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Speaker: OTAN Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

Melinda Holt: Hello, everyone. I'm Melinda Holt. I'm a project specialist for OTAN, the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network, and I will be your host for this OTAN Tech Talk. The title for this OTT is, "Guiding You Through the Digital Guidance." Our presenter today is Francisco Pinedi, an OTAN trainer. And let's get started. Francisco?

FRANCISCO XAVIER PINEDO, JR.: OK. so good afternoon, everybody, and welcome. Once again, my name is Francisco Pinedo, subject matter expert here for OTAN. A little bit about me. Again, as I just mentioned, I'm an OTAN subject matter expert. I'm also the lead instructor for Soledad Adult School, and I'm also a contributor to the guidance documents. So that's going to be what we will be discussing in this video-- the guidance document.

So it's not just the random person that's going to present, but it's actually somebody who did contribute to this guidance document. My objective is for you to go into the OTAN website and get the guidance document. So that's going to be my main objective that I'll be representing in.

So what is the guidance document? So the guidance document is a resource for adult education staff and administrators to look and to see, how can I use it in my agency? Also, it could be a resource for your local CAEP Consortium, which is what we are using it with in my local consortium. Just want to make clear to let you know that this is not a set of standards for teachers to remember. That's a question that I have been getting asked a lot-- is this a new set of standards in adult education? No.

The guidance document does talk about standards-- for example, the ISTE standards, the International Society for Technology Education. It also talks about the CASAS competencies. It talks about adult education standards.

So this document does talk a lot about standards. But this is not a new set of standards, but it's a document that includes all the standards in adult education. So I just want to make sure that's clear because people have asked me, is this something new?

It is also not how-- it's not how for your agency to do things, but it's rather a framework that you are going to be building over time. So the keyword here is "over time." Once your agency and your agency, you get this document and you disseminate it, it's a framework for you to be building it over time-- not meaning it's going to happen this school year, but it's something that you could start incorporating this school year and next school year and building upon.

The guidance is not meant to be done by one teacher or one administrator, but rather by a collaboration of admin, teacher, and staff, and, I would also say, students. Students are the ones who are going to be benefiting from this, so why not invite them to the table as well? The guidance will benefit, as I mentioned, your students, thus increasing student retention. So we have seen, since we've been using more different types of learning models, that student retention is on the increase in some of our local programs.

So where can I get the guidance? So if you visit the OTAN website, on the upper right-hand corner of the screen or section of the screen is going to be the link to the guidance document. So right here, you would be able to go onto the OTAN website, and then, on the upper right-hand corner, there will be an area where you can download the document-- let's do that-- and then you will be able to have this living document.

So this is a living document. It Means it's changing constantly. So it's not that it's just published and done, but it is going to be updated quite regularly as new information comes along.

So if we look at digital learning, the big picture, so we have equitable access, meaning the students have access to different sorts of technology. More so than a 4-inch screen, because we know it's very difficult to function on a inch screen like a smartphone screen, but that the student has equitable access to different sorts of technology-- whether it's a tablet, it's a laptop, Chromebook, or a desktop computer.

Also, when we talk about digital learning, we're talking about appropriate content-- content that is culturally sensitive to our students but also, at the same time, is appropriate for the students. It's not going to be something that is cartoon-based or geared for elementary, but it's geared for adults with a cultural sensitivity. And also-- and most importantly, I would say-- is prepared teachers. It's having teachers in enough professional development, having them-- giving them the access to PD at the [inaudible] district level, consortium level, and also available at the state level as well-- like OTAN and CC and other agents like CALPRO as well-- to prepare the teachers, so that way, we have all of these three components-- equitable access, appropriate content, prepared teachers. And that's going to add to equal to happy students, a happy school where learning will happen, both digitally and in person as well.

If we look at the digital guidance, it does have seven chapters. It has the introduction where it's going to be giving you a brief history of adult education. It's always important to know where we come from to understand where we are to lead us into what is coming next.

Chapter 2 is talking about ensuring equity and access-- mainly talking about devices, connectivity, understanding the learners' needs and accessibility. Also talking about universal design, which is very important. There's other information that you can find on the OTAN site about universal design.

Chapter 3 talks about the foundations of adult education and digital learning. So here's where it's going to be talking about the different theories, the different standards that I mentioned previously. It's also going to be talking about professional development.

Chapter 4, designing flexible learning experience. So here we're going to be-- you will be reading about blended learning, digital learning, OERs, open education resource, and how to evaluate that content, and tools to evaluate that content. Chapter 5 is talking about adapting models that work-- so different digital learning models, planning, reporting as well.

