Please remember to vote for the next AECT president and board member-at-large. You can do so by reading about the candidates here and then logging in at AECT to vote.

Also, remember that we would love to have your submissions for the 2007 Conference in Anaheim. Proposals are due by February 15.

Attached are the notes from the AECT board meetings attended to by our representative, Susan Jones (Thanks, Susan!). Below I’ll copy the text from the most recent meeting.

January 17, 2007

Notes from January 17, 2007 AECT Board Meeting

From Susan’s notes:
REMINDER: CALL Deadline coming up
The AECT proposals for the 2007 Conference in Anaheim are due February 15! Please visit the AECT website to get more information about submitting a proposal. This year’s convention theme is Learning Within the Kaleidoscope: A Culture of Technology. The kaleidoscope represents the moving parts, the individual and unique pieces of our profession which, in motion, create continuously changing yet always integrated patterns of practice. These patterns surround both teachers and learners with a new culture of learning, a society growing out of the practice of excellence in using technology and a shared commitment to pass this practice from generation to generation.
For information on how to submit, proposal deadlines, peer review process, notification of review outcomes, types of sessions and special technology enhanced sessions please visit: http://www.aect.org/events/call.

REVENUE-ENHANCEMENT BRAINSTORMING by the AECT Board
Yesterdays, board meeting included a revenue-enhancement brainstorming by board members to try and come up with suggestions, ideas, or approaches to enhance revenue for AECT. A number of ideas and approaches were suggested and are being considered.

POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE
In brainstorming, yesterday, one possible approach to enhance revenue was suggested. Please be thinking about this opportunity and be ready to respond if you would like to participate. It was suggested that AECT create specific task forces divided by interest areas that correspond to revenue areas (suggested: convention, membership/dues, ISMF, special events) to focus on revenue generation within those areas. AECT Board members would select area of interest among these choices and then solicit a co-chair from divisions (through divisional reps) and membership (general call). Task forces would be coordinated so that standing committees are also actively involved. (Board member for each area would serve as personal contact for those interested in co-chairing). If you think this is something that you would be interested in, please check back here and watch for the opportunity to participate. More will be coming about this opportunity in the near future.

Hope your New Year is off to a great start!!

Respectfully,
Susan L. Jones, Ph.D.
DDL Board Rep

From Mark Lee:

Dear Colleagues, apologies for cross-posting…

*** CALL FOR PAPERS ***

SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
(TOJDE)
(ISSN: 1302-6488; Vol. 8, No. 3)

Topic: “Web 2.0 and Social Software in Distance Education”

Guest Editors:
Mark J.W. Lee, Charles Sturt University, AUSTRALIA and Hakan G. Senel,
Anadolu University, TURKEY

‘Web 2.0′ (O’Reilly, 2005 -
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-
20.html), epitomised by such nascent technologies as blogs, wikis, RSS,
podcasting, as well as tag-based folksonomies, social networking,
collaborative editing and peer-to-peer (P2P) media sharing applications,
is purported to be redefining the way we conceive and make use of the
Internet, and is enjoying considerable attention and popularity in both
mainstream society and in education spheres. Its advent and continued
growth may have specific implications for the field of online and
web-based distance education.

Submissions are invited for an internationally peer-reviewed Special
Issue of the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE) on the
use of Web 2.0 and social software in distance education.

Questions/themes that are of interest in this Special Issue include but
are not limited to the following:

* Does Web 2.0 represent a major conceptual or paradigm shift in how we
conceive and make use of the Internet as a means of delivering teaching,
learning and assessment? Are they the just the same old technologies in
shiny new wrapping, or do they actually have anything new to offer us in
the way of improving and/or enhancing the way we teach, learn and assess
at a distance? How to avoid coasting on fashion and falling prey to a
‘technology-driven pedagogy’ (Salaberry, 2001)?
* Is the emergence of Web 2.0 changing the culture of, and/or redefining
the competencies that are needed by, distance education teachers and
learners?
* Does Web 2.0 have the potential - more so than its predecessors - to
address the traditional issues/challenges faced by the field of distance
education, and if so, how can this potential be best harnessed? How can
the technology be used to capitalise on the unique strengths and
opportunities of distance education?
* What are existing examples of ‘best practice’ and ‘good principles’ in
this area, if any, and how can we learn from them?
* What are the major issues facing institutions in terms of strategy,
policy and infrastructure for Web 2.0-enhanced distance education? What
are the implications for teachers and learners?

Scholarly articles in the form of reports of empirical/evidence-based
research are sought for publication in this Special Issue pending
favourable review. Meta-analyses, as well as case studies or reports of
works-in-progress supported by a sound theoretical foundation and
incorporating an extensive literature review, will also be considered.

All articles will be evaluated for originality, significance, clarity
and soundness. Successful contributions will not focus merely on the
technology or the technical aspects of Web 2.0-based distance education
applications, but rather will engage deeply with pertinent questions and
issues from a pedagogical, social, cultural, philosophical and/or
moral/ethical perspective.

Approximately 7 to 11 papers will be selected for this 4th Special Issue
of TOJDE.

PAPER SPECIFICATIONS AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

For details consult the TOJDE guidelines:
http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/callfp.html

Please note that since TOJDE is an online publication, there is no
specified word limit for submissions; however, authors are reminded that
clarity and succinctness of expression will be highly valued.

KEY DATES

Article submission deadline: April 1, 2007
Notification of acceptance: May 1, 2007
Submission of final articles for publication: June 1, 2007
Publication of Special Issue: July 1, 2007

ABOUT TOJDE

Founded in 2000, the Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
(TOJDE) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly e-journal. TOJDE is abstracted,
indexed and cited by major databases from around the world, including:
the AERA SIG Communication of Research, Australian Education Index
(AEI), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Education Resources
Information Center (ERIC), Education Network Australia (EdNA), Elsevier
ScienceDirect, IndexCopernicus, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, and the
Vocational Education and Training Research Database (VOCED).

Welcome to the new DDL blog! Because of AECT’s move towards new servers and Wordpress blogs, this will be the new home for announcements and information about the Division of Distance Learning of AECT. If you have information pertinent to the division that you would like posted, contact the current Communications Officer, Rick West.