News:

Two Web Sites for Job and Career Info
In these challenging economic times, we may already be experiencing
an influx of students looking for jobs or career information.
The California Department of Education (CDE) has created a new Web
site called California
Direct Connect – Links to Your Future. The site is designed to help
students and workers find jobs, explore careers, investigate opportunities
to continue their education, and Read
more...
Online Discussion: Emotional, Occupational, and Self-Esteem Issues in Adults
with Learning Disabilities
The National Institute for Literacy's Learning Disabilities Discussion
List will address the topic of Emotional, Occupational, and Self-Esteem
Issues in Adults with Learning Disabilities from from April 6 -
8. You can subscribe (and later, if you wish, unsubscribe) on NIFL’s
listserv page. Read more. . .
Online Discussion: Green Jobs and Adult Basic Skills
The National Institute for Literacy's Special Topics Discussion List will
address Green Jobs and Adult Basic Skills from April 6 - 10. You can subscribe
(and later, if you wish, to unsubscribe) on NIFL’s listserv page.
Adult literacy education practitioners, adult learners and those concerned about the environment will find this topic of interest. This discussion will help adult literacy practitioners to understand what new employment opportunities may exist for their students, and how to help students prepare for these "green" jobs. Read more . . .
Weekly Technology News on NPR
Starting in November 2008, every Monday, All Things Considered has
been airing its new series called All
Tech Considered to explore the sometimes daunting — always changing
— world of technology. On NPR’s Web site you can find a blog
with all the stories so far consisting of the audio part, text and photos,
and some with video. Read more . . .
Below are some of the opportunities in April to take an online workshop.
Professional Development:

Upcoming Online Workshops:
Don't delay and be disappointed. Sign-up today before the workshop fills up or is canceled due to lack of enrollment!
HippoCampus
- FREE Online Secondary Courses with Marian Thacher
April 3,
2009 -- 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
HippoCampus is a FREE Web site that offers multimedia high school lessons
and course materials. Courses include Algebra, Government, Biology and more,
including Algebra and Calculus in Spanish. This online workshop will give
you an overview of the materials available, and show you how to customize
your HippoCampus site and track your students’ work.
These workshops are in danger of being canceled due to lack of enrollment. Please register today!!
Journaling with Moodle with Penny Pearson
April 7, 2009 -- 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Moodle Journal is a reflective writing activity for students. Answers are private
and only seen between student and teacher. Spend an hour learning how to
create, upload, and review your students’ writing. Requirements: Must
have taken the introductory course “Using Moodle to Create a Course Web Site”
and have an assigned course. CA adult educators only.
Google It! with Melinda Holt
April 8, 2009 — 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Searching with Google is more than typing in a word or a phrase. You and your students can find: answers to math problems, history timelines, definitions, text translations, and even word pronunciations. Using the many different aspects of the Google search engine will be explored in this workshop including advance search features.
Prerequisites: Ability
to type and click. Having a Google account is desired, but not required.
Easy Excel Activities for the Classroom: Create a Personal Budget with Susan Coulter
April 10, 2009 — 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Teachers will receive a budget template, which includes two different interactive pay stubs, and linked budget and pie graph. Learn how to create your own budget and pie graph. Materials are appropriate as classroom presentation or student technology project.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of Excel helpful but not necessary.
Using PowerPoint to Promote the Four Language Skills (pt 1) with Elizabeth Clarke
April 10, 2009 — 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Participants will learn hands-on how to use Microsoft PowerPoint to promote the four language skills by creating a presentation that can be used for lectures or for student presentations. Samples will be shown and templates can be copied. A handout will be provided.
Prerequisites: Basic Microsoft PowerPoint knowledge (typing, saving a file, deleting text), usage of the mouse (click, right click)
More Practice with Audacity with Barry Bakin
April 21, 2009 -- 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Participants will learn basic editing techniques and get more practice in creating
mp3 files. Prerequisites: Basic
knowledge of using a computer and a Web browser. Working Internet connection.
Participants must already have the Audacity software and accompanying LAME
software already installed and working correctly on their computer.
Using PowerPoint to Promote the Four Language Skills
(pt 2) with Elizabeth
Clarke
April 23, 2009 -- 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Participants will review some basic skills needed to create a simple presentation.
Participants will also learn how to insert hyperlinks to different slides or
external websites. In addition, they will learn how to record their voice or
their students’ voices to promote listening and speaking skills. Prerequisites: Basic
Microsoft PowerPoint knowledge (typing, saving a file, deleting text), usage
of the mouse (click, right click), headsets and a microphone.
Creating Podcasts for your Courses with Kristi Reyes
April 24, 2009 -- 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
A podcast is an audio broadcast on the Internet and is a way to accommodate
aural learning styles. Learn to make podcasts for your students to listen to
via the Internet or to download onto portable devices. Instructors of any discipline
can use podcasting to reach students by broadcasting class lectures, listening
exercises, and class information, or instructors can assign student audio projects. Prerequisites: High-speed
Internet connection, email account, computer microphone and speakers. Ability
to navigate Windows operating system.
Using
Google's Picasa for Classroom Photos with Susan Gaer
April 24, 2009 -- 9:00 am to 10:30 am
Picasa is a free, downloadable photo management program from Google that allows
you to find, edit and share your photos. Picasa also allows easy creation
of photo galleries you can share online with your students. Spend an hour learning
how to share your photos through Picasa’s online web galleries.
Requirements: The
ability to locate files and folders on your computer, and the ability to
download and save files to a specified location.
Using Picture Dictionaries in the ESL Classroom with Jayme Goldstein
April 24, 2009 -- 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Come discuss and discover the ways to use picture dictionary pages to support
communicative instruction across levels. The presenter will share presentation
strategies that include using overhead transparencies, powerpoint and slideshow
technologies. Student-centered practice activities will also be demonstrated.
handouts include lesson plans and sample activity templates.
Face to Face, Hands-On Workshops at your school!
OTAN offers no-cost, hands-on, three-hour workshops. We will come to your school if you have at least 10 interested participants and an approved lab. If you have a smaller school and need more participants, consider coordinating with other small schools in your area to fill your workshop.
We offer a variety of technology related topics such as using PowerPoint, building class Web pages, and using Internet resources in your classroom. Visit our Web site to see the complete list including descriptions and prerequisites for each, then call Linda Swanson at 800-894-3113 or email her at lswanson@otan.us to schedule a workshop. Friday afternoons are the most popular time and they fill up fast, but if you can host during the week, there are more possibilities.
Call us to schedule a workshop at your school! 800-894-3113
Resources for Teachers:

