SLATE NG - new year, new look, new URL

In 2012, SLATE will be celebrating 10 years as a professional development, collborative, and innovative user group. Its come a long way since that first meeting of eight institutions back in May of 2002. What started as a simple roundtable discussion has turned into a true community of practice of almost 80 participating institutions from around the world and over 300 individuals on the mailing list.

The SLATE mission has always been and will continue to be: To support learning and technology in education through communication, collaboration, and innovation while developing a community of practice. By embracing the teaching, learning, and technology challenges of K-12, higher-ed, and the corporate sector, SLATE strives to bring together these groups to identify the common questions and challenges and searches for common solutions regardless of the platform or audience. But where do we go from here... What is our SLATE NG...

So with the start of the new year, I would like to announce a couple of things:

• I invite you to visit the new SLATE website at: www.slategroup.org. I hope you will find it to be familiar, but with a sleeker look and feel. Please bookmark it for future reference. Comments and suggestions about the site are welcome.
• With the number of registrations at the annul SLATE Conference increasing each year, we have come to a point that we have now outgrown our current venue. So to accommodate the increased number of participants, and also be able to offer things like hands-on and pre-conference workshops that have been asked for in the past, the venue for the 2012 conference will be the NIU Naperville Campus located in Naperville, IL. This will allow for many new options and additional services at the conference. Additional information can be found on the website at www.slategroup.org/conference
• The schedule for the monthly meetings is now posted. A lot of new places to visit this year. We are still looking for topics for some of the meetings, so if you have any suggestions please pass them along to me.

I would also like to remind you that now is a good time to review your institution profile and update any information that may have changed over the year. Just click on the apply or update link under the Members Tab and submit when completed. We have condensed some of the information to make it easier. The profile now limits the number of contacts to two but anyone else from your institution that wants to be can be added to the mailing list. Just have them contact me.

I am very excited about the possibilities that 2012 will offer and look forward to working with each of you as we take this next step in the SLATE evolution.

Ken

SLATE Holiday Greetings

I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season and the best in the coming New Year.

In 2012, SLATE will be celebrating ten-years as a group. I think that is quite a milestone. Thanks to all of you for your support and participation in making this the best group around. We are looking forward to some new and exciting changes in the new year.

All the best.

Ken

December 2012 SLATE Meeting

This is a reminder that our next monthly SLATE meeting will be on Wednesday, December 14th beginning @ 10:00am and hosted by our friends from Sprint.  We will be meeting at the Sprint location at 200 S. Wacker Drive, 15 floor.  So that Sprint can prepare for our visit, it is very important that you RSVP back to Ken Sadowski by Monday, December 12th with the names of those who will be attending from your institution.

Main Agenda –  Using Mobile Technology to Enhance Students' Educational Experiences
Information and communications technology continue to expand the boundaries of higher education into an "anytime/anywhere" experience.  Wireless networks and mobile communications coupled with personal computing devices present new means for students to access classroom information and communicate with peers and teachers, and for faculty members to alter the concept of "the classroom".  Redefining this educational experience, however, presents new challenges for both educators, IT departments, and service providers as they determine optimal mixes of technology and pedagogy.  The educational goal is not to incorporate technology for technology’s sake but to create a meaningful learning experience for the student, and IT departments must support such initiatives accordingly. 

In this open forum, we will discuss the challenges of supporting mobile learning solutions, how to best deliver course content to students that are "always on the move",  and what solutions and resources are available now or may be needed in the future.

*****  Additionally what has become a SLATE tradition...
Once again this year - after our meeting, we will take some time to enjoy and celebrate the holiday season with our friends and colleagues - by having a White Elephant Gift Exchange.  The term white elephant refers to a gift whose maintenance cost exceeds its usefulness.  In the "WeGe", gifts are wrapped, anonymous - are typically inexpensive, humorous items, or used items from home.  In the past some people have been pretty creative - and there are always a couple a really good surprises too...!!!  So I hope everyone will participate and bring a gift to exchange.

If you have any questions please let me know.  Hope to see you there.

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PLEASE NOTE – This meeting will not be streamed !

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November 2011 SLATE Meeting Archive

The November 2011 SLATE Meeting was held at the Robert Crown Center for Health Education. Jarl Jonas of Blackboard showed how CourseSites by Blackboard can serve as an upgrade and course design resource for you and your colleagues. Jarl shared where over 30 course structures can be downloaded from to use as templates to help instructors kick-start the course building process.

For the live-stream of the session, we tried a demo Fusion 4 sound system by Revolabs.

The online archive is available here: https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2011-11-16.0841.M.2D545E2462DDF34D04B3A450D10B2E.vcr&sid=2011362

New SLATE Media Blog - Share your photos, videos, notes, handouts and reflections from SLATE Group meetings!

