The Teaching Professor Conference - Kissimmee, FL

Having attended my first Teaching Professor Conference in May really made me think...

Why didn't I know about this conference before now?

This conference was extremely interesting and helpful in so many ways. First, let me start by saying that the hotel - The Gaylord Palms - was extraordinary! The rooms were spacious, the decor was breathtaking and the service was first-class. The only problem I encountered was that it was a resort hotel. Being a resort hotel, it was in a fairly remote section of Kissimmee. If you wanted to save the $26.00 for the buffet dinner by grabbing something quick, you couldn't unless you wanted to catch a cab to the nearest grocery store.

Getting past the high prices for the food and shopping, we move to the conference.

The conference itself was very well organized. The conference staff was couteous, kind, obedient, cheerful...almost like Boy Scouts.
I attended a session on Friday titled "Saving Time in the Grading Process." I thought, "Hmmm...this should be interesting." It was facilitated by Dr. Barbara Walvoord - the same Dr. Walvoord that will be here at Ol 'SU in August. She talked about how to handle assignments students turn in and how to quickly return those assignments so the students receive timely feedback. She really confirmed many of the practices that I use in my classes.

On Saturday, I attended a few sessions. One was titled "Youtube and Facebook in the Classroom." Once again I thought, "Hmmm...this should be interesting." It was facilitated by Kathy Yamachita. More than anything, she explained terms to us that many of the participants were not that familiar with such as: Web 2.0, Metatagging, Viral Video, etc. Her presentation was very well organized, but did not seem to speak to using youtube or facebook across other disciplines. She gave us tips on how she uses youtube in her Art courses, but just using that example made it difficult to see how my colleagues could use the same technology in English, Landscaping, Engineering, Chemistry, etc.

The next session was titled "Integrating Technology to Engage the Student." If you can't see it by now, I am all about the use of technology for effective teaching. Upon reading the title of this session, I thought...well, you know what I thought. The facilitators were Kristina Drumheller and Gregg Lawler from West Texas A&M University. The bulk of this session focused on the use of a software called "Camtasia." This recording software allows instructors to teach in more of a virtual setting. Instructors can demonstrate how to apply certain concepts by recording the actions on the computer (along with voice) and even highlighting or creating tips for the students as they are watching. The information was good, but the session title was a little misleading.

The final session I attended that day was "Increasing Student Participation." This was yet another session that dealt with the use of technology in the classroom. The session was facilitated by Dr. Ken Alford of the National Defense University. The bulk of this presentation focused on another piece of software called "QuizShow." This is a Jeopardy-style application that allows instructors to hold review sessions, do concept quizzing, and invoke class participation by making a game of it. The class got a chance to participate and it was very entertaining. This was by far the most beneficial to me as I visualized how I could used this in my classes.

I was returning to Winston-Salem on Sunday, so I did not attend any sessions Sunday morning. Overall, the conference is something that I would recommend that many professors/instructors attend. It may seem as though the conference is for teachers who have not yet defined their teaching philosophy/strategies or that it is for teachers who seek guidance in their careers, but it is not that. If anything, it acts as reinforcement for beliefs and strategies you already employ. Particpants of this conference have the opportunity to get away from the stress of work, learn some new tricks, and be able to overly utilize the phrase "Hmmm...this should be interesting."

DMCureton
English & Foreign Languages

21st Century Learning: a challenge to WSSU faculty and students

I had the opportunity to attend to the Advancing Online Learning Conference II / AOLC II, a conference hosted by the Virtual High School—VHS (Nashua, NH, April 9-11). 21^st Century Learning was the central topic of the conference. The framework of the conference was secondary education. However I felt that all the ideas mentioned were very relevant in the frame of UNC Tomorrow, since WSSU is required to assume a significant role preparing professionals for 21^st century learning.

The kick-off conference by Dr. Mark David Milliron shared ideas about the new generation of learners ( see power point). He commented on the needs and opportunities that diverse generations and new technologies bring into education, and the challenge to create sustainable learning environments. He explored interesting topics such as blending, mobile technologies, gaming, social networking, Internet 2 and high engagement technologies, and the human touch that is needed to really benefit from these opportunities

There was a keynote panel to discuss how online learning specifically provides opportunities for 21^st century learning. The panel discussed results from Learning in the 21^st Century: A National Report of Online Learning (see report and power point), based on surveys completed by 232,781 K-12 students, 21,272 teachers, and 15,316 parents as part of Speak Up, a national research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow. Based on report findings panelists highlighted that using the power of technology, decision makers and teachers have an opportunity to engage students, prepare teachers, and connect with parents in a personal and individualized way. It was also underscored that both technology and curriculum and instruction departments must be on board with online learning to achieve success. They emphasized that technology reliability is as essential as teacher preparation and support.

I was enthusiastically surprised that, at the state level, there are initiatives that promote that all high school graduates ought to have taken at least one online course, several blended courses (online and onsite) and participated in global projects supported with technology. This is Michigan’s case, presented by Robert Currie (see power point).

What about us? What can we do to at WSSU to prepare our students to become 21^st century learners, and our faculty, to become 21^st century learning facilitators? I invite to discuss this, press COMMENT to share your ideas.

Alvaro H Galvis