In the first lightning talk, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology (OET) will discuss how adult education leaders can get involved in state digital equity planning efforts and leverage this resource and others. As states develop and implement digital equity plans under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Digital Equity Act programs, adult education has an opportunity to ensure the unique needs and assets of this sector are addressed. To support leaders with developing effective state digital equity plans, OET released a guidance resource, Advancing Digital Equity for All. In the second lightning talk, the Maryland Department of Labor will explain the genesis of the DLF Learning Modules, including why and how they were developed. They will touch on challenges and lessons learned, concluding with their vision for their future growth and implementation. Participants leave with an understanding of how, on the foundation of the digital literacy framework,these learning modules continue to apply the traits and abilities that spark resilience, creativity, and fortitude in our digital communities.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Advancing Digital Equity for All)
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Digital Literacy Framework Learning Modules)

Come hear about OTAN partnership with CK-12, premiere free online interactive textbooks, to create digital resources with adults in mind. We have created a webpage that holds FlexBooks for CTE, ESL, ABE, and ASE. Join the OER movement for the best free online resources using AI to help teachers reach every student using any device. Students have a digital assistant as they learn. See how CK-12 can improve your programs and your budgets. The FlexBooks include insights for teachers into what each student does and does not understand, time on task, and scores. Students are given a tutor to assist them as they learn. Activities are interactive and multi-modality. On top of all this, FlexBooks® 2.0 are adaptive. You can add your own touch to every lesson! And you can even use their amazing platform to create your own FlexBook. During the second lightning talk, learn about how the DRAW initiative facilitated an EdTech Maker Space in which educators made an open Digital Skills Glossary. With over 100 vocabulary terms, images, pronunciation, and example sentences, the glossary is a comprehensive resource. Best of all? It’s open! That means anyone can use and adapt it to fit their learners’ needs. Along with the glossary, we’re excited to share digital resilience activities and guides that the educators developed to help us think creatively about how to foster digital resilience in the classroom.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (CK-12: Digital FlexBooks for Adult Education)
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Digital Skills Glossary)

Watch a video. Read an article. Then post once to the discussion board and reply to two other students. Sound familiar? Online learning 1.0 followed a typical linear path. Complete a few steps and then you’ll have learned! But we know that learning is often messier. In the first lightning talk with Joey Lehrman, we will explore how course design and structure can better reflect “messy learning,” and in doing so, help students build essential independent learning skills. In the second lightning talk, Jose Adorno shares how the Adult Education Training and Development Network Technology Project (Digital ATDN at EdAdvance) put together a tech support app for teachers in CT. The app was created to offer curated, short tutorial videos to support teachers on specific tasks to facilitate troubleshooting, saving videos, and accessing them when problems arise. The session will discuss the steps taken to search programs, curate videos, and select which features in Glide Apps were used to make the app accessible to teachers.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Non-linear Learning)
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Statewide Asynchronous Tech Support for Teachers)

Anthony Burik of the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network will introduce attendees to a framework for types of student voice and invite us to consider how tech tools can be leveraged to engage and amplify students’ voices. In our second lightning talk, Lynne Ruvalcaba will share an overview of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) approach to blended learning in the correctional setting. Through a program distributing more than 30,000 laptop computers and utilizing the Canvas LMS and other tools, teachers in CDCR are integrating technology into the curriculum for students learning at all levels, from Adult Basic Education through college to Career Technical Education.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Using Technology to Amplify Student Voice)
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Blended Learning in the Correctional Environment)

Learn more about how the processes and tools adult educators have helped us develop for Curating Free Resources and Designing Reusable Digital Activities. These include an Open Educational Resources (OER) Evaluation Guide and a growing library of activities aligned to the Teaching Skills That Matter Topics.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Curating Free Online Resources)
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Designing Reusable Digital Activities)

