My Book of ELI2010

Day 1 at ELI2010

What follows are my notes (without much editing) from the first day at the ELI 2010 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX:

SESSION: Newcomers’ Orientation

• Malcolm B. Brown, Director of ELI, EDUCAUSE
• Veronica Diaz, Associate Director, ELI, EDUCAUSE

Notes: An overview of ELI, membership, conference highlights, etc.

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CONFERENCE WELCOME

Diana G. Oblinger

President and CEO of EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges:

1. Creating Learning Environments – This concept and the theme of the ELI 2010 Annual Meeting, invites us to think of the space in which learning happens, as an ecology of sorts where there is a blend of resources, cultures, practices, and spaces.
2. Developing 21st-century Literacies
3. Engaging Today’s Learner
4. Encouraging Faculty Adoption and Innovation
5. Advancing Innovation in Teaching and Learning in an Era of Budget Cuts

• Join the ning site: http://tlchallenges09.ning.com/ and the Project Wiki at: http://www.educause.edu/wiki/TLChallenges09
• This event promises to create an opportunity to experiment, explore, and gain new insights.
• Uncommon thinking for the common good… a lot of experimentation and trying new things. The common good – doing things to benefit each other.
• We do what we do for students. Education is an imperative.

Malcom Brown

• Welcome to Austin and online via SonicFoundry and streaming live these sessions. Thank those too in SecondLife.
• Learning Environments for a Web 2.0 world. Teaching and learning is complicated enough… we have moved on to the ecology of learning and it is paralleled to a 3D puzzle and the task is to get the pieces to line up!
• There are 495+ here in Austin in attendance.

Veronica Diaz

• Theme is social networking. This is as much about catching up with friends and meeting new ones as well as learning how to better connect with each other.
• eli2010.pathable.com
• google wave
• twitter.com/educauseli
• Google Moderator Q&A
• Welcome have fun and enjoy.

Malcolm Brown:

• How can the ELI community play a role in assisting the re-establishment of education in Haiti – set up a wave for this on Google. Search with:public tag:haiti
• Expanded the number of sessions that are being streamed in realtime.
• Thanks to the program committee and the ELI Advisory Board and to the Cooperate partners and to the EDUCAUSE staff and thank you to all of you!
• http://www.tinyurl.com/askthomas

KEYNOTE: Bob Heterick Memorial Lectureship – Digital Histories for the Digital Age: How Do We Teach Writing Now?

• William G. Thomas, III, John and Catherine Angle Professor in the Humanities, Department of History, University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Abstract: The digital environment has had an immense effect on American society, learning, and education: we have more sources available at our fingertips than any previous generation. Teaching and learning with these new sources, however, has been a challenging transition. Students are confronted with an ocean of digital objects and need skills to navigate the World Wide Web and numerous proprietary databases. Writing and disciplinary habits of mind are more important than ever in this environment, so how do we teach these in the digital age? This presentation looks at the current digital environment that humanities faculty face in their teaching and explores new tools that might support collaborative writing and digital skills development for students. In particular, Thomas will showcase a multi-agent wiki system for writing called POND (Participating Online In-Depth) that is currently being used in a large lecture and intensive writing classes at the University of Nebraska and developed as a collaborative project between History, English, and Computer Science.

Notes:

