DAILY UPDATE for Thursday, April 21

IMPORTANT UPDATES for our Conference Attendees

Conference Registration Desk – Napoleon Foyer (3rd Floor)

Thursday, April 21:                7:00am – 5:00pm

 

Today’s Highlights

Start your morning right with the OLC/MERLOT Community Breakfast

Fun, Fun, Fun…You’re invited! While munching on your favorite breakfast foods, get to know your colleagues and participate in (or get the answers to) OLC and MERLOT trivia questions with a chance to win prizes. Connect with your online learning community and have a great time.  8:00am, Grand Ballroom (5th floor)

Regular concurrent sessions begin at 9:00am today.

 

Come learn about OLC member benefits at the OLC Membership Meet & Greet!

Come meet the OLC Staff to learn more about membership and OLC professional development, while enjoying a taste of New Orleans! Mingle, munch and learn why so many of your peers have joined OLC. Already a member? Great! We’d love to meet you and help you make the most of your membership AND tell you about our new membership portal – soon to make its debut! Grab some gumbo and have some fun – with OLC!  12:00pm, Waterbury Room (2nd floor)

 

Thursday Keynote & Innovate Reception

Following the conclusion of the afternoon networking break, join us in the general session room (Grand Ballroom, 5th floor) for our keynote address, Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking With People Who Think Differently, presented by Angie McArthur, co-founder of Professional Thinking Partners. 3:30pm, Grand Ballroom (5th floor)

Join us in the exhibit hall (Napoleon Ballroom, 3rd floor) immediately following the keynote for our Innovate Reception.  While you enjoy visiting with our exhibitors and networking with each other  (and enjoying some refreshments in the process), you will have the opportunity to purchase Angie’s book – Collaborative Intelligence – and have her sign it. Finally, don’t miss your last chance to get your exhibitor stamp card completed for a chance at some fabulous prizes!  Drop your completed card off at the OLC Booth (Booth #8).  Winners will be announced at the Friday plenary session. 4:45pm, Napoleon Ballroom (3rd floor)

 

Today’s Featured OLC Session

• Partner with OLC (Jennifer Mathes, Jennifer Rafferty)  – Education Session, 1:30pm, Oak Alley (4th floor) 
• The Online Learning Journal (OLJ) Turns 20! Learn About The Journal And Opportunities With The Journal With Editor-In-Chief Peter Shea (Peter Shea) – Research Highlights and Trends in Innovation Session, 11:15am, Bayside C (4th floor)

 

Thursday Special Events

• The Solution Design Summit continues today with the first groups pitching their solutions.  Join in this interactive session where participants can ask questions or give feedback on the group proposals. 8:30am, Rhythms II (2nd floor)
• Are you a K-12 educator?  Join members of the Online Learning Consortium and your K-12 peers at an informal meet & greet.  Network with your peers and discuss pertinent topics facing k-12 online & blended learning.  Refreshments will be served. 8:45am, Estherwood (4th floor)
• Today’s National Sponsor special presentations, located in the MakeOver Session/ National Sponsor Presentation Area – Napoleon Ballroom ( located on right side of the Exhibit Hall):
  • 9:00am – Mirum Learning – Creating Rich Digital Learning Experiences
  • 11:00am – CogBooks –  Gamification in Adaptive Courseware, and their Impact on the Whole Learner Experience
  • 1:30pm – ProctorU –  Navigating the Evolving World of Online Proctoring
• Looking to advance your career?  Join our facilitator-led discussions in today’s Career Forum Roundtable, Moving from Instructional Designer to EdTech Manager – What I Wish I Knew Before the Move. 11:15am, Estherwood (4th floor)
• Our day will end with attendees gathering in the hotel lobby at 6:30pm to meet-up with dining partners to head out to dinner.  Please use #olcdiningbuddies to find fellow attendees on Twitter looking for a dining partner.  Don’t forget to make reservations before you depart!
• Take a look at our Special Events and Sponsorships page for further details!

 

Additional Items of Note

• The exhibit hall opens at 9:00am today (Napoleon Ballroom, 3rd floor).  
• Lunch is on your own today.  Attendees have 1.5 hours (12:00pm-1:30pm) to explore the world-famous dining options right outside the hotel front door in the French Quarter. See our Travel Page or the hotel concierge for suggestions.
• Need a place to relax or gather with others for some informal networking?   The PlugIn Lounge (Waterbury Room, 2nd floor) and Learning Lounge (Napoleon Ballroom – exhibit hall, 3rd floor) offer a place to sit and recharge a bit, watch some live-streamed sessions in a comfortable chair, or chat 1:1 with Emerging Ideas Session presenters.  Looking for something different to do?  Join in for these fun events during today’s PM Networking break at 2:15pm:
  • #PlugIN Gaming Session (PlugIn Lounge, Waterbury Room, 2nd floor)
  • #PlugIN:  Capturing Innovation Photo Safari (Innovation Lab, Napoleon Ballroom, 3rd floor).
• Are you a Social Media Ninja?  Win prizes and influence your peers by participating in OLC’s Social Media Contest.  Join the conversation and win some awesome prizes don’t by our sponsors; read the details here.
• Bring your own device (laptop, tablet, smart phone) and visit the Innovation Lab (located in the center of the exhibit hall, Napoleon Ballroom, 3rd floor) to interact with emerging technology, connect challenges to innovative practices through hands-on experimentation, and document your ideas in a virtual lab manual.  “Lab assistants” will be on hand to work with you!  Don’t miss the special demonstrations in the Live Lab Space throughout the day. #olcInnovationLab
• New for Innovate: the Innovation Installation!  This installation is a thorough and critical look at the term innovation, its use in society, and the hidden histories of the term and its usage.  Come explore this multimedia, interactive perspective on innovation for a unique conference experience.

 

Have a great day!