Jillian Gierke, Director of Programs at the Garces Foundation, uses WhatsApp, Zoom, and EnGen along with key supports like images and student leaders, to get learners ready to engage in online learning. Hear about how Garces leverages these resources and what they’ve learned along the way! Then, Lisa M.Carlo, a Career Pathways Instructor and Trainer at Austin Community College, will share how she uses technology to boost key contributing factors for ITPs to experience success in the U.S, drawing from Steps to Success: Integrating Immigrant Professionals in the United States. This session is sponsored by EnGen and both speakers will share about how EnGen has played a role in supporting these innovative strategies.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Remote Onboarding)
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Internationally Trained Professionals)
  
• Breakout Room #1 Notes (Remote Onboarding)
• Breakout Room #2 Notes (Internationally Trained Professionals)

Virtual reality may be a feasible solution for connecting students to hands-on experiences, whether remote or in-person. Erin Vobornik brings us the research on VR in education and ideas to implement virtual reality in a low-cost, high-reward way during the first lightning talk. Then, Jeff Goumas from the EdTech Center is going to share some exciting new and soon-to-come content and features on SkillBlox, a tool for locating free and open learning activities and remixing them to create learning playlists. Combined, these two lightning talks will equip attendees with practical, equitable solutions to enhance learner engagement. 

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Virtual Reality for Workplace Readiness)
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Creating Learning Playlists with Skillblox)

We’re kicking off the 2022-23 EdTech Strategy Sessions with an exciting innovation in micro-credentialing and a practical tool that will help programs integrate technology. In the first lightning talk, hear about Maine’s All Learning Counts initiative to implement a micro-credentialing framework for Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs. Megan Dichter will share what the framework looks like now, lessons they’re learning along the way, and how the work is evolving. Following Megan’s lightning talk, the Transforming Immigrant Digital Equity (TIDE) team brings us a toolkit of program practices aimed at integrating technology in recruitment & onboarding, instructional design, and persistence strategies!

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Statewide Microcredential Framework)
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Integrating EdTech in Program Practices)
  

This Distance Education Strategy Session, sponsored by Essential Education, focuses on using technology to make learning relevant and engaging, ultimately to keep learners motivated and moving forward. In this session, Ann Marie Przybyl of Literacy New York will talk about Teaching Soft Skills by Incorporating Workplace Readiness Skills Into Adult Education. James Brown III of Guilford Tech Community College (NC) will then share about Using Formative Assessment and Seat Time Data for Engagement and Retention. Following the lightning talks, presenters will be available for informal small group discussions.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Watch breakout session #2 – Using Formative Assessment and Seat Time Data for Engagement and Retention
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 – Using Formative Assessment and Seat Time Data for Engagement and Retention
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 – Teaching Soft Skills – Incorporating Workplace Readiness Skills Into Adult Education
  

Lightning Talk #1: State Digital Equity Planning – Time to Get Involved!
The Bipartisan Infrastructure law is bringing unprecedented funding to digital access and adoption efforts. Beyond broadband, each state will craft a Digital Equity Plan detailing specific innovations for designated populations, including English language learners and people with literacy needs. This quick Digital Equity Act (DEA) 101 will set the table for upcoming advocacy strategy sessions.

Lightning Talk #2: EdTech Maker Space: PD with Purpose!
Curious about the hype around EdTech Maker Space (ETMS) projects? The ETMS is becoming a movement! Hear from Arizona educators that participated in past ETMS projects and have now completed the IDEAL 103 Designing an EdTech Maker Space Project course. After IDEAL 103, they have their own ETMS plans and educators, programs, and content providers across the country will reap the benefits of this exciting approach to professional development and sharing OER.

• Watch the full recording
• View the slides
• Digital Equity Act 101: A Slide Deck for Advocacy and Awareness
• Watch breakout session #1 – Digital Equity 101
• Watch breakout session #2 – Designing an EdTech Maker Space
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 – Digital Equity 101
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 – Designing an EdTech Maker Space

This session will shed light on two employers’ perspectives on providing opportunities for English learners they employ to build digital skills and highlight the common goals shared between adult educators and employers. We will hear from Kamille Kolar of Cambria and Anson Green of Tyson Foods, two employers that have leveraged EnGen to fuel their adult education partnerships. Kamille Kolar, an Instructional Designer for Cambria, will describe the English program’s mission, origin story, and how challenges that arose during the pandemic led to an evolution in the program’s model that created opportunity for employees to develop their digital literacy skills in tandem with their English language skills. Anson Green will describe Tyson Foods’ current efforts to develop digital literacy for English learners who work there, including custom lessons developed by EnGen.

