OTAN News
Upcoming Activities - Week of April 20
Check out this month’s OTAN digest for our most recent Adult Ed news! April OTAN Digest
This Week’s Upcoming Activities
Tuesday, April 21, 10:00 am - 11:30 am | Curious about Google’s new NotebookLM but not sure where to start? | Farzana Cassim, OTAN Subject Matter Expert | This beginner-friendly demo introduces how this AI tool can read your own documents and help summarize, organize, and explain information. You’ll see how teachers, administrators, and support staff can use it to make sense of lesson plans, reports, and meeting notes—all without complex setup. Perfect for anyone ready to explore AI but unsure where to begin.
Tuesday, April 21, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm | CK-12 Unlocked: Empowering Educators, Engaging Students, Transforming Learning - Part 1 | Debbie Jensen, OTAN Subject Matter Expert | The CK-12 Foundation offers free, high-quality, open content through an integrated learning platform including digital textbooks, adaptive practice, interactives, concept-based learning and much, much more. There is so much to learn; we have divided the information into three one-hour webinars. In our first webinar, we will look at CK-12 resources. Besides the amazing lessons there is a section of resources curated for adult education! Not only do you have their resources, you can also adapt them for your personal classroom needs.
Thursday, April 23, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Putting English to Work in Canvas | Francisca Wentworth, OTAN Subject Matter Expert | Putting English to Work (PETW) was created by teachers at LAUSD several years ago as an ESL Distance Learning video series. Episodes cover real-life situations many of our English Language Learners encounter in their daily lives. With the statewide adoption of Canvas, the complete English as a Second Language series, Putting English to Work 1-3, has been revised and updated with many interactive exercises that cover all language competencies. This session will walk you through the course and share the various interactive learning activities.
Thursday, April 23, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm | Northstar Digital Literacy User Group | Anthony Burik, OTAN Subject Matter Expert | Join this user-driven group of adult educators using Northstar Digital Literacy at their agencies. Some possibilities for regular meeting topics: hear about the different ways educators are using Northstar, share best practices and things that work, address and get advice on concerns and challenges, and exchange tips and ideas. Let’s discuss using Northstar for the benefit of our students, staff, and communities!
Saturday, April 25, 9:00 am - 10:30 am | Custom Canvas: Designing with the Adult Learner in Mind | Dana Thompson, OTAN Subject Matter Expert | Discover how to personalize Canvas for adult learners! This session explores creating self-paced courses using modules, guiding learners through content effectively, and applying andragogy principles to design engaging, learner-focused online content.
Coming soon!
Friday, June 5, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm | OTAN Regional Bay Area Canvas Summit | Join adult educators and administrators from across the Bay Area for a free, one-day, hands-on professional development event focused on meaningful, practical use of Canvas in adult education. This regional summit is designed to bring together colleagues from across the Bay Area to learn, collaborate, and share strategies for supporting instruction, student engagement, and program management using Canvas.
OTAN Satisfaction Survey
OTAN would like to invite you to participate in our Satisfaction Survey to help us improve our services in the following areas:
- Trainings and Presentations
- Website Resources
- Curriculum Offers
- Digital Learning Guidance
- Canvas
- and additional OTAN services
Please take some time to complete this survey as soon as you have a chance! This survey should not take more than 20-30 minutes of your time. As with all OTAN surveys, the results will be kept completely anonymous. You can find the survey here: Survey Link
Thank you for your time and your feedback!