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C2C Digital Magazine (Spring - Summer 2024)

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Greetings C2C Members and Community! 17 plain 2024-07-22T14:38:03-07:00
From: Dr. Greg Rose, C2C - SIDLIT 2024 Chair
To: Colleague 2 Colleague (C2C)
Date: 7/21/2024
We are now on the cusp of starting our 25th consecutive Summer Institute for Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (SIDLIT – pronounced SIDE LIGHT) and I find that an exciting prospect about to unfold!

Imagine 25 years ago, local educators passionate about advancing technology in education converging for the first time on the Johnson County Community College campus in Overland Park, Kansas in the summer of 1999. These first founders and educators defined, and are still defining for generations to come, what it means to be a passionate learner. I defined in detail in my earlier article to the C2C magazine, what a passionate learner is, so please refer to that for additional context on this idea.

And yea, it would be lacking on my part to write about ‘passion’ without some quotes from William Shakespeare, history's most well-known playwright, which are often full of passion. Besides The Bard’s wit and wisdom (and even some sarcasm), the passion in Shakespeare's prose never fails to inspire the reader:
"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."
Twelfth Night, 2:5
Our passionate SIDLIT educational pioneers, and the ones who have held up the LIGHT in SIDLIT for the past 25 years, are indeed not shying away from greatness, nor have they claimed it, but all SIDLIT participants over this quarter century have modeled the greatness inherent in bringing together teachers, tech supporters and trainers to empower learning through these conferences. Our SIDLIT volunteers and students alike also achieve greatness in and through this noble endeavor we call Education. Anyone, in my opinion who has worked for the good of others in the educational arena, as in SIDLIT or in schools, all have greatness within them and are ’passionate enablers’ of sparking the greatness in others through the quest for skills and knowledge in an ever changing world.

If you could have one wish for SIDLIT 2024, what would it be?
Supply your answer on our SIDLIT 2024 Questionnaire here.

My first wish is that this conference will continue to expand and grow and bring in more and more educators with the desire and will to continue developing future passions for learning for the next 25 years up through, and beyond 2049!

Second wish: I would also like to see our C2C Mighty Networks Community of 251+ memberships thrive and grow into a vibrant community of passionate educators! What ideas do you have to build a passionate online community?

Third wish (since I am the author here, I can have three wishes, right?): Our C2C Professional Development (PD) series continues to grow and attract more presenters and attendees! We have had some great speakers, topics and discussions and this ongoing display of our passion and talent will flourish!

What do you think we need to focus on to make
your future SIDLIT conferences successful?
Supply Your answer here.

One way (and there are many!) I believe we can have a great conference, is to have a great location! This year, that great F2F location will be: The University of Kansas Medical Center (www.KUMC.edu) Health and Education Building (HEB) at 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS and of course, simultaneously virtually as well.

Meeting in the modern, iconic KUMC HEB will be an inspirational catalyst for us to focus on and develop our conference theme: Lensing the Past (1999), Zooming In on the Present (2024), Developing Future Passions for Learning (2049).

Things you do not want to miss for the SIDLIT 2024 Anniversary Conference include:
- Keynote speaker Mike Brown, a visionary leader who helps organizations transform their strategies, brands, and innovations. Mike is the founder of the BrainZooming group, which specializes in helping groups harness their creativity to obtain better results in less time.
  - Mike’s Opening Workshop ‘Imagining Future Passions for Learning’ is a dynamic three-hour Brainzooming workshop, where you and your peers will zoom out to imagine 25 years into the future. As you explore the future, you’ll use intriguing innovation exercises to create insight-driven future scenarios and strategies for how you can start today to create greater passion for learning in students of all ages. Attend and ‘build a fire’ for learning! Learn more.
  - In addition to the opening workshop and concluding keynote, Mike will be doing presentations on Overcoming Innovation Barriers for instructional designers and How to Have an 8-Hour Collaborative Meeting in 30 Minutes. These are just a few of our ‘don’t miss’ sessions!
- Other SIDLIT 2024 Opening Workshops worthy of sparking a passion for learning include:
  - Developing Assignment Rubrics by Jami Higdon. Learn more.
  - Dungeons, Dragons, Design, and Disability: Games as an Inclusive Design Model by Daniel Ireton. Learn more.
  - Privacy Pioneers: Charting Ethical Pathways Through Emerging Tech in Education by Melissa Tebbenkamp. Learn more.
- A wide variety of ‘knowledge and passion building’ breakout sessions and workshops (Design Thinking and Development, Educational Research and Data Analysis, Educational Technologies and Leadership, and more!).
- Many opportunities for networking with other faculty members, speakers, and sponsors. Enjoy refreshments while you share your passion for online learning with professionals with similar interests and different perspectives. Make sure to visit our SIDLIT sponsors in attendance and virtually too!
- An interactive virtual option, where attendees not only have access to the conference sessions and materials, but also interact with speakers and attendees via chat and video conferencing.
- Lunch on Wednesday will be provided, along with a Tuesday night social mixer (starting at 5:30pm at Tanners across the street) and over $500.00 in vendor giveaways and door prizes.
If you've participated in previous SIDLIT conferences, you're familiar with the wide variety of sessions, workshops, and live presentations available to attendees. This year will be something even more special - it's the 25th anniversary and we're going all out to celebrate and to keep the momentum going for 25 more!

See you in Kansas City on the KUMC campus, or virtually for SIDLIT 2024: Lensing the Past (1999), Zooming In on the Present (2024), Developing Future Passions for Learning (2049), July 29-31, 2024.

SIDLIT 2024 is presented by Colleague 2 Colleague (C2C). C2C is a group of volunteers helping to facilitate staff development in all quarters of education.

I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about the theme of our July 2024 SIDLIT Silver Anniversary Conference: Lensing the Past, Zooming In on the Present, Developing Future Passions for Learning. With this theme in mind, we will explore together how we can use the lessons learned from the past, the challenges, opportunities and innovations of the present, and the emerging trends of the future to enhance our online learning and instructional design practices. We will also collaborate on how we can foster and activate a passion for lifelong learning among ourselves and our students.
About the Author
Greg Rose

SIDLIT 2024 Event Chairman. I have 30+ years supporting and designing Higher Ed training and curriculum and the academic teams that provide those services. In my current position as IT Training Specialist for the University of Kansas Medical Center, I partner with functional area/subject matter experts to curate, develop and maintain IT application and other technology training materials in multiple modalities. These training materials include videos, live/virtual instructor-led training, and online computer-based trainings that focus on ensuring that faculty and staff are using technology as effectively and productively as possible.