2021 Weekly Webinar Archive

December 17, 2021
1:00 – 2:00 pm ET
2021 Webinar Wrap – Up

As we head into the end of 2021, we want to thank you for your participation in our events and our community. This year has brought many challenges but through it all we have tried to provide you with valuable content and opportunities to come together with others in the distance learning space to share best practices, learn from one another, and help envision what is possible for all of our learners in the coming months and years. Join us for our last webinar of 2021, a chance to review the past webinars, ask questions, and help us all plan for the coming year.

If you missed any of the live events, we hope that you will watch the replays which are available on demand to our members. If you haven’t joined yet, we hope you will consider doing so by going to our membership page and selecting the level that is right for you.

As a little added incentive, and because we had more amazing proposals to our conference this year than we could fit into the live event schedule, we are gifting you a playlist of pre-recorded offerings when you register for this free end-of-year wrap-up webinar so you will have new ideas to carry you through the end of this year and into the next.

The Bonus Playlist includes:

Leveraging What We’ve Learned: Fostering the Best Pandemic Teaching Strategies with Dr. Nancy Chapko

Leading Online Learning Innovation in Uncertain Times with Joe Evanick

Beyond The Pandemic/ Creating Student Success in the Online Classroom with Valencia Gabay and Diane Roberts

Activate Your Course: Humanize Your Online Communication with Dr. Dan Keast

With Great Flexibility: Designing, Teaching, and Supporting Students in HyFlex with Dr Lee Ann Dickerson and Rebecca Wells-Gonzalez

The Impact of Student Recognition of Excellence to Student Outcome in a Competency Based Educational Models with AnnaMaria Bliven and Christopher Kline

Texas College Bridge: Improving Equity, College Readiness & Postsecondary Success with Angie Smajstrla and Timi Creekmoore

Using Lean Model to Facilitate Online Learning during Pandemic with Jitendra Singh

Tips for Engaging a Virtual Audience with Allison Gallo

Register Today

May 21, 2021
1:00-2:00 pm ET
Teaching During & Beyond the Apocalypse: The International Spy Museum as Case Study
Presented by
Jacqueline Eyl, Director of Youth Education, Lucy Stirn, School and Youth Programs Manager and Jessica Harvey, Family and Youth Programs Manage

The International Spy Museum in Washington DC had been offering distance learning workshops for eight years when March 2020 ushered in “the apocalypse,” otherwise known as the COVID-19 pandemic.  Meet the Museum’s Youth Education Team and learn about how they pivoted to accommodate the ever-growing need for dynamic, interactive, and unique learning experiences for K-12 students, families, scouts, and audiences with special needs. The team will share their experience, learnings, and provide samples of some of the Museum’s signature and highly popular virtual programs.  Prepare to enter the shadow world, where all is not what it seems!

June 4, 2021
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Mental Health & Distance Learning Pre & Post COVID
Presented by:
Alan Lorenz, MD, Physician, RIT Student Health Center, Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine & Psychiatry, University of Rochester 
Nathaan Demers, Psy.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist, VP of Clinical Programs & Strategic Partnerships, Grit Digital Health

Prior to the pandemic, mental health and well-being were challenges that put increasing demands on institutions of higher learning. The pandemic brought more stressors, while diminishing traditional coping strategies. Distance learners were in some ways ahead of the curve, but certainly not immune, and mental health needs became even more acute. This webinar will overview mental health and well-being trends both before and during COVID, and provide specific recommendations for administrators and faculty to adopt a proactive stance ahead of the 2021-2022 academic year.

May 7, 2021
1:00-2:00 pm ET
2021 Funding Streams Explained

Presented by: USDLA Board Members
Kjierstin Layton and Kristin Deprospero

Track the massive waves of funding flowing from federal, state, and local sources. There are more funding resources than ever in history.
Hear experts dissect the current and upcoming programs that will fund your Distance Learning and Telemedicine projects.

