OTAN Digest

Digest #21
November 2022

Message From the Director

The CAEP Summit has come to a close for another year and what a Summit it was! When I wasn’t presenting, I was actively participating in sessions that didn’t cease to inspire or excite me. And, the networking and thought-provoking conversations that took place via the mini-sessions, jam sessions, and chats were just as moving. There is so much incredible work occurring statewide to support our adult education students, and it’s motivating and energizing when I think of all the work there is to be done to implement the goals established in our CAEP 3-Year Plans.

One of the presentations during the Summit focused on the recently released California Adult Education Digital Learning Guidance. In early 2022, the Guidance was developed to both document what transpired during the pandemic, but also to provide research-based information about best practices when incorporating digital learning into instruction. A collective effort from many advisors and expert organizations including ISTE, CALPRO, CASAS, and West Ed helped to inform the 7 chapters that became the Guidance. In a supporting Guidance video, Dr. Carolyn Zachry, our State Director of Adult Education at the California Department of Education, speaks about the important role of guidance as we help teachers, and those support personnel who work closely with our students, to fully incorporate digital tools as part of on-going instruction.

The guidance is meant to be a living document. It will be updated to reflect changes in technology as they occur. Currently, OTAN is planning how to best disseminate the Guidance and build interactive activities to help practitioners engage with the 100+ page document. To that end, Dr. Zachry recently released a letter to the field emphasizing the importance of having a practical guide to address digital and distance learning for adult learners and to act as a resource in designing and implementing digital learning experiences with adult learners in mind.

• Letter from Dr. Carolyn Zachry
• PDF - California Adult Education Digital Learning Guidance
• Video - Digital Learning Guidance Overview
• Webpage - Digital Learning Guidance (OTAN.us)

OTAN invites you to engage with the Guidance and consider how you might explore its recommendations in your own classroom, as an agency, or as a consortium. As always, remember that OTAN is available to provide no-cost virtual or in-person training for your agency. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

-Renee Collins
Director, Adult Education

Spotlight On...

OTAN Moodle Sunsetting in December 2022!

OTAN Developed and Shared Courses are being migrated to Canvas in December 2022. OTAN is moving away from our Moodle adultedcourses.org/ website to the Canvas Learning Management System. Our goal is for all Moodle users to migrate to Canvas at their earliest convenience before December 2022. OTAN partnered with CAEP-TAP and formed the California Distance Learning Cooperative (CDLC) to offer professional learning for all adult education agencies within California.

For more information about the CDLC, visit our CA Distance Learning Cooperative (A Canvas Project) page

For questions or more information, please email AECanvas@scoe.net

OTAN November and December Events

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

Professional Development - Plan Ahead!

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.

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!