ATLANTA — Leaders in online learning from more than 20 states are meeting here on March 10-11 for the annual Symposium on Teaching and Learning, hosted by SREB’s Educational Technology Cooperative. Bringing together nearly 100 state-level e-Learning leaders, K-20 instructional and curriculum design experts, online teachers and teaching managers, and others, the Symposium will focus in depth on how states can improve quality in online learning. The event will be held at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel from 3 p.m. Thursday until Friday at noon.
The SREB Educational Technology Cooperative, comprised of state higher education and K-12 coordinating and governing boards, helps state leaders create and expand effective uses of technology in schools and colleges — especially digital content. It represents more than 3,300 public school districts and nearly 800 public colleges and universities in the 16 SREB member states.
"Online education is becoming a prominent part of American education. And it’s still evolving. The Symposium will challenge all of us to delve deeper and think differently about the intersections of technology, teaching and learning," said Myk Garn, director of the Educational Technology Cooperative.
Participants will examine what it takes to conceive and achieve high-quality virtual learning experiences and will leave with new foundations and frameworks to manage, plan and lead educational change at schools and institutions in their states, he said.
In addition, a panel of high school and college students will discuss how online learning affects them and their views on high-quality courses. Another panel will discuss issues of quality in online teaching and will include: 2010 National Online Teacher of the Year Teresa Dove of Virginia, who teaches for the Florida Virtual School; Cynthia Rumney, the distance education coordinator at Middle Georgia Technical College; and Sherry Southard, the online coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences at Clayton State University in Georgia.
A featured speaker will be Bill Rust, the research director for Gartner Research, the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Among other scheduled speakers and panelists are: Barbara Dreyer, the president and CEO of Connections Academy; Ron Legon, the executive director of Quality Matters; Timothy J. Magner, the executive director of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills; and Caleb Harding, student experience advocate for Florida Virtual School.
Highlighting the Symposium, the SREB/iNACOL 2011 National Online Teacher of the Year will be named from among five nationwide finalists at a banquet on Thursday night, March 10. (For more on the finalists and the award, click here.)
To attend the Symposium or learn more about your state’s involvement in e-learning and the use of educational technology, contact SREB Communications.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