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Using an Open Lab model + EnGen)
  
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Digital Advancement and Resiliency at Tyson Initiative)

Educators are working hard to develop their own digital resilience while simultaneously integrating digital skills in their lessons to support adult learners. As technology changes, educators need continued professional development, resources, and support to adapt to new tools and technologies. In this Distance Education Strategy Session, Ginette Chandler, Director of Professional Development Services of NH Adult Education, will share the New Hampshire Digital Literacy Skills Assessment and Individualized Professional Development Plans. Alison Ascher Webber, the EdTech Center’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Jamie Harris, Digital Skills Senior Technical Advisor, will then share top instructional strategy findings, best practices, and resources from Digital Resilience in the American Workforce Project.

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Building Personalized Professional Development Plans)
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Top Instructional Strategies for Digital Resilience)
• Access Breakout #1 Recording on Building Personalized Professional Development Plans
  
• Access Breakout #2 Recording on Top Instructional Strategies for Digital Resilience
  

Equity, providing all people with fair opportunities to attain their full potential to the extent possible (CommonHealth ACTION, adapted from Braveman and Gruskin, 2003), impacts the adult learner and their learning. In this Distance Education Strategy Session, Cynthia Peters, Editor of The Change Agent, and Kamala Red, Instructor at the Mid-Manhattan Learning Center in NYC, will share how racial equity can be addressed in distance education classes. Penny Pearson, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network’s (OTAN’s) Distance Learning Projects Coordinator, and Neda Anasseri, OTAN’s Coordinator of Technology Projects, will focus on how accessibility features can support equity for programs, instructors, and learners.

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Addressing Racial Bias in the Adult Education Classroom)
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Accessibility in the Adult Education Classroom)
• Access Breakout #1 Recording on Addressing Racial Bias in the Adult Education Classroom.
• Access Breakout #2 Recording on Accessibility in the Adult Education Classroom.

The Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) course model allows students to choose how they learn: in-person, synchronously online, or asynchronously online. In this session, the EdTech Center’s Jen Vanek briefly introduces key characteristics of the HyFlex model; then, two practitioners from the great state of Arizona will share tips for implementation. Jennifer Duclos from Mesa Adult Education will cover strategies for supporting learner engagement, and David Howden of Arizona Center for Youth Resources will describe the technologies needed to implement Hyflex courses. Following the lightning talks, each presenter will be available for informal small group discussion.

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Technologies to Implement HyFlex Courses) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Strategies for Supporting Learner Engagement) here.

Inspired in many ways by the innovative ideas that have been shared by practitioners during the past 18 months through our Distance Education Strategy Sessions, the EdTech Center is excited to introduce the EdTech Integration Strategy Toolkit! Come join ETC’s Jeff Goumas as he shares the toolkit, which is chock full of effective edtech routines rooted in evidence-based strategies, along with over 1,000 curated digital skills learning activities crowdsourced by educators as part of our Spring 2021 EdTech Maker Space! We’ll discuss ways to use the toolkit, as well as upcoming opportunities for you to contribute to what we hope will be a growing, go-to resource for adult educators. For our second presentation, we’ll hear from the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) on the latest updates to make the free USA Learns platform optimized for mobile users and learn how one adult education ESL teacher uses the site with her beginning level students.

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Tips for Using the Mobile-Optimized USA Learns Website) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (The EdTech Integration Strategy Toolkit) here.

Priyanka Sharma, World Education Project Director, created a process and resources for delivering PD through WhatsApp. Come hear about why she chose WhatsApp and the strategies and resources she made use of to implement it. Then learn how Destiny Simpson, IDEAL Consortium Consultant, and Amy Poland, Professional Development Coordinator at Maine Department of Education, Office of Adult Education, worked together to create a tool for teachers and their supervisors to provide supportive review of remote ESOL instruction. The tools provide structure for observation and reflective conversations to strengthen a teacher’s capacity to provide remote instruction. Come hear about the new tool!