* Understand where to find funding information
* Hear updates on CARES and ARPA
* Learn how to prepare and leverage these funding sources and more
Webinar Registration

May 14, 2021
1:00-2:00 pm ET
Learning at Scale and Affordability in a Post-COVID World

Presented by: Yakut Gazi, Assoc. Dean for Learning Systems,
Georgia Tech Professional Education
Nelson Baker, Dean, Georgia Tech Professional Education

During the early Spring of 2020, Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) was called to
leverage its decades of experience in remote learning with an urgency unlike ever before. Within a matter of weeks, nearly all the Universities in the United States shifted completely to online delivery as a result of COVID-19 and were facing the downhill rush toward finals and for some students, graduation. It was this collective experience that led GTPE’s Nelson Baker and Yakut Gazi, to publish an open access book that shares the story from that unique vantage point. Moving Horizontally: The New Dimensions of at-Scale Learning in the Time of COVID-19, serves as an international compilation of institutional responses to the massive shift to remote
and online delivery of courses over the last year.

The book is the first to pose the response to the crisis as an issue of scale and adds an important perspective to the ongoing discussion around educational transformation. Gazi and Baker will discuss the concepts of
horizontal versus vertical scale and the highlights of the book, with a focus on the hard work ahead of us post-pandemic, in enabling our students to benefit from accessible, quality learning experiences in an affordable manner.
Webinar Registration

April 30, 2021
1:00- 2:00 PM ET
OhioDLA; Bringing the Pieces of Educational Opportunities Together

Presented by: David Stein, Chair – Paul Hieronymus, Vice Chair and Lee Gambol, Ohio DLA Member

The OhioDLA brings many of our state’s educational organizations together to provide amazing resources to our schools and students. Opportunities include virtual trips to America’s top museums, interactive sessions with some of the NFL’s greats, project-based learning activities for classrooms to collaborate, and providing synchronous classes for students in districts that normally would have to go without. The OhioDLA membership structure brings educational opportunities to students statewide. Join us as we share how OhioDLA puts together the puzzle pieces, to make distance learning in Ohio an exciting experience.

April 23, 2021
1:00- 2:30 PM ET
Technology Update

Moderator – USDLA Board Member, Dr Trina Coleman 
Speakers: Tess Kelly Frazier, Senior Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, Class Technologies
Rod Smith, Chief Technology Officer, Clayton County Public Schools, Georgia
Pat La More, K-12 Education Solutions Lead, AE EDU, Zoom Video Communications

Technology – what is the latest and greatest in technology for distance learning and where are the funding opportunities? This session will feature board members of USDLA from several constituencies who are national experts to share their advice and resources to help foster growth both in broadband and the technology we connect to it. Please join us for all three sessions and the opportunity to learn and network with the leaders of distance learning.

April 16, 2021 – Recording
1:00- 2:30 PM ET
Broadband Update
Dr. Robbie Melton – Moderator

Broadband Inequity – which legislation will help close the gap in the digital divide? And what organizations are leading the charge? This panel will include representatives from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Download PDF

April 9, 2021
1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
DOE Update
Mike Goldstein, Moderator

What is the vision of our newly elected administration? Join us for a review of the following report from the Department of Education:
https://joebiden.com/education/

March 26, 2021 RECORDING
TxDLA We Are Family
Presented by: Charlene Stubblefield, President of TxDLA, and Executive Director for the Center for Instructional Innovation and Technology Services at Prairie View A&M University.

Dr. Aleyda Cantu-Lee, President-Elect of TxDLA , the Director of Digital Learning for the Office of Distance Education & Learning Technologies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

This presentation introduces the Texas Distance Learning Association (TxDLA), provides a history of the association, services they offer to constituencies, describes how they handled the global pandemic and introduce out 2021 Annual Conference.

March 19, 2021
Marketing for Student Retention
Presented by: Gregg Meiklejohn CEO and Co-Founder Enrollment Resources
Tom King SVP, Strategic Initiatives Enrollment Resources

Description: Once someone becomes a student with your school, they also become part of your brand. It is imperative you help your students graduate. Completing school is an unwieldy and often scary process. Logistical and even self worth issues arise. Why not migrate over classic tried and true marketing techniques to ‘re persuade’ your students to complete. Every student saved from dropping out, help so many stakeholders for generations to come.

In this short but effective thought starter workshop, Enrollment Leaders Tom King and Gregg Meiklejohn will share seven practical thought starters you can put to work immediately after the session is complete. Bring your colleagues, it will be worth every minute…

March 12, 2021
Exploration of Misadventures in Money Management
Ms. Mechel L. Glass Program Manager Office of Servicemember Affairs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Discover how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is incorporating gamification into their virtual financial education and training program for servicemembers and their families.

