DAILY UPDATE for Thursday, April 4

IMPORTANT UPDATES for our Conference Attendees 

Please be sure to read through all of the updates below in order to be fully informed and prepared for next week’s events.

Conference Registration Desk – Aurora Registration

Thursday, April 4:

7:00am – 5:00pm

Wireless Internet Access for Conference Space

SSID: olc
Password:  olcwireless

WiFi is complimentary in Gaylord Rockies guest rooms for those who booked rooms through the OLC travel page.

Remember Your Water Bottle Denver is very dry. Water consumption is important to help you adjust to both the arid climate and the altitude.  We will have water stations available throughout the conference space and during the breaks in lieu of providing bottled water. Bring your own water bottle, use a glass provided, or purchase an OLC Hydrate Water Bottle onsite at the conference registration desk for $9.

Meals

Breakfast is available daily (Wed-Fri) for attendees; see the printed program daily schedule for location. Coffee is always available in the exhibit hall during exhibit hours, and soft drinks/snacks are served during networking breaks and at receptions and evening events. Lunch and dinner are on your own. Enjoy one of the many onsite eateries within the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. Hoping to find a peer to dine with in Denver? Feel free to use the Message Board to connect with other attendees for dining plans. We also encourage you to use our #olcdiningbuddies hashtag to connect with other conference attendees looking to make lunch and dinner plans.

 

Today’s Highlights

Yoga, Serenity Lodge, and Meditation

Take advantage of the Serenity Lodge (Mitzner Boardroom) for some quiet, reflective time throughout the conference. Start off your conference day with a meditation or yoga session to decompress, reconnect mind and body, and practice some self-care. 

Date	Time	Room	Yoga Style or Meditation
Thursday, 4/4	6:30am – 7:30am	Spruce 1	Slow Flow Yoga*
Thursday, 4/4	7:30am – 8:00am 12:00pm – 12:30pm 3:00pm – 3:30pm	Mitzner Boardroom	Meditation**

 

Start your morning right with the OLC/MERLOT Community Breakfast

All attendees are invited to start the day with a fun breakfast gathering. Join your colleagues, meet new friends, and learn how you can get more deeply involved with the MERLOT and OLC communities. Kick off your morning with a quick trivia game and a chance to win prizes!

 

Thursday Keynote with Manoush Zomorodi – HUMAN SKILLS FOR DIGITAL NATIVES: EXPANDING OUR DEFINITION OF TECH AND MEDIA LITERACY

Following the final exhibit hall networking break, join us at 3:45pm in the Adams Ballroom for our Thursday Keynote with Manoush Zomorodi. 

 

ProctorU “Apres Ski” Party, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Adams Prefunction 

You are invited to join ProctorU, an OLC 2019 National Titanium sponsor, immediately following Thursday’s keynote for an “Apres Ski” party. Stop by ProctorU’s booth (101) in the exhibit hall anytime Wednesday or Thursday to pick-up your complimentary drink tickets and plan to join us for a good time! Once you’ve used your drink tickets, a cash bar will be available (so be sure to bring your cash or your credit card!). Whether you ski the black diamonds or just like looking at them, you’ll enjoy the chance to network with other mountain minglers and get your evening off to a great start! 

 

Today’s Featured Sessions

Featured Sessions:

• How The College Promise Movement Is Changing The College Access Narrative, 8:45am – 9:30am, Juniper A
• Citizen Fact-Checking In The Digital Age, 9:45am – 10:30am, Juniper A
• Scaling A Mountain: Who’s Job Is It And What Shoes Are They Wearing?, 11:15am – 12:00pm, Cottonwood 2-3
• How Will The Federal Regulatory Spotlight Falling On Higher Education Affect You?, 11:15am – 12:00pm, Juniper A
• Breaking The Fourth Wall In Online Degrees: Experiential Learning For Undergraduates, 1:15pm – 2:00pm, Juniper A
• Online STEM Education: The Time Is Now, 2:15pm – 3:00pm, Juniper A

Best-in-Track Sessions:

• Considering Print-Based Challenges For Online Literacy Instruction: Creating Access And Opportunity Through Multimodal Literacy Practices, 8:45am – 9:30am, Juniper B
• Two To Tango: Implementing Effective Pedagogy While Practicing Sound Digital Accessibility In Your Online Course Design, 11:15am – 12:00pm, Juniper B
• Who Designs This Course? How Open Content Helps Us Realize Our Goals For Online Learning, 1:00pm – 1:45pm, Maple 3
• Moving Mountains To Support Online Adjuncts, 2:15pm – 3:00pm Juniper B

Thursday OLC Live! Interviews: 