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Professional Development via WhatsApp) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Remote ESOL Instruction Observation Tool) here.
• Access Breakout #1 Recording on Professional Development via WhatsApp.

Hear how Fatma Ghailan from Queens Public Library in New York and Danielle Perry from Peninsula Regional Educational Program (PREP) in Virginia have built innovative and scalable models that increase access to English language training, career pathway transitions, and support economic opportunity for language learners. Tadd Wamester from the EnGen team will share more about how their web & mobile platform and curriculum has been leveraged as an effective tool for workforce and career-focused English language learning.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Blended Learning in Career-focused ESOL Programs) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Supporting Career Pathways for ELLs) here.
• View the slides here.

The Briya Public Charter School in Washington DC has paid careful attention to the skills needed to engage in remote instruction and their learners have benefited. Briya’s structured approach includes a thorough orientation, computer access, and ample support resources and is guided by a checklist that defines targeted digital skills. The result of this approach is the creative use of educational and communication technologies to support video assessments, recorded video lessons, and student-created videos for digital storytelling. During this session, Jamey Sadownick, Briya’s Technology Integration Coordinator, will share a digital skills checklist and other support resources that were developed over the past year to make this approach possible. Following that, Kirsten Wittkowski, Adult Education Coordinator & Instructor, will spotlight examples of the innovative activities and resources that Briya’s instructors use to make technology-rich instruction accessible to all of their learners.

• Watch the full recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Building Technology Skills for Adult ESOL Learners) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Integration of Technology in the Virtual ESOL Classroom) here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Building Technology Skills for Adult ESOL Learners.

This strategy session will focus on what shifts programs have made in the last year and what is sticking as programs develop reopening strategies. Karen Rivas and colleagues from the Carlos Rosario Adult Public Charter School will share resources and experiences with a human-centered approach that will be key to reopening for the 2021-22 school year. Focusing on meeting the needs of the moment and blending adult-ed student needs, Carlos Rosario is exploring offering flexible learning spaces based on what they learned during the pandemic while adjusting to changing local health guidelines and DC School parameters. Next, we’ll hear how the Ronald M Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning/St. Paul Adult Basic Education (MN) embraced a new approach to make technology-rich instruction more equitable. In the fall of 2020, they started implementing “push-in” digital literacy instruction. Adam Kieffer describes his visits to remote ELL class sessions, where he offers highly relevant, digital skills instruction.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Program Design for Fall 2021 –
  A Human-Centered Approach) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Push-In Digital Literacy) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Program Design for Fall 2021 – A Human-Centered Approach.
• Access breakout #2 recording on Push-In Digital Literacy.

How do we take what we as instructors have done with students in a classroom and make it work remotely? What benefits and challenges have moving to an online format brought us? In this session, Nell Eckersley, Director of the NYC Support and Technical Center (STAC) & Instructional Technology Specialist and Cynthia Bell, Director, Workforce Development & Numeracy Services for the Literacy Assistance Center, explore seven elements for effective remote and hybrid instruction.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

The past year has spotlighted how inequitable access to technology and digital skills development compounds existent inequities. Even as we return to more face-to-face settings, the skills adult learners will need for continued success are increasingly digital. During this session, Stacey Wedlake, Research Scientist at the Technology and Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington, will share a skills framework designed to answer the question: What digital skills do people need to learn to participate in today’s world? Then, the EdTech Center’s Priyanka Sharma will share the recently launched Digital Navigator Hub, which includes guides and aligned learning resources organizations can use to provide on-demand tech support to learners; relevant information to secure connectivity and devices; and foundational digital skills, learning and job training.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Digital skills framework for supporting adult education practitioners) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Digital Navigators) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Digital skills framework for supporting adult education practitioners.