March 5, 2021
“Leaning In” with Resiliency in Mind (Maintaining Continuity in Chaos)
Presented by: Jenell Paul, Director | Learning Resource Network (LRN), Texas Health and Human Services Commission

In this conversation with Jenell Paul, we will discuss leading teams virtually during chaos (unprecedented times), reviewing and adopting new technology, managing new spacing needs/requirements, examining hosting solutions/platforms, classroom conversion realities, government purchasing, and more. These topics can benefit us all, so come join Jenell and USDLA to talk about how we move forward in these times!

Taming Twitter: Customize Your Information Flow to Personalize Your Learning Network.

Jeff Dungan Ed.D currently serves as a Professional Development Specialist at Michigan Virtual, the statewide K-12 virtual school serving the state of Michigan. Jeff also serves on the USDLA Advisory Board, is an adjunct Instructional Designer at Global Online Academy, and an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.

Twitter is an unbelievable tool for professionals, regardless of the field you are in, to leverage for their own professional learning. However, many people eschew Twitter as “another social media platform”. Many users do not understand how to customize the flow of information in Twitter using simple tools like Tweetdeck. With some simple techniques, Twitter can be used as a platform to develop your professional interests, reach a broader audience, develop a professional learning network and even develop communities of practice. In this session, USDLA Advisory Board member

Jeff will take you through Twitter basics from setting up your account to customizing the flow of information you receive on Twitter to participating in your first Twitter Chat. The session will conclude with examples form on online course using Twitter as a core element of the course design to promote communities of practice that are intended to persist beyond semester timeframes.

RECORDING
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Grant Update 2021: A Great Year for Telehealth Grants & More!
Janet Major, USDLA Chair and Associate Director for Education & Facilities Arizona Telemedicine Program/Southwest Telehealth Resource Center
Dana Satterwhite, Sr Director Poly/Zoom Grants Partnership
Victoria Fine, Regional Grants Manager Learn Design Apply, Inc.
Michael Nieliwocki, Sr Account Mgr, and Scott Simmons, Healthcare Specialist for Poly

Our USDLA 2021 Grant Update will include:
Funding RUS-DLT, FCC COVID-19 Telehealth, K-12 and higher education stimulus funding, Technology offerings and use case examples in the field  including healthcare and education
as well as  an opportunity for Q&A.

We will share USDLA resources and introduce the Poly Grant Assistance Program (PGAP), the grant services that they offer and include an overview of the RUS-DLT program and how PGAP can assist in putting together a winning application for this excellent grant opportunity – and others.   
Our panel will also include USDLA Board Members who are experienced grant writers and collaborators to represent some of our USDLA constituencies. Please join us!

RECORDING
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Join PADLA for
From Room to Zoom
Lou Stricoff – PADLA Executive Director and Chair NE USDLA SIG

With the COVID-19 restrictions, PADLA.org (the PA/DE/NJ & NE SIG Distance Learning Association) was faced with the task of converting our in-person 18th Annual Conference & Expo to a Virtual Event. Starting with minimal virtual meeting experience/expertise, we managed to pull off a successful and satisfying virtual event for our Attendees, Presenters, and Exhibitor/Sponsors. You can do it too as we all adapt to this new reality. Attendees are invited to give their feedback and input as we collectively evolve our best practices going “From Room to Zoom”.

RECORDING

“In Celebration of Black History Month”
USDLA Board Member CEO – Oiada International, Eric Jones,
Papa Williams, Director – Oiada International
Sebastian Kwamena Tettey, Sr. Cape Coast Castle Tour Guide

For Black History Month, Oiada in partnership with USDLA is presenting a “LIVE” Tour of the Cape Coast Slave Dungeon and an “Eye Opener” video conference connection with Ghana, Africa. Participants will have the opportunity to experience a piece of Ghana’s history as the premier tour guide in Ghana, Sebastian Kwamena Tettey takes you on a “LIVE” tour of the historic Slave Dungeons. In the Eye Opener section, Oiada Director Papa Williams will dispel myths and misconceptions about Africa so the true beauty of Africa can be revealed. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the presenters. We look forward to you joining us on this virtual trip to Africa!

RECORDING
“Future-Engage-Deliver: A framework for Leading and Learning”
Presenter: Michael Eales, BA(Hons.), MA, PGCEA, Dip.Hum.Psych., is a leading provider of Leadership Development and Facilitator Training
in the UK.

