OTAN Digest

Digest #18
Summer 2022

Message From The Director

OTAN welcomes you to the start of the 2022-23 school year! This is OTAN's 33rd year of offering support to adult education practitioners throughout California and we're excited to engage with you in new and exciting ways as we launch the program year.

• The applications for the fourth cohort of our ever-popular Digital Leadership Academy (DLAC) are due August 19. If your agency's learning goals include technology integration, distance learning, or blended learning, don't delay and apply now!

• OTAN has created a new landing page for Canvas information and support, also known as the California Distance Learning Cooperative (CDLC). Whether your students are learning in-person, remotely, or both, the Canvas learning management system provides an engaging and interactive environment to advance your learners along their educational path. Want to know more? Email AECanvas@scoe.net.

• OTAN completed the California Adult Education Distance Learning Guidance (CAEDLG) this summer. Check our OTAN website regularly in late August for the release of a PDF of the guidance and corresponding videos that show the guidance in action.

• OTAN's Advisory Committee (OAC) meets twice yearly to learn together as well as to provide input on the direction of the work OTAN is doing for the field. Are you or someone on your staff tech savvy and interested in a leadership role with OTAN? We're looking for students, teachers, administrators, and ed tech coaches to join our OAC committee now. The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 15, beginning at 9am PST. Contact support@otan.us to indicate your interest in the advisory committee.

OTAN looks forward to connecting with you soon! Have a great start to your school year!

-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education

Spotlight On...

Create (or Update) Your OTAN Account!

We encourage all adult educators to create an account on the OTAN website. Creating an account is the easiest way to stay connected to the latest developments throughout the school year and it's free!

To create or update an OTAN account, first go to the OTAN website. At the top right of the page, click on the Join OTAN menu then click Membership.

On the next page, create your OTAN account by clicking on Register as a new user to begin or enter your email address to log in and update your account. (If you have any issues logging into your account, please email us at support@otan.us for assistance.)

On the next page, you can enter or update your contact and agency information on the membership form. Within the form, indicate your preferences for receiving OTAN Publications and Notifications. One note – if you check Professional Development under OTAN Notifications, you will receive email notices when there is an open training in your region, even if it is not at your agency.

Make sure to save your changes once you have entered all your information.

Once you create an account (or if you have an existing account), you can enter your email address at the Membership page to log in and adjust your preferences at any time.

You're all set to stay in touch with OTAN! Look for email notices, Digests, and Newsletters throughout the school year and we look forward to staying in touch! (And encourage a colleague to create an OTAN account as well!)

OTAN August And September 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!