Chapter 6 is data-driven instruction via digital assessment. So we all-- in our programs, we do a lot of data-driven instruction. So here it's going to say, how do you use this data to help your students succeed?

Chapter 7, fostering a healthy, equitable, and inclusive digital communities, is community-building and also digital citizenship-- which is something that I emphasize over and over, is having those digital citizenship skills and also having digital access to your students, plus a comprehensive literature review, glossary, and executive summary. The guidance document also includes videos from different teachers in different agencies throughout California, and also includes teachers and administrators and their testimony and how they are using digital learning in their programs. So I invite you to please download the digital document and visit on it frequently because the information will be changing.

So I will be talking to you about how we use the digital guidance in our consortium. So for example, here in our Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium, we do have a PD designed for and dedicated to hyflex and hybrid instruction. So the digital guidance, we have used it to see how can we, as a consortium, better help our agencies in our consortium to how we could better our instruction, both for hyflex and for hybrid learning, and also remote learning. Some programs are 100% remote, some programs are in-person, and that sweet spot in the middle is having both students in-person and online at the same time. And how are we going to do that?

So that really has helped agencies like Salinas Adult School, like Solidad Adult School, and other adult schools here in our consortiun-- to start looking into we could serve more students because we'll have them in the classroom. We'll have them outside of the classroom. Thus, it will help our retention and we'll also build our numbers, which is something that a lot of agencies are interested in.

We are also looking at open education resources used in pathway programs. So in our pathway programs, a lot of the pathway programs that we have in our consortium are using OERs at the Adult School, and also with our local community college. So this is great because the student no longer has to purchase a textbook that is fairly expensive, but they can use OER books that are available because, in our consortium, we've talked about the importance of OER, and also, our local community college is using OERs.

Providing our students with access to technology, including devices, internet access, and digital literacy skills. So in our consortium, we really have been looking at a lot is how can we provide our students these devices needed to be successful, the internet access-- which we know that now, in a national initiative, is going to be addressing that issue-- and also, how can we teach digital literacy skills? So that was one of the things that, in our consortium, is really important, and making sure that all of our students have at least access to some devices-- whether it's loaned out, or they could use it extended hours during our programs that we operate. Also, the internet and providing those digital literacy skills, which I highlight, and I always say are very important to make this guidance document work. And to helping your students be those happy students I showed you in the slides before, we need those digital literacy skills.

So using the local guidance at the local school level for the students, the students always, as they come in our program, they do the student technology intake form, which is what they do. And I'll visit that form. You could visit that form, and then, right there, it's on the Cal Adult Org site. And it's the student intake form where it asks the student, what type of technology do they have? What type of technology did they use?

So that one right there, we use it to see-- visually see-- what is it that our students are lacking, what skills they're lacking, and what skills they know. And we build from there. So every quarter, every semester, we look at the results, and then we also look at previous year results. And we're able to see, students are having a hard time accessing, for example, their email, or students don't know how to respond to an email, or things like that. And then, we're able to address those little gaps within each school. I mean, each school site is very different.

And then, we determine what barriers students face in technology. We also use local nonprofits to help students get devices. Here locally, there is an organization, Loaves, Fishes, and Computers, based in Salinas-- and I know there's many more out in the state of California and beyond-- that do offer students help getting devices based on different parameters like if the student is in free lunch, or K-12 students. If, for example, they would qualify to get a low-cost computer, or that they could keep-- also, it provides them with help to getting access to internet, having access to-- and then, this organization also offers digital literacy programs online, both in English and in Spanish.

We also offer students help with signing up for the Affordable Connectivity Program at our school site. So right here, the students could go get help signing up for this program, where it will give them a $30, up to $50 credit every month on broadband internet. We also loan devices to students. So these are devices that were purchased a few years ago. So we do have a program where we loan out devices.

We would also be doing hotspots in the past few years. In the last year, we haven't done that. But in some agencies, I they are doing that. They're loaning out a device, and also a hotspot. That way, it will help the learner be able to learn using different platforms that are used in the classroom.

Also, incorporating digital literacy in every program. And again, that's something that I do stress a lot. Not only is it for ESL, but it's also for your CTE programs. It's also for our HSE program. so in every program here, we are incorporating digital literacy skills. So our literacy skills-- for example, we're transitioning from paper-based testing to more having computer-based testing.

So that means that in our HSE program we are having students do typing skills, how to use the mouse, how to type when you have a little timer on so that way they won't get distracted when they're taking the HSE exam and they see that little clock. So doing all this in your classroom is going to prepare your students to be more successful when they take, for example, the HSE exam.

Also, in our CTE programs, all of the CTE programs that are offered here in our consortium use technology to some extent, especially in the medical field. So teaching the students how to capture data, how to read data, how to incorporate data into a spreadsheet, for example, or how to use and [inaudible] types of programs, that is something that is used as well in our consortium.

