OTAN Digest May 2026
Spotlight On...
OTAN Regional Bay Area Canvas Summit: 6/5/26
A day of learning, connection, and practical strategies.
The Regional Bay Area Canvas Summit is coming up on June 5th bringing adult education educators and administrators together for a focused day of professional learning centered on Canvas.
Whether you’re new to Canvas or looking to deepen your practice, the Canvas Summit offers practical strategies, real-world examples, and opportunities for hands-on application.
What to Expect
- Sessions at various skill levels from beginning to advanced
- Practical examples of Canvas use in adult education contexts
- Opportunities to explore time-saving features and workflows
- A chance to connect with fellow educators and share what’s working
Who Should Attend
- Instructors using Canvas for in-person, hybrid, or distance learning
- Program coordinators and administrators supporting adult education agencies
- Adult educators looking for practical, classroom ready ideas
Why Attend
The Canvas Summit is designed to move beyond theory and focus on what works – strategies and tools that educators can apply immediately in their programs to support adult learners.
Whether you attend to refine a single skill or reimagine how Canvas supports your program, the Summit is a valuable opportunity to learn, reflect, and grow alongside the adult education community in the bay area.
Details
- Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
- Time: 8:30am – 3:00pm
- Location: Del Valle Education Center, Walnut Creek, CA
- Registration and More Info: OTAN Regional Bay Area Canvas Summit
Workforce EdTech Tool Evaluation Criteria
2025 Digital Learning Guidance Update
Stronger Starts: Free Parenting Support & Coaching for Your Students
Designing Better AI Prompts for Student-Centered Learning
Beyond the Password: Why Navigating 2FA is an Important Digital Literacy Skill
Student Success Story
Meet Marisol Sosa 🌟
A 2025 California Adult Education Students Succeed Nominee
From dropping out of school at age 12 in Mexico to support her family, to being named a 2025 California Adult Education Students Succeed awardee, Marisol Sosa’s journey is nothing short of incredible. Despite facing language barriers, the digital divide during the pandemic, and profound personal loss, Marisol never stopped climbing. Today, she is a San Diego College of Continuing Education High School Equivalency graduate, a small business owner, and a mentor to her fellow students.
She isn't done yet: she’s currently working toward her dream of becoming an accountant! 📈 📖
Featured Tech Tool – NotebookLM
What is NotebookLM?
Developed by Google, NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and writing assiastant that is "grounded" in your specific documents. Unlike general AI, it only uses the sources you provide, making it a reliable, high-integrity partner for educators.
Think of NotebookLM as a collaborative "brain" for your projects. You upload your PDFs, Google Docs, website links, or even YouTube transcripts, and the tool creates a private environment where you can ask questions, summarize complex topics, and generate new content, all with automatic citations that link back to your original sources.
How to Use It in Your Role
For Teachers & Educators
- Instant Study Aids: Upload a unit’s worth of materials and use the Studio panel to generate flashcards, practice quizzes, and comprehensive study guides in seconds.
- Interactive Podcasts (Audio Overviews): Turn dense reading assignments into a two-host "podcast" summary. With the new Interactive Mode, students can even "interrupt" the AI hosts to ask for clarification on specific terms.
- Differentiated Instruction: Quickly adapt complex text into simplified outlines or visual mind maps to support diverse learner needs without starting from scratch.
For Administrators & Leaders
- Policy & Handbook Navigation: Upload your agency’s faculty handbook, LCAP goals, or state compliance manuals. Instead of searching through hundreds of pages, you can ask, "What is our current policy on professional development reimbursements?" and get an instant, cited answer.
- Meeting Preparation: Use the tool to synthesize meeting minutes, survey results, or grant requirements into a concise executive briefing or a slide deck for your next board presentation.
- Data Synthesis: Ground the AI in your program's assessment data and trend reports to identify student success patterns or areas for curriculum improvement.
