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Leading adult education through support for and the effective application of technology.

OTAN Digest #112
September 2019

News

Exit Tickets – A Simple Way to Do Formative Assessment 

Don’t leave all your assessment to final tests and quizzes – use exit tickets to maximize your teaching for understanding.

Helping Our Students Develop Digital Literacies 

We know the importance of digital literacy skills for our adult education students, but a growing number of educators are stressing the need for our students to possess digital literacies.

Getting Started with Technology in the Classroom 

There are a number of good ideas for the beginning teacher that may help make using tech in the classroom less intimidating and more doable.

Using An Escape Room to Engage Learners

Teachers have embraced the escape room phenomenon and brought it to the classroom to engage learners in all subjects and at all grade levels.

New USA Learns Course Launched!

USA Learns has launched a new beginning high / intermediate low course: English 1 Plus.

In case you missed it…

Web-based Class Activities

Start Your Year with Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, and Keep
Debbie Jensen explains how to get started with these four Google tools.

Promote Critical Thinking Skills with NewseumED
Susan Coulter introduces us to some teaching materials at NewseumED

Spotlight On ...

Back-to-School

Over the last few weeks, we have published a series of news items for adult educators to learn about some of the essential products and services OTAN provides for the field. These features include the following:

  • Create an OTAN Account – Creating an account is the easiest way to stay connected to the latest OTAN developments throughout the school year and it’s free! 

  • OTAN Trainings – OTAN offers trainings in both face-to-face and online formats on a variety of educational technology topics throughout the school year. Also, information about the California Adult Education Professional Development training calendar and OTAN Tech Talks.

  • OTAN News Items and Social Media – Two of the best ways to stay connected to OTAN throughout the school year are to follow our news items and subscribe to our social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and our YouTube channel.

  • OTAN YouTube Channel – OTAN has long utilized video to provide information and training and highlight important events in adult education. Consider subscribing to our channel to stay connected to the latest OTAN offerings, including reports by our Digital Leadership Academy teams, archived OTAN Tech Talks and TDLS presentations, and videos on a wide variety of technology integration tools and topics.

  • OTAN Teaching Tools and Resources – OTAN has a number of teaching tools and resources that adult ed educators can utilize in their instruction, including our Teaching with Technology searchable database, web-based class activities, curriculum offers, and online courses on our Moodle LMS (learning management system).

  • OTAN Special Programs and Events – OTAN organizes a number of special programs and events throughout the school year of interest to the adult education field, including our Technology and Distance Learning Symposium (TDLS), Adult Education Students Succeed, and our Digital Leadership Academy (DLAC).

All of us at OTAN wish you a great school year! Please contact OTAN for your technology training needs at any time this year! Email us at support@otan.us or call us at 916-228-2580.

Take a look at our upcoming events!

List of Upcoming OTAN Training Events
Date/Time Event Location

Fri, Sep 13
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

OTAN Tech Talks - 21Things4Students

Online - Zoom

Mon, Sep 16
8:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Putting English to Work in Moodle (PETW) ★

Hacienda La Puente
Dibble Campus

Wed, Sep 18
12:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Putting English to Work in Moodle (PETW)

Madera Adult School

Mon, Oct 7
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Chromebooks for Adult Education ★

Hacienda La Puente
Dibble Campus

Tue, Oct 8
8:00 AM - 11:45 AM

Chromebooks for Adult Education ★

Hacienda La Puente
Dibble Campus

Fri, Oct 11
9:45 AM - 12:45 PM

Teaching Vocabulary with Technology

Folsom-Cordova Adult School

Fri, Oct 11
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

OTAN Tech Talks - Screencastify

Online - Zoom

Thu, Oct 17
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

OERs for Adult Education

Online - Zoom

Fri, Oct 18
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Google Tools, Apps and Drive

Sutter County One Stop
Adult Education

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

Professional Development

Online Workshops & Webinars

OTAN offers short, online workshops to meet the demands of busy adult educators as well as longer hands-on workshops where an OTAN trainer is at your site to conduct the workshop. Check the California Adult Education Professional Development Calendar and search for workshops sponsored by OTAN. Don't miss any!

OTAN's Face-to-Face Workshops

Having problems or just don't know where to start using technology in your classroom or adult education program? Use OTAN as aprofessional development provider! OTAN offers no-cost, three-hour, hands-on workshops to all WIOA-funded adult education programs. With a wide-variety of technology topics in their arsenal, OTAN training staff will go to any WIOA-funded site with a computer lab to facilitate a hands-on workshop for adult education staff. The list of topics changes as technology changes so you are never getting out-dated information. If there is a technology topic not listed that your staff needs assistance with, contact OTAN to discuss creating a new workshop to meet that need. Check out some of the most requested workshops below and then look at the list of over 25 workshops that OTAN currently offers:

And remember - all OTAN workshops are free! Read more about OTAN Training and select Face-to-Face or Online workshop options to view complete workshop lists including descriptions and prerequisites.

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OTAN activities are funded by contract CN220124 from the Adult Education Office, in the Career & College Transition Division, California Department of Education, with funds provided through Federal P.L., 105-220, Section 223. However, OTAN content does not necessarily reflect the position of that department or the U.S. Department of Education.