Here are some great new links recently added to the OTAN site (or a few you may have never discovered) that might be useful to teachers who are trying to integrate the use of the Internet into their English as a Second Lanuage classes and a few for Medical Careers classes:
Adult and Family Education - Links to English Learning Activities
The activities on this site involve answering questions, matching
pictures to words, listening, and even using the built in recorder
found on an IBM compatible PC. They are leveled (see the B-Beginning,
I-Intermediate etc) when you get to the page with the links to the
activities. There are Literacy level activities in the Literacy Skills
section and under "Individual Learning Activities" you will
see links to activities under 81R, 83R, 85R, etc. that relate to CASAS
tests. Also has a Time Card activity under 81R and a Pay Stub activity
under 83R. These are often difficult to find.
Medical
Gross Anatomy Games & Puzzles
This site offers crossword puzzles (that are printable), PowerPoints
to use for a Jeopardy or "Millionaire" type games. Could
be useful for various Medical CTE classes, but some are
probably beyond the scope of what is taught in adult ed programs.
Medical Terminology Activities: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
The site offers a variety of quizzes related to learning prefixes, roots
and suffixes of medical terms. Good drill and practice for your students
from the University of Minnesota.
Medical Terminology Quia Games
Other teachers have created Medical Terminology games on Quia and have been
willing to share them with others. This will allow your students to play
the pre-created games, but in order for you to create your own games, you
would have to subscribe to Quia. There are 160 free games here for your students
to use to help with medical terminology.
Here is an Online Tool useful for everyone in adult ed...
MotionBox
MotionBox is a place to upload class movies (up to 100mb) and they even
have editing tools to allow you to remove chunks and place them as separate
movies. You can also email them to students, embed them in a Web site
or blog you create. The site allows you to make folders, playlists, and
favorites and tag them for use in social bookmarking. You can choose to
make your movies private or public to share with others.
This month's Web-Based Class Activity introduces you to an Online Tool called Poll Everywhere
Classroom Polling with Live Results: An Affordable Web Alternative to Clickers
Use Poll Everywhere to create class responses activities for your students.
They can use cell phones or the Internet to respond.