Get Started: You can access the tool for free at notebooklm.google. For agencies using Google Workspace for Education, check with your IT administrator to ensure the service is enabled for your domain.
Monthly, SMEs write an article about technology and how it correlates with teaching and learning. These articles become companions of each OTAN Tech Talk. Have something to share? OTAN welcomes an article or Tech Talk from any adult educator in California.
May
Ignite Your Instruction: Turning Data into Classroom Magic with AI!
By Susan Coulter, OTAN Subject Matter Expert
Unlock the hidden potential in your assessment data and transform the way you teach! Imagine turning spreadsheets and test results into a customized, high-impact lesson plan in a matter of seconds. By pairing your expertise with Artificial Intelligence (AI), you can instantly create vibrant practice materials tailored to the unique needs of your adult learners. Let data drive the heavy lifting so you can focus on what you do best: inspiring and mentoring your students.
April
Effective HyFlex Teaching Strategies for Adult Education
By Audrey Dierdorff, OTAN Subject Matter Expert
In the evolving landscape of adult education, the HyFlex (Hybrid-Flexible) model has emerged as a powerful instructional approach to meet the diverse needs of learners. By combining face-to-face and online learning, HyFlex empowers students to choose their mode of attendance—whether in-person, online synchronously, or online asynchronously—for each class session. For educators, the challenge lies in adapting curriculum and lesson plans to ensure that every student, regardless of their location, has equivalent access to high-quality instruction and learning outcomes.
March
Building Community: Working Together in Education with SharePoint
By Chris Vela Che, OTAN Subject Matter Expert
As educators of multilingual adult learners, staying informed about the issues that shape our students’ daily lives is a shared responsibility to better serve and support them. Recent immigration policy changes have directly and indirectly affected many of our most vulnerable students in continuing education programs, making it clear that creating a safe and welcoming classroom environment—while essential—is no longer sufficient to ensure student retention and success. Educators play an active role in supporting students by sharing timely school- and community-based information and resources.
Voices from the Field
What motivated your consortium to build shared digital systems, and what did you put in place to strengthen instruction and access across programs?
“From 2021 to 2025, the Education to Career Network of North San Diego County (ETCN) turned policy into practice by building shared digital infrastructure, embedding digital literacy within instruction, and aligning professional learning to classroom goals. Together, these moves strengthened persistence, measurable skill gains, and transitions while aligning with WIOA Title II and California’s Digital Learning Guidance.
- A common LMS with simpler logins: Canvas was adopted consortium wide and paired with single sign-on so learners and staff used one login for email, Canvas, and Google Workspace. This improved navigation, created 24/7 access to materials, and smoothed transitions to the community college partner. Shared course shells and consistent workflows also let ETCN’s Tech Trainer run analytics on engagement and assignment completion.
- Digital literacy inside ESL: ESL teams followed the DLG recommendation to integrate digital skills into subject instruction. Using Northstar-aligned routines such as email, web search, and document creation, instructors built these practices directly into Canvas modules. Each week included one task, one practice quiz, and one “apply it” prompt tied to language objectives.
- Coaching and professional learning as the driver: A shared EdTech hub, PLC-style workshops, and coaching cycles kept tools focused on teaching goals. Coaches co-planned, modeled, and documented quick wins to reinforce successful practices.”
– Dr. Matt Rhoads | EdTech Trainer and Integrationist | Education to Career Network of North San Diego County
Read more about adult education and digital learning in Chapter 3 of the updated Digital Learning Guidance!
