OTAN Digest
Digest #17
June 2022
Message From The Director
Digital resiliency is having the awareness, skills, agility, and confidence to be empowered users of technology and to be able to use those attributes to adapt to changing digital skill demands. Hopefully, you were able to attend the recent CASAS Summer Institute either in-person or virtually and engage with the inspiring keynote address by World Education's Jamie Harris as she spoke to the importance of digital resilience for active participation in today's society and the economy. The keynote address tied in perfectly to the exciting California Adult Education Digital Learning Guidance (CAEDLG) work that OTAN has been developing with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) over the past six months. With equitable access, appropriate content, and prepared educators and support staff, our adult students will gain the digital skills they need to be resilient.
The CAEDLG literature review findings indicated that there is no significant difference between instructional settings (e.g., blended, distance, in-person). Rather, course quality, instructional design, meaningful interactions, pedagogical methods, student characteristics, and support structures provide more meaningful impact on student learning outcomes. The CAEDLG is divided into six easily readable chapters addressing topics such as ensuring equity and access, designing flexible learning experiences, and adopting models that work. Written vignettes throughout the guidance demonstrate how educators are currently using the guidance in their own classrooms. Have I piqued your interest? OTAN is eager to share this new resource with the field and is looking forward to providing professional development aligned to the guidance. More to come soon!
-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education
News
For Teachers
Apply to Join the Digital Leadership Academy 2022-2024!
Access America, a New Integration ESL Course!
For Administrators
Technology and Distance Learning for California Adult Education
Resources to Close the Digital Divide
Are you looking for a way to integrate technology in your classes? Visit Teaching with Technology on the OTAN website and start searching for ESL, ABE, ASE, and even CTE lesson ideas today!
Web-Based Class Activities
June
Free Professional Development for Tech Enthusiasts!
by Cindy Wislofsky
OTAN's Digital Leadership Academy (DLAC) is now accepting applications until August 19, 2022 for its fourth cohort (2022-2024 school years).
May
What's Happening in U.S. Citizenship Preparation?
by Jennifer Gagliardi
No new updates to the USCIS N-400 Application for Naturalization. No new updates to the USCIS 100 Questions. So, what's there to talk about in online U.S. Citizenship Prep? PLENTY!
April
Career Exploration in Adult Education
by Yescenia Delgado Lorenzo
Career exploration has been widely recognized and endorsed as a necessary step in an individual's career development. It is a fundamental lever to help adults successfully navigate an evolving labor market and demand for changing skills. The value of exploration is instrumental for each student to emerge from experience with a clear and more accurate assessment of him or herself.
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 be notified about the latest OTAN videos when they become available. 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 in the bottom footer of the homepage.
We add 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 2022 – 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 June And July 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 2022-2023 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!