Conference (Re)Call


Reports

 

 

 

Leadership and the New Technologies - Online Workshops

Back a couple of months ago, Kirsten Johnson put out to WAOE-Views some information about the Leadership and the New Technologies site maintained by the Center for Online Professional Education at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton, MA.  It's taken a while, but at last I've followed up on the promise I made to myself to take a closer look, especially at the Online Workshops program. WEB Editor

To provide an overview and whet your appetites, here's part of the original message from Kirsten:

We work with education leaders around issues of using technology to enhance curricula.  We do a lot of online work with school districts and we have done a considerable amount of research and development on effective methods of conducting such educational experiences.  You can see our main project, Leadership and the New Technologies, and from there link to examples of our online workshops and research at: http://www.edc.org/LNT.

We also have an online newsletter for our community, "LNT Perspectives", which can be found at: http://www.edc.org/LNT/news.htm.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

The Online Workshops Web page includes a link to Resources for Providing Online Professional Development.  Basically, these are handouts prepared by the Leadershiip and teh New Technologies team for sessions conducted at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) on June 23, '99.  They cover:


Each of the resources is offered as downloadable PDF files from the Web page, requiring Acrobat Reader (also downlodable from the same page).

The Online Workshops are much more substantial events than their name might imply.  Quoting directly from the Web page:

Each LNT workshop runs for about 8-10 weeks (length varies for different workshops) and involves online discussions, readings, small projects, and the use of online resources.  Workshops are led by a group of LNT faculty and facilitators, and are designed for school district decision-makers.

Participants are expected to devote at least 2 hours per week to the workshop in order to contribute to the discussions and complete the projects.  The only technology required is Internet access and a web browser (such as Netscape or Internet Explorer).  Reliable email access is strongly recommended.  (Technology requirements and time commitment may vary with individual workshops, so be sure to read each workshop's full description and requirements before registering.)

The first time a workshop is offered on a particular topic, it will be offered free of charge (not including any materials fees).  However, subsequent offerings may charge registration fees.

At the Web page you can subscribe  very easily and quickly to a newsletter of LNT Perspectives highlights, which will announce upcoming workshops.  This facility is evidently available form anywhere in the world, but I'm not sure whether enrolment in a workshop is available outside the United States.  Perhaps someone could try and let us know.

You can reach the archive of past workshops at the Web page, and public archives are also currently available, or will be soon.  Just reading off a few of the topics covered over the past year or so clearly indicates that the workshops are highly practical and topical in their focus, and suggests the universal relevance and value of the program to online educators everwhere:


There are public archives for all the workshops listed.  Evidently reflecting tight structuring of the workshops to make the most effective use of the weekly commitment of participants' time, the archives are clearly organised into (general) Overview, Session (outlines), Discussions, Summaries (outcomes), Readings or Materials (resources provided by leaders and/or suggested during workshops) and Who's Who (brief details about each participant, sometimes including photos).   All sessions until the end of a workshop include one or more assignments to consolidate and extend the learning achieved in the session just concluded, or to lead participants on to the next specific focal point.

Leadership and the New Technologies is a site well worth bookmarking for closer exploration at more leisure of the information and insights and resources it provides already.  And with a view to taking part in a future workshop.

 

 

Lifelong Learning Network

Lifelong Learning is a National Policy Research Network on Post-compulsory Education and Training, run from the University of Canberra and with the support of the Australian National Training Authority.   The Network promotes policy research on post-compulsory education and training.  It aims, through its research and dissemination activities, to fill the gaps that arise between the various sectors of education or training - higher education, vocational education, schools and Adult Community Education - which are engaged in the post-compulsory field in Australia and other countries.

Most relevant to Conference (Re)Call is the Network's free email discussion list, which has acquired over 250 participants is the short time it has been operating (since December 1998).  The list is the Network's main tool for rapid dissemination of ideas, information and research, being used to post notices of activities, including conferences, seminars and publications; alert members to opportunities for involvement in research projects; and provide titles, and sometimes abstracts of papers presented at recent conferences.  As a discussion forum, the list enables pariticpants to share or request information on current policy research; advertise conferences and seminars; broadcast requests for information by researchers within Australia and from overseas; and initiate discussions on research or policy issues.
 
