On Nov. 6, Tim Owens and Jim Groom of the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies were part of a multi-institution presentation on “ Reclaiming the Open Learning Environment.” This talk introduced the vision behind the distributed architecture of Domain of One’s Own as an example of an innovative open learning environment that empowers faculty, staff, and students alike. The presentation was delivered alongside technologists from the University of British Columbia and Thompson Rivers University who have inspired much of the early work that informed Domain of One’s Own.
Tim Owens and Jim Groom Present at Open Education Conference
November 21, 2013 by
Jim Groom Delivers TEDx Presentation in Puerto Rico
November 14, 2013 by
On Oct. 18, 2013 Jim Groom delivered a TEDx presentation at the University of Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The invited talk focused on the philosophy behind the Domain of One’s Own initiative happening currently at UMW. The video of the 14 minute presentation can be seen below.
Jim Groom Delivers Keynote at University of North Florida
October 7, 2013 by
On Oct. 1, Jim Groom delivered the keynote address “ds106: This Course Could be Your Life” as part of the inaugural Academic Technology Innovation Symposium at the University of North Florida. The presentation frames how all too often technology becomes a tool fetish or a solution to a problem,yet neither of these approaches is particularly meaningful when it comes to creating a learning community. Using the example of the digital storytelling community/course at UMW (http://ds106.us), this presentation demonstrated how a 25 person course at a small liberal arts college in Virginia became a global learning community. The power of teaching and learning online is not about the shiny object or the solution-minded endgame, but rather the possibility to transcend them both through human interaction on a scale hitherto unimaginable. This is a point that is tied back to initiatives like Domain of One’s Own that attempts to establish the fact that the only thing that truly scales on the web when it comes to social interactions is an individual’s seamless participation within this online ecosystem.
UMW Hosting Minding the Future and OpenVA October 14 and 15
October 7, 2013 by
Across the nation, higher education has seen a recent flood of initiatives that seek to leverage the advantages of the “virtual” domain to improve affordability, degree completion rates, and educational outcomes. Many of these initiatives are being driven by calls to fundamentally change the landscape of higher education as we know it — but is this supported by thorough conversation or vision about what the new landscape should look like?
To examine this question, the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), alongside of a wide range of Virginia’s public higher education institutions, are putting on a two-day event at UMW that will investigate these calls for disruptive change, and chart a path for Virginia public institutions to navigate the possibilities and challenges in the future.
Minding the Future
On Monday, October 14, five thought leaders from multiple disciplines and professional domains will examine the issues, in light of the national landscape of higher education. A series of focused talks throughout the afternoon will be capped by a panel discussion dealing specifically with whether or not public institutions have their head in the sand when it comes to topics such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), distance learning, and the “electronic delivery revolution.” This event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP to Jim Groom at jimgroom@gmail.com by Friday, October 11.
When: 2:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: Jepson Executive Alumni Center
Website: http://openva.org/minding-the-future/
OpenVA
On Tuesday, October 15, an all-day event will include a series of presentations, displays, and panels that showcase digital innovation at Virginia’s state public institutions while grappling with questions about what this innovation means for the future of higher education. The final panel session will integrate the discussions of both days and introduce possible avenues for Virginia’s public institutions to leverage their individual, isolated innovations through broader and more focused collaboration. This event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP to Jim Groom at jimgroom@gmail.com by Friday, October 11.
When: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Where: University Hall, Stafford Campus
Website: http://openva.org
Martha Burtis and Jim Groom Deliver Keynote Presentation
September 11, 2013 by
On August 28th Martha Burtis and Jim Groom (alongside Alan Levine) presented a keynote session for the e-Assessment Scotland Conference titled “ds106: A Framework for Assessment.” The presentation discusses how the course infrastructure/design is modelled upon the web unlike, ironically, most techncial infrastructures for teaching and leanring online. As a result, it has developed an open community that encourages and makes possible a form of communal assessment and feedback that is otherwise inconceivable.
Jim Groom Delivers Three Invited Presentations
June 17, 2013 by
Over the course of two weeks, Jim Groom was invited to give presentations about the innovative work the Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies has been doing recently. On May 16th, Jim Groom delivered a talk titled “Syndication-Oriented Architecture: a Solution to Problem of Coherence” for Campus Technology’s Virtual Leadership Summit. You can read more about the conceptual thinking about the ideas presented here.
On May 22, he was invited to speak about the open, online class ds106 to the College of Wooster, you can watch the presentation in its entirety below, and read more details here.
Finally, on May 30 he presented once gain about ds106 to the University System of New Hampshire, a presentation you can read more about and listen to the audio here. The slides can be found below.
