Spectrum - Volume 20 Issue 18 January 29, 1998 - Tech Schedules Info-Tech Symposium

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including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Tech Schedules Info-Tech Symposium

By Clara B. Cox

Several nationally and internationally recognized experts and leaders in the field of information technology will give presentations during a two-day symposium on "The Impact of Technology on the Learning Environment" on campus this spring.
The symposium, the capstone event of the university's year-long celebration of its 125th anniversary, will be held March 30-31 at the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center. It is designed for people who use technology in education and training, particularly in the corporate community, higher education, and K-12 education.
"Technology will affect the learning environment in a variety of ways. How will technology change the way in which the broad communities served by educators learn? How will technology alter the ways our missions of teaching, research and service are provided? What are the implications of technology for those involved in teaching and training in the years ahead? This symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on these issues, to view new approaches and strategies for learning that are currently under way at leading institutions around the country, and to discuss a vision of the future," said Bruce Chaloux, associate dean of the Graduate School and chair of the symposium Steering Committee.
Don Tapscott, author of several best-selling books--among them Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation and The Digital Economy: Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence --and chairman of the Alliance for Converging Technologies, will be the symposium keynote speaker. Vice President Al Gore has called Tapscott one of the world's cyber gurus.
Tapscott's presentation, which will be open to the public free of charge, will be held March 30 at 8 p.m. in Squires Colonial Hall.
Featured speakers will include John D. Bransford, co-director of the Learning Technology Center at Vanderbilt University and author of seven books; Margaret A. "Peg" Miller, president of the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE) and an international advisor on university systems; Eli M. Noam, director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and author of more than a dozen books; and Charles "Chic" Thompson, president of the Creative Management Group and author of several books, including the popular What a Great Idea!
In addition to the featured speakers, information and instructional-technology experts from across the country will make presentations during a series of concurrent sessions. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour such technology centers on campus as the CAVE (TM) , Math Emporium, Department of Music, and MultiMedia Laboratory.
More information is available at http://www.conted.vt.edu/125/anniversary.html , call 1-5433, or send an e-mail message to schroder@vt.edu .