I was recently invited to be part of a panel discussion focusing on the role of social media in medical education and clinical practice at the Penn State College of Medicine.  It is an interesting topic given the realities of HIPAA and all the issues surrounding medicine.  It will be an honor to visit with colleagues from the Hershey Medical center for the Social Media Symposium.  I have  a feeling I'll learn more as a panelist than I will have to offer.

This morning I was part of an invited panel asked to speak about social networks and how they might be useful for connecting alumni. I have given quite a few talks to the PSU Alumni Association, but this was the first time it was specific to just a single College … in this case Communications. It was a fun presentation and I worked to keep it light. The highlight for me was getting to meet two additional colleagues here at PSU doing similar research related to social networks. I love when I have a chance right here in my own backyard to make new friends with very similar and overlapping interests.
Download my slides as an 18 MB PDF.

Earlier this year I received an invitation from colleagues at EDUCAUSE to do featured session on "Doing More with Much Less: Pursuing an Innovative Teaching and Learning Agenda in a Time of Fiscal Austerity" at the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) 2010 Annual Meeting. I am honored to be part of a panel that will take time to talk to the audience about the things we are each doing at our institutions to help continue to push forward even in times of economic turmoil. I plan to spend my time discussing how we've re-evaluated our strategic planning, how we've turned to the community to produce local (and high value) professional development, and how we have leveraged existing IT infrastructure to innovate. I would be lying if I didn't mention that I am a bit intimidated to be a part of a panel like this and hope I can hold my own with my fellow panelists. From the program:

Supporting an innovative program for teaching and learning is challenging even in the best of times. But when institutions face severe fiscal austerity, such support becomes a difficult task. We all face tough choices about what to emphasize and what to stop supporting. We find we must tax our creativity to the utmost to find new support strategies and resources. We are all asking ourselves similar questions: Is the cloud our salvation? Should we focus on support services and scale back on providing learning infrastructure? Can institutions collaborate on resource development? What are the core priorities that need to be retained? At this discussion, leaders in the field will discuss their ideas, programs, and the decisions they have made and are facing, and they will facilitate a brainstorming session with audience participants.

I was already attending and presenting at the Chronicle of Higher Eduction Technology Forum in April, so when my friend and colleague from Apple, Jason Ediger called and asked if I would help kick the event off I said yes immediately. I've known and admired Jason's work for many years now and have always wanted a chance to work with him on a presentation … a perfect opportunity to pull our collective voices together.
Building the Classroom of the Future
From iTunes U to Twitter, the world is a classroom more than ever before thanks to technology. Today's students learn the scientific method from the Discovery Channel's MythBusters, hear the basics of physics from MIT's Walter Lewin on iTunes U, and debate politics on Facebook. Are these "classrooms" poised to be even more popular venues for learning in the future? How can colleges leverage these tools?
Presenters

• Cole W. Camplese, director, education technology services, Pennsylvania State University at University Park
• Jason Ediger, director of iTunes U and mobile learning, Apple Inc.

Download the PDF of my slides.

I will be attending and participating as a panelist at the Chronicle of Higher Eduction Technology Forum in April.  I will be part of the panel, From Eager Applicant to Generous Graduate: Managing the Student Life Cycle. From the event's page:

Technology is reshaping college admissions, course-management systems are making it possible to detect students in academic trouble before it gets too deep, and development offices are creating social networks that energize alumni giving. But not every high-tech strategy pays off for colleges. This session will highlight expensive pitfalls as well as rewarding opportunities.

I am really looking forward to being a part of this and to be simply attending the event. I am honored to be a part of the panel and for being asked to participate.
Moderator:

• Jeffrey J. Selingo, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Panelists:

• Stephanie Balmer, dean of admissions and financial aid, Dickinson College
• John Campbell, associate vice president for information technology, Purdue University
• Cole W. Camplese, director, Education Technology Services, Pennsylvania State University at University Park
• Andrew Shaindlin, executive director, Caltech Alumni Association

I have been invited to participate on a panel at the College of Information Sciences and Technology's Graduate Symposium.  I'll share time with folks from higher education and industry to discuss and debate the role of social media in teaching, learning, and research. It will be fun going back and participating in an event from my old stomping grounds! From the Symposium site:

Collaboration and community are key characteristics of Web 2.0 technologies. These social mediating services have garnered considerable usage. One new form of social communication on the Web is micro-blogging, using Web services such as Twitter, Jaiku, Facebook (status postings), Pownce, and FriendFeed. Micro-blogging is a form of communication in which users can describe things of interest and express attitudes that they are willing to share with others in short posts (i.e., micro-blogs) distributed by instant messages, mobile phones, email, or the Web. These micro-blogs are short comments usually delivered to a network of associates.
Micro-blogging is new means of communication, allowing people to share these thoughts almost anywhere (i.e., while driving, getting coffee, or sitting at their computer) to almost anyone connected (e.g., Web, cellular phone, IM, email) on a scale that has not been seen in past. While the shortness of the micro-blog (usually limited to about 140 characters) keeps people from writing long thoughts, it is precisely the micro part that makes these blogs unique from other communication mediums like blogs, Webpages, and online reviews. In short, these micro-blogs are immediate, ubiquitous, and scalable. Since they are online, they are also typically accessible by anyone with an Internet connection.
There are also archival in the sense that these micro-blogs permanently exist and are searchable via Web search engines and other services. In this panel, we will examine micro-blogs as utterances and expressions and their possible long term effect on the way we communicate.

After the event I will be sure to post thoughts and a reflection.