OTAN Digest - November 2024
Digest #45
November 2024
Spotlight On...
California Adult Education Students Succeed Awardees
The following honorees represented Adult Education at the
CAEP Summit, October 30, and ACSA, November 14.
CAEP 2024 Awardees
Ana Laura Romo
Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School
Angeline Guzman
Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School
ACSA 2024 Awardees
Jazzmyn Williams
Visalia Adult School
Stephen Hughes
Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School
Fresh Takes: Adult Ed Research, Summarized for On-the-go Educators
Learn More About OTAN Curriculum Offers
Which Language Superpowers Do Bilingual Students Bring to US Schools?
OTAN’s newest cohort connected October 10-11th for a two-day professional learning introduction to DLAC. Teams deciphered, with the help of Dr. Porter, everyone's strengths and how these work within a healthy team. Teams also became acquainted with expectations in IDEAL’s 101 course with Destiny Simpson. The course, along with assistance from OTAN’s talented coaches and Coordinator, Neda Anasseri, will provide continued support for each team to reach its goal.
Pictured Left to Right, OTAN Coaches Neda Anasseri, Susan Gaer, Christina Hyatt, Susan Coulter, Dr. Paul Porter, Yecsenia Castro, and Marian Thacher
New DLAC Cohort Begins!
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Six Election Resources
Written by Jennifer Gagliardi, OTAN Subject Matter Expert
Six new resources that you and your students can use immediately to support Civics Literacy.
COABE: Voter Resources
List of resources and organizations about elections and voting for Adult Learners. Includes new information about Restorative Justice.
LINCS Civic Calendar and Voting Rights of People with Disabilities
In honor of Disability Voting Rights Week (September 9-13) the LINCS Learners with Disabilities and Civics Education groups co-hosted a webinar about the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws protecting the rights of Voters with Disabilities.
Pro Literacy: Navigating Today’s Media
This new 1-hour course introduces media literacy to students through simple interactive videos. Students learn how to define, analyze, evaluate, share and recognize bias in media. This course complements ProLiteracy’s Election 2024 Interactive Voting Guide pdf | online class and the four courses in ProLiteracy’s Citizenship Collection based on Lynn Weintraub’s citizenship series.
USCIS: "One Nation, One People Civics Test Textbook"
In late September 2024, USCIS released its new civics test textbook that prepares low-level English learners for the civics test portion of their naturalization interview. Pait material from the new guide with videos from Preparing for the Oath. USCIS will present a webinar on LINCS Oct 21, 2024 11 am PT (REGISTER) and OTAN SME Jennifer Gagliardi will present a webinar on CATESOL Oct 25, 2024 4 pm (REGISTER)
uscitizenpod: Voting and Election Resources for Adult Ed Students PADLET
Frequently updated list of resources. New sections include “Multilingual Voting Resources” and “Webinars about Voting” by Adult Educators.
VOA News: 2024 US Election This special section includes daily articles, video explainers, and NEW Presidential Firsts Quiz about the election and voting processes. Use VOA World Elections 2024 to link students’ home country elections and personal voting experiences with the local, state, and US federal elections. Learn more about the Presidents, Congress, and Voting Amendments in the VOA Learning English US History section.
As reported at ProLiteracy 2024, USA Hello is working on an Gen AI Naturalization Interview activity to help students prepare for the N-400 section their interview.
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.
November
The Adult Learner Navigability Navigator (ALVN)
By Susan Gaer, Subject Matter Expert, OTAN
The Adult Learner Navigability Navigator (ALVN) External Link Icon opens in new window or tab is a one of the only tools for adult educators that links learner factors, and strategies to research. The project was funded through Digital Promise, a global nonprofit working to expand opportunity for every learner.
October
HyFlex in Action: Revolutionizing Adult Education with Flexible Learning Models
By Alisa Takeuchi, Subject Matter Expert, OTAN
The HyFlex (Hybrid-Flexible) model of instruction has gained significant traction in adult education, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This instructional approach allows students to choose between attending classes in person, participating online in real-time, (simultaneous instruction) or engaging with course materials asynchronously.
September
Treat yourself to Twee’s Free AI Tools
By Kristi Reyes, Subject Matter Expert, OTAN
Adult educators who are early adopters have embraced the power of generative AI tools to create customized lesson materials, differentiate instruction, and save time. Using Large Language Models such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and others effectively requires an understanding of how to prompt the tools, but sometimes the output just does not give us what we are hoping for.
Susan Gaer and Kristi Reyes, OTAN Subject Matter Experts, recently published their Digital Promise's Adult Learner Variability Navigator Resource Review of ALVN in the Adult Literacy Education Journal – Volume 6 Issue 2, Summer 2024. This article’s intention is to acquaint readers with key findings.
Evaluation Summary
ALVN is “an innovative and powerful tool designed to support educators in meeting the diverse needs of adult learners.” Gaer and Reyes offer the following stand out features: 1) “ability to provide personalized learning strategies,” 2) “platform houses an extensive repository of high-quality resources...catering to the varied interests of adult learners,” 3) educator time-saver because all resources are on one site, 4) and ALVN is the only tool of its kind developed for adult educators. For more details, consult the full resource review.
OTAN Resources
Adult Learner Variability Network: An Introduction
ALVN: Connecting research with practice: Video Presentation
See How These Educators Are Using Classroom Tech to Maximize Teaching and Learning
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Message from the Director
I’m hoping that many of you were able to take part in the annual California Adult Education Program (CAEP) Summit October 28-30. There were more than 500 in-person attendees and even more participating remotely as part of the first ever hybrid CAEP Summit. It’s truly the place to be to meet your job-like colleagues and to stay abreast of the latest research and practice in adult education. I’m a huge fan of the Summit, but what I find most inspirational about the event is the celebration of the Students Succeed honorees. The students’ stories never fail to root me once again in my “why”. This year 16 new honorees representing 7 agencies were added to our OTAN database that currently captures 332 of the personal stories of these inspirational and resilient individuals we are fortunate enough to call our adult education students.
Each year, OTAN recognizes the four top-scoring students by inviting them to attend either the CAEP Summit or the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Leadership Conference and by creating a video of their stories. All nominees meeting the minimum rubric requirements are invited to have their written personal stories published on the OTAN Students Succeed website. This year’s top honorees, who were in person at the Summit, overcame significant life and educational hurdles to reach their goals.
Every year, agencies are asked to participate in Adult Education Leg Day. And there is no better way to demonstrate the impact of Adult Ed than through our students and their experiences. This year, consider which students your agency can nominate and celebrate for their perseverance and grit. Take time to capture the stories of your students and let OTAN help celebrate them with you. The Student Succeed nomination period will be open from January 1 through March 21, but the rubric is available for you to get started right away. I look forward to reading about each of your amazing students!
-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education
OTAN November and December Events
| Date/Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, November 1 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM |
OTAN Tech Talk November 2024: Adult Learner Variability Navigator (ALVN) | OTAN Online |
| Monday, November 4 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Canvas: Setting up a Blueprint or Template Course Admin | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Wednesday, November 6 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Federal Program Monitoring Program (FPM) Adult Education Office Instrument Training 2024/25 (Part 2: Live Question and Answer Webinar) | OTAN Online Webinar |
| Thursday, November 7 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM |
Northstar Digital Literacy User Group | OTAN Online |
| Tuesday, November 12 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Canvas: Using a Template or Blueprint Course (Instructor/Department Heads) | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Monday, December 2 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Advanced Canvas: Mastery Paths | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
| Monday, December 9 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Advanced Canvas: Studio | OTAN Zoom Meeting |
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 2024-2025 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!