In my world, people are always trying to shake things up. Including trying all kinds of new forms for conferences, trying to get rid of talking heads, doing away with seamless TED- style prepared talks. All of those have an important place in the world, but they don’t inspire new ways of thinking about interactive communication, collaboration, and peer learning. So we experiment with Unconferences, Bar Camps, Pecha Kucha’s, TweetFests, Mashups, Meetups, and now . . . Ignite talks!
This is a delightful Call for Proposals for Ignite Talks on the topic of creative ideas that will transform the future of education. I’ll be at the same conference where we will be running an interactive Showcase of winning projects that are using digital means and a lot of creativity and imagination to inspire new forms of learning. People will be making and manufacturing apps on site, and we’ll all be learning a lot, in a variety of ways and forms. Kids from LA and Long Beach will be coming to keep the educators on our toes!
Disclaimer: I’m not on the conference committee so I have no say in who is or isn’t accepted at the conference but, if you have any ignitable ideas about the future of higher education, why not give it a try? You can find all the information below for how to propose a talk here:
Call for Proposals: Ignite Talks (Deadline: Monday, February 7, 2011)
Do you have a creative idea around the future of education and learning that you want to share? Are you excited about new possibilities or a new way of thinking? Are you ready to explore your ideas with a diverse and engaged community? We’re looking for a few courageous souls who want to get their early stage ideas out there in a short, spunky format – an Ignite Talk – at the DML2011 Conference. Ignite talks are radically different from traditional conference talks. We’re looking for humor, wit, energy and inspiration to be packed into one powerful five-minute talk. Visual and conceptual impact are also a must.
If you haven’t seen an ignite talk, be sure to do a quick search for “ignite talks” to watch some of the thousands of Ignite Talks out there or check out these sites for a quick tutorial: http://ignite.oreilly.com/, http://www.speakerconfessions.com/2009/06/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignite_(event). If you still feel focused and inspired, send an email to dmlhub@hri.uci.edu with the following details before 9am California time on Monday, February 7th: Presentation Title, Name, Affiliation, Previous experience with Ignite-style talks. In addition, please rate yourself on a scale of 1-5 on the following criteria:
FUNNY (1 = Do you have a laugh track I can use?, 5 = ROFL)
INSPIRATIONAL (1 = I’ll get to it, one day, 5= The future is now!)
CREATIVITY AND VISION (1=If we can’t measure it, it didn’t happen, 5= I’m always thinking outside the box)
ENERGY (1=Wake me up when it’s over, 5= People call me the energizer bunny)
Ignite talks will be held on Friday, March 4th between 1:30 – 2:30pm. Please note any scheduling constraints in your proposal. Notifications of acceptance will be sent on/before February 14, 2011.
Call for Participants: Junior-Senior Mentorship Program (Deadline: Monday, February 7th, 2011)
We are looking for faculty (or those with a university affiliation) and junior scholars interested in meeting during the DML2011 conference (March 3-5 2011). In terms of time commitment, we have been envisioning a 45-60 minute meeting at during one of the breaks at the conference to discuss your various research interests, the DML field and any other topics of mutual interest. We will make the initial connection and you will be free to meet when, where and however you like while you are in Long Beach.
If you are interested in participating in the DML2011 Junior-Senior Mentor program as a junior or senior scholar, please send an email with *5 keywords* and/or *1-2 sentences listing your research interests* to dmlhub@hri.uci.edu on or before *Monday, February 7th, 2011*. Please do not hesitate to contact Rafi Santo rsanto@umail.iu.edu, our Junior-Senior Mentor Program Liason, or Heather Horst hhorst@uci.edu with any questions.