Technology Profiles

In 2008, the first Learning Design Summer Camp (LDSC) was held at the Pattee Library, with a goal “To bring together instructional designers, faculty, librarians, and learning technologists across Penn State to discuss learning design, education technology, and issues related to implementation, innovation, course design, content development, student outcomes, and community engagement.” A very official-sounding goal, but the real story of the event was how the LDSC became a very different sort of conference. Attendees helped to create the event, which included planning the schedule, proposing topics, and creating stickers.

LDSC, like the Penn State Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology, also used social networking in large helpings during planning and the event itself, including Twitter, blogs, and Flickr. In addition, while the event was focused on learning design, people in areas other than faculty, instructional designers, librarians, etc. attended the event. All in all, the event proved to be a success. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Building on this success, the 2009 Learning Design Summer Camp will be held July 21 and 22 at Foster Auditorium in Pattee Library. Agenda subjects for this year’s event include adoption of disruptive technologies, digital scholarship, educational gaming, how to make the most of resources in learning design, the future of higher education, and more.

The event is currently in the planning stages, something attendees can participate in like last year. While attendees can help plan, someone had to get the ball rolling in the first place. Allan Gyorke, assistant director of Education Technology Services, and Brett Bixler, lead instructional designer for Education Technology Services, were instrumental in starting the LDSC last year. Gyorke said that there will be some changes for this year’s LDSC. For example, the event has been moved up to July, as opposed to August last year. “In August, a lot of people in the learning design community are rushing around to finish projects that need to be completed,” he said. “By moving the Learning Design Summer Camp back to July, we hope more people are able to come and have time after camp to put some ideas into practice. “In addition, I don't think we'll plan discussions over lunch this year. People need time to unwind and process what they are experiencing. Last year, we had some lightning talks that were focused on existing technologies.  This year, we've been talking about lightning talks that look ahead to technologies and services that are on the horizon as well as focusing on innovative practice.”

One thing that will be the same is the unconference format of last year’s LDSC, which Bixler said is an effective format. “This is a great way to touch on current events. It has been used internationally over the past several years with great success,” he said. Gyorke agreed and said that the relaxed feel to the event is a benefit. “Another nice thing about the unconference format is that it is very informal,” he said. “Titles are set aside and people can have an honest discussion about the issues that they are facing and we can collectively work toward a practical solution.” Bixler said an added plus to the unconference format is the way it builds community among attendees, from planning to the event itself. “It allows everyone to have a voice in the process and outcomes. It allows for spontaneous development of ideas,” he said. “It's like a mental flash crowd.”

Flexibility in agenda adds to the unconference experience at the LDSC, Gyorke said. “With some national conferences, you need to propose a topic up to nine months before the conference happens,” he said. “A lot can happen in those nine months. With an unconference, we can accept discussion ideas right up to the event and we have a process during the Learning Design Summer Camp to propose and discuss ideas that come up during the event itself.”
While learning design is in the title, both Gyorke and Bixler stressed that this event is for more than instructional designers and faculty. “Learning design is more than instructional design. ID is a part of LD. LD includes ID, but also encompasses media design and development, interface design, the hardware/software we need to make these things work, and administration,” Bixler said. “In other words, it's recognition that we are all connected in any education technology endeavor. We must share our stories and expertise if we are to intelligently utilize education technology.”

Gyorke noted that the LDSC covers large issues that need input from people in all sorts of fields. “During last year's Learning Design Summer Camp, we focused on big issues like copyright and open courseware. Those types of issues are really complex and affect everyone that is involved with creating and teaching courses,” he said.  “So to address those issues, we need people with rich and diverse backgrounds: librarians, technologists, faculty, media production staff, and of course instructional designers.” Bixler added, “In a time of shrinking budgets, we must work diligently to expand our minds, build connections, and together discover ways to synergistically leverage the strength of our communities and relationships through collaboration and teamwork. That's what the LDSC is all about.”

To learn more about the LDSC and to volunteer with the planning of this unique event, please go to the Learning Design Summer Camp wiki page. You can also register for the event at the wiki page. The registration is simple (and, it's free):

• Go to the Learning Design Summer Camp 2009 wiki page, then log on via the link on the top right of the wiki page using your Penn State Access Account user ID and password.
• Scroll down and click the "edit" button.
• Enter your name and contact information, and you are registered.