OTAN Digest - July 2025
Digest #53
July 2025
Spotlight On...
2025 California Adult Education Students Succeed Honorees
Congratulations!
This year’s list of honorees represents a variety of California’s adult programs and one public library. These adult learner stories and photographs will be added to our website pending a signed waiver by the student. We love this opportunity to highlight students and the people who walk with them on this journey.
Alexander Clemente
Nominator: Marina Kravtsova
Merced County Office of Education
Ana Rico-Sanchez
Nominator: Kristine Lindsey
Marisol Sosa
Nominator: Johanna Gleason
Apple Valley Adult School
Blanca Rangel
Nominator: Adele McClain
Lal Mani Kafle
Nominator: Bette Bogart
Chong Geyer
Nominator: Jonathan Maiullo
Kylee Clifton
Nominators: Angie Land & Kara Miller-Halbert
Mitchell Barron
Nominator: CeCe Garofoli
Abdou Basbous
Nominator: Yuceli Mondragon
Jeffrey Blanco
Nominator: Casey Burrill
Soledad Osguera
Nominator: Ifsha Buttitta
Matin Samimiat
Nominator: Linda Ju-Ong
Askal Berhe
Nominator: Michelle Cohen
Cirila Fonseca
Nominator: Sandra Castelo
Henry Velasco
Nominator: Maria Torres
Tracey Astudillo
Nominator: Nancy Herrera
Maria Baruch de Lourdes
Carlos Ortega
Nominator: John Russell
Blake Schaller
Nominator: TaDese Ross
Jennifer Tapia
Nominator: Cynthia Canchola
Patricia Barajas Cisneros
Nominator: Robin Bielman
Syril Strickler
Nominator: James Earley
Carine Gabriel
Nominator: Danny Kambur
Pearl Wong
Nominator: Stephanie Rodriguez
Fardin Imami
Nominator: Lois Rhodes
Tommisha Dodson
Nominator: Joyce Glaspie
Yaphet Hightower
Nominator: Lauren Haley
Maria Barajas Herrera
Nominator: Lars Guntvedt
Eva Fimbres
Nominator: Maria Marasigan
Anita Demetria Corro
Nominator: Jennifer Hoeger
Griselda Garcia
Nominator: Carlos Brambila
Cindy Hernandez Pastrana
Nominator: Jorge Mora
Elizabeth Torres
Nominator: Vanessa Maldonado
Emely Castellanos
Anna Holbert
Nominator: Cynthia Bennett
Ramona Angulo Espinosa
Nominator: Deanna Gross
Aiman Lakfifi
Nominator: Janis Gevirtzman
Skarloff Valbuena
Nominator: Christopher Chavarria
Where are they now? Updates from Students Succeed Honorees
Last week, Lois Rhodes, a GED teacher at Sunrise Tech Center (San Juan USD), reached out with exciting news about her former student, Dora Duenas. Dora recently earned her associate’s degree in business administration with honors from Sierra College and will begin the honors program at Sacramento State in fall 2025. We were thrilled to add her update, along with a new photo, to the “Where Are They Now?” section on Dora’s webpage.
To share an update on a past CAESS honoree, please email Karin de Varennes at kdevarennes@scoe.net with their latest information and a recent photo, if available.
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
Boosting Efficiency and Organization with Microsoft Bookings
By Yecsenia Castro, OTAN Subject Matter Expert
Microsoft Bookings offers a user-friendly solution to streamline appointment management and productivity. Eliminating the back-and-forth of scheduling— this tool allows you to set your availability so students can easily book time with you and stay connected.
June
Creative Ways to use Microsoft Sway in your Classroom
By Chris Vela Che, OTAN Subject Matter Expert
Microsoft Sway allows teachers to create and share visually appealing presentations, reports, newsletters, and stories. It’s also ideal for learners who are just beginning to explore digital spaces.
May
AI in the AE class, Oh mAI!
By Francisco Xavier Pinedo, Jr. OTAN Subject Matter Expert
While traditional digital tools have been valuable resources for adult education students pursuing ESL, HSD, or HSE goals, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) represents a shift in educational support.
CA Adult Education Canvas Commons
OTAN added more courses to our OER (Open Educational Resources) on California Adult Education Canvas Commons.
New ones include:
English for Multilingual Learners
DART – Digital Access and Resilience with Technology
Soft Skills for Career Success
EL Civics additions are also available along with adult educator shared resources. Consult the OTAN Canvas Project for ideas about a Canvas Overview, Getting Started & Learning Resources.
Or contact aecanvas@scoe.net for additional support.
Message from the Director
This edition of the OTAN Digest highlights our 2025 California Adult Education Students Succeed (CAESS) honorees. The CAESS program recognizes the hard work that these outstanding adult education students have completed in pursuit of their personal, academic, and professional goals and aspirations. Congratulations to the students and their nominators for this achievement!
In the spirit of highlighting individuals who do amazing things every day, I’d like to take the time to recognize and extend heartfelt gratitude to our OTAN Subject Matter Experts. As OTAN’s dedicated SMEs, the staff, over 30 in total, bring essential expertise and passion to our work around digital technology in adult education. Some areas in which they have been instrumental include delivering high-quality in-person and virtual training, coaching for the Digital Leadership Academy and for agencies serving remote regions, facilitating learning management system (LMS) training and designing online courses and curriculum, updating our adult education history, providing training aligned to the California adult education digital learning guidance, building of technology-embedded lesson plans and class activities, developing guidance for creating 508-compliant documentation, and so much more!
These invaluable team members are regularly designing, coordinating, and facilitating professional learning experiences that are engaging and impactful. I am deeply grateful for their creativity, resilience, and heart, which strengthen OTAN’s team, but also the entire adult education ecosystem in California and beyond. Thank you for your meaningful work, SMEs, and for the devotion you have for student success.
Don’t miss out on connecting with your OTAN SMEs at upcoming training and conferences. OTAN posts training on the California Adult Education Professional Development website.
-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education
OTAN July and August Events
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 2025-2026 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 face-to-face or online 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 face-to-face or online workshops can be tailored to fit the needs of the requesting program. Select the links to see a list of the current face-to-face or online 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!