digital Equity

A New Approach to Digital Equity: A Framework for States and Schools offers a comprehensive approach for school and system leaders to transform current educational practices and to also prepare for future technological advances. This framework explains how the five domains interconnect with one another. Each plays a crucial role in fostering digital equity. For the framework to effectively work, all five domains must be interconnected and no domain neglected.