Faculty members are invited to share innovative uses of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and research at the Penn State Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology. This free event will be held Saturday, March 27, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, University Park. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. This year’s theme is “Digital Scholarship and the Culture of Teaching and Learning.”

The keynote speaker is Dr. Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University. Dubbed “the explainer” by Wired magazine, Wesch is a cultural anthropologist exploring the effects of new media on society and culture. His videos on culture, technology, education, and information have been featured at international film festivals and major academic conferences worldwide. Wesch has won several major awards for his work, including a Wired Magazine Rave Award and the John Culkin Award for Outstanding Praxis in Media Ecology, and he was recently named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic. He has also won several teaching awards, including the 2008CASE/Carnegie U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities.

Members of the faculty who are using technology to enrich teaching, learning, or research are encouraged to submit a presentation proposal using the online form. Topics could include faculty and students collaborating on a project or an assignment showcasing any number of collaborative tools and new learning spaces involved with teaching and research. Some examples include the use of electronic portfolios and blogs, the incorporation of digital media, the use of games, virtual worlds, and simulations, innovative and engaging practice in large enrollment courses, and any best practices that foster scholarship in the digital age. Sessions can be in a variety of formats, including group presentations, panel discussions, poster presentations, demonstrations, small-group discussions, and other activities. Each session should include some discussion of practical aspects such as the tools used, sources of support, best practices, and how the application of technology can be transferred to other disciplines.

The deadline to submit proposals is October 30, 2009. For more details and to register, visit http://symposium.tlt.psu.edu/. The Symposium is sponsored by Information Technology Services.