So in every aspect, even in our ESL, our very low beginning literacy ESL program, heavy on technology. But with that, it also includes having the teachers having that training on how to teach the students to use technology. So in our school, we do have a lead instructor who helps the teacher with students to teach them how to use basic literacy skills. We also refer them to, like I mentioned before, local non-profits that might have more with digital literacy, or even partnering adult schools that they have events in our local community college also have events for students with digital literacy skills. So in our consortium and in our school we, are always looking for those resources to help the student be successful.

So using the guidance document at the local school level for teachers-- and teachers, again, use the teacher technology intake survey. And with this one again, we see what are some of the areas that the teacher is proficient in, and what are some of the areas that the teacher is lacking skills in, and then we kind of build a PD around that. We also offer continuous PD for staff on using technology. And our district has also invited us in the past for their technology PD days, which are usually held before school starts, before school returns from spring break, and sometimes during the summer.

So they always invite us to be part of these trainings. We're also always get invited from other local community colleges and adult schools. Also developing mini tech teams to mentor your teachers. So some agencies, I know, are small, so that might be difficult, but maybe having that one or two people at each site who is going to mentor teachers on how to use technology.

Also, allow teacher input when selecting the technology. I've noticed that in the past, when I tell my staff, we want to use this curriculum or this curriculum, what do you think? They actually give me input because they're the ones who are going to be using it. So when I allow my teachers input when selecting technology, one, they're more likely to use it, and two, they're going to feel like they had a say in it, so they're going to use it, actually, more because they had a say in it.

Also, continue loaning out devices to students, and have drop-in technology hours. So since the beginning of the pandemic, we have had a Friday every Friday where we have drop-in hours for students to come in if they can't access Canvas-- because so we do use Canvas for our ESL program-- if they are having trouble connecting to their high school diploma program that they were using. So it's having that drop-in technology for students to come into our school and get that help that they need.

Because one of the biggest barriers besides having access to a device is for the students not knowing how to use the different programs that are being used in each of our programs. We're not a learning management system, so for example, that one did prove to be a little bit more hard. So we would set time aside for the students to onboard them if they came in later during the program. And that onboarding included about an hour or more of a teacher helping the student how to connect to Canvas, how to register in Canvas, and how to navigate the courseware in Canvas. So having that time invested does really make a difference because, one, it will keep the student in the program, and two, that one or two hours of investment will help the student succeed. Thus, the student will also help new students who come into the classroom and help onboarding them.

Some of the conclusions that come up after reading this guidance document is, one, as it was mentioned in this presentation, main challenge for adult learners in digital learning is of access-- accessing a device, accessing the internet, accessing the programs that are used within the classroom. Also, another conclusion-- despite challenges from students and staff, we know that digital literacy and digital learning is here to stay. So we see that more and more and more and more programs have an in-person, a hybrid component, some HyFlex as well. So we know that it's only going to be growing. So knowing that that right there is pretty much here to stay, and understanding that there are resources that will help you as an administrator for your agency to be able to deliver this type of differential instruction to your students.

Students also have more control of their education by having greater access to educational opportunities outside of classrooms. So if the student can come to school because of weather, because of health, or because of work, they know that they could go on to the learning management system, capture and see the work that was done the day they were out. Maybe some agencies upload the videos of the recording.

So the student will have access to that information at any time. They're no longer bound to a set time in a brick and mortar setting. Their education now could be in the palm of their hands, or, as I recommend better, on a computer screen. That way, the student has greater opportunities to be successful, and it's also one of the things that the students really appreciate.

They really like the fact that, if I can't come to class one day, and I connect or if I do it virtually or remotely, it will be the same experience as if I was in the classroom. And that is ultimately what we want. We want to provide our students with opportunities to succeed.

And I understand it can be a challenge for us educators. But with the guidance document, it will provide you a framework of what you can do, or maybe of what you are doing now, with the tools to help your agency serve better the students. So that's the purpose of the guidance document.

Again, the guidance document is on the OTAN website. So when you go into the OTAN website, on the upper right-hand corner, there will be an area that says the guidance document. And it will take it to a web page where you will have, again, access to the document, also access to the chapter notes, and access to conclusions and findings. So I hope that you take the time to go to the OTAN site and download a copy today. Thank you.

Melinda Holt: Thank you, Francisco, for presenting this OTT. I'd like to encourage viewers at this time to subscribe to OTAN's YouTube channel, where instructional tech videos related to adult education can be found, including OTAN Tech Talks. All of this information and more is available on the OTAN website at www.otan.us. Thank you for watching this OTAN Tech Talk.