Each year the Symposium is a great way to grow, invigorate, and celebrate the vibrant and vital Teaching and Learning with Technology community at Penn State, and each year we are again blown away by the amazing individuals who make this community what it is. This community and this event would not be what they are without you – your ideas, your enthusiasm, and your involvement- which is why involvement couldn’t help but be one of the most important elements of the event.
Right at the heart of this year’s Symposium theme sits the powerful word, “engage,” and we’re taking it very seriously – not just in what we talk about at this year’s event, but more importantly in what we do. The event is chock-full of ways for you to be a part of the action, before, during, and after the big day!
Before
Sched
This is a great and easy way to get involved before the event. Create your profile, choose your sessions, and see where other attendees are headed.
Yammer
Before, during, after… Yammer is a great way to get involved at any point in time! Join the 2014 TLT Symposium group to ask questions, share a story, post a picture, and anything else you can think of. Consider this the go-to place for conversations and questions; we’d love to hear from you at any time!
Faculty Fellows
You’ll be able to see presentations by past and present TLT Faculty Fellows at the Symposium, but why not become a Faculty Fellow yourself? The Call for Proposals is now open for 2014 Faculty Fellows, and TLT is seeking proposals from Penn State faculty interested in exploring digital badges, learning spaces, and emerging online learning environments.
During
COIL RIGS
The Center for Online Innovation in Learning’s (COIL) Research Initiation Grant (RIG) Program provides “seed funding” during the development and “proof of concept” stages of research projects that have the potential to enhance teaching and learning through online innovation and are a great way for students, faculty, and staff to get involved in ways that extend far beyond the day of the event. Attend the session Making the Most of COIL RIGs! at the Symposium and then apply for a RIG of your own.
Social Media
Connecting with TLT over social media is a fantastic way to get the conversation going on the day of the Symposium – and on the other 364 days of the year as well! TLT’s active Twitter and Facebook accounts keep you up to date with Symposium information, highlights from the different sessions, and so much more.
Explore a Service Area
On the day of the event, the Service Areas are a great place for you to network with others, demo different technologies (including Google Glass!), and discover resources that exist to support you. Stop by the Service Areas, located in the first and second-floor break areas, during the morning or afternoon sessions for a dose of engagement with both your peers and a variety of technology tools at your disposal.
Open Discussion Sessions
These sessions are all about engagement! Rather than a traditional speaker-audience format, these sessions are designed to encourage open discussion between all of the participants. Each session has a “host” or group of “hosts” who are either instructional designers or faculty members. The hosts will be there to help guide the conversation, but these sessions are really an opportunity for you to share your ideas, ask questions, and interact with others who are interested in a similar topic.
After
Session Recordings
Was there a session that you had been dying to see but didn’t get to make it to on the day of the event? Maybe you saw something that would be great to share with your colleagues? You’re in luck! Many of the sessions will become available online on the Symposium site after the event, so be sure to check back to watch (and share) the sessions you missed or the ones of which you can’t get enough.
Faculty Engagement Initiative
Feeling inspired by what you saw at the Symposium? The Faculty Engagement Initiative gives faculty an opportunity to work with Educational Technology Services staff to explore emerging technologies that have the potential to impact teaching and learning at Penn State. It’s a great way to continue the exploration and discovery that in March, after all, since when does innovation have a ceiling?
