Open WIA Application and New State Plan 2012-13
For several years, the California Department of Education (CDE) has anticipated the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), with the expectation of aligning the grant to the new federal priorities. Although reauthorization has not occurred, the decision has been made to develop a Request for Application (RFA) for the 2012–13 WIA, Title II grant and rewrite the state plan. This provides an opportunity to align the grant with the current and emerging needs of students and to better support the work that needs to be done.
For questions regarding this subject, contact Debra Jones, Administrator, AEO, by phone at 916-323-5074 or by e-mail at djones@cde.ca.gov.
Online Course Outline Builder Available Now
OTAN now offers an online form for creating course outlines. Course outlines can be created for:
- Adult Basic Education
- High School Diploma/GED
- ESL & Citizenship
- Adults with Disabilities
- Career & Technical Education
- Parenting, Family & Consumer Awareness
- Older Adults
Users will register in order to save course outlines online for future printing or editing. Agency staff may create individual accounts, or one account can be used by an entire program area or agency.
Course outline authors can select the course number from a drop-down list for each program area. Competencies can be selected from CASAS competencies, program standards, and in the case of ABE and High School Diploma courses, from K12 standards for each grade level. In the case of Career and Technical Education courses, competencies may be entered by the author.
Course outlines are stored as PDF files, and may be accessed online at any time.
CATESOL Conference, Long Beach, April 7-10
CATESOL will host its annual conference in Long Beach, April 7-10. CATESOL includes all levels of ESL teaching, from K12 through University, but adult education is the largest contingent and there are many workshops relevant to adult ESL teachers. OTAN will be presenting several workshops in addition to having a table in the exhibit area.
More information and registration
COABE/CCAE Conference, San Francisco, April 17-20
We have an excellent opportunity with COABE in California to hear national perspectives and share information with other states on developments in adult education. OTAN will be participating in two pre-conference sessions:
Using Social Media Tools in Adult Education
Confused about all the new social networking and media tools? Learn how other adult educators are using Facebook, Twitter, and Wiggio. Find out how to choose between blogs, wikis, and discussion boards. Then, set up your own account in each of these tools and start experimenting with the help of experts! Workshop format
Presenters:
Tim Ponder, Ohio Literacy Resource Center;
Nell Eckersley, Moderator, LINCS Technology & Distance Learning Discussion List, Literacy Assistance Center;
Branka Marceta, Coordinator of Technology Projects, OTAN
Current Trends and Issues in Professional Development
This session by the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD) will address three issues in professional development: social justice, job-embedded professional development, and how technology is changing professional development. The social justice discussion will focus on the sources of our students' failure to thrive educationally and how social issues are connected with individual development. The session will feature roundtable discussions on models of job-embedded professional development, including California's Professional Learning Communities initiative, Minnesota's Numeracy Initiative, as well as projects from several other states. In the afternoon, participants will share round table discussions on a variety of technology topics including Twitter and blogging for professional reflection.
Presenters:
Debra Hargrove, Ed.D., Florida TechNet Director and Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers
Federico Salas-Isnardi, M.A., Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning, and Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers
The conference is offering a spotlight on four areas of inquiry, including one on "The 21st Century Classroom."
There will be a Technology Strand, including the following sessions:
- Cellphones & Adult Learning
- *Using Blogs to Enhance & Extend Writing (and Reading!) Practice
- TPACK: It's On!
- Cellphones as a Learning Tool
- *Does technology belong in a 21st Century immigrant refugee ESL classroom? YES!
- *Paradigm Shift: Keeping Students Engaged using Tech Tools and Social Media
- *Create, Share, and Collaborate on the Cloud
- Technology for Learning in the 21st Century Classroom
- Facebook, Twitter and Blogs, Oh My!
- Employability and Computer Literacy Training
- *Social Media: Enhancing Numeracy & Critical Thinking Skills
*hands-on lab session
In addition to the strand, there are many more sessions on topics related to both technology and distance learning. See the posted schedule for more information.
Two professional development initiatives by OTAN – which one fits your program's needs?
In March and April 2011, OTAN will be opening up applications for OTAC and TIMAC – two professional development opportunities focusing on online teaching and technology integration. Each academy will accept 12 participants. OTAN pays for travel, training and support throughout the year. Agencies arrange for release time and other considerations (for example, support for the project at the agency level).
The Online Teaching Academy (OTAC) began in 2010-11 to meet the growing need in adult education for training and support for the initiation and development of online instruction in a variety of delivery models. Projects can include complete stand-alone courses, supplemental materials to support classroom instruction or support for an existing online curriculum such as GED Connection, USA Learns or Crossroads Cafe. The specific focus is on Moodle, a learning management system, as a platform for content delivery. The other major focus is on effective practices in online teaching and learning. More info at http://www.otan.us/otac
The Technology Integration Mentor Academy (TIMAC) began in 2004-05 as a peer-mentoring-based professional development initiative with the goal of supporting individuals at adult education agencies to become the technology mentor for their program(s) and thereby increase the effective use of technology. TIMAC continues to focus on technology integration in the classroom, such as increased effective use of interactive whiteboards or document cameras, or using software, whether computer- or internet-based. Most recently, TIMAC participants have been creating Web-based resources such as Web sites, wikis, and blogs to extend learning beyond the classroom. More info at http://www.otan.us/timac
The TIMAC application will be opening on March 31st, and the OTAC application will follow. Both dates will be announced on the OTAN Web site.
In this issue
Another successfull Technology and Distance Learning Symposium took place earlier this month. Whether you were able to attend or not you can take advantage of up to date distance learning information offered through 30 workshops. Many of the session handouts are available for download along with slide presentations and videos of six sessions.
Visit the Technology and Distance Learning Symposium Website for more.
Upcoming Face-to-Face Workshops
Webinars
Registration closes 7 days before most Webinars, so don't delay registering
OTAN and Social Networking
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