OTAN Digest

Digest #15
April 2022

Message From The Director

Happy Spring to our Adult Education field! One of the highlights of my April is participating in the COABE Conference – such rich professional development on a national level and it's wonderful to see so much representation from OTAN and its sister leadership projects and, in a larger context, California. When it comes to supporting learning experiences for your agency, how do you go about prioritizing which professional learning you'll participate in? Hopefully, the needs assessments and data analysis that you've done for your Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) and California Adult Education Program (CAEP) Three-Year Plan point you in the right direction.

If your agency's learning goals include technology integration, distance learning, or blended learning, I want to recommend one of OTAN's longstanding and outcome-oriented training programs, the Digital Leadership Academy (DLAC).  The application for the next two-year cohort was just released, and it will remain open through August 19. DLAC is designed to be flexible in how agencies can best use the resources offered by OTAN to support their agency goals. DLAC projects are generally aligned to agencies' continuous improvement goals.

Teams of 2-3 individuals from each agency should include the following criteria:

• A diverse team of teachers, coordinators, and/or administrators
• The identified team is made up of individuals who can help meet the agency's goals.
• Commitment to completing DLAC, a two-year obligation
• Willingness to learn and implement or develop leadership skills
• Willingness to share integration strategies, experience, and/or learn new technology skills

Don't delay! Apply today! DLAC limits its cohort size to 30 participants and aims to create a strong match between its agencies, coaches, and intended goals.

Think of OTAN as your one-stop-shop for technology-based resources and support. Reach out to us to learn how we can help with your training needs. Email us at support@otan.us. Have a wonderful month!

-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education

Spotlight On...

EL Civics Exchange!

The EL Civics Exchange is a repository for original ESL EL Civics instructional materials created by California WIOA, Title II: AEFLA/EL Civics agencies. These materials can be used to teach EL Civics content to English language learners as part of the 30 hours of instruction required in California before administering an EL Civics Assessment (COAAP).

Materials are categorized by the seven EL Civics competency areas: consumer economics, community resources, health, employment, government and law, transition, and workforce training. Users are able to search for materials as well as submit materials. To get started, watch these two short videos that explain the Exchange and how to submit materials:

• Introduction to the EL Civics Exchange 
• Submitting Instructional Materials

Please visit our presentations on the EL Civics Exchange at the CCAE State Conference in May and the CASAS Summer Institute in June. And stay connected to OTAN! Please contact us at support@otan.us or call us at 916-228-2580. We'll see you on the EL Civics Exchange!

OTAN April And May 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 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. (Note that as of April 2022, OTAN staff are now free to travel to sites for in-person trainings.)

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

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!