How do we bring our vision and passion to what we do, and help others find theirs? How do we develop how we communicate to be constantly practicing engagement? For that to happen, two things need to put into place – speaking of the future in a way that creates possibilities for others, and also working on being engaging ourselves, and being someone who others want to follow. It is important to explore what we stand for, what our values and non-negotiable principles are, and how this can help us create the resilience to sustain ourselves and our students emotionally and morally when times are tough. What is your inspiring story about what shapes you as a educator? This is an interactive session, including some
self-exploration exercises.

RECORDING

Inspiring the Next Generation of Writers, Virtually
Presenter: Carey Cranston, President American Writers Museum

During this session, we’ll explore how the American Writer’s Museum (AWM) in Chicago is engaging teachers and students virtually to foster conversations about complex issues and encourage the next generation of writers via their new Online Education Program. The museum’s president, Carey Cranston, will discuss how the Online Education Program was developed with input from teachers. He’ll also share real feedback received from both students and teachers across the country who have participated in the program, and how the museum has pivoted their approach during the pandemic. While many cultural institutions are offering virtual programming, what makes AWM’s program unique is that not only is AWM the only national museum dedicated to American writers and their works, but also their field trips focus on immigrant, refugee and other diverse writers and explore social issues.

Recording

Peer to Peer Engagement in Remote Learning with Padlet & Flipgrid
Presenters: Stephen Gilman Executive Director, MakerStateDestinee Marino, Tech Ed Maker Fellow, MakerState

In this webinar, we’ll go from introduction to working knowledge of how to use Padlet and Flipgrid to create engaging, interactive, and rigorous live and asynchronous learning experiences and assignments. This introduction session is for beginning users of Padlet and Flipgrid, with mini-lessons and applied learning exercises in navigating the platform and setting up student learning experiences for live and asynchronous learning.

RECORDING

State Chapter Highlights: Nebraska Digital Learning Association
Presenter: Linda Dickeson, Executive Liaison

Learn how the strategies used by the Nebraska Digital Learning Association (NDLA), a State Chapter of USDLA, have helped to make it a thriving organization that serves members in Nebraska and beyond. The topics will include:
• Development and growth of NDLA
• Events—including the annual two-day conference, a virtual conference,
and the annual Virtual Field Trip workshop for VFT program providers
• Collaboration, organization, and document archiving using Google Drive
• Nebraska’s high-speed statewide network and early adoption of Zoom for successful Distance Learning, even before the pandemic.

“Leaning In” with Resiliency in Mind (Maintaining Continuity in Chaos)
Presented by: Jenell Paul, Director of Learning Resource Network (LRN), Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

In this conversation with Jenell Paul, we will discuss leading teams virtually during chaos (unprecedented times), reviewing and adopting new technology, managing new spacing needs/requirements, examining hosting solutions/platforms, classroom conversion realities, government purchasing, and more. These topics can benefit us all, so come join Jenell and USDLA to talk about how we move forward in these times!

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM ET
Exploration of Misadventures in Money Management
Presented by: Ms. Mechel L. Glass Program Manager Office of Service Member Affairs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Discover how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is incorporating gamification into their virtual financial education and training program for service members and their families. Webinar Registration

May 21, 2021
1:00-2:00 pm ET
Teaching During & Beyond the Apocalypse: The International Spy Museum as Case Study
Presented by
Jacqueline Eyl, Director of Youth Education, Lucy Stirn, School and Youth Programs Manager and Jessica Harvey, Family and Youth Programs Manage

The International Spy Museum in Washington DC had been offering distance learning workshops for eight years when March 2020 ushered in “the apocalypse,” otherwise known as the COVID-19 pandemic.  Meet the Museum’s Youth Education Team and learn about how they pivoted to accommodate the ever-growing need for dynamic, interactive, and unique learning experiences for K-12 students, families, scouts, and audiences with special needs. The team will share their experience, learnings, and provide samples of some of the Museum’s signature and highly popular virtual programs.  Prepare to enter the shadow world, where all is not what it seems!

June 4, 2021
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Mental Health & Distance Learning Pre & Post COVID
Presented by:
Alan Lorenz, MD, Physician, RIT Student Health Center, Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine & Psychiatry, University of Rochester 
Nathaan Demers, Psy.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist, VP of Clinical Programs & Strategic Partnerships, Grit Digital Health

Prior to the pandemic, mental health and well-being were challenges that put increasing demands on institutions of higher learning. The pandemic brought more stressors, while diminishing traditional coping strategies. Distance learners were in some ways ahead of the curve, but certainly not immune, and mental health needs became even more acute. This webinar will overview mental health and well-being trends both before and during COVID, and provide specific recommendations for administrators and faculty to adopt a proactive stance ahead of the 2021-2022 academic year.

