View our new 2024-2027 Strategic Plan
Professional Development
- Best Practices in Digital Learning: Formerly known as Distance Learning 101/102, this professional development cohort opportunity will support ABE teachers, staff, and administrators in setting learners up for success in distance (asynchronous) learning and online class formats (fully online, blended, HyFlex, etc.). We’ll focus on learner orientation, ongoing digital navigation/tech support, and instructional and assessment best practices. The kickoff will be held the week of November 11, 2024, and the cohort experience will conclude in February 2025. The exact dates will be announced; please check the MN ABE Connect newsletter and the Distance Learning website.
- Building an EdTech Strategy Tooklit (BEST): This professional development cohort opportunity will run January through May, 2025. The kickoff is planned for the week of January 13, 2025. Subsequent meeting dates will be determined based on participants’ schedules. For more information about the course content, click here.
- Get to Know Google Classroom is a self-paced, asynchronous course for adult education teachers who are new to using Google Classroom, a learning management system commonly used in Minnesota schools. This course introduces teachers to the platform and walks through the steps of setting up a class, inviting learners to join the class, creating assignments, and sharing and collaborating with other teachers. The Distance Learning Team extends our sincere thanks to adult education teacher Kris Klas of the Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning for sharing their original class and materials with us so that we can make them available to all adult educators in Minnesota. To join the course, go to Google Classroom, login with your Google Account, and enter class code: td3vjxb, or use the link above.
- Distance and Blended Learning Basics for Minnesota Adult Education has replaced DL Basics. This course was designed for education providers and practitioners teaching adult basic academic skills, ESOL, and literacy at a distance and/or through blended learning; it provides strategies and resources that are essential for both setting up and implementing distance education or teaching with a blended approach. The course includes six modules: Getting Started With Distance And Blended Learning; Outreach, Screening, & Orientation: Supporting Distance Learners From The Start; Effective Distance & Blended Learning Instruction; Assessment; MN ABE Distance Education Policy and Procedures; and Teacher Verification Model (TVM) in Practice."
- Northstar Digital Literacy Foundations provides an introduction to the Northstar Digital Literacy standards and how they can be integrated into any adult education course. The Northstar standards are one of three required sets of content standards for adult education in Minnesota (along with the College and Career Readiness Standards and the ACES-TIF standards). This course is intended for Minnesota Adult Education teachers, managers, program coordinators, and anyone in a role supporting learners or staff with digital literacy instruction (e.g., curriculum specialists, distance learning coordinators, technology integration specialists, digital navigators, volunteer tutors, etc.). Participants will earn 5 CEUs upon completion. To register for program year 2024-25, register here.
- The Digital & Distance Learning Team has scheduled several FREE trainings to help you learn or refresh your memory about state-supported distance learning platforms. Starting August 29 and continuing through early October, we’re hosting Back-to-School trainings on MobyMax, Edmentum Courseware, and Edmentum Exact Path, as well as AI Playgroups - details below.
- Back to School with Moby Max: Session 1: Thursday, 8/29/24, 2:00-4:00 pm and Wednesday, 10/2, 2:00-4:00 pm. Register for Session 1 here, and session 2 here. If you are teaching with MobyMax this school year and need an introduction or a refresher, then this training is for you! We’ll cover essential tasks for teachers, including adding learners to your roster, creating class groups, adjusting module settings so learners can access the correct content, creating assignments, monitoring progress, and proxy hour reporting. The training will include plenty of time for hands-on practice and questions. Note: Session 2 will be a repeat of the same content from Session 1. Choose the date that works best for you.: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. It will be helpful if you know your login credentials prior to the training. You can complete the form here under Key Information to request an account on the statewide license. To request accommodations (ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact the DL helpdesk. A recording will be available after the training. MobyMax is a state-supported platform, so there is no additional cost to you or your program! Click here for more information.
- Back to School with Edmentum Courseware: Tuesday, 9/17, 2:30-4 PM. Please register here. Andrew Kappel from Edmentum will present an introduction to Edmentum Courseware. You’ll get an overview of the platform, see the structure and layout of courses, explore the course catalog, and learn how to manage class sections, learner accounts, and proxy hour reporting. The training will be interactive and include time for hands-on practice and questions. Whether you’re already planning to use Courseware, you’re curious about it, or you need a refresher, we hope you’ll join us! Additional information about the training: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. It will be helpful to know your login credentials prior to the training. You can complete the form here under Key Information to request an account on the statewide license. To request accommodations (ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact the DL helpdesk. A recording will be available after the training. Edmentum Courseware: is a state-supported platform, so there is no additional cost to you or your program!. Additional information is available here.