Do you know about Google Jamboard? Pamela Jo Wilson, Adult ESOL Program Curriculum Support Specialist for Palm Beach County, FL loves using them for collaborative learning in her ESOL classroom. Hear how she uses Jamboard and other Google tools to help students contextualize and learn vocabulary; practice asking questions and writing answers; identify parts of speech, and lots more.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

Delivering effective integrated education and training remotely can be an especially challenging task. While we continue to gather great ideas and best practices or delivering foundational skill instruction in math and reading from a distance, we’ve had less guidance on how to provide meaningful remote instruction for hand-on training concepts such as occupational safety or how to assemble a toilet. During our first lightning talk, we’ll learn how David Hilder from So Others May Eat in Washington, DC has developed innovative, engaging lessons using Google Classroom to provide integrated lessons that develop occupational skills, math skills, and digital skills all at once. During our second lightning talk, Daryl Robinson and Troy Sockly from Congress Heights (also in Washington, DC) will share how they are using video and a mix of in-person and remote training demonstrations to effectively provide technical skills training to all learners.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Contextualized Instruction Using Google Classroom) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Supporting Hands-On Instruction and Demos Done Remotely) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Remote Contextualized Lessons.
• Access breakout #2 recording on Remote Hands-on Demos.

Learning Circles have emerged as a promising practice for bringing together a group of people who all want to learn about the same subject. But, how do they work in a virtual environment? Join the EdTech Center and our partners ProLiteracy as we welcome expert panelists to share how they’ve used learning circles and how they’ve converted them to a virtual environment during the pandemic. Panelists will share experiences, best practices, and resources you can use to start learning circles in your program.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

Build an Evidence-based Strategy Toolkit! Looking to add more technology-centered routines into your practice but not sure where to begin? Join us for this exciting session to learn about tools and tips for building an evidence-based, tech integration strategy toolkit! First, Medha Tare and Sarah Cacicio from ETC partner Digital Promise share their recently released evidence-based Adult Learner Model that can be used to improve instructional strategies.Then, Jayme Adelson Goldstein of Lighthearted Learning will put theory into practice by sharing a guide full of tech integration strategies that includes guidance for how students experience different strategies when using a mobile device.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Adult Learner Variability Navigator) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (“Digital Substitution” Strategies) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Adult Learner Variability Navigator.
• Access breakout #2 recording on “Digital Substitution” Strategies.

Implementing basic accessibility principles not only helps ensure that individuals with disabilities and those who use assistive technology can fully participate in distance learning; it also often improves usability for all learners. In this webinar, Dr. Melissa Helquist, Director of the Salt Lake Community College Community Writing Center and Professor of English at Salt Lake Community College will explore the fundamentals of accessibility—including creating accessible documents and delivering audio and video content—to help make accessibility a more central part of your distance education program.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic have brought about significant shifts in hiring demand and have accelerated the future of work in ways that none of us could have predicted. Immigrant and refugee communities have been disproportionately affected by job losses, and also make up a larger percentage of essential workers in healthcare and grocery/retail, among other sectors. IET Career Pathway programs must rapidly adapt to the changing needs of both their learners and the employer hiring demand within their local communities. Katie Nielson, PhD. and Tadd Wamester from the Voxy EnGen team will unpack these issues and also provide insight into how programs are transitioning to blended and virtual IET & career-focused language learning, now and into the future.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Science behind Successful Blended Language Learning at Scale) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Making It Work in Practice) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Science of Blended Learning.
• Access breakout #2 recording on Making It Work in Practice.

Learn how one region in South Carolina has worked to develop effective practices building learning resource libraries at scale. First, Mary Gaston, Technical Assistance Specialist for SCAE, will share how her team worked to rapidly find, create, and share online learning content in the wake of COVID-19 school closures for their region, and over time has developed a coordinated process for making these resources readily available to educators across the state. Then, Kathy Woodson (SC Adult Ed Training Specialist), Kathy LaBegue (Greenville Lifelong Learning Instructor), Anita Wilson (TAN 1 Curriculum Specialist), and Mickey Cox (Oconee Adult Ed Instructor), will share how they have been able to take these reusable learning resources and implement them into their instruction. You will leave with lots of ideas for how collaboration can help you and your colleagues effectively coordinate the curation, creation, and sharing of content to meet the needs of your learners.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Building an Online Resource Library for Widespread Reuse) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Adapting Open Education Resources for Instructional Use) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Resource Development.
• Access breakout #2 recording on Resource Implementation.

