For this year's Online Learning Consortium Blended Conference, held in Denver, on July 8-9, 2014, I was able to attend via the streaming sessions that were offered. Just days prior, a big announcement was made about the newly named organization.
I was fortunate to be able to assist in the programming of this conference by serving as a Co-Chair of the Leadership and Institutional Strategy Track, which started back in October 2013. It's evident that the amount of planning, energy and resources that goes into hosting such an event is vast.
I'm proficient at presenting and communicating virtually, so this should have been a piece of cake...but I may have inadvertently tried to log in to the sessions a couple of hours early, since I was on ET and the sessions were scheduled MT. Lesson learned!
Although I did miss a couple that I really wanted to attend I was able to tune into seven different streaming sessions, including:
The Keynote Address: Mark Milliron, CEO, Civitas Learning
Are "Blended," "Hybrid," & "Flipped" Different Terms for the Same Thing (And Does It Really Matter)?
Lead Presenter: Kelvin Thompson (University of Central Florida, USA)
Liz Ciabocchi (St. John's University, USA)
Lead Presenter: Tanya Joosten (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, USA)
Dylan Barth (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA)
Plenary Session
Lead Presenter: Mark Brown (Dublin City University, Ireland)
Lead Presenter: Tanya Joosten (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, USA)
Dylan Barth (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA)
Lead Presenter: Manju Banerjee (Landmark College, USA)
Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki (Landmark College, USA)
Highlights of the Virtual Experience
- Let me state that the moderators for each of the sessions were helpful and engaged. They asked questions and shared comments from the virtual chat rooms in a timely and professional manner. This is an essential component for an enriched virtual experience, this role cannot be underestimated.
- The fellow virtual attendees offered a genuinely intellectual chat experience. Networking happened. Hopefully, we’ll follow through with these connections.
- The sessions that I attended were professional and purposeful. Even though I was not physically in the room, I still felt part of the experience.
Highlights of the Shared Information
- It is quite evident that the terms and definitions of “blended” have become more important. What I think I’ve concluded is that the definitions are contextual, local and cultural.
- From what I heard, it seems that we are ready to pass the “learning baton” back to the learner.
- The growth of online and blended learning continues to amaze me in all aspects.
Scores!
- Tanya Joosten, from the University of Wisconsin, shared her collection of survey instruments during the Evaluating Faculty Development session, which quickly made it into my diigo library: http://mysurveys.wikispaces.com/
- Kelvin Thompson (UCF) and Liz Ciabocchi (St. Johns University) are looking for collaborators for future research on identifying labels and functions within blended courses and programs. They have identified serious gaps already!
- This tweet by @JeffreyGoetz: “The “new normal”: BOLD learning. Blended, online, and digital. @mbrownz #blend14”
Attending the conference as a virtual participant definitely has benefits. It's an excellent (and affordable) alternative if you cannot make it to the physical location. Ultimately, I am grateful that I was able to participate as a virtual attendee of #blend14. I am, however, also looking forward to the 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium (former Sloan Consortium) International Conference on Online Learning “Driving Innovation with Online Learning” that will be hosted at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort - Lake Buena Vista, Florida on October 29-31, 2014. It’s a pretty nice road trip to there from Atlanta.
Twitter @LChuch
Populr.me