May 7, 2021
1:00-2:00 pm ET
2021 Funding Streams Explained

Presented by: USDLA Board Members
Kjierstin Layton and Kristin Deprospero

Track the massive waves of funding flowing from federal, state, and local sources. There are more funding resources than ever in history.
Hear experts dissect the current and upcoming programs that will fund your Distance Learning and Telemedicine projects.

* Understand where to find funding information
* Hear updates on CARES and ARPA
* Learn how to prepare and leverage these funding sources and more
Webinar Registration

May 14, 2021
1:00-2:00 pm ET
Learning at Scale and Affordability in a Post-COVID World

Presented by: Yakut Gazi, Assoc. Dean for Learning Systems,
Georgia Tech Professional Education
Nelson Baker, Dean, Georgia Tech Professional Education

During the early Spring of 2020, Georgia Tech Professional Education (GTPE) was called to
leverage its decades of experience in remote learning with an urgency unlike ever before. Within a matter of weeks, nearly all the Universities in the United States shifted completely to online delivery as a result of COVID-19 and were facing the downhill rush toward finals and for some students, graduation. It was this collective experience that led GTPE’s Nelson Baker and Yakut Gazi, to publish an open access book that shares the story from that unique vantage point. Moving Horizontally: The New Dimensions of at-Scale Learning in the Time of COVID-19, serves as an international compilation of institutional responses to the massive shift to remote
and online delivery of courses over the last year.

The book is the first to pose the response to the crisis as an issue of scale and adds an important perspective to the ongoing discussion around educational transformation. Gazi and Baker will discuss the concepts of
horizontal versus vertical scale and the highlights of the book, with a focus on the hard work ahead of us post-pandemic, in enabling our students to benefit from accessible, quality learning experiences in an affordable manner.
Webinar Registration

April 30, 2021
1:00- 2:00 PM ET
OhioDLA; Bringing the Pieces of Educational Opportunities Together

Presented by: David Stein, Chair – Paul Hieronymus, Vice Chair and Lee Gambol, Ohio DLA Member

The OhioDLA brings many of our state’s educational organizations together to provide amazing resources to our schools and students. Opportunities include virtual trips to America’s top museums, interactive sessions with some of the NFL’s greats, project-based learning activities for classrooms to collaborate, and providing synchronous classes for students in districts that normally would have to go without. The OhioDLA membership structure brings educational opportunities to students statewide. Join us as we share how OhioDLA puts together the puzzle pieces, to make distance learning in Ohio an exciting experience.

April 23, 2021
1:00- 2:30 PM ET
Technology Update

Moderator – USDLA Board Member, Dr Trina Coleman 
Speakers: Tess Kelly Frazier, Senior Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, Class Technologies
Rod Smith, Chief Technology Officer, Clayton County Public Schools, Georgia
Pat La More, K-12 Education Solutions Lead, AE EDU, Zoom Video Communications

Technology – what is the latest and greatest in technology for distance learning and where are the funding opportunities? This session will feature board members of USDLA from several constituencies who are national experts to share their advice and resources to help foster growth both in broadband and the technology we connect to it. Please join us for all three sessions and the opportunity to learn and network with the leaders of distance learning.

April 16, 2021 – Recording
1:00- 2:30 PM ET
Broadband Update
Dr. Robbie Melton – Moderator

Broadband Inequity – which legislation will help close the gap in the digital divide? And what organizations are leading the charge? This panel will include representatives from the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Download PDF

April 9, 2021
1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
DOE Update
Mike Goldstein, Moderator

What is the vision of our newly elected administration? Join us for a review of the following report from the Department of Education:
https://joebiden.com/education/

March 26, 2021 RECORDING
TxDLA We Are Family
Presented by: Charlene Stubblefield, President of TxDLA, and Executive Director for the Center for Instructional Innovation and Technology Services at Prairie View A&M University.

Dr. Aleyda Cantu-Lee, President-Elect of TxDLA , the Director of Digital Learning for the Office of Distance Education & Learning Technologies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

This presentation introduces the Texas Distance Learning Association (TxDLA), provides a history of the association, services they offer to constituencies, describes how they handled the global pandemic and introduce out 2021 Annual Conference.

