Call for Co-Presenters for NERCOMP Event

So I’m running a day-long training on Digital Service Learning through NERCOMP (the regional organization of EDUCAUSE).  The day-long training will consist of a series of small-workshops on the intellectual and practical considerations around using digital tools in the process of service learning.  

NERCOMP regularly runs these Professional Development Opportunities (PDOs) on a variety of topics.  They usually run from 9am to about 3pm and include a one hour lunch.  The trainings are broken up in a variety of ways from rapid-fire short 20 minute sessions to 3-4 longer (1-1.5 hour) sessions.  They are usually a mixture of theoretical, practical, and hands-on and participants (mostly from higher ed) walk away with a mixture of new ideas, skills, and contacts.    

Care to Join Me

I'm looking to find others that are working with faculty on service learning (with a digital angle) or faculty that are doing digital service learning projects to participate in the running of this training.  Their presentations or workshops can from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours depending upon what they are proposing (and how interactive it).  The benefit of presenting is that you will get to attend the entire day and learn about what others are doing for digital service learning (and maybe begin a network around it) as well as breakfast and lunch (and of course, lots of coffee!).  

The workshop will happen on Tuesday, February 27 at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA from 9am to 3pm.

Training Explanation

Below is the description and objectives of the training.  

Source: Greg Williams

This day-long workshop will focus on the philosophical and practical underpinnings of digital service-learning.  As an extension of service-learning, digital service-learning explores how classrooms can connect with the global community to perform service-learning projects that enhance the community, learning, and digital skills.  The workshop will address how digital service-learning fits into the realm of service-learning while also pressing some of the borders of how service-learning is currently understood.  Participants will also get to hear from faculty who have run digital service-learning projects and work through activities to help them develop a plan for their own digital service-learning project.  

Objectives

1. Articulate what digital service-learning is in more comprehensive and global manner.
2. Critically explain the value, challenges, and opportunities that digital service-learning offers.
3. Plan out how to implement digital service-learning for a particular course.
4. Draw upon numerous examples and ideas of digital service-learning to adapt for their institutes and classrooms.

Topics and Ideas To Propose 

Here are some of the ones I'm definitely interested in people presenting but am open to your own ideas as well:  

• Faculty panel on running digital service learning projects.
• Digital service learning from the students' perspective.
• The relationship between service learning coordinators and instructional technology support.
• Onboarding of students for a digital service learning project.
• Discussing successful (or unsuccessful) digital service learning project.
• Nuts & bolts of designing a digital service learning project.
• How to merge the digital environment with service learning.
• Best tools for digital service learning.
• Building community through digital service learning.

If you are interested or want to pitch formal/informal ideas, please reach out to me (Lance Eaton), indicating your level of interest and we can schedule a meeting to see how it can be possibly integrated into the event.  Please let me know by August 15th.  Thank you!

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