• Goal is to inspire you and to talk about use of teaching and technology.
• Hasn’t solve the “teaching rubrics cube”… but it’s a good analogy.
• Huge scale of students take History Survey Courses at the U of Nebraska. What kind of writing are they doing? Found that they needed to improve literary skills in general. An interdisciplinary team enabled an amazing and innovative and unexpected set of collaboration.
• Problem – How do we take novices with us re: technology? WHAT are our primary sources on the web? WHERE are the primary sources and there are all sorts of interfaces and connection points – is there one catalog?
• Strategy: Pilot with Bb in Fall 2008 with a wiki. Run course in Spring 2009 in Bb. Evaluate the process with ClassroomWiki in Spring 2009 course to get close tracking and analysis beyond Blackboard. What should we do with the 3 hour lecture, should we teach writing? What is the value of content coverage with digital information all over? Can we reverse classroom time from lecture to opportunities to collaborate? Place lectures online with Camtasia Relay or other capture tools? No textbook was used in the course. 3 hours of class time would focus on explanation, significance, and not worry about content, instead to model the historical thinking that the students would bring to the course and to the wiki. Midterm and final would ask students to deploy their skills. Encourage students to be their own historian through inspiring speeches rather than lectures focused only on delivery pieces of content. The content coverage issue did cause some anxiety.
• The approach was to emphasize writing as a process of learning and disc thinking, used digital sources to expose students to the complexity of the past, requires collaboration in digital formats to formulate interpretation about sources.
• Highlights with Bb: Students had trouble with library databases, despite our howtos, most groups of students spent time face to face instead of using technology. There was no record of that process, however in the system. Bb needs to track this social stuff. “Blackboard had buckled”.
• Highlights with ClassroomWiki: There was a new interface and separate login. We gave clear directions and purpose and gave them more often and consistently, we told them the more they participated the higher grades, the new system would track their activity. This caused a lot of discussion in the forums. There was a higher performance overall. We could then track individual work – collaborative assignments but individually assessed. We found that students did slightly but statistically significant better with the groups and wikis which resulted in better final grades. The wiki system was developed at the U of Nebraska at Lincoln. This allowed greater data compared Bb such as: view topics, view surveys, view messages, work count, revisions, view assignment.
• Student activity counts over time, and interactions can be tracked over time as well. Days to assignment deadline was on the x axis.
• Students said – it’s one thing to read a history book, it’s quite another to play the part of the historian and to develop… – the wikis were a different kind of analysis than I was used to… – I feel like a better student… – this course wasn’t expected I was used to get information, receive it, and then spit it back.
• Where or not a textbook was not as important as people think. More crucial is the handson experience that student get. Digital literary skills are so important and students need help. We learned that we can adjust what we do in the classroom (instead of lecture).
• Faculty are looking for guidance they know that teaching is changing… the change in the last 5 years is massive. But they want to do so in ways that bring about critical thinking, etc.

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SESSION: The Future of Mobile Learning

• Kyle Dickson, Director, Digital Media Center, Abilene Christian University
• Dwayne Harapnuik, Director of Faculty Enrichment, Abilene Christian University
• Session convener: Veronica Diaz, Associate Director, ELI, EDUCAUSE

Abstract: What is the potential of mobile learning? What opportunities and challenges exist in your context? How do we move from seeing these devices as passive receivers of content to embracing their place in more engaged learning environments? This session will ask participants to construct a vision for mobile devices in education as they gain firsthand experience with tools currently deployed at Abilene Christian University. Together, we will identify key issues educators and technologists must address to build the future of mobile learning. An iPod touch will be available to anyone without a device for the duration of the session.

Notes:

See: http://blogs.acu.edu/connected

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SESSION: A Successful and Reproducible Model for High-Impact Educational Media Services (Innovative Practice)

• Hannah Inzko, Multimedia Specialist, The Pennsylvania State University
• Justin Miller, Multimedia Specialist, The Pennsylvania State University
• Chris Millet, Manager of Advanced Learning Projects, The Pennsylvania State University

Abstract: In this presentation, a team from Digital Commons, a university-wide initiative to support the educational use of digital media, will share best practices developed over three years. They’ll discuss strategies on how to integrate simple tools like Flip Video cameras and blogs into effective educational activities. Detailed case studies will be presented, including samples of student work, syllabi, project outlines, and assessment instruments. Examples include a student video assignment in a microeconomics class with over 1,200 students. The presentation will also outline our efforts to improve digital literacy including strategies for researching for a media-based project.

Notes:

• 24 imacs
• green screens
• pro lighting
• hd video cameras
• flip video cameras
• high capacity storage
• sound booths
• podcasting equipment
• elements of digital commons = services, facilities, support
• goals: 1 improve teaching and learning by the pedagogically sound integrations of digital media, 2 raise level of digital literacy among students (and faculty), creating sustainable applications.
• Kaltura at Penn State http://mediacommons.psu.edu – allows import, record, upload of video/still images and the editing and publishing.

