Dr. Julie Little, Ed.D will present the keynote address at the MEEC Annual conference. The title of her presentation is; Innovation in Action: New Learning Environments for the 21st Century. Dr. Little has devoted more than twenty years to exploring the effective integration of information technologies in the Academy's teaching, learning, and research practices. Shared through national and international forums, her research interests focus on faculty development, facilitating communications and collaboration in distributed learning environments, and designing effective uses of instructional technologies.
ABSTRACT:
As we discover more about the way that people learn, the challenge is to design inquiry-driven learning environments focused on knowledge creation while moving outside the box of four-walls to access virtual experiences and content. And, while shaped by a lifetime of technological innovation, today’s learner seamlessly moves around virtual spaces creating, sharing, and communicating; however, impulse does not translate into purpose and fluidity does not equate to literacy. How can K-20 education leverage our understanding of learning, the experiences of today’s learner, and emerging technologies—from wikis and blogs to social networks and cyberinfrastructure—to build learning ecologies where students are encouraged to think critically and work collaboratively and content is generated and exchanged?
Creating new learning environments that promote active learning, critical thinking, collaborative learning, and knowledge creation, and reaching and engaging today's students have been two of the five issues at the forefront of the EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges Project (http://www.educause.edu/eli/challenges). During this presentation, Dr. Little will cast a spotlight on ways to engage today’s learners and prepare them to thrive in the 21st century. Activate your imagination. Join the dialogue.
Posted by Tamara Petronka on April 2, 2010 3:35 PM | Permalink
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