Two IDT students lead team from Olathe North HS to $50,000 Battle of the Brains win!

IDT students Rhonda Reist and Amy Johnston led a team of students from Olathe North HS to a $50,000 Battle of the Brains win! Congratulations to Rhonda and Amy (and your very bright students!)

By next summer visitors to Science City will be exploring how mechanical power is transformed into energy — by running in giant hamster wheels to generate electricity.

That fun yet educational concept by juniors and seniors at Olathe North High School won top honors at the Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition. It also earned them $50,000 and the privilege of seeing their project, “Unplugged,” installed as a working exhibit in Science City at Union Station.

Kansas City Star article and video at - http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/21/3278497/olathe-north-wins-battle-of-the.html

Webinar - A Conversation with the Eminent Scholar about the Secrets of Designing Games for Learning

Thursday, Dec. 8, Noon (Central)
Dr. James Paul Gee is a Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies
at Arizona State University. He is also a member of National Academy for Education. Professor Gee has published numerous articles and books on the topic of designing games for learning. His recent books “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy” and “Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays” are highly acclaimed resources for designers to learn the foundations of game designs.

Sponsored by AECT

Register at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/e9n5mre1h9zx

Developing iPhone and iPad Apps - New IDT class for Spring 2012

IT 743 XA  Developing iPhone and iPad Apps, Spring 2012, 3 credits.

Co-taught by Dr. Dusti Howell (ESU IDT)  and Dr. Rob Gibson (ESU TCS)
Enroll today!  (This course may be used as an elective for your IDT MS program)

Description below:
In this class we will begin by making adjustments to current apps before creating our own apps. Next, we'll follow step-by-step directions to build simple apps. We will then style an app so that it looks good and users can easily navigate through it. Also, we will learn to use the  touch screen, the accelerometer, shortcuts and cheat sheets to create apps the easy way!

NOTE :  This class requires users to have an Apple computer running Snow Leopard (OS 10.6) or Lion (OS 10.7).  PC computers running Windows OS can not run the Xcode 4 software used in this class. There is a bit of programming involved in this class. Previous knowledge of programming is helpful but not required.
The course book and online videos are fantastic at showing the user step-by-step directions on creating apps.
A few Apple laptops may be loaned to users for this class. Please email Dusti Howell   (dhowell@emporia.edu)   for more information.

The ESU IDT Dynasty Continues!

ESU Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) master of science students Michael Stewart and Jason Baker were selected as one of three winning teams in the PacifiCorp international design and development competition, sponsored by Pacific Power and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. With the other two finalist teams, Stewart and Baker presented their winning instructional design and development solution at the November AECT 2011 International Convention in Jacksonville, FL.

The PacifiCorp design and development competition involves having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and oral report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study.  During the year-long competition, twelve teams competed in the first round of the competition and 6 teams moved forward to the second round, with three teams being selected as winning finalists.  ESU IDT teams have achieved winning finalist status in 4 out of the last 5 years of the competition.

Some history:

2007 - ESU IDT's first team, Sandy Valenti and Steve Harmon - winning finalist team

2009 - ESU IDT team, Liz Ermis and Jennifer Gibson - winning finalist team

2010 - ESU IDT team, Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin - winning finalist team

2011 - ESU IDT team, Jason Baker and Michael Stewart - winning finalist team

All of the ESU IDT faculty and over 15 IDT students and alumni attended the convention in Jacksonville, FL to cheer them on.

Spring 2012 Enrollment begins October 10th - 8 a.m.

Spring 2012 enrollment begins on October 10, 2011 at 8 a.m.
So, grab your alternate PIN - GR1210 and log into BUZZIN!
Registration information from the Office of Distance Education
Download our spring 2012 course flyer

Start planning now and set those alarms. Classes WILL fill quickly!

ESU IDT team selected for 2011 PacifiCorp finals

ESU IDT students Michael Stewart and Jason Baker have been selected as one of three winning teams to present at the 2011 AECT PacifiCorp finals at the November AECT International Convention in Jacksonville, FL.

The PacifiCorp design and development competition involves having teams of two students design and develop a detailed written solution and oral report in response to a quite complex instructional design case study.  During the year-long competition, twelve teams competed in the first round of the competition and six teams moved forward to the second round, with three teams being selected as winning finalists.  A best overall presentation award will be presented to one of the teams after their convention presentation. 

All of the ESU IDT faculty and over a dozen IDT students and alumni will be in Jacksonville to cheer them on!  Congratulations Michael and Jason!

