Conference on Literature in Virtual Worlds

On August 4th, 2008, and again on August 6th, Alliance Library System, in cooperation with LearningTimes, will offer a one-day conference exploring the possibilities of using virtual worlds to teach literature and to promote its appreciation for people of all ages.

The conference, entitled “Stepping into Literature: Bringing New Life to Books through Virtual Worlds,” will be held entirely in the virtual world of Second Life, allowing participants to attend from any location with a computer and a broadband internet connection.

Whether you teach literature, or are just intrigued by the potential for learning in 3D worlds, we hope you will join us for a meaningful exploration of the instructional possibilities.

Cost to attend is US $65 per person. For group rates (5 or more) write to john@learningtimes.net

Click here to register: http://tinyurl.com/6ba6nq

Or visit the conference website at:

http://www.steppingintovirtualworlds.org.

Participants will take take part in a virtual book discussion, and take field trips into literature-based locations that have been created in Second Life. You may find yourself in an Edgar Allen Poe poem, visiting a “secret garden” or learning about gothic literature in an authentically spooky mansion.

Keynotes:

Beth Ritter-Gluth (Desideria Stockton in Second Life) will be the keynote speaker and her talk is on “A Vision for Making Literature Come Alive in Virtual Worlds.” She is the creator of “Literature Alive in Second Life” and teaches English and Women’s Studies at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, PA.

The keynote author is Kim Rufer-Bach who will speak on “Using Virtual Worlds to Promote Real Life Literature.” Kimberly is co-author of “Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life” (Sybex, October 2007) and is currently at work on “The Second Life Grid: The Official Guide to Communication Collaboration, and Community Engagement.”

Full conference schedule and registration information is available at the conference website, http://www.steppingintovirtualworlds.org

Or register now at: http://tinyurl.com/6ba6nq

Safety, Security and Online Learning

 

Safety, Security and Online Learning October 1, 2008 | 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST REGISTER NOW Sponsored by:    and   Brought to you by: With instruction moving online, how safe and secure is your technology program? Is technology your only line of defense? Do you what students’ online activities and behavior are? In this Webinar, you will learn how to develop effective and enforceable programs to encourage students to use technology wisely, appropriately and to the best advantage for learning. Topics include: • How to give students responsibility along with their online freedom • How to meet government regulations • Proactive enforcement of AUPs: The importance of monitoring and reporting This session will share Duval County’s effective forensic approach to policy and enforcement including: • Using a log-in system to set policy and reduce incidents • Setting policies and procedures to ensure student safety and keep kids on task • Allowing students to correct their online behavior • How to define intentional misuse of technology and how to prove intent • Steps to take when a student or staff member willfully breaches the AUP. Wednesday, October 1, 2008 1:00 PM PDT / 4:00 PM EDT Duration: 60 minutes For more information, click here Register now for this FREE event!

 

Online Educa Berlin

The Event Explore New Worlds of Learning Are you involved in education and training? Do you want to know how innovative digital technologies transform teaching and learning today? Are you interested in what your colleagues are doing around the world? Then you should mark your calendar for this year’s ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN! The 14th International Conference on Technology Supported Learning and Training will take place from December 3 – 5, 2008 in the Hotel InterContinental Berlin. ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN, the largest global e-learning conference for the corporate, education and public service sectors, showcases new learning technologies for all sectors of education and training. Assembling well over 2000 participants involved in learning, training and technology from 95 countries worldwide, the event offers an excellent forum for discussion and networking. The comprehensive conference agenda features key trends in e-learning, including social networking and collaboration tools, video, games, podcasting, blogs and wikis, innovative hardware and mobile learning. If you want to stay abreast of what is going on in learning and training worldwide, you should come to ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN! Find out more about the conference http://www.online-educa.com Special Interest Forums Following the success of three previous forums, Security and Defence Learning 2008, the 4th International Forum on Technology Assisted Learning and Training for Defence, Security and Emergency Services, will take place on Wednesday, December 3rd and review the new training challenges facing today’s security and emergency services, assess the impact of new technology and consider the potential for future development. The New Security Foundation has issued a CALL FOR PAPERS and would welcome any proposals for presentations. Click here for an outline of this year’s topics and themes, as well as the proposal submission forms. Deadline for receipt of proposals is September 15th. The 1st ONLINE EDUCA Iberoamérica Forum on Wednesday, December 3rd meets the networking needs of the Spanish-speaking international e-learning and distance education community and will include a programme of expert symposia as well as round-table discussions. The forum will be held in Spanish. Pre-Conference Workshops A programme of optional workshops and seminars will take place on Wednesday, December 3rd, offering participants the opportunity to learn a new skill, enhance their knowledge or gather information about a specific topic. Participants also value these workshops and seminars as productive networking activities. These are either full- or half-day events and the number of participants is limited. Please reserve your place early! Detailed list of Pre-Conference Workshops, taking place on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008. Keynote Speakers Richard Baraniuk, Open Education Advocate, Rice University, USA Richard Baraniuk is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He founded Connexions, a non-profit publishing project that makes high-quality educational content available for free on the web and at very low cost in print. Each month, Connexions’ free educational materials are used by over 850,000 people from over 200 countries. Michael Wesch, Cultural Anthropologist, Kansas State University, USA Michael Wesch is Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology. In his work Wesch explores the impact of new media on human interaction. He is well known for his groundbreaking work in digital ethnography and is also active in developing innovative teaching techniques. Clive Shepherd, E-Learning Guru and Consultant, UK Clive Shepherd is widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s foremost experts in e-learning, with more than one hundred published articles, books and e- books. He works with a broad range of public and private sector organisations, helping them to effectively harness the benefits of technology for workplace learning. Roger Larsen, Founder and Managing Director of Fronter, Norway Fronter is Europe’s largest commercial open source learning platform. Roger Larsen founded Fronter in 1998 based on the idea of making it simple to use tools for collaboration and learning on the web, based on open standards and with the users in control of the development. Today, Fronter products are used by more than 2000 learning institutions across Europe. Sponsoring & Exhibiting Leading international e-learning manufacturers, suppliers and service providers present their latest products and services in ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN’s extensive exhibition and demonstration area. It is the central meeting point within the conference where participants can compare vendors’ latest and best offers and select those that will help take their organisation to the next level. To view the up-to-date list of exhibitors and sponsors, please click here. If you are interested in exhibiting and sponsoring oppportunities, please contact us at marketing@online-educa.com Registration Participants: € 790 Second Person:€ 690 Students:€ 250 (please enclose a copy of Student ID) The fees include VAT, conference materials, a conference CD, coffee breaks and luncheons on December 4th and 5th, they do not include pre-conference events or accommodation. Payment should be made as indicated on the Registration Form. Group rates are available upon request. For more information, please contact: info@online-educa.com Take part in OEB 2008 and explore new worlds of learning! Book your place today! If you have any questions, please contact info@online-educa.com   ICWE GmbH, Leibnizstrasse 32, 10625 Berlin, Germany Tel.: +49 (0)30 310 18 18-0, Fax: +49 (0)30 324 98 33 info@icwe.net, http://www.icwe.net Managing Director: Rebecca Stromeyer, Register Court: Berlin-Charlottenburg Commercial Register: HRB 81670, VAT: DE 813 274 721