• 8:45am – 9:30am: Examity: Jillian Wiseman, Vice President, Strategic Development
• 10:30am – 11:15am: Woman on the Street: Innovation Studio
• 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Keynote: Manoush Zomorodi
• 3:00pm – 3:30pm: TBD
• 7:00pm – 8:00pm: #SquadGoalsNetwork After Hours Social

Thursday Special Events: 

• 8:45am – 9:30am: OLC Ranger Talk-about (Thurs), departs from the Ranger Station in Aurora Foyer
• 10:30am – 11:15am: Speed Networking Lounge – Instructional Designer Meetup, Aurora Ballroom Exhibit Hall
• 10:30am – 11:15am: Great Denver Design Off – Round 3, Innovation Studio (Aurora Ballroom Exhibit Hall) 
• 10:30am – 11:15am: Diversity & Inclusion Drop-In (Thurs AM), Spruce 1
• 3:00pm – 3:30pm: Speed Networking Lounge – IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity And Advocacy Meetup, Aurora Ballroom Exhibit Hall
• 3:00pm – 3:30pm: Diversity & Inclusion Drop-In (Thurs PM), Spruce 1
• 3:00pm – 3:30pm: Great Denver Design Off – Final ROund, Innovation Studio (Aurora Ballroom Exhibit Hall) 
• 7:00pm – 10:00pm: Thursday Evening Campfire Gathering: Night in Denver
  If you want to get a taste of Denver outside of the Gaylord Rockies, the engagement team will be venturing to Stanley Marketplace on Thursday evening to explore over 50 dining, bar, and retail options close to downtown Denver. It’s a short commute from the Gaylord (22 minutes and approx $35 per rideshare round trip for groups) to explore this unique venue. You can also take the Gaylord shuttle to the nearby train station and take the train to downtown Denver.  Look for the OLC buttons and say hello to colleagues on a night on the town.
• 8:00pm – 10:00pm: Innovate Movie Night, Adams Ballroom – The movie selection will be posted on the Ranger message board.
  Does the thought of going out on the town or hanging at a hotel bar after the end of two long conference days leave you cold?  Come hang with the exhausted people and join us for our brand new Innovate Movie Night. Relax and unwind while snacking on popcorn, candy and soda.
• Today’s National Titanium and Diamond level sponsor special presentations are:
  • 8:45am – 9:03am, D2L, Ideas For Improving Learning Outcomes – How The Brightspace Platform Can Help, Spruce 3
  • 9:45am – 10:30am, ProctorU, ProctorU: Bringing A New Level Of Academic Integrity To Pearson MyLab, Spruce 3
  • 11:15am – 12:00pm, PSI, Outside In: How To Design A Student-Centered Proctoring Experience With PSI Bridge™ **Repeat Session**, Spruce 3
  • 2:15pm – 3:00pm, Sonic Foundry, 3 Ways Video Enhances Student Engagement, Spruce 2

 

Additional Items of Note

• The exhibit hall opens at 8:30am today (Aurora Ballroom) and closes at 3:30pm. Coffee service is available there throughout the day. Don’t forget to join us during networking breaks for snacks and the opportunity to meet with your colleagues and our exhibitors.
• Looking for something different to do during the conference and especially during networking coffee breaks?  Visit our Special Events page and learn about exhibitor raffles and OLC contests.
  • OLC is hosting a Step Challenge – post a screenshot of your step tracker app showing 10K or more steps with the date (4/3 and 4/4 are eligible) and include #OLCSteps to enter. 
  • Visit and get stamps from the exhibitors and sponsors to be eligible to win prizes:
    • Pick-up your exhibitor stamp card at registration, visit each booth to collect a unique stamp, and turn your card in at the OLC booth (#600) no later than 3:30pm on Thursday. An iPad Wifi 32GB and various gift cards will be awarded to winners. 
    • Winners will be notified by email on Thursday afternoon.  Winners can claim their prizes at the conference registration desk before 12:30pm MT Friday; otherwise prizes will be mailed. (The iPad will be mailed to the grand prize winner.)
    • Minimum of 25 stamps must be collected to be eligible for gift cards; full card must be stamped to be eligible for iPad drawing.
  • Visit the OLC booth (#600) to enter the OLC booth drawing.
  • Use #OLCInnovate and @OLCTODAY on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to enter the OLC Social Media Contest. 
• Don’t forget to visit the exhibitors and enter to win some fabulous Sponsor and Exhibitor Booth Raffles! 
• Bring your own device (laptop, tablet, smart phone) and visit the Innovation Studio (located in the Aurora Ballroom Exhibit Hall) to interact with emerging technology, connect challenges to innovative practices through hands-on experimentation, and document your ideas in a virtual lab manual.  “Lab Techs” will be on hand to work with you!  #OLCInnovationStudio

Have a great day!