ELI 2009 Annual Meeting: View Full Program and Register Online

The program for the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative 2009 Annual Meeting, "Participation and Collaboration: Social Learning for the 21st Century," January 20–22 in Orlando is now online, with many new activities scheduled in the spirit of learning innovation.

• Gaming in the Spotlight: The ELI Annual Meeting is an opportunity to experiment with new and emerging technologies in an interactive, low-pressure environment. Explore alternate reality games through a hands-on Experience It session, a preconference workshop on the role of play in learning, and a meeting-wide alternate reality game (ARG).
• EDUCAUSE Top Teaching and Learning Challenges: ELI is embarking on a community-wide effort to surface and synthesize those challenges facing teaching and learning with IT in higher education. Through community brainstorming and an EDUCAUSE-wide vote in December, the community will identify their top five challenges. During collaborative learning circles and meeting-wide "Thinkstops," participants can discuss those issues and strategize solutions for the future.
• ELI 2009 Ning Network: Collaboration can begin before the opening session in Orlando. Using Ning, an online service that lets users create their own social networks, participants can create virtual working groups on topical issues, schedule meet-ups with colleagues, or add their voice to ongoing discussion threads.
• View the full program online and register today.

General Session Speakers

Some of the general sessions include:

• "Virtual Worlds as Naturally Occurring Online Learning Environments" — Constance Steinkuehler, Assistant Professor, Educational Communication & Technology, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• "From Knowledgeable to Knowledge-able: Experiments in New Media Literacy" — Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University
• "Legal Considerations for Social Networking in Higher Education" — Beth Cate, Associate General Counsel, Indiana University System

Preconference Workshops—Discuss Topics In Depth

Participants may wish to register for one of the many half-day preconference workshops on Tuesday, January 20. These intensive, in-depth, highly interactive sessions will provide attendees with a chance to explore key issues, tools, and subjects in great detail.