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KEYNOTE: 2010 Horizon Report and Lightning Rounds

• Malcolm B. Brown, Director of ELI, EDUCAUSE
• Laurence F. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, The New Media Consortium (NMC)
• Alan Levine, Vice President, NMC Community & CTO, The New Media Consortium (NMC)
• Rachel Smith, Vice President, NMC Services, The New Media Consortium (NMC)

Abstract: For nearly eight years, the annual Horizon Report (a joint publication of the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative) has tracked new technologies for teaching, learning, and creative inquiry. This session will highlight some of the major technological trends discovered over that time and use them as context for the official release of the 2010 Horizon Report and the current year’s findings.

Immediately following the release of the 2010 Horizon Report, you’ll hear from five institutions that have already adopted and implemented Year One teaching and learning innovations. Following their lightning round presentations, you’ll have some time to speak with these presenters individually to learn more about how they’ve done so and what impact the innovation has had on learners’ experiences.

Notes:

• Horizon Report is available now – horizon.nmc.org
• Horizon Report 2004-2010
• Intent is a resource for the teaching and learning community, for institutional leadership, and as a means of promoting local discussion and planning
• Attempt to contextualize the technology rather than just a report of technology.
• Evolution — Key Trends & Critical Challenges ’06, Metatrends ’08, Horizon Project community (wikis/tags)
• Key Trends
  • Abundance of resources and relationships challenges our roles as educators.
  • Expectation to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want to. (BOTH faculty and students)
  • Technologies are increasingly cloud based and decentralized
  • The amount of collaboration continues to expand.
• Key Challenges
  • Role of the academy is changing
  • New forms of scholarship challenge old standards
  • Digital media literacy is a new key skill
  • Fiscal resource shrink as challenges grow
• NMC – Sparking Innovative Learning and Creativity
• Laurence Johnson – The official release of the report, but it’s actually a transparent process (http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org)
• Bryan Alexander Video Clip
• How we do it: 1) Advisory Board, 2) Wiki is used
• Technologies to Watch – Alan Levine & Rachel Smith
• Within 12 Months
  • Mobile Computing
  • Open Content
• Two to Three Years
  • eBooks
  • Simple Augmented Reality
• Four to Five Years
  • Gesture Based Computing
  • Visual Data Analysis
• Brand new project: “Horizon Project Navigator” – expose the data set to the community for access to reports.
• Comment on the Horizon Report on http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2010/

Lighting Round – How campuses are integrating technologies mentioned in the report.

• Visualization – Shannan Butler (St. Edwards University)
  • Picturing a Thousand Words
  • Data Visualization as a Teaching Tool
  • Using Many Eyes (http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/) to perform rhetorical analyses. Student engage in realtime textual analysis.
  • Tag Clouds & Word Trees (http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/page/Word_Tree.html) – visualize text data.
  • Cluster Criticism – select key terms based on frequency and intensity, identify terms that cluster around them, look for proximity, conjunctions, and cause-and-effect.
  • Presentation available here.
• Open Content – Holly Willis (USC)
  • Critical Commons for fair and critical participation in media culture.
  • Creative Commons
  • The problem: fear confusion, lack of support for using multimedia… solution is to get informed and get connected.
  • Clip library: http://criticalcommons.org/
• Mobile – Daniel Bracken and Michael Reuter (CMU iPod touch Program)
  • Turning Technologies – Chipcast@CMU - used as a classroom response system and for mobile content delivery
  • iPod touch devices rented to students who do not currently own one for $35/semester through bookstore.
  • FaCIT, CEHS, and the CMU Bookstore
• Mobile – Hans Aagard (Purdue) Hotseat
  • Powering the backchannel – or the frontchannel.
  • Web device can connect to Hotseat (Twitter or Facebook) – students are thinking what… – instructor station.
  • Students seemed to be more engaged
• Augmented – (U of Illinois) TEEVE Project
  • TEEVE – Teleimmersive Environment for Everyone
  • Increasing the applicability of multimedia and networking tech to areas like the humanities, etc.
  • TEEVE is a cross layer control and streaming framework
  • Applications – wheel chair physical therapy, dance, etc.
  • TEEVE@Illinois video clip.