March 19, 2021
Marketing for Student Retention
Presented by: Gregg Meiklejohn CEO and Co-Founder Enrollment Resources
Tom King SVP, Strategic Initiatives Enrollment Resources

Description: Once someone becomes a student with your school, they also become part of your brand. It is imperative you help your students graduate. Completing school is an unwieldy and often scary process. Logistical and even self worth issues arise. Why not migrate over classic tried and true marketing techniques to ‘re persuade’ your students to complete. Every student saved from dropping out, help so many stakeholders for generations to come.

In this short but effective thought starter workshop, Enrollment Leaders Tom King and Gregg Meiklejohn will share seven practical thought starters you can put to work immediately after the session is complete. Bring your colleagues, it will be worth every minute…

March 12, 2021
Exploration of Misadventures in Money Management
Ms. Mechel L. Glass Program Manager Office of Servicemember Affairs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Discover how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is incorporating gamification into their virtual financial education and training program for servicemembers and their families.

March 5, 2021
“Leaning In” with Resiliency in Mind (Maintaining Continuity in Chaos)
Presented by: Jenell Paul, Director | Learning Resource Network (LRN), Texas Health and Human Services Commission

In this conversation with Jenell Paul, we will discuss leading teams virtually during chaos (unprecedented times), reviewing and adopting new technology, managing new spacing needs/requirements, examining hosting solutions/platforms, classroom conversion realities, government purchasing, and more. These topics can benefit us all, so come join Jenell and USDLA to talk about how we move forward in these times!

Taming Twitter: Customize Your Information Flow to Personalize Your Learning Network.

Jeff Dungan Ed.D currently serves as a Professional Development Specialist at Michigan Virtual, the statewide K-12 virtual school serving the state of Michigan. Jeff also serves on the USDLA Advisory Board, is an adjunct Instructional Designer at Global Online Academy, and an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.

Twitter is an unbelievable tool for professionals, regardless of the field you are in, to leverage for their own professional learning. However, many people eschew Twitter as “another social media platform”. Many users do not understand how to customize the flow of information in Twitter using simple tools like Tweetdeck. With some simple techniques, Twitter can be used as a platform to develop your professional interests, reach a broader audience, develop a professional learning network and even develop communities of practice. In this session, USDLA Advisory Board member

Jeff will take you through Twitter basics from setting up your account to customizing the flow of information you receive on Twitter to participating in your first Twitter Chat. The session will conclude with examples form on online course using Twitter as a core element of the course design to promote communities of practice that are intended to persist beyond semester timeframes.

RECORDING
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Grant Update 2021: A Great Year for Telehealth Grants & More!
Janet Major, USDLA Chair and Associate Director for Education & Facilities Arizona Telemedicine Program/Southwest Telehealth Resource Center
Dana Satterwhite, Sr Director Poly/Zoom Grants Partnership
Victoria Fine, Regional Grants Manager Learn Design Apply, Inc.
Michael Nieliwocki, Sr Account Mgr, and Scott Simmons, Healthcare Specialist for Poly

Our USDLA 2021 Grant Update will include:
Funding RUS-DLT, FCC COVID-19 Telehealth, K-12 and higher education stimulus funding, Technology offerings and use case examples in the field  including healthcare and education
as well as  an opportunity for Q&A.

We will share USDLA resources and introduce the Poly Grant Assistance Program (PGAP), the grant services that they offer and include an overview of the RUS-DLT program and how PGAP can assist in putting together a winning application for this excellent grant opportunity – and others.   
Our panel will also include USDLA Board Members who are experienced grant writers and collaborators to represent some of our USDLA constituencies. Please join us!

RECORDING
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Join PADLA for
From Room to Zoom
Lou Stricoff – PADLA Executive Director and Chair NE USDLA SIG

With the COVID-19 restrictions, PADLA.org (the PA/DE/NJ & NE SIG Distance Learning Association) was faced with the task of converting our in-person 18th Annual Conference & Expo to a Virtual Event. Starting with minimal virtual meeting experience/expertise, we managed to pull off a successful and satisfying virtual event for our Attendees, Presenters, and Exhibitor/Sponsors. You can do it too as we all adapt to this new reality. Attendees are invited to give their feedback and input as we collectively evolve our best practices going “From Room to Zoom”.