To join the list, email a request to LLLnetwk@education.canberra.edu.au, and provide your contact details - preferably including a brief profile.

Taking a wider look at the Lifelong Learning site, there is a database set up as a service to researchers and institutions to encourage and enable collaboration between researchers in the field of post-compulsory education and training policy.  This database is easily searchable by name, institution, location and interest.  There is also a page of links to Australian and international directories of researchers and Websites, organised under the following categories and descriptors:


 
Another extremely useful feature of the site is a comprehensive Conference Diary, which provides a detailed and very clearly set out chronological list of coming events (mostly f2f) right up to December - giving contact links for almost all of them - and a link to the Virtual Conference Centre, which offers opportunities for convening and participating in free-access conferences conducted over the Internet.

 

Synchronous Internet Training List

Arun Tripathi drew my attention to this list quite a while ago.  I haven't subscribed, and I therefore have no idea what it's like, or even whether it is still going.  But the welcome message from the list owner, quoted below, makes it sound both relevant to WAOE members' interests and particularly appealing to anybody who is trying out synchronous communication and teaching/learning approaches.  Perhaps somebody would be willing to do a review of the list for a later issue of WEB??!!  Web Editor

Thank you for joinging the "Synchronous Internet Training" discussion list.

The "Synchronous Internet Training" list ('synctrain') is a moderated discussion listed created to serve trainers, educators, and other people interested in Live Online Learning.  This list is sponsored by InSync Training Synergy, and is moderated by Jennifer Hofmann, a Virtual Classroom Designer.

Please send an introduction to the list, including your interest in the topic.

Discussions on product information, synchronous training techniques, Internet pedagogy, and supporting multimedia are all welcome.  Announcements regarding job openings, conferences, and classes are welcome as long as they are relevant to the subject area.

Other advertisements should be sent directly to jennifer@insynctraining.com.  They will be posted on a periodic basis.

As the list grows, it will change based on the needs of the list membership.  Please provide feedback.

No flaming or other "unpolite" behavior, please.  The list owner reserves the right to remove a person from the list at any time.

Thank you for helping our community to grow!

Jennifer

In order to send mail to the list, you need first of all to send a message to:  synctrain@listbot.com, then wait for the list owner to respond with further information.

 

Coming Events

TELECOOP

TELECOOP (that's co-op, not the chicken run) is a consortium all the community colleges in Colorado, dedicated to fostering distance learning. Gertrude Dathe from the Technology-Based Learning Center in the Front Range Community College asked us back in mid-November to promote the consortium's annual conference, to be held in April next year.  Apologies that WEB time lines prevented publication of the notice in good time for the proposal deadline of December 1, but there's still plenty of time to plan for getting to what promises to be an event with a strong down-to-earth focus on effective
practice in online and distance education.

TELECOOP is now accepting Calls for Proposals for the 11th Annual Distance Learning Conference: Technology in the Learning Century.  The conference is April 12-14th, 2000, in Colorado Spring, Colorado.

We know that you will want to be involved in this exciting program.  We are looking for presentations concerning Instructional Design, Student Services, Distance Learning Markets, Distance Learning Technologies and Delivery Techniques, and other ideas you feel fit the format.

We are planning a conference filled with great information and a chance to learn from those who are active in Distance Learning.  We already have Sally Johnstone as a Keynote Speaker.  Sally is the Senior Program Director of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications.  She will provide some insightful information concerning Technology in the Learning Century.

This year we are practicing what we preach and are only accepting proposals electronically.  To propose a session simply go to our conference website http://telecoop.org/conference/ and click on Call for Proposals.  While you're at it check out the other information concerning the conference.  The conference site this year is Colorado Springs.  Colorado Springs is nestled in the foothills of the majestic Rocky Mountains and along with its fantastic vistas provides easy access for our conference attendees.

 

TCC Online Conference 2000 - Second Call for Proposals

The  5th Annual Teaching in the Community Colleges Online Conference will be held between April 12 and 14 2000.  The Conference site is http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/org/tcon2000.  The Conference is sponsored by the University of Hawaii-Kapiolani Community College and Teaching in the Community Colleges Electronic Journal.

The second call for proposals of presentations for the Conference is set out below.  Proposals are requested by January 10 2000.