- Back to School with Exact Path: Friday, 9/27, 1:00-2:30 PM. Please register here. Andrew Kappel from Edmentum will present an introduction to Exact Path, a tool for individualized instruction and practice within the Edmentum platform. You’ll learn about assigning diagnostic assessments, managing individual student Learning Paths, using reports to monitor progress, and proxy hour reporting. The training will be interactive and include time for hands-on practice and questions. We hope you’ll join us to learn more about this powerful tool! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. It will be helpful to know your login credentials prior to the training. You can complete the form here under Key Information to request an account on the statewide Edmentum license. To request accommodations (ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact the DL helpdesk. A recording will be available after the training. Exact Path is included in our statewide Edmentum license. Edmentum is a state-supported platform, so there is no additional cost to you or your program. Additional information is available here.
- AI Playgroup: Fourth Tuesdays (9/24, 10/22, 11/26), 1:30-2:30 PM. Please register here. How are generative AI tools (like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, MagicSchool, Khanmigo, and many others) affecting you, your colleagues, and adult learners? Are you using AI all the time, curious about it, worried about it, or just confused? Wherever you are, join Nick Houlson, Jason Brazier, and Elizabeth Bennett from Literacy Minnesota for an informal AI playgroup! Each Tuesday, we’ll learn a little about an AI tool, play around with it, and explore implications for our practice. Everyone is welcome: teachers, administrators, support staff, and volunteers. After registering, you’ll receive an email from “MNABE Staff” with a link to join the meetings. Attendance at all three sessions is NOT required. Register for the series, and you can join on the day(s) that work for you. NO prior knowledge, preparation, or homework is necessary! Please just bring yourself (and a sense of humor). We are not planning to record these sessions, but we will share a Padlet with resources to explore on your own. We promise that you won’t break anything - this will be fun!
- You can assess your own digital literacy skills, to identify strengths and areas you would like to improve. To access a confidential Northstar assessment site, go here, and click Sign up as a learner. You can take up to 15 different assessments in the areas of Essential Computer Skills, Essential Software Skills, and using Technology in Daily Life. You can also access Northstar Online Learning to improve specific skill areas.
Looking to request Continuing Education Unites (CEUs) for completing recorded webinar trainings or workshops? Click the link below for more information, requirements and the request form.
"Before the course I wasn't sure whether distance learning was something I could comfortably tackle. Now, though I have just been introduced to it, I feel that it is something I want to try. Why not, for crying out loud!"
- Satisfied participant
World-Ed offers a series of three free online self-paced courses related to distance learning: Introduction to Blended Learning; Introduction to Mobile Learning, and Open Educational Resources. Go here to get started, and here to learn how to self-enroll in any of these courses:
- MN Introduction to Blended Learning: This mini course introduces participants to essential and foundational information about blended learning. It includes key definitions, strategies, examples, and reflective activities primarily presented in multimedia format. The goal of the course is for teachers tunderstand the different forms of blended learning and how they might integrate them into their coursework.
- MN Introduction to Mobile Learning: Welcome to the Introduction to Mobile Learning course. This multi-media mini course introduces participants to the basics of integrating mobile devices into their classroom, distance, or blended instruction. It includes key definitions, suggested strategies, examples, and reflective activities to help teachers incorporate what they have learned into their practice. The goal of the course is for teachers to understand the different ways adult learners and their teachers can use flip-phones, smartphones and tablets to enhance learning both in and out of the classroom.
- MN Open Educational Resources: This mini course introduces participants to essential information about Open Educational Resources (OERs). It includes key definitions, examples and reflective activities presented primarily in multimedia format. The goal of the course is for teachers to understand the benefits of using OERs, know where to find them, and how to evaluate their effectiveness.
Download and read the handbook here.
You can assess your own digital literacy skills, to identify strengths and areas you would like to improve. To access a confidential Northstar assessment site, go here, and click Sign up as a learner. You can take up to 15 different assessments in the areas of Essential Computer Skills, Essential Software Skills, and using Technology in Daily Life. You can also access Northstar Online Learning to improve specific skill areas.