AECT 2011 Convention - $500 grants available to IDT students!

IDT students:

 

Through an ESU Academic Enhancement Grant, I was able to secure $5,000 for up to 10 IDT students (that's $500 per student) to attend this year's AECT International Convention in Jacksonville, FL November 8-12, 2011 - http://www.aect.org/events/jacksonville/

 

The $500 grants may be used to cover the convention student registration fee and/or travel and accommodations. The awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

All IDT faculty will be presenting at the convention.  Dr. Colorado is the president of the Research and Theory Division, and Dr. Eberle is on the Research and Theory Division Board. In addition, Dr. Childress is on the AECT Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and is president-elect designate for AECT. The three finalist teams for the PacifiCorp design and development competition will also be presenting their solutions at the convention.

 

At the convention, you will get to see (and meet with) many of the folks from your IDT textbooks, including Robert Reiser, David Merrill, John Keller, and Michael Spector, just to name a few.  This is THE convention for people in our field who are interested in more than just how-to conferences.  Individuals at this conference are actually conducting the research that drives our field. 

 

Details-

https://aectorg.yourwebhosting.com/events/registration/conventionregistration.htm

Student member registration for the conference is $195

 

Airfare to Jacksonville is currently around $282 (round trip) from Kansas City.

Hotel rates - http://www.aect.org/Events/ConvHotel/ 

Hyatt Regency - $135/ Single or Double Rooms, plus tax. Triple/Quad $145. (So, if there are 4 in the room, $36.25 per person, per night, plus tax)

(8 in a room, $18.12 per room - but not recommended -  and probably not legal :)

 

You will be reimbursed (up to $500) for conference registration, airfare, and hotel  after attending the convention.

 

If you wish to secure funding, you must -

 

1. Join AECT as soon as possible (students may join for only $75) and send your membership number to Janet Schneider at idt@emporia.edu  Funding will be reserved according to the order received. The $75 AECT membership fee is non-reimbursable.

 

2. Register for the AECT International Convention no later than September 2, 2011, and send your registration confirmation to Janet Schneider at idt@emporia.edu  If you are not registered by September 2, 2011, your funds will be released and awarded to another individual.

 

No more than 10 students will be guaranteed an award. You must be enrolled in fall 2011 classes to receive your award. I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity!

 

Dr. Childress

Curtis Bonk

Speaking at ESU

ESU Commencement 2011

20110506_001.jpg

SIDLIT Conference 2011 - Call for Proposals - May 6 deadline

2011 SIDLIT Conference, August 4-5, 2011 at Johnson County Community College - http://c2conline.org/sidlit/2011

The Technology Horizon: What’s Ahead for Education?
This year's SIDLIT theme focuses on The Horizon Report: 2011 Edition which lists key trends and emerging technologies with an anticipated 1-5 year "time-to-adoption" for education. The report is available at: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/HR2011.pdf.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The SIDLIT 2011 Steering Committee is now accepting proposals for 50- minute presentations on issues or topics related to distance learning, instructional technology, and adaptive technology.

Presentations related to the five trends listed in the 2011 Horizon Report (Electronic Books, Mobiles, Augmented Reality, Game-based Learning, Gesture-based Learning, and Learning Analytics) will be given priority. Proposals for hands-on training to be offered in a computer lab are welcome. Once logged in and registered, you can submit proposals at http://c2conline.org/node/add/sidlit-session

DEADLINE: May 6, 2011 The SIDLIT Planning Committee will review all proposals and presenters will be contacted by May 12, 2011.

AWARD NOMINATIONS
Innovation in Teaching Award
This award goes to a faculty member who best incorporates creative and innovative teaching strategies in his or her courses, defined as someone who:
Creates student-focused, learning-oriented innovations in technology to facilitate learning.
Demonstrates best practices in online course design including innovative strategies that actively engage students.
Actively pursues avenues for personal continuous improvement to facilitate the uses of technology in online learning.

Outstanding Technical Support Staff Award
This award goes to a support person who best exemplifies customer service and outstanding performance in assisting faculty with the use of technology in instruction, defined as someone who:
Creates an environment for educational technology exploration, innovation, and usage among faculty and students.
Creates an environment of listening to determine the student and faculty needs and requirements for utilizing technology effectively.
Exemplifies customer service in assisting those using instructional technology.
Actively seeks input into the support process to improve the use of instructional technology.

