OTAN Digest

Digest #11
December 2021

Message From The Director

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season with peace and cheer in the New Year! It's hard to believe we're halfway through our program year, in the first month of winter, and the last month of the year. OTAN has been moving at full steam and is leading several initiatives that need shouting from the rooftops.

Our trainers are going back on the road in January. While online presentations and workshops are a great way to learn, our team is excited to add in-person trainings back into the options available to our adult education agencies. Our highly popular Digital Leadership Academy is in its second year of the two-year program. Cohort 4 applications will be available early summer. DLAC assists agencies in meeting their technology integration needs along with their distance learning and blended teaching goals. DLAC participants will be sharing their learning through presentations at the virtual Technology and Distance Learning Symposium scheduled for March 3 to 5.  The call for proposals is still open through December 20 and registration information will be available soon.

OTAN has also recently launched the California Distance Learning Cooperative (CDLC). The CDLC provides state-leveraged access and licensing for the Canvas Learning Management System. One of the many benefits of the CDLC include the Adult Ed-specific CDLC Commons, where adult education agencies can freely share materials as they are created.

Don't hesitate to reach out to our team by emailing support@otan.us. We look forward to working with you to make your resolutions a reality in the New Year!

-Renee Collins

Spotlight On...

Video Presentations!

OTAN has long utilized video to provide information and training on a wide variety of topics and highlight important events in adult education. Please consider subscribing to the OTAN YouTube channel to stay connected to the latest OTAN developments. You can connect to our channel (and all our social media sites) from the OTAN website. Click on the Stay Connected Menu on the top of the otan.us website and select Social Media or look for the social media icons on the bottom footer of the homepage.
 
Over the last few months, we have been adding fully accessible videos to the Video Presentations webpage on the OTAN website. Take a look at the wide variety of videos that we have available, divided into the following playlists:

• Teaching and Working Online – These videos include best practices and tips and tricks to manage online instruction.
• Academic and Workforce Training – These videos include tech tools for use in adult education program areas and workforce training.
• Equity and Inclusion – Learn how to create an equitable and inclusive environment for adult learners.
• LMS, Using Video, Google Tools, Microsoft Tools, Digital Tools, and Devices
• OTAN Tech Talks – These videos are from our monthly Tech Talks, meant to provide a short overview of a tech tool or topic.
• TDLS 2021 – These videos are from sessions at this year's Technology and Distance Learning Symposium.
• Digital Leadership Academy – These videos are overviews of the work completed by Our DLAC agencies in the first year of this two-year academy.

Stay connected to OTAN! We're here to help with video ideas and more!

OTAN December And January Events

OTAN training events are OPEN to Adult Education staff.
★ = CLOSED, In-Service Training

Professional Development

Did you know OTAN provides FREE professional development workshops to help Adult Educators integrate technology?

Think about scheduling OTAN Professional Development in the 2021-2022 school year. With a wide variety of technology topics from which to choose, OTAN training staff will present for any WIOA-funded adult education program in California either online or face-to-face with a computer lab or devices connected to the Internet. (Note that face-to-face trainings will be scheduled when it is safe and OTAN staff are free to travel.)

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!

• OTAN Online Workshops
• OTAN Face-to-Face Workshops (tailored for the virtual environment!)

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!