RECORDING

“In Celebration of Black History Month”
USDLA Board Member CEO – Oiada International, Eric Jones,
Papa Williams, Director – Oiada International
Sebastian Kwamena Tettey, Sr. Cape Coast Castle Tour Guide

For Black History Month, Oiada in partnership with USDLA is presenting a “LIVE” Tour of the Cape Coast Slave Dungeon and an “Eye Opener” video conference connection with Ghana, Africa. Participants will have the opportunity to experience a piece of Ghana’s history as the premier tour guide in Ghana, Sebastian Kwamena Tettey takes you on a “LIVE” tour of the historic Slave Dungeons. In the Eye Opener section, Oiada Director Papa Williams will dispel myths and misconceptions about Africa so the true beauty of Africa can be revealed. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the presenters. We look forward to you joining us on this virtual trip to Africa!

RECORDING
“Future-Engage-Deliver: A framework for Leading and Learning”
Presenter: Michael Eales, BA(Hons.), MA, PGCEA, Dip.Hum.Psych., is a leading provider of Leadership Development and Facilitator Training
in the UK.

How do we bring our vision and passion to what we do, and help others find theirs? How do we develop how we communicate to be constantly practicing engagement? For that to happen, two things need to put into place – speaking of the future in a way that creates possibilities for others, and also working on being engaging ourselves, and being someone who others want to follow. It is important to explore what we stand for, what our values and non-negotiable principles are, and how this can help us create the resilience to sustain ourselves and our students emotionally and morally when times are tough. What is your inspiring story about what shapes you as a educator? This is an interactive session, including some
self-exploration exercises.

RECORDING

Inspiring the Next Generation of Writers, Virtually
Presenter: Carey Cranston, President American Writers Museum

During this session, we’ll explore how the American Writer’s Museum (AWM) in Chicago is engaging teachers and students virtually to foster conversations about complex issues and encourage the next generation of writers via their new Online Education Program. The museum’s president, Carey Cranston, will discuss how the Online Education Program was developed with input from teachers. He’ll also share real feedback received from both students and teachers across the country who have participated in the program, and how the museum has pivoted their approach during the pandemic. While many cultural institutions are offering virtual programming, what makes AWM’s program unique is that not only is AWM the only national museum dedicated to American writers and their works, but also their field trips focus on immigrant, refugee and other diverse writers and explore social issues.

Recording

Peer to Peer Engagement in Remote Learning with Padlet & Flipgrid
Presenters: Stephen Gilman Executive Director, MakerStateDestinee Marino, Tech Ed Maker Fellow, MakerState

In this webinar, we’ll go from introduction to working knowledge of how to use Padlet and Flipgrid to create engaging, interactive, and rigorous live and asynchronous learning experiences and assignments. This introduction session is for beginning users of Padlet and Flipgrid, with mini-lessons and applied learning exercises in navigating the platform and setting up student learning experiences for live and asynchronous learning.

RECORDING

State Chapter Highlights: Nebraska Digital Learning Association
Presenter: Linda Dickeson, Executive Liaison

Learn how the strategies used by the Nebraska Digital Learning Association (NDLA), a State Chapter of USDLA, have helped to make it a thriving organization that serves members in Nebraska and beyond. The topics will include:
• Development and growth of NDLA
• Events—including the annual two-day conference, a virtual conference,
and the annual Virtual Field Trip workshop for VFT program providers
• Collaboration, organization, and document archiving using Google Drive
• Nebraska’s high-speed statewide network and early adoption of Zoom for successful Distance Learning, even before the pandemic.

“Leaning In” with Resiliency in Mind (Maintaining Continuity in Chaos)
Presented by: Jenell Paul, Director of Learning Resource Network (LRN), Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

In this conversation with Jenell Paul, we will discuss leading teams virtually during chaos (unprecedented times), reviewing and adopting new technology, managing new spacing needs/requirements, examining hosting solutions/platforms, classroom conversion realities, government purchasing, and more. These topics can benefit us all, so come join Jenell and USDLA to talk about how we move forward in these times!

1:00 PM- 2:00 PM ET
Exploration of Misadventures in Money Management
Presented by: Ms. Mechel L. Glass Program Manager Office of Service Member Affairs Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Discover how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is incorporating gamification into their virtual financial education and training program for service members and their families. Webinar Registration