I’ll be attending the WCET 2010 this Nov 11 – 13 in La Jolla, CA. I’ve been to WCET several times in the past decade, and sense that this year’s conference is moving in new and interesting directions for the better. For instance, there are a number of less formal, networked events during the conference, including the pecha kucha session (let’s just hope the presenters bring the funny) and the Tweet-up dinners.
There are a number of poster and strand sessions scheduled that are worth highlighting; here are those that I’ve mapped out for my own path through the WCET 2010 events:
Thursday, Nov 11
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Poster Sessions
Grand Foyer
I plan to stop by Diane Monico’s session, “Transfer Impact: Online Course Participation”, which promises to “explore the relationship between online course experiences and the transfer of constructivist practices by preservice teachers”.
These are poster sessions, so it’s kosher for me to move from one to another, right? Also high on my list is Robert Beauchamp’s “Simulations and Video of Landfill Construction, Operation, and The Removal of Contaminants by Plants”. I rarely see good simulation examples, but the idea is compelling enough that I keep looking for gems.
10:45 AM-12:00 PM
Using Data Mining and Modeling for Retention
Aventine F
Presenters: Shannon Corona, Phil Ice
Very interested to see what they have done with data mining. Retention issues aren’t part of my job description, but data mining is an increasingly interesting field of study for educators, and it’s certainly caught my attention.
Those of you who have attended conferences with me know that I sometimes switch sessions half-way through–not necessarily because the session is bad (though sometimes it is), but because another session looks to be equally good and I can’t bear to miss one or the other. In this case that would be…
Think Globally, Act Openly: Multiple Approaches to Open Educational Resources
Aventine E (right next door!)
Moderator: Muriel Oaks
Presenters: Una Daly, James Glapa-Grossklag, Susie Henderson, John Makevich
I expect to pop in to see other perspectives and practices on the publishing and reuse of OER. Openness is one of the most important movements in 21st century education, and real-world examples of openness in practice are increasingly a staple of ed tech conferences. Why, it seems like just last year we were explaining what CC means… Not any more, right? Right?
12:15 PM-1:15 PM
Rethinking The Academy in Times of Great Change
Ballroom
Moderator: Richard Katz
Presenters: David Longanecker, Peter Smith
As un-social as I tend to be I often skip out on the round table conference lunches (no, I don’t hate chicken), but I think the title of this general session belays a very current and important topic as for-profit higher ed institutions challenge non-profit presumed monopoly, and provoke them to shore up their core values or even rethink their modus operandi.
1:30 PM-2:45 PM
Does Social Networking Equate to Social Learning?
Aventine D
Moderator: Chris Lott
Presenters: Ritchie Boyd, Scott Leslie, Ann Randall, Jared Stein
Yes, that’s me. I’m filling in for a surely more knowledgeable expert, but am happy to offer what perspectives I can on the use (and abuse) of Web 2.0, social media, and social networking in higher education. I’ll bring what I know from my personal practice, from my use of such technologies and networks with students in the f2f, hybrid, and online courses I teach, as well as other examples from my institution. My hope is to bring a particularly critical–even skeptical–perspective to the debate conversation as we move to questions of habits, attention, cognition, and evidence.
The mind-bending cognitive powers of Chris Lott will be moderating this, so you know none of the presenters will get off easy with airy slogans or trendy claims.
If I wasn’t going to be in this session, I’d probably check out:
Learning Assessment Systems that Work! Collaborating for Student Success
Mykonos AB
Moderator: Catherine Kelley
Presenters: Jeff Grann, Amy Hilbelink, Juanita Ikuta, Judith Steed
Assessment is the third corner in an educational triumverate, though it often gets a bad rap for poor design or implementation. I remind our faculty that assessment is not just to prove a student’s competence, but also a chance for learner and instructor to reflect on their performance and make important changes.
Someone blog this session and let us know if it’s good?
3:15 PM-4:15 PM
If I manage to hack it through the Social Networking session, I may take a stab at creating ebooks from digital content via the ePub format:
Create Your Own E-pub
Aventine F
Presenters: Eric Converse, Silke Fleischer
On the other hand, the inimitable Scott Leslie will be presenting on OER, which appears to be a sweet, sweet concoction of both data mining and openness:
Tracking Open Educational Resources
Mykonos AB
Moderator: David Kendrick
Presenter: Scott Leslie
4:30 PM-6:00 PM
Opening Reception
Pavilion
Don’t bet on me being here vying for a free drink ticket; I’m going skating. I may, however, be up for:
6:30 PM-8:30 PM
Tweet Up Dinner
Lobby
Use #WCET10 to find your fellow attendees for an informal get-to-gether. Groups may elect to head to dinner, the pool, the lobby bar, or any number of activities! Follow the tweets for this meet and greet!
So those are my plans for day 1 WCET 2010. I plan to follow up with days 2 & 3. If you’re going, too, let me know and maybe we’ll meet up!