ELI 2010 Annual Meeting

I have the very fortunate opportunity to attend the 2010 EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting next week.  The theme of this event is on “Learning Environments for a Web 2.0 World”, and I will be presenting with Kimberly Arnold (Purdue University), and John Fritz (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) on the topic: “Using Analytics to Intervene with Underperforming College Students”.

I’ll be presenting Project ASTRO which was $25,000 Blackboard Greenhouse Grant that GRCC received back in 2006, along with Seneca College in Toronto. I also plan to present GRCC’s plans to use Starfish Retention Solutions to help provide an early alert system that is also integrated with Blackboard.  Kim Arnold will be presenting their custom Signals application for early alert which was recently featured on NBC news, and John Fritz will be presenting data on Blackboard use as it correlates to student success.

I’m anxious to attend this conference and to return to GRCC with fresh innovative ideas, resources, and useful information that will contribute to the growth and enhancement of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies. I am also looking forward to continue to build rapport and to network with peers and colleagues in the field.

ELI 2010 Annual Meeting:

• “Learning Environments for a Web 2.0 World”
• January 19–21, 2010
• Hilton Austin, Austin, Texas
• Conference Web Site

Conference Notes:

About ELI:

• Learning is at the center of higher education. It is an essential part of the mission of all colleges and universities. The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to advancing learning through IT innovation. View the ELI Mission.

About ELI 2010 and Learning Environment for a Web 2.0 World:

• Join us at the 2010 EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting, “Learning Environments for a Web 2.0 World,” where we’ll explore models for the future of learning that fuse emerging technologies and learner-centered strategies to yield new learning environments designed for student success.Today’s technologies have fundamentally altered the very lenses we use to examine the world around us. Smartphones, PDAs, and MP3 players have granted instant access to information irrespective of location, creating ubiquitous, mobile access to entertainment and information. The rise of social networks and virtual communities like Flickr, YouTube, and Ustream has transformed the web from a place to seek information into a gateway to share, build, and interact with content and communities. High-performance networks and collaborative tools like wikis and videoconferencing also allow us to reach across hallways and beyond oceans to share interests, work with colleagues, and seek advice from peers.But how have these new tools and our emergent participatory culture changed the way we imagine learning environments on campus? Or, perhaps the more pertinent question is, How should our perspectives be changing? And how can we begin to move past an educational model that is tethered to time and place and move closer to learning that is immersive, mobile, collaborative, and social?
• Sessions will highlight:
  • The ways that technology-enhanced environments can open up learning, thereby dissolving traditional boundaries of space and time
  • The value of cross-campus collaboration in the creation of new learning environments
  • Strategies to develop campus environments built on engagement, collaboration, authenticity, and co-creation
  • Opportunities to leverage shared networks and Web 2.0 tools to construct truly global learning environments, where students interact and collaborate with peers across geographic boundaries
  • New learning environments that elevate the importance of participation and social interaction as a way to empower both instructors and students

How to connect on Twitter:

• Follow the ELI Annual Meeting Twitter activity via http://twitter.com/educauseli.
• Remember to tag your posts with #eli2010!

Who is here at the conference?

• Currently 460 people are registered for the full conference with about 93% are from the United States. Also registered are participants from Canada, Egypt, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. There is representation from 7 countries and 39 states. And attendees come from every type of institution from the very large public research universities to small private colleges.
  • • 40 % are faculty.
    • 15% are senior IT
    • 12% are support IT staff from front line help desk to systems administrators
    • 8% are CIOs, deans, or academic officers
    • 5% are librarians
    • 1.5% students
    • Others include administrators, vendors, etc.

I’ll continue to post daily updates on this blog… stay tuned for more information!