AECT 2012: Summary of my Conference Experiences

#AECT

This is my summary post for the he AECT 2012 International Convention. I had an outstanding experience and in previous posts I blogged some of what I learned throughout the week. If you missed the conference, these links share my experiences.

I feel like I met my goals for the conference - I met some great new people, got oriented to what is going on in the research, and got to interact with old friends. Below is a summarizing list of the blog posts that I wrote about the conference this year. Thanks AECT for a great conference!

Before the Conference
Here are a few posts before the conference and during the drive from Columbus to Louisville.

• AECT 2012 International Convention - Looking Forward!
• Traveling to AECT 2012
• The Galt House Hotel and Suites

At the Conference

• Day 1: Ontology, TCL, and Opening Social
• Day 2: Part 1 - Microscenarios
• Day 2: Part 2 - Problems With Sampling in EdTech Research
• Day 2: Part 3 - The Future of the Field of Educational Technology
• Day 3: Part 1 - Sharing Your Work as an Academic
• Day 3: Part 2 - Invisible Forces That Influence Instructional Design
• Day 3: Part 3 - EdTech Dojo Podcast

Day 2 AECT 2012: Part 1 - Microscenarios

This post is part of a Multiple Part Series on the 2012 AECT Convention.

#AECT 2012

9:15- 10:15 Scenario-based and Standardized Patient Simulations in Nursing Education
The first session I attended was about how to create simulations for nursing students. Catherine Maney of Northern Illinois University presented on how she created simulated live scenarios of mental health patients. The scenario she described was interesting - a bipolar patient in a manic state. I was impressed with the process they used for creating the scenario case:

I like the methodical nature of this task or case creation process, particularly the step of having another faculty member review the scenario. A great way to formatively evaluate a learning scenario.

They used a live actress for the simulation. After following the scenario-creating process, they

1. ran the simulation with 2 nursing students as the learners
2. filmed the students in the simulation as they worked through the process of calming the patient, gathering vital signs, deescalating patient's manic behavior, and administering medication.
3. debriefed the students on how it went by reviewing the video at key points.
4. had the students self-evaluate their work by asking what they did well, how they might improve.

The presenter mentioned that they also use these recorded scenarios as a way to present examples to later students in the course. This makes sense to me since students, particularly novices, benefit greatly from worked examples of how to approach a particular task. A very good presentation on an application of task-centered instruction, in my opinion.

The second presentation in this session was given by John Jeon and Terry Tao of University of Wisconsin-Extension. They described how they are developing an online scenario-based training.

The presenters described how they worked developed an idea of using what they call microscenarios. They basically broke these scenarios (cases) that they were using previously into pieces and developed an online strategy and technology for delivering and applying that knowledge.

Here are a couple of interesting graphics from the presentation:

Day 1 AECT 2012: Ontology, TCL, and Opening Social

This post is part of a Multiple Part Series on the 2012 AECT Convention.

#AECT 2012

It is the end of my first day at the AECT 2012 International Convention. I've enjoyed the presentations and interactions thus far, despite the fact that I helped give one of the presentations... Here are some of my experiences at the conference today.

10:00 - 11:30 IDT Professors Forum
This morning I attended the IDT Professors forum. We talked about how our foundational beliefs about reality, what knowledge is, and how people learn have a profound influence on the way we teach and design instruction. The presenters shared the slide below:

Ontological Perspectives Comparison Table

It was a good discussion - got me thinking about my own underlying beliefs and how they influence my approach to teaching and design.

1:00 - 2:00 Co-presented with Greg Francom - What is Task-Centered Learning?
Dr. Greg Francom and I presented on a paper that we wrote on what task-centered learning (TCL) is. The purpose of the paper was to identify the common elements of several similar models of instruction. We also differentiated TCL from Problem-based Learning (PBL) and showed some of the fundamental differences in the underlying assumptions and applications of each theory.

Fundamental Components of Task-Centered Learning: 

• Learning Tasks
• Activation of Prior Knowledge
• Demonstration/Modeling
• Application
• Integration/Exploration

One will note that these principles align quite well with Dr. Merrill's First Principles of Instruction.

