We Are Sakai: 12th Annual LAMP Pedagogy and Technology Conference
12th Annual LAMP Pedagogy and Technology Conference Announced
Conference Registration is Now Open
The LAMP Consortium is pleased to announce that its 12th annual Pedagogy and Technology Conference will be held July 24 through 26 in Berea, Kentucky. The primary focus of the Conference is on teaching and learning, enabled by Sakai and other technologies. There are multiple tracks, including one for instructors who are new to Sakai. The agenda is full of advanced topics for more experienced Sakai users, for instructional designers, and for administrators.
“Our conference has always been about pedagogy first,” said Martin Ramsay, Managing Director of the LAMP Consortium. “We don’t believe that the technological tail should wag the pedagogical dog. It’s not primarily about technology. We focus on helping instructors develop courses that will really engage students. And we like to show new techniques and technologies for more experienced users.”
The Pedagogy and Technology Conference is frequently called “LAMP Camp” by Conference alumni. The Conference is broadly informal with attendees getting to know each other, both within sessions and during breaks and meals. “We’re very intentional about the entire experience,” said Ramsay. “Not only do we have great breakout sessions and keynotes, but we make sure there are lots of opportunities for networking, for making new friends, for talking informally over dinner. LAMP Camp is the total package.” Ramsay has even been known to take participants outdoors for an experiential learning activity.
The theme of the Conference this year is “We are Sakai,” focusing on the nature of Sakai and other open source software. Instead of equating a vendor with its commercial software, or even an open source platform with its developer community, the conference theme emphasizes that Sakai truly is a community of developers and users across the world who work together to design, develop and deploy the software.
Keynote speaker:
Wilma Hodges (pictured above) will be presenting the keynote at this year’s Conference. Wilma is well known to the Sakai community for her leadership of the Sakai Virtual Conference, her work with the Sakai Documentation Working Group and her deep expertise in instructional design. She is the Director of Training and eLearning at Longsight.
Some of the topics that are planned for the 2018 LAMP Camp include:
- The Tenderfoot Trail (for new users, helping them get up to speed rapidly)
- Purposeful instructional design
- Tool overviews: Forums, Assignments, Tests & Quizzes, Gradebook NG
- Leveraging the Lessons tool
- Plagiarism detection as a pedagogical strategy
- Review of new functions in Sakai 12
- Integrating academic and showcase portfolios
- Special technical topics: LaTeX, CSS, Google/Sakai symbiosis, LTI tools
- Course accessibility
- Building an inexpensive video studio and making videos on the cheap
- Building an online tutoring center using sakai
The LAMP Consortium also deploys BigBlueButton, VeriCite, Warpwire, Karuta and other platform. These products are frequently featured in the agenda as well.
The 2018 LAMP Consortium’s Pedagogy and Technology Conference is shaping up to one of the best ever. If you’re not yet sure if you’ll attend or not this year, consider this:
David Bauer of the University of Dayton will be talking about taking attendance in Sakai and planned upgrades to the UD Attendance tool.
Matthew Jones of Longsight, one of the chief architects of Sakai 12, will be talking about the many changes in the new release and what it means for teaching and learning.
Terry Golightly of Johnson University, will be addressing issues around designing courses for accessibility.
Wilma Hodges of Longsight will be talking about badging and certification, as well as several other topics. Wilma will also be our keynote speaker, talking about how “We Are Sakai.”
Andrew Synowiez and the team from Warpwire will be focusing on incorporating video into your courses.
Terry Ann Smith of New Brunswick Theological Seminary will show ways to build quality assignments in Sakai.
Eric Greene of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College will show us how to build an online tutoring center using Sakai.
Josh Wilson of Longsight will be on hand to talk about the Sakai intersection between technology and libraries.
John Padgett from Brevard College will emphasize the pedagogical ways to use plagiarism detection in your classes.
In addition, we have a whole track devoted to those who are new to Sakai. Using a “trail” metaphor, we will help Sakai newcomers learn how to “pack for the trip,” how to “make camp” and what to do “on the trial.” The New To Sakai track will cover all of the basic tools in Sakai, including Forums, Assignments, Tests & Quizzes, Gradebook and Lessons.
This year will will also have a new event called a MINGLE, a Massively Interactive Networking Group Learning Experience, focused on using video for teaching and learning. The MINGLE will include panel discussions about video, feedback booth for you to practice being on camera, and a bazaar devoted to such video topics as selecting microphones, use of lightning, picking and operating a camera, using a teleprompter, editing video content, and distributing your videos.
Conference Hotel:
The Conference Hotel is the historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Guest House, located just off of Berea College’s campus. The town of Berea is designated the Folk Arts and Crafts Capitol of Kentucky and is a destination for arts and crafts enthusiasts, antique lovers, and those who like the slower pace of a smaller town. Berea is also home to the Kentucky Artisan Center. Many attendees will come to central Kentucky for the Conference, but stay over a few days to enjoy shopping, music, or a hike to the pinnacles on Indian Fort Mountain.
The Conference fee is affordable: $350, discounted to $250 for LAMP Consortium members. The fee includes all meals. Anyone interested in Sakai, pedagogy, or learning management systems will find a welcoming community of learners.