OTAN News

A Variety of Resources (and a Reminder about OTAN Resources) for Your Instructional Needs

If you are in search of resources for your teaching and your classroom, look no further! We want to let you know (and remind you) about some great resources that are now available.

• We've posted a new video on using Google Classroom in the adult ed classroom External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  on our YouTube channel. The video explains what Google Classroom is and how to get started. You can also watch other short videos in our Teaching with Technology playlist External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  ; recent topics include NoRedInk, Google Applied Digital Skills, Hippocampus, Canva, and Trello. (And please subscribe to our OTAN YouTube page while you're here!)
• We've also posted a video of our webinar last month on i-Pathways External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  , an online curriculum for students in HSE programs. We are working with i-Pathways to offer pilot programs to the field to use i-Pathways free of charge through the 2019-2020 school year. You can also read more about the other curriculum offers OTAN has arranged with the field.
• If you've been thinking about using social media in your teaching, we noticed A Beginner's Guide to Twitter for Educators External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  on the Ditch That Textbook website that walks a new user through getting started and some of the basic features on Twitter. Twitter has gained the reputation as a source of continuous free (or low-cost) professional development, so why not get started? Another favorite student (and teacher) website GCFLearnFree has an entire section of training materials on a variety of social media platforms External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  , including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and, of course, Twitter.
• Finally, if you're looking for new teaching tools to explore, we want to share some that we've recently run across. Flipgrid is an easy way to introduce video in the classroom and makes use of mobile devices that students bring with them to class. There is a Flipgrid how-to guide External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  created by Kathy Moura and Sean Fahey to help you get started. The two educators have also produced another how-to guide External Link Icon opens in new window or tab  on a tool called Wakelet. Wakelet is a tool you can use to curate and organize materials; if you've ever used a bookmarking tool before, you might want to learn more about this resource. And we want to remind you that each month, OTAN posts a web-based article on a technology tool or topic written by a classroom teacher. The February article was on using electronic portfolios in class; our March article will be posted soon. (We're still catching up from our Technology and Distance Learning Symposium from earlier this month!)

We hope you take advantage of one or more of these tech tools. You can always contact us for other ideas or any of the numerous trainings we can arrange for your agency!