Maryland Distance Learning Association Conference (MDLA)

I attended the Maryland Distance Learning Association Conference (MDLA) on March 6^th.

This conference focuses on distance education trends and emerging technologies. It is a local conference held at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum.

The Keynote speaker was Dr. David Wiley, “Co-Founder and Chief Academic Officer of Lumen Learning, an organization dedicated to increasing student success and improving the affordability of education through the adoption of open educational resources by middle schools, high schools, community and state colleges, and universities.”

 He addressed open educational resources and the concept of whether “open” is really “open” and how it means different things to different people.  His definition included addressed copyright and what he called the 5R’s-retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. He suggested using Creative Commons resources because they lack the restrictions that most other “open” resources.  His conversation was very thought provoking and enlightening!

Other sessions I attended were: Gamification presented by Dr.Liliana Meneses-UMUC

Using Google Overdrive to enhance collaborative Group Projects-Paulette Comet, Michelle Clements-CCBC

Blind Men and the Elephant-Developing a Social Science Toolkit: Interdisciplinary Online Learning Tools for Undergraduates—UMUC

The Transition to No-Cost Electronic Resources: Lessons Learned University wide Initiative for No-Cost Resources for all UG & Grad Courses-Emily Medina, Thomas Bailey & Megan Wilson-UMUC

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about any of the sessions I attended.