Below are the descriptions of the three keynote presentations and short biographies of the keynote speakers.
Nine Shift: Recruitment and Retention in the 21st Century
by William A. Draves, Learning Resources Network (LERN)
Between 2000 and 2020, our lives, personal and professional, will change dramatically. This drastic shift in lifestyle happened once before, from 1900 to 1920. Discover each of the major nine shifts currently taking place and find out how these shifts have implications on education, recruitment and retention.
William A. Draves is an internationally recognized teacher, author, consultant and president of the LERN organization. He is one of the most quoted experts on lifelong learning and online learning by the nation’s media, having been interviewed by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, and Wired.com. Draves holds a master’s degree in adult education from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He has authored six books and speaks throughout the world.
Generational Learning Styles
by Julie Coates, Learning Resources Network (LERN)
For the first time in history, there are four generations of adults living, working and learning in the same society. Generational Learning Styles is a pioneering approach intended to provide you with guidelines for meeting the challenges of multiple generations in school, work and society. Coates will discuss issues important to education professionals at all levels to become more creative and successful serving students of diverse generations.
Julie Coates is the world's foremost authority on the demographics of learning. She is an author, speaker and consultant in the area of learning and generational learning styles. Coates is vice president for information services at the Learning Resources Network (LERN). Her keynote speeches and sessions on trends and generational learning styles have garnered rave reviews and standing-room-only crowds. She has organized classes for twenty-five years and ran one of the nation's premiere continuing education programs. Coates holds a master's degree in adult education from Kansas State University. She has conducted seminars in Australia, Europe, Canada and throughout the United States. She has spoken at Radcliffe and has been on PBS television. As the world's oldest Baby Boomer, she has been on the cutting edge of trends for her generation for several decades. Her children include a Generation Xer and a Nexter, so some of her research is done at home.
Future Technology: Expanding the Boundaries of Learning and Education
by Rovy Branon, University of Wisconsin-Extension
New technologies are pushing the boundaries of how individuals interact with the world. Institutions of formal education have a great opportunity to extend their reach into new communities. Taking advantage of that opportunity will require looking at technological areas we might not currently consider relevant to our work.
Rovy Branon is the associate dean for online learning and technology and the executive director of the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-laboratory in the University of Wisconsin Extension‚ Continuing Education Outreach and e-Learning division. In that capacity, Branon leads 45 of the best and brightest instructional designers, applied researchers, IT professionals, and creative media people in the world. He was recently awarded a patent for an invention developed in the laboratory. In addition to that fulltime position, Branon is also an adjunct faculty member in Indiana University Bloomington’s Instructional Systems Technology department. He gives numerous professional presentations each year. His speaking topics include the future of learning technology, keeping up with the pace of change, and instructional design management practices. He has 19 years of experience leading educational technology teams in higher education, corporate and not-for-profit organizations.
