Episode #68. Saturday July 24, 2021, 11:00 am EDT
The annual EDUCAUSE Horizon Report on emerging learning technologies and trends is widely anticipated, cherished, and read by thousands worldwide. Topics like AI, blended and hybrid learning, learning analytics, microcredentialing, open educational resources, and quality online learning dominate the most recent 2021 report (PDF). This year’s report offers overviews on technological trends as well as social, economic, environmental, and political ones. In 2020, the report began including short implications essays. In 2021, there were five such essays including ones on higher education is South Africa by Laura Czerniewicz of the University of Cape Town, Australia by Jon Mason of Charles Darwin University, and Turkey by Aras Bozkurt of Anadolu University. The three authors of those reports are the Silver Lining or Learning guests for Episode #68. You might download the reports prior to the session and ask questions of our three panelists. Episode #68 will be a truly global event with hosts and guests from five different time zones.
Aras Bozkurt is a researcher and faculty member in the Department of Distance Education, Open Education Faculty at Anadolu University, Turkey. He holds MA and PhD degrees in distance education. Dr. Bozkurt conducts empirical studies on distance education, open and distance learning, and online learning, to which he applies various critical theories, such as connectivism, rhizomatic learning, and heutagogy. He is also interested in emerging research paradigms, including social network analysis, sentiment analysis, and data mining. He shares his views on his Twitter feed @arasbozkurt. He can be reached at arasbozkurt@hotmail.com. He can be reached at arasbozkurt@gmail.com. Find his LinkedIn page and interview.
Professor Laura Czerniewicz of the University of Cape Town has been the founding director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), the Centre for Educational Technology, the OpenUCT Initiative and the Multimedia Education Group. Her many roles in education over the years include academic, researcher, strategist, advocate, teacher, teacher-trainer and educational publisher. Threaded through all her work has been a focus on equity and digital inequality. These have permeated her research interests which focus on the changing nature of higher education in a post-digital society and new forms of teaching and learning provision. She plays a key strategic and scholarly role in the areas of blended /online learning as well as in open education institutionally, nationally and internationally. She can be reached at laura.czerniewicz@uct.ac.za. More details on Laura can be found in her blog and academic homepage.
Jon Mason is an Associate Professor of Education in the College of Indigenous Futures, Education, and the Arts at Charles Darwin University. He is interested in all things emerging from the intersection of education and digital technology innovation, with a particular interest in inquiry-based learning. His research focuses on data literacy, questioning, sense-making and digital futures. Jon holds Master’s degrees in Cognitive Science and Knowledge Management and a PhD in Education. He has an extensive publication record and a background in international standardization. Spending time in natural settings is his preferred way of taking time out. He can be reached at Jon.Mason@cdu.edu.au and via his academic homepage.