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6. Start Shopping and Have Fun.

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Annual Legislative Policy Forum

(Video from 2020 Forum)

Sponsors

Overview

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) will be virtually hosting the 2020 Annual Legislative Policy Forum on Friday, October 9, 2020 from 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM (ET). The association is the first non-profit distance learning association founded in 1987 in the United States to support distance learning research, development and praxis across the complete arena of education, training, and communications. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-K-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling as well as business, corporate, military, government and telehealth markets.

This year unlike another, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact nearly every country around the world with almost 30 million cases confirmed, 20 million recovered, and almost a million deaths.  Countries around the world including the United States are beginning to re-open with some level of uncertainty due to a resurgence of COVID-19 and in some cases closing back down because of it.  No one knows for sure how long this pandemic will last, and it continues put distance learning in the spotlight on a global scale as businesses and institutions of education remain predominantly online until 2021.

Distance learning includes e-learning, texting, social networking, virtual worlds, game-based learning, webinars. It’s the Internet. It’s Google. It’s broadband and satellite and cable and wireless. Corporate universities. Virtual universities. Blended learning, mobile learning. It’s using our phones and computers and whatever technology comes next, in new ways.  Distance learning brings education and training to where students or trainees are connecting their world to worldwide learning communities. 

The purpose of the Legislative Policy Forum is to maintain USDLA’s leadership in the application and promotion of distance learning with relevant policy issues to serve society. Specifically, the Forum will focus on the insights and ideas being circulated by Washington, DC policy makers. Furthermore, it will give USDLA members and others the opportunity to hear what is most current in government policy and listen to new ideas and thoughts being shared about the distance learning industry. Broadband Inequity will be the focus of this forum, however there will be other policy areas that will be integrated into the dialog. 

Agenda

Welcome:

  • 5 min. – (11:00-11:05 am) – Welcome – Dr. Reggie Smith III, Chief Executive Officer, USDLA

Introduction:

  • 5 min. – (11:05-11:10 am) – Introduction – Dr. Robbie Melton, Chairwoman and Board Member, Public Policy, USDLA
  • 10 min. – (11:10-11:20 am) – Broadband Context – Dr. Trina Coleman, Board Member, USDLA

Keynote Speaker (Sponsored by NC-SARA):

  • 5 min. – (11:20-11:25 am) – Greetings – Dr. Rhonda Blackburn, President, Board of Directors, USDLA
  • 5 min. – (11:25-11:30 am) – Introduction – Dr. Lori Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer, NC-SARA
  • 20 min. – (11:30-11:50 am) – Keynote – Dr. Francine Alkisswani, Telecommunications Policy Analyst, Minority Broadband Initiative, National Telecommunications and Information Administrations, U.S. Dept. of Commerce 
Panel Discussion (Sponsored by Verizon):
  • 5 min. – (11:50-11:55 am) – Introduction – Mr. Emilio Gonzalez, Executive Director, Policy & Strategic Alliances, Verizon (Introduction)
  • 15 min. – (11:55-12:10 pm) – Mr. Michael Goldstein, Managing Director, Tyton Partners and Dr. Francine Alkisswani, Telecommunications Policy Analyst, Minority Broadband Initiative, National Telecommunications and Information Administrations, U.S. Dept. of Commerce (Co-Moderators)
  • 15 min. – (12:10-12:25 pm) – Mr. Drew Clark, the Editor and Publisher of Breakfast Media LLC
  • 15 min. – (12:25-12:40 pm) – Ms. Britney Johnson, Research Assistant, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • 15 min. – (12:40-12:55 pm) – Mrs. Janet Major, Chairwoman, Board of Directors, USDLA and Associate Director Facilities, Arizona Telemedicine Program, Arizona Health Sciences Center

Call to Action:

  • 10 min. – (12:55-1:05 pm) – Wrap-Up and Call to Action – Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein, President, Lowenstein & Associates, Inc.

Conclusion:

  • 5 min. – (1:05-1:10 pm) – Dr. Robbie Melton, Chairwoman and Board Member, Public Policy, USDLA
  • 5 min. – (1:10-1:15 pm) – Dr. Rhonda Blackburn, President, Board of Directors, USDLA

Post Program Content

Call to Action Plan: Coming Soon

Next Policy Forum

To Be Determined

Join USDLA

USDLA through its mission of … supporting the development and application of distance learning … focuses on all legislation impacting the distance learning community and its constituencies.

>Become A Member of USDLA ( https://usdla.org/membership/levels/ )
>Become A Sponsor of USDLA ( https://usdla.org/membership/levels/ )
>Purchase With USDLA (Amazon Smile – https://usdla.org/?s=smile)

Speakers

Media Partners

Revised 10/07/2020 @ 4:00 pm (ET)

Working Under Pressure & Enjoying Every Minute: Live Video Collaboration at the 2017 USDLA Awards

For those of us who work with technology as part of our daily roles, we understand that the luxury of advanced planning doesn’t always fit into everyday reality. Such was the situation at our annual U.S. Distance Learning Association (USDLA) awards dinner.

As my fellow Board members and I were busy planning the 2017 USDLA annual conference this past May in Indianapolis, I had a unique request from an awards winner just days before the event – could I bring her into the conference virtually to accept her award?

Since I love a good challenge, it didn’t take me long to say “we can do that” and so began the effort to bring Lee Gambol from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History into our annual awards dinner.

It’s moments like this that I truly enjoy, minimal time for planning (since we are dealing with technology at an unknown venue), a little pressure (as we are doing this in a live event in front of hundreds of attendees) and the chance for a huge amount of satisfaction if it can bring a smile to the face of the award winner.

The awards are a big deal in the USDLA world and having been present for the past 10+ years, I can still see the smiles on the faces of the winners from years past and sense the feeling of pride as they take the stage to accept their awards.

Working for an integration company has its advantages in situations like these; a couple of extra cables, a camera, some audio gear and a partner relationship with Zoom Video Conferencing (by the way, a great product) was all that we needed to transport Lee from Ohio into the meeting room.

Not only were we able to successfully beam Lee into the room virtually to accept her award, we went one step further. We actually positioned her on the screen so that when we did a group shot of all the award winners at the end of the show, she was there as well! No need for Photoshop here folks, just good old-fashioned ingenuity.

It’s moments like these that make me even prouder than I already am to be associated with this organization. If you want to join our incredible organization visit us at www.usdla.org/membership. And be sure to mark your calendar to join us next year in Indianapolis!  Maybe you, too, can be an award winner.

Learn more about the USDLA and how you too can be a member by visiting www.usdla.org/membership. The association supports all core markets including Enterprise, Government, Telemedicine, Education and others.

USDLA Membership

Our Association is unique, not only for its historical commitment to distance learning, but also for engaging with a broad spectrum of distance learning professionals –  K-12, higher education, corporate, government, military, telehealth, and home schooling. While more narrowly focused organizations have an important role, a powerful perspective emerges when bright minds serving diverse constituencies come together.

The USDLA was formed in 1987. At that time, companies like Yahoo and Google were still years away. “Power users” were boasting of their Intel 386 processors. In that context, DL was a concept well outside the educational mainstream. Granted, a few people knew something of the process but hands-on DL experience was rare. USDLA, then, provided a means for these pioneers to find one another.

Today, with more than one-third of college students taking an online class, it’s a far different world but USDLA remains a vital player. Our members continue to seek out other DL professionals. These practitioners still want to grow and want to offer students a strong education in a robust community of learning. Today, USDLA stands out as a remarkable resource for teachers and administrators who want to enhance the learning experience.

 

 

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