Innovative 'armchair' conference attracts digital technology experts

It’s a conference that no delegate could fruitfully attend in the real world: Three countries, three time zones, and 48 hours.

The jetlag alone would floor all but the most intrepid traveller, yet with digital technology this impossible feat becomes as simple as turning on a computer and pulling up a comfy seat.

USQ's Follow the Sun: the Learning Futures Festival Online 2011 will be held on April 13-15 and is the brain child of  Executive Director, Professor Gilly Salmon.

Professor Salmon joined the Australian Digital Futures Institute (ADFI) at the beginning of 2011 and is one of the world’s foremost commentators on the use of digital technology in higher education. Before coming to USQ, she founded the Beyond Distance Research Alliance at the UK's University of Leicester and from the Centre for Innovation, Knowledge and Enterprise at the British Open University. The Follow the Sun conference will be one of Professor Salmon’s first projects at USQ.

Professor Salmon said handovers would be occurring between Leicester (UK), Seattle (USA) and Toowoomba, with keynote speakers elaborating their vision for the future of education.

'Presenters include such innovators as Gardner Campbell from Baylor University in the USA and Terry Anderson from Athabasca University in Canada,' she said.

'Our program also features Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Global Learning, Professor Phil Candy, Futurist Dr Luke Van de Laan and a paper presented by a group of our associate deans who were recently recognised for their contribution at the DEHub Education Summit in Sydney.'

As well as the keynote presentations, there will be seminars from other internationally recognised speakers, public debates and workshops. Delegates and presenters will use a software platform called Adobe Connect that enables conference attendees to mingle with each other and interact with hosts and presenters. Streaming video will allow delegates to watch presentations in real time.

'In addition, some delegates will choose to attend the conference in the virtual world of