Applications Open: 2026-2028 Digital Leadership Academy (DLAC)
Ready to lead digital transformation at your agency? Applications are now open for the next DLAC cohort! This two-year professional development program provides adult educators with expert coaching, in-person training, and project support to master technology integration and blended learning. Don’t miss the chance to join a statewide network of innovators. Learn more and apply today: 2026-2028 DLAC Cohort
2024-2026 Digital Leadership Academy
Message from the Director
OTAN is excited to invite you to the upcoming Canvas Summit on June 5 at Del Valle Education Center in Walnut Creek, California, hosted in partnership with the Contra Costa County Adult Education Consortium. This dynamic, one-day event will offer sessions from Beginning through Advanced levels, all focused on designing effective Canvas courses, enhancing instruction, and equipping learners with the digital tools they need to achieve their educational goals. Canvas continues to make a meaningful difference for students—supporting persistence, increasing engagement, and strengthening transitions to college.
Since OTAN launched Canvas for CAEP TK–Adult programs in January 2021, we’ve seen extraordinary growth. What began as a pilot has grown into a strong statewide initiative serving 73 agencies and consortia. Annual license use has expanded from 5,000 in 2021 to nearly 20,000 in 2026. Along the way, our focus has evolved from initial onboarding to refining course design and instructional practices that directly impact student outcomes. Programs are also benefiting from an expanding collection of courses in the California Adult Education Canvas Commons, a free repository of adult education–specific curriculum.
Attendance at the upcoming Canvas Summit is limited to 120 participants to ensure a high-quality experience. Join OTAN and your adult education colleagues for a day of learning, collaboration, and inspiration—and take the next step in strengthening your program’s impact.
-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education
OTAN May and June Events
| Date/Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, May 5 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM |
CK-12 Unlocked: Empowering Educators, Engaging Students, Transforming Learning - Part 3 | OTAN Online |
| Thursday, May 7 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
NotebookLM in Action: Audio, Video & Visual Tools (Part 1) | OTAN Online |
| Thursday, May 7 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM |
The Write Stuff in Canvas: A Writing Skills Course for English Language Learners | OTAN Online |
| Thursday, May 7 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM |
Using AI in AE - Inservice for San Leandro Adult and Career Education Center | This OTAN PD series is a closed inservice for San Leandro Adult and Career Education Center |
| Friday, May 8 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM |
Effective Prompting for Educators | OTAN Online |
| Friday, May 8 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM |
OTAN Tech Talk May 2026: Ignite Your Instruction: Turning Data into Classroom Magic with AI! | OTAN Online |
| Saturday, May 9 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Clicks to Careers: Digital Tools that Power CTE + ESL Success Part 2 | OTAN Online |
| Saturday, May 9 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
From Prompt to Practice: Visualizing Language with AI-Generated Images | OTAN Online |
| Saturday, May 16 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Your Canvas Toolkit: Streamlining for the Year Ahead | OTAN Online |
| Tuesday, May 19 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
NotebookLM in Action: Mapping, Assessing & Presenting Ideas (Part 2) | OTAN Online |
| Thursday, May 21 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM |
Advanced ESL Course on Canvas | OTAN Online |
| Thursday, May 21 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM |
Northstar Digital Literacy User Group | OTAN Online |
| Friday, May 22 01:00 PM - 04:00 PM |
Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Adult Education for ESL Teachers ★ | This session is a closed inservice for the Mt. SAC Regional Consortium for Adult Education ESL Workgroup. |
| Tuesday, May 26 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
Google Gemini. Oh, What a Gem You Are! | OTAN Online |
| Wednesday, June 3 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
Creating Videos Using PowerPoint | OTAN Online |
| Thursday, June 4 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM |
Using Northstar to Develop Digital Literacy Skills | OTAN Online |
| Friday, June 5 08:30 AM - 03:30 PM |
OTAN Regional Bay Area Canvas Summit ★ | Del Valle Education Center |
| Tuesday, June 9 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM |
Crafting Narratives: Gemini Storybook for Adult Education | OTAN Online |
| Tuesday, June 30 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM |
Digital Learning Guidance Course: Harnessing the Power of Online Education | Online Self-Directed Course |
| Tuesday, June 30 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM |
Mastering Technology Integration through the Triple E Framework | Online Self-Directed Course |
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 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!