Rachel Riggs, ESL Instructional Specialist, Frederick Community College, will share her Digital Literacy Action Plan (DLAP). Rachel will describe the challenge of supporting learner agency in digital literacy and describe how the DLAP helped her overcome those challenges.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

Staff from Rio Salado College and Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County will share strategies for how they have successfully transitioned to teaching online when faced with the challenges of pivoting instruction at a moment’s notice. Then, Robert Breitbard from Burlington English will describe how teaching with one comprehensive blended curriculum allows teachers to shift instruction to any learning environment.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Teaching in a Remote Blended Learning Program) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Administrating a Remote Blended Learning Program) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access breakout #1 recording on Teaching in a Remote Blended Learning Program.
• Access breakout #2 recording on Administrating in a Remote Blended Learning Program.

Sara, Nicole and Caitlin will share how they created two YouTube channels: Literacy Pittsburgh English Class and Family Literacy Storytime. They will discuss why they decided to use YouTube for instruction, how they shoot and promote the videos, and how they helped their “actors” overcome nervousness. They’ll also reveal how their videos have increased Literacy Pittsburgh’s profile in their community, across the country, and around the world.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

We’ll hear from the Nashville Public Libray and learn about their “ecosystem of support” model, including the professional development resources they developed, community offerings and how they work together. We’ll also look at the newly released Transforming Distance Education course and the lessons related to this week’s topic.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Nashville Public Library’s Ecosystem of Support PD Model) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Introducing the Transforming Distance Education Course) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Nashville Public Library’s Ecosystem of Support PD Model and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Transforming Distance Education Course and the recording.

Come hear Helaine Marshall from Long Island University-Hudson introduce the Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach (SOFLA). In the SOFLA model, learners independently complete online lessons that provide initial instruction on key concepts. Then students attend class (through Zoom or something similar) with the teacher and other students where they can build their understanding through collaboration, discussion, and application. This lesson model will help you make efficient use of students’ learning time at home, as well as your web meeting time. The presenter will share steps to create lessons, describe an example of SOFLA in practice, and be available for questions.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Follow Up Infographic.

This webinar will feature Southwest Minnesota ABE program manager See Muoa-Leske describing Reading Skills for Today’s Adults and how their library of free leveled readers is designed to support literacy development for English language learners. The second presentation will build on RSTA presentation, showing how the leveled readers have been integrated into engaging mobile accessible learning objects. Both Xavier Munoz from the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and Jeff Goumas from CrowdEd Learning will share their work. Following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Reading Skills for Today’s Adults) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (EdTech Maker Space) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Reading Skills for Today’s Adults and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on EdTech Maker Space and the recording.

This webinar will cover issues important to consider when integrating volunteers into your distance education programming and instruction. We will feature lightning talks from two experts on the subject: Rob Podlasek from Literacy Minnesota and Todd Evans from ProLiteracy. Learn how their organizations address challenges like: supporting volunteers, structuring programming to make best use of volunteers, training and onboarding volunteers, and attending to security and privacy issues. Following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the recording here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Five Strategies for Volunteer Success in Distance Learning and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Reinventing a 50-Year-Old Program in 5 Months and the recording.

This webinar features two lightning talks. First, Ashly Winkle and Claire Gilliam will share how team teaching helped the staff at Literacy Council of Tyler to transition from a face-to-face to remote learning environments by creating opportunities for teachers to support each other with technology issues, instruction, discussion guidance, & overall community building. Then Monica Zambrano and Zazil Rojas from Building Skills Partnership will share how their employer-union partnership work used Facebook as a convenor to help address the Needs of Immigrant Latino Frontline Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis. Following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Team Teaching Online) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Addressing the Needs of Immigrant Latino Frontline Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis using Facebook as a Convenor) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Team Teaching Online and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Addressing the Needs of Immigrant Latino Frontline Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis using Facebook as a Convenor and the recording.