We want the information, ideas, resources, and discussions from SLATE meetings to be available publicly online. Following-up on the success of the the SLATE 11 Conference Blog, we've established this similar media blog for SLATE at media.slategroup.org to make it as easy as possible for SLATE members to share photos, videos, notes, handouts, and reflections from SLATE meetings.  We plan to then aggregate some of the "best posts" on this media blog to include on the main  SLATE Group Blog.

We've set up this blog to receive emailed submissions. It's a site created with Posterous, a blogging platform that accepts posts via email. Posts don't have to be just text. Attach images, audio, video, or documents to the email message and Posterous will post it in a web-friendly format.

SLATE Group members can send an email to slatemedia@posterous.com. The subject of the email becomes the blog post's title, so please include descriptive subjects.  Include your name in the body of the post along with what you want to say. Add any photos or files and send it off. After the post passes through moderation, it will be published for the world to see. The best of the SLATE Media Blog will be featured on the main  SLATE Group Blog.

The best part is that media.slategroup.org will be a great place to experience sessions that you aren't able to attend in person.  If you use news reader, you can subscribe using this web feed. Alternatively, you can sign up to receive daily updates through email.

If submitting blog posts:

• Please proofread and edit before submitting.
• Write descriptive subjects. Since the subject is the title, please capitalize accordingly.
• Be mindful of file size when submitting video. Videos longer than a couple minutes are sometimes too large to attach.
• Email each submission just once. It won't show up on the blog until it is approved, which should be within 2 hours.
• Optionally include your email, Twitter, Facebook, blog, or any other URLs so people may contact you.
• Presenters are encourage to submit and include their handouts and/or slideshows.
• The blog automatically generates a photo gallery when you attach multiple images in your email.
• Remember, include your name in your submission. The email address you send from will not appear anywhere in your post.

We look forward to seeing you at upcoming SLATE meetings for you to contribute to the SLATE Media Blog!

November 2011 SLATE Meeting

This is a reminder that our next monthly SLATE meeting will be Wednesday, November 16th beginning @ 10:00am and hosted by The Robert Crown Center for Health Education (Hinsdale).  We will be meeting in the Valeda Auditorium (signs will be posted).  Additional information, directions, parking, maps, etc., can be found at the end of this message.  So that Robert Crown can prepare for our visit, it is very important that you RSVP back to me by Monday, November 14th, with the names of those who will be attending from your institution.

Main Agenda – Introducing CourseSites by Blackboard™: An Upgrade and Course Design Resource
Are you wondering how you can gain more insight and experience with the latest Blackboard technology?  Do you need more ideas on how to structure your online learning environments?  If so, please join Jarl Jonas of Blackboard to learn how CourseSites by Blackboard can serve as an upgrade and course design resource for you and your colleagues. Attendees will be shown where they can download over 30 course structures to use as templates to help instructors kick-start the course building process. (If time permits, part of the session will be hands-on so bring your laptop and if possible get a CourseSites account setup beforehand).

Additional Agenda Items (as time allows)
-  Recap of the 2011 SLATE Conference
-  Still looking for hosting institutions for our 2012 monthly meetings
-  Additional items for the good of the group

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PLEASE NOTE – SLATE meetings are streamed live online!

If you are unable to attend in person – the monthly SLATE meetings are streamed live using Blackboard Collaborate.  To participate, visit:  live.slategroup.org and enter your name to login.

We’ll plan to begin streaming this session at approximately at 9:45am

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Logistics
- Location:  21 Salt Creek Lane, Hinsdale, IL  60521 (Ogden Avenue exit & I-294)
- Map:  http://www.robertcrown.org/locations.shtml
- Parking:  There is a large parking lot in the back of the building for free parking.  The back doors are locked so walk around to the front to enter.

Hosting 2012 monthly SLATE meetings

We are looking for host institutions for our 2012 monthly SLATE meetings. All that is needed is a room that holds around 30 people, a projector, and wired network access (for the live streaming). If you are able to provide lunch (as an option) that is great but not required. Meetings begin at 10:00am, setup usually starts around 9:00am and the meetings end between 12:00-1:00. The 2012 meeting dates are listed below. If you are able to host, please contact Ken Sadowski and let him know your first and second choices.

In addition we are always looking for topics for the meetings. If there is something timely or important to you and your institution please make a suggestion. You do not have to moderate the session unless you would like to or have things to share. Thank you for your support and continued participation in SLATE.

January - no meeting

February 15

March 21

April 18

May 16

June 20

July 18

August 15

September 21 - Goshen College

October - 10th Annual SLATE Conference

November 14 * (second Wednesday of the month)

December 19

If you would like to host in a particular month but the date won't work for you, let let Ken know and we may be able to adjust it to the week before or after. If you have any questions please contact Ken at sadowski@uchicago.edu or call 773.702.4665