Greg during our TCL Presentation

One interesting discussion with the participants revolved around the question of whether or not we should try to synthesize theories together into a coherent framework. There were 2 camps - one thought we should, the other that we shouldn't. In my mind, I think that we should try to make coherence out of the theories and principles that have been discovered and researched by putting them together into a coherent, usable structure. However, this is not to say that we should try to combine everything that has ever been studied into one great ultimate theory of instruction; rather, we should clarify what works when and provide a structure that allows a person to use that knowledge in meaningful, contextualized ways.

Evening Social
After an interesting keynote address, I spent a couple of hours at the Evening Social event. Talked with lots of old friends, colleagues, and professors. It is always fun to get together with my particular brand of nerd (no offense, my fellow-edtech nerds) and talk instructional design and technology. Talked briefly with Dr. Merrill, who has been a great mentor and leader in the field.

Drs. Preston Parker, Joel Gardner, David Merrill, Greg Francom, and Max Cropper

The Galt House Hotel and Suites

This post is part of a Multiple Part Series on the 2012 AECT Convention.

#AECT 2012

For this year's AECT Convention, I am staying at the Galt House Hotel and Suites, sharing a room with my good friend John Jeon. A very nice hotel and we are in the same building as the convention, which is a lot nicer than walking a mile or two (like I did at the last conference).

Some photos:

Me in hotel room (yes, that is an ATARI shirt)

  

The hotel room

View of Ohio River from hotel room

View of downtown Louisville from hotel room

The Roommate
John finally arrived late this evening after a cancelled and rerouted flight. John and I have worked together on multiple research projects, written an article together and have been good friends for years, so it was really fun to see him again.

John Jeon

Traveling to AECT 2012

This post is part of a Multiple Part Series on the 2012 AECT Convention.

#AECT 2012

Traveling to Louisville
Instead of flying, I drove to this conference. Louisville is only a 3.5 hour drive away, so I drove my beloved 1994 Toyota pickup down.(You can see the route I took by reading my previous post).

While on the drive, I listened to a great book entitled "The Power of Habit," a great book that summarizes some of the research on habit formation. If I have time, I may write a quick post about the book.

The Drive:
It was generally dreary weather on the drive down; still, Ohio and Kentucky are beautiful states, and I really enjoyed the scenic, relaxing drive. I've posted some photos of the drive below (though these are not necessarily of the best quality... remember, they were taken in the rain as I drove.)

Driving Through Cincinnati

Through the Kentucky Hills

Approaching Louisville

I am excited to be here - Louisville is a great town and I am glad to be able to reconnect with friends and colleagues. I am looking forward to a great AECT Conference!

AECT 2012 International Convention - Looking Forward!

This post is part of a Multiple Part Series on the 2012 AECT Convention.

#AECT 2012

In a week I will attend the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)  Annual Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. I attend AECT's convention every year and enjoyed attending in Louisville a few years ago.

I am looking forward to another outstanding experience, this year. In the past, I have enjoyed the following things about AECT's convention:

• The people at AECT are open, friendly, and willing to share ideas and research. This was particularly welcoming to me when I first attended as a graduate student, and I appreciate being able to approach people that I respect in an environment that is open and somewhat relaxed.
• The research and technologies that are discussed are often very timely, interesting, and useful. I find that working at the daily grind sometimes keeps me away from what is new in the field, and AECT's convention is a great way to familiarize myself with what is currently happening in the field.
• Many of my good friends and colleagues attend AECT regularly, and I find that the convention is a great place to reconnect with them and see how they are doing. I plan on meeting many friends at the convention and hope it will be a good way to create new opportunities for future research, work, and collaboration.

Travel to Louisville
I grew up in the western United States of America where the states are giant compared to states closer to the east coast. When I think of driving to another state, I think that it will naturally take at least a day to make the journey, but it surprisingly only takes 3 hours and 25 minutes to drive from Columbus, Ohio to Louisville, Kentucky. I'll be staying with my good friend at the Galt House Hotel and I look forward to spending time with him.


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Reporting on the Conference
As with previous conferences I have attended, (for example the 2012 ISPI International Conference) I plan to write a daily report on what I learn, along with reflections on whether I find it useful or worthwhile. I am looking forward to the experience!