This webinar features two lightning talks. We welcome Heather Tatton-Harris, from Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, who will share resources and strategies they developed to do registration and intake completely online. EdTech Center advisor Jeff Goumas will share a promising new tech resource – smartphone emulating or “mirroring” – that teachers can use to help students working on mobile devices. Following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Moving Registration and Placement to Zoom and Other Remote Systems) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Screencasting Your Mobile Device) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Registration and Placement Over Zoom and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Screencasting Your Mobile Device and the recording.

This webinar features two lightning talks.  We welcome Riva Pearson, from JVS Hyde Park ESOL Program, who will share remote reading instructional strategies for using articles for The Change Agent, a biannual magazine of student writing published by the New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) at World Education. Joey Lehrman and Tiffany Thomas,  Delgado Community College will describe their work using student engagement data to provide effective coaching. Following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Using The Change Agent content in Remote Instruction) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Data Driven Coaching) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Using the Change Agent in Remote Instruction and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Data Driven Coaching and the recording.

This webinar features two lightning talks. First, Sherry Lehane from the Rhode Island Tech Hub for Adult Education will share strategies for creating mobile learning content on common technologies (like Google Slides) that maximizes readability and engagement for students learning on phones. Then, Rachael Riggs, from Frederick Community College, will share strategies for maximizing engagement in online classrooms. She’ll share how she creates media and sets up role play activities (among other things) to support learning for English language learners. Following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Designing & Adapting Content for Mobile Instruction) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Strategies to Maximize Engagement in Online Classrooms) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Making Instructional Content for Use on Phones and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Strategies for Online Classroom Interaction and the recording.

Our webinar on Friday May 29th, 2020 features two lightning talks.  First,  teachers Kristin Klas and Laura Tamali from St Paul Adult Basic Education (MN) will share strategies for using multiple google applications integrated on a weebly site to support distance education. Then, Jessica Wabler from the YWCA – National Capital Area will present resources she has created to make possible the online screening needed to fully understand learners’ needs and the resources required to support persistence in distance education.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Integrating Google Applications on a Weebly Site) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Supporting Persistence through Online Assessment & Screening) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Blending technologies to create classroom instruction and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Online screening to support persistence and the recording.

Our strategy session on Friday May 15th features innovations to help states, programs, and teachers that are working to make it easier for teachers to create or curate their own developed curricula. First Jeff Goumas from CrowdED Learning will share a new tool—SkillBlox—designed to make it easy for instructors to quickly find free resources aligned to the College & Career Readiness Standards, as well as a current initiative supporting teacher collaboration in OER content curation and delivery to students. Then, Corina Avila and Kyle Boyson from the Arizona Department of Education will describe their state’s process for training and certifying teachers to assign proxy hours (using the teacher verification model) for online content they have created. A 30-minute discussion follows the presentations.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Using SkillBlox to Organize OER + Free Learning Resources) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Training Arizona Instructors to Assign Teacher Verification Model Proxy Hours) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on OER and SkillBlox and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Teacher Verification Model: Training & Certification and the recording.

Our webinar on Friday May 8th, 2020 features two lightning talks.  First, Lori Looney and her colleagues from Kentucky Skills U will share their innovative approach to providing resources and professional learning to help their teachers deliver quality distance education. Then, Tamara Thompson from Mockingbird Education will share strategies she has found useful for supporting learner engagement in synchronous online instruction. As always, following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Providing “Microlearning” Professional Development Opportunities for Instructors) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Engaging Learners During Remote Synchronous Instruction) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on PD Strategies from KY Skills U and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Learner engagement strategies in synchronous online learning and the recording.

This webinar dives into how one state is tackling the need to rapidly scale distance education. This Friday we’ll feature two lightning talks from Texas. First, Texas State Adult Education Director Anson Green will share the critical steps that the Texas Workforce Commission made to make it possible for programs to serve more learning at a distance. Then Ashly Winkle from the Literacy Council of Tyler will walk you through how to use Wakelet to support instruction – making it possible for teachers who don’t have a website to organize digital resources. As always, following the lightning talks, we’ll break into two discussions and you can choose which topic you’d like to further explore.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Learnings from Rapidly Scaling Distance Education in Texas) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Using Wakelet to Support Instruction) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Educating in the Pandemic: Innovation in Texas and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Using Wakelet for Instruction and the recording.

