505 Panel Discussion: The Present and Future of Virtual Classroom Tools
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM Wednesday, March 28
Virtual Classroom
Salon 16
Virtual classroom tools, when used thoughtfully, have enabled us to increase the audiences we can reach and the learning experiences we can provide. However, the tools we use and the ways we use them are always evolving. What was once considered cutting edge even a few years ago has shifted, and we can only expect it to evolve as technology advances.
In this panel discussion, you’ll learn how people are being strategic about what we can accomplish with virtual classroom tools now, and where we can anticipate this technology moving in the future. Filled with practical advice from people who work with these platforms regularly, this session will help you stretch the functionality of your virtual classroom tools and explore new ideas for crafting engaging learning experiences in them. You’ll leave more prepared for thinking creatively about what you can do with current tools and techniques, as well as where this technology looks to go in the years to come.
In this session, you will learn:
- Ideas for using the virtual classroom tools you have in new ways
- Progressive ways organizations and individuals are leveraging virtual classroom experiences
- How to address some of the biggest challenges with today’s virtual classroom tools
- The future of virtual classroom tools and platforms
Audience:
Novice to advanced designers, managers, and
facilitators.
Technology discussed in this session:
Virtual classroom tools.
Bianca Woods (Host)
Customer Advocacy Manager
Articulate
Bianca Woods is a customer advocacy manager at Articulate. Her past experience includes working on the community and event programming for the Learning Guild, learning and communications roles at BMO Financial Group, and teaching art. Bianca is passionate about how visual design and multimedia can help people learn, loves test-driving new technology, and collects photos of bizarre warning signs.
Karen Hyder
Online Event Producer and Speaker Coach
Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting
Karen Hyder, online event producer and speaker coach at Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting, has been teaching about technology since 1991, when she delivered instructor-led software courses for Logical Operations. She was promoted to director of trainer development, helping trainers improve skills and earn certifications. In 1999 she created a course for trainers using virtual classrooms, and helped launch The eLearning Guild Online Forums in 2004. She continues to host The Guild’s Best of DemoFest, and was honored with the Guild’s Guild Master Award. Currently, Karen provides coaching and production support for a series of online courses at Hearing First, a not-for-profit that serves audiology professionals earning CEUs.
Jennifer Hofmann Dye
Founder and President
InSync Training
Jennifer Hofmann Dye is founder and president of InSync Training. She specializes in the design and delivery of engaging, innovative, and effective modern blended learning. Jennifer has written and contributed to a number of well-received and highly-regarded books including The Synchronous Trainer's Survival Guide: Facilitating Successful Live Online Courses, Meetings, and Events and Live and Online!: Tips, Techniques, and Ready to Use Activities for the Virtual Classroom. Her latest book, Blended Learning (ATD, 2018), introduces a new instructional design model that addresses the needs of the modern workplace and modern learners.
Nina Talley Everflow
Senior Program Manager
EnCompass
Nina Talley Everflow is a senior program manager at EnCompass, where she manages a portfolio of international projects, weaving in her expertise in designing and managing virtual spaces for collaboration and learning. Nina has a dozen years of experience in program management and coordination in the areas of international development, training, and education; she has provided multifaceted program support for United Nations and US government agencies and private universities. At EnCompass, her favorite aspect of the job is managing an international team of producers to support the company’s growing VILT deliveries across various time zones and languages.