THEME. The theme for the 5th Annual Teaching in the Community Colleges Online Conference (April 12-14, 2000) is "A Virtual Odyssey: What's Ahead for New Technologies in Learning?"  The organizers of this completely online event are especially interested in proposals from 2- and 4-year college instructors, administrators, counselors, and support staff who are using or involved with the new technologies.

GOAL. The goal of the conference is to determine exactly where 2- and 4-year colleges are and where we want to be regarding the new technologies in learning.  Where are we now?  What's working--what's not?  What are we doing right--or wrong?  What are the critical problems, trends, and issues for the new millennium?  Where will we be or where do we want to be in the next 10 to 20 years?

INFORMATION TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PROPOSAL
1. Presentation Title:
2. Name and highest degree earned:
3. Academic position and department:
4. College and campus address:
5. Email (and personal URL if available):
6. Paper status (Has it been previously published? If yes, describe
   substantive changes that will be made.)

FORMAT: The proposal should be brief, approximately 10-to-20 lines in length. It should clearly describe or summarize your proposed presentation. Include the proposal in the body of your message; don't send it as an attachment.

INFORMATION. For further information re guidelines for proposals, possible topics, the role of a presenter, registration procedures, key dates, etc, please go to <http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/org/tcon2000> or write to Dr. Jim Shimabukuro <jamess@hawaii.edu> or Dr. Bert Kimura <bert@hawaii.edu>.  They can also be reached via telephone: Jim (808) 734-9413, Bert (808) 734-9840. Their snailmail address: Kapiolani Community College, 4303 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816, USA.

ACET 2000

The biennial Conference of the Australian Council of Education through Technology (ACET) will be held on January 10 - 14, 2000 at the EPIC Convention Centre, in Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory.  For more information and to reach the online registration form, start at http://www.acet2000.com.au.

ACET2000 is a showcase of collective achievement. We're bringing together teachers who in their local regions are well known for their commitment and contribution to the teaching of technology.  The sharing of skills and experiences helps to widen spheres of influence.  Come and find out what's happening in other parts of your neighbourhood.

ACET2000 is an international stage. For the first time in ACET's history we have incorporated with an International Conference of Technology Educators (ICTE).  We have registrations from around the world.  Global themes include: Technological literacy, teacher training, educating for the 21st century, and of course classroom practice.

ACET2000 is professional development.  The task of self-improvement is made easy at a conference.  Involvement might mean absorbing the wisdom of a keynote speaker, attending an inspiring workshop, or networking over food.  The outcome is professional growth.

ACET2000 is about Designing Tomorrow Today.  The task of preparing  students for an unknown future is at times professionally over-whelming.  Our conference offers individual teachers a range of broad perspectives and collective wisdom - a problem shared is often a problem solved.

ACET2000 is a smorgasbord of workshops. A visit to the "workshop page" of our website reveals a conference of broad appeal; a mixed bag of experiences.  Attendance at ACET2000 will change the way you see and operate in your classroom or workshop.

ACET2000 Designing Tomorrow Today  A Technology Educators Conference.

 

About Conference (Re)Call

The Conference (Re)Call column aims mainly to provide feedback from members on the new knowledge or other value they gained from attending a recent conference or other event to do with one aspect or another of online education. It also includes a Coming Events section, advertising relevant conferences, seminars, workshops or other forums which members will be able to attend at little or no cost. This section will concentrate mainly on online events, because that is WAOEâs special interest, and because the idea is to promote opportunities which are more or less equally available to WAOE members no matter what part of the world they live in.

The success of Conference (Re)Call therefore depends very heavily on input from members. WAOE officers are already out there reporting on events theyâve attended and spotting others to come. Weâd like to see all other members doing likewise. You will see from the items in this issue that reports donât need to be lengthy or detailed, let alone polished. We think the segment will work best on the simple premise that whatever any one member found worthwhile in attending an online education event, or attractive about an event in the offing is likely to benefit and interest other members. So, letâs keep those reports and notices coming in to the WEB Editor.


Reports: Leadership and the New Technologies - Online Workshops ~ Lifelong Learning Network ~ Synchronous Internet Training List | Coming Events: TELECOOP ~ TCC Online Conference 2000 - Second Call for Proposals ~ ACET 2000 | About This Section | Top