The Jonathan Bacon Outstanding Leadership Award
This award goes to someone who has "pushed the envelope" at any level in support of instructional technology, defined as someone who:
Sets organizational direction or climate to create an innovative, technology-based student-centered learning oriented climate.
Encourages or uses key comparative data and information to track student learning to support operational and strategic decision making for learning innovation
Promotes diverse ideas among faculty and students to enhance a culture of technology usage.
Stays up to date on learning technology innovation and promotes funding streams to support growth to improve student learning.
Please send award nominations to Meg McGranaghan at megmcg@butlercc.edu. DEADLINE: May 6, 2011

IDT students, alumni, and faculty - Featured in Spotlight Magazine and Quest Magazine

Spotlight ESU Alumni Magazine features -
Curtis Chandler (IDT alum) - Sharing knowledge— Curtis Chandler, Kansas Teacher of the Year

Derrick Richling (IDT alum) - 2010 Outstanding Recent Graduates

Michael Schwind and Rob Ervin (IDT students) - Another prize-winning instructional design

View the entire online version
or download the PDF


Quest ESU Research Magazine features -
Dr. Jane Eberle (IDT faculty) - A Fistful of Robots
Click below to view the entire magazine.

Japanese pop star Hatsune Miku takes the stage -- as a 3-D hologram

Pop princess Hatsune Miku is storming the music scene.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/japanese-pop-star-takes-the-stage-as-a-3-d-hologram.html

Dr. Yong Zhao Lecture - Video

Dr. Yong Zhao's Jones Distinguished Lecture at Emporia State University on February 23, 2011 was outstanding!

If there is one online video that you choose to view this year, I urge you to view this one - and then share it far and wide.

View the video -

http://mythos2.emporia.edu/esumedia/joneslecture/zhao.wmv

Users will need Windows Media player or WM plugin to view the video. On a Mac, download the Flip for Mac plug-in that works with Quicktime. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

Call for Presentation Proposals - AECT Convention 2011 - Jacksonville, FL

Interested in presenting at the 2011 AECT International Convention, November 9 -12, 2011?
YOU can join ESU IDT faculty in sunny Jacksonville, Florida!

Share your expertise and knowledge with your peers, with those new to the field, and with professional practitioners and researchers representing multiple disciplines.

More information at - http://www.aect.org/events/call/

This year’s convention theme is Celebrate 3.0: Design.Learn.Community. The rapid evolution of Web 2.0 technologies has generated a level of communication and interaction never before possible. In response, AECT 2011 seeks to explore the transformational potential that these innovations hold for education, as well as share current research and best practices related to these developments.

Proposals Close – February 15th, midnight (EST), 2011
The review process by divisions and affiliates will be completed within six weeks of the closing date for proposals.

AECT PacifiCorp Competition is Ready - Are you up for it?

How about continuing the ESU IDT legacy in the PacifiCorp competition?

The AECT/PacifiCorp instructional design and development competition problem is posted and ready for for a solution! http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/archives/2011/PacifiCorp_2011_Problem_Statement.pdf

(The first submission is only 1500 words - that's less than some of you write in Facebook every day!) The deadline for the first round of submissions is April 15, 2011. http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/ Thus far, we have one team. I would love to have MORE than one team represent ESU this year!

Now is a great time to participate in this challenging and skill-developing competition. The problem statement (along with other information about the competition) can be found on the competition website at http://www.aect.org/pacificorp/ Abstracts for Round 1 are 1500 words and outline a proposed solution to the problem. Find a partner and show the world your awesome instructional design skills!

Contact Dr. Childress or Dr. Colorado, if interested.

Dr. Yong Zhao to Visit Emporia State University

Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Albert Taylor Hall in Plumb Hall Emporia State University, Emporia, KS

Born and raised in China and now a professor at the University of Oregon, Zhao bases many of his observations on extensive research and firsthand experience as a student in China and as a parent of children attending school in the United States.

At a time when globalization and technology are dramatically altering the world we live in,
is education reform in the United States headed down the right path? Are schools emphasizing
the knowledge and skills that students need in a global society? Are education
systems in China and other countries really as superior as some people claim?

In this presentation, Dr. Yong Zhao addresses these and other questions.. His unique perspective leads him to conclude that American education is at a crossroads and we need to change course to maintain leadership in a rapidly changing world.

Co-sponsored by ESU Special Events Board, Academic Enhancement Grants,
Phi Delta Kappa, & the Department of Instructional Design & Technology.

http://www.emporia.edu/jones/lecture/11spring-zhao.pdf