1. Simulations, Games, Blogging, and Student Learning
A new generation of simulations, games, wikis, blogs, IM (Instant Messaging), and other techniques present unique opportunities to increase student interaction and learning. Instructors and students are finding intriguing ways to adopt these tools for both online and traditional classrooms.
New generations of software, increasingly realistic gaming scenarios, and easier-to-use delivery systems enable integrating a host of virtual worlds for examination and exploration in business, science, education, health care and other fields. Many courses are investigating blogging and the use of wikis and IM for greater student involvement, reflection, and communication. This track will share examples and identify best practices involved with using these and other exciting techniques.
2. Reflections on Technology in the Disciplines
The value of reflection cannot be overestimated when considered in the context of academe. As such, one cannot separate reflection on course content from reflection on application of technology in teaching and learning environments. It is productive enterprise for faculty and professionals to reflect on their uses of instructional tools and supports, and to critically consider how such tools have impacted - in both positive and potentially negative ways - on the process of learning. Share with colleagues your successes, near successes, research, analyses, perceptions, beliefs, and conclusions about using instructional technologies in your discipline.
3. Learning Outcomes & Assessment
With the increasing need to demonstrate "value-added" knowledge and competencies, there has been a concomitant increase in the use of technology to demonstrate that learning has in fact occurred. A broad range of topics fall into this track, and can include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Computer-based competency exams
- Electronic portfolios
- Role of technology in self-assessment and self-paced learning
- Assessment of General Education
- Assessment in accreditation
- Standardized assessments
- Security issues in technology-based assessment
4. Faculty Development: New Approaches and Opportunities
Providing faculty with examples and strategies that will allow them to further develop their abilities and skills in teaching, learning, and technology is an exciting challenge on a number of campuses. One approach to this effort has involved the SUNY-wide Faculty Development Initiative. In addition, many campuses have created new and exciting programs organized by Centers for Learning and Teaching, Training Centers, and Provost office events which bring together faculty and staff to create a community of educators involved in these areas.
This track will include both invited and submitted talks in the area of faculty development. Participants, including senior administrators, faculty, and CLT/TLT staff will benefit from sharing our experiences engaging faculty and helping SUNY faculty with:
- Humor in Education
- Evaluating Technology Achievements for T&P Decisions
- Mentoring for Instructional Technology
- Applying educational technology in residential and online learning environments
- Bringing new research on learning to the classroom
- Providing infrastructure to support creative discussion and small group activities in and out of the classroom
- Initiating new faculty into the culture and community of the campus
- Finding support for new initiatives related to learning, teaching, and technology
5. Open Source, Collaboration, and Information Sharing
Open source software implementations and applications have grown in number and size dramatically over the last several years. For example, well over 50% of all web servers utilize the Apache open source server software. Linux has created both a highly successful technology and a sustaining model for development. This track will examine current open source initiatives, advantages and/or disadvantages to their adoption, and their impact on collaboration and information sharing. Topics that might be included in this track are:
- Specific open source case studies in e-learning, such as Sakai, OSPI (Open Source Portal Initiative), LAMS, and U-Portal
- The leadership role of educational institutions as developers of open source software
- Open source as a transformative business model
- Open source as a transformative social and collaborative model
- Political and legal challenges of open source software
- Security, customization, and implementation of open source software
- Total cost of ownership of open source software
- Case studies and progress in open standards
6. Perspectives on the Information Commons
The benefits of an Information Commons environment in academic libraries have begun to be realized by institutions that have taken the bold step to refocus their efforts to expand access by building online communities, or "commons," for creating and sharing intellectual assets. Communities have always shared common property, such as parks, libraries, and other civic structures. The Internet has expanded the potential to network these shared resources.
Libraries are now successfully beginning to turn the idea of the Commons into practice in the form of shared software commons, open access to scholarly e-journals, digital repositories, as well as physical institutional commons. These resources and other popular or essential services are being concentrated both physically and virtually to achieve maximum collaborative and interactive "one stop shopping."
Benefiting from shared governance, Information Commons takes advantage of the networked environment, helps to minimize and clarify turf issues, while helping to build and strengthen alliances, often brings new solutions to old problems. Topics that might be included in this track are:
- Information Literacy Instruction and the Information Commons: Case Studies
- The Information Commons: a place or an idea?
- A Room of Their Own: accommodating learning styles of the Net Gen
- Breaking Down Barriers Between the Classroom and the Library
7. Applying Emerging Technologies
Each year a variety of technologies come to the attention of the educators as new or emerging. Sometimes a technology is branded as new because its use is novel to a particular discipline or faculty, or the technology has simply matured to a state where applying it in a learning environment is finally practical. And, sometimes the technology is really new and inventive. This track will focus on all such technologies known as new.
Faculty, scholars, technologists and researchers are invited to submit proposals for papers, panels, demonstrations, or Birds of a Feather sessions that deal with the application of new instructional technologies. Of particular interest to the conference planners are sessions on the following areas: wireless and broadband, academic software, digital repositories, e-portfolios, and audience/classroom response systems.
8. Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers with Technology (PT3)
Advancees in software, hardware, and Internet technologies in the past decade have created many new opportunities to enhance learning for students of all levels. Yet, how well prepared are the teachers to take advantage of these new opportunitiesA? This track is designed to explore the preparation of teachers at the K-16 level for teaching with technology. Examples of suitable projects for presentation in this track might include:
- Projects from schools of education targeting K-12 teacher preparation
- Innovative faculty development ideas
- New technologies that are being used by collaborating groups of teachers