Distance Learning Roundtable

July 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet our guest: Freedom Writers Founder Erin Gruwell

Today's Topic: The Power and Impact of Freedom Writers

About our Guest: ​Freedom Writers Founder Erin Gruwell — A teacher, author, and activist fighting for social justice for more than two decades, Erin first gained national attention in 1998 when she and her 150 students appeared on an ABC special–PrimeTime Live–with Connie Chung. Erin’s students – affectionately called the Freedom Writers – came from backgrounds of poverty, gangs, and violence, and many were at risk of dropping out of school due to the school-to-prison pipeline. But, under Erin’s guidance, all 150 Freedom Writers graduated from high school and pursued higher education. read more...

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June 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet our guest: Dr. Robert A. Alsop, president of Waldorf University

Today's Topic: Waldorf University's Master of Education in Social-Emotional Learning

About this episode: Waldorf has become a pioneer in online education for educators, offering four individual Master of Education programs for teachers and administrators who want to grow personally and professionally. The programs are fully online and have no set course times, so our students achieve their degrees on schedule. read more...

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May 1, 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet our guest: Amrit Ahluwalia, editor-in-chief at The EvoLLLution: A Modern Campus Illumination

Today's Topic: Bucking Enrollment Trends to Grow in a Challenging Environment

About this episode: The higher education space has experienced significant challenges since the pandemic, and we’re still adapting. Maintaining viability over the next decade means seeing learners through a new lens. It also means foundationally changing the way standard processes at every phase of the learner lifecycle need to evolve. From enrollment management and retention to learner engagement and communication to alumni engagement—a future-ready postsecondary institution needs to realign around student centricity and lifelong learning. In this podcast, Amrit will share ideas, strategies, and best practices colleges and universities across North America have implemented to ready themselves for an uncertain future. read more...

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April 1, 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for episode 7 of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet our guest: Jennifer Williams, Executive Director, Take Action Global and Transformational Leader in Education

Today's Topic: Get Ready for Change – Instructional Design Practices Through Meaningful Uses of Technology

About this episode: At the heart of innovation and social good are purpose, empathy, and a strong desire to make a positive difference in people's lives.” Join Distance and Digital Learning Specialist, global educator, and author Dr. Jennifer Williams for this interactive keynote session for distance learning organizations ready to activate positive change through engaging instructional design practices and meaningful uses of technology. Dr. Williams will share examples from her work in distance learning with schools and organizations worldwide from 149 countries and partnerships with the United Nations, the U.S. Department of State, the NYC Department of Education, LEGO, and Microsoft. Digital learning programs and tools will be modeled during the session for use in future-focused learning environments. Participants will leave with ready-to-go action plans to teach boldly and questions to consider in preparing for multiple futures and new shifts in teaching and learning. read more...

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March 1, 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for episode 6 of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet this month's guests — Kate Colbert and Joe Sallustio, authors of the hottest book to hit higher ed, Commencement

Today's Topic: The New Era of Education

Dean and Pat ask the authors: read more...

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A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke— We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, industry experts come together to discuss the future of online education.

Today's Topic: How K-12 educators dealt with the pandemic and what the future of learning looks like for America's superintendents

Dean and Pat ask Peter:

Dean: Tell our viewers and listeners about the Falls Church Public City Schools. Can you give us a profile of the district and its student population? Pat: In our conversations with school districts across the country, the COVID pandemic was not something public and private K-12 schools were prepared for, especially in providing education in a virtual world. Can you tell us about your district experience and how you took on this monumental challenge ranging from students to teachers to parents? Dean: Did you have champions within your schools who could help others in this different type of teaching? Pat: Tell our audience about your district’s current use of educational technology post-pandemic, and you told us before the show about a unique use of distance learning for some of your students. Dean: Peter, you came from the teaching ranks before moving into administration and then being a superintendent. You started your career as a special ed teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and were named Teacher of the Year in 1993. Teaching in Special Ed requires a much more individualistic approach for the students. How did being a special ed teacher help you be a Superintendent and a leader? Pat: Peter, we would like to know your thoughts about the future of distance learning in the K-12 world both from an educational technology perspective and, more importantly, as a teaching tool About our Guest: ​After an extensive, nationwide search, the Falls Church City School Board selected Dr. Peter Noonan as the ninth Superintendent of Falls Church City Public Schools in May 2017. read more...

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January 2023: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet our guest: Lee Gambol, Distance Learning Coordinator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Today's Topic: How Lee is embracing the idea of "Backslash Forward" by celebrating the past and embracing the future of distance learning read more...

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December 2022: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Meet our guest: Dr. Jennie Sanders, Vice President of Faculty Experience and Academic Services at Western Governors University based in Salt Lake City, Utah

Today's Topic: How Western Governors University was ahead of the Pandemic Curve and how it continues that trend read more...

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November 2022: A Note from USDLA executive director Pat Cassella and Edu Alliance Group exec Dean Hoke — We invite you to tune in for this month's episode of our podcast and video show, Distance Learning Roundtable, where for 30 minutes, we gain insights from industry experts.

Hello and welcome to the November episode of our monthly podcast and video show starring Elliott Masie, the founder of MASIE Innovations. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Elliott focused on how organizations can support learning and knowledge within the workforce. He leads the Learning COLLABORATIVE, which members include Amazon, Zoom, Bank of America, Subway, The Hartford, and others. He is a regular columnist and author of 12 books, including the ASTD/MASIE Center’s Big Learning Data, “Learning Pivots,” and “Empathy.” Elliott's professional focus has been on corporate learning, organizational performance, and emerging technology. He has developed models for accelerating the spread of knowledge, learning, and collaboration throughout organizations.​ Elliott is an advisor to a wide range of government, education, and non-profit groups. including the Department of Defense, served on the White House Advisory Council on Expanding Learning Opportunities, and as a CIA University Board of Visitors member. Elliott is also a Tony Nominated Broadway Producer. read more...

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