Our strategy session this week will feature resources especially helpful for learners who need extra support and alternatives to traditional online learning. First we’ll feature Joselyn Marte, program coordinator and advisor at the Lawrence Adult Learning Center, in Lawrence, MA. Joselyn will describe how to provide wrap around support and navigation services using technology. Next, Dr. Jessica Rothenberg-Aalmi from Cell-Ed will describe how Cell-Ed curricula and personalized coaching can be accessed on a range of devices – including flip phones. One featured resource is a free COVID-19 info course in multiple languages to help youth and adult learners stay safe during the pandemic.Jessica will also discuss the launch of a major initiative April 30th to reach the most vulnerable learners with free programming.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Providing Remote Support & Navigation Services Using Tech Tools) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Using Cell-Ed to Provide Coaching for Learners without Smartphones) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Staying Connected with Personal Support and Wrap Around Services and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Cell-Ed Learning Resources & Coaching for Learners without Smartphones and the recording.

Join us for two lightning talks and breakout discussions addressing strategies for meeting with students at a distance. Jennifer Kleupmen, an Education Specialist with the Community Education and Training Department at Mercer County Community College in Trenton, NJ, will talk about her experience using Zoom to support synchronous meetings. Anthony Tassi from Literacy Partners will describe strategies for using their free ESL curriculum, We Speak NYC, as part of virtual learning circles.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Learning to Teach with Zoom) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Using the We Speak NYC ESL Curriculum for Virtual Learning Circles) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Learning to teach with Zoom and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Virtual learning circles and We Speak NYC and the recording.

Join us for three lightning talks and breakout discussions on a virtual workplace ESOL training developed by National Immigration Forum (The Forum) with support from the EdTech Center. Jennie Murray from The Forum will talk about finding employer partners in this challenging time; Ana Negoescu from The Forum and Victoria Neff from the EdTech Center will share the process the project used for completely virtual on-boarding and orientation. Susan Gaer, EdTech Center Advisor, will share strategies for moving usual classroom instruction and activities to an online format. Read about the project in this report: Upskilling New Americans: Innovative English Training for Career Advancement.

• Watch the full recording here. 
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Building Employer Partnerships in Distance Learning) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Tips for Remote Student Onboarding) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #3 (Strategies for Adapting Instruction for Blended & Distance Learning) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Employer partnerships in workplace learning .
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Remote onboarding.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Transitioning to a remote model – instruction.

Ashly Winkle from the Literacy Council of Tyler (TX) will explain how teachers can use Hyperdocs (linked Google Docs) as a way to structure lessons delivered at a distance. Judy Mortrude from World Education will walk through the newest guidance document from OCTAE on policy that supports distance education.

• Watch the full recording here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Using Hyperdocs to Organize & Structure Lessons) here.
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Guidance on OCTAE’s Distance Education Policy) here.
• View the slides here.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on OCTAE Guidance on Distance Education.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Using Google hyperdocs for remote teaching.

This webinar, designed for administrators, professional development leaders and teachers, will feature lightning talks on using WhatsApp as a central instructional tool and a description for how one state is using the Teacher Verification Model for proxy contact hour counting.

• Watch the full recording here
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (Using WhatsApp for Remote Instruction) here
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Using the Teacher Verification Model for Counting Proxy Contact Hours) here
• View the slides here
• Access the breakout discussion notes on using WhatsApp and the recording.
• Access the breakout discussion notes on Teacher Verification Model and the recording.

The first webinar, designed for administrators, professional development leaders and other practitioners, will cover a preview of the Tips for Distance Learning site. We will feature lightning talks about LINCS resources and guidance on choosing online curricula. We will offer break out discussion on these and other topics participants have about getting started with distance education.

• Watch the full recording here
• Watch Lightning Talk #1 (LINCS Community Courses, & Resources for Adult Education) here
• Watch Lightning Talk #2 (Navigating Online Curricula to Rapidly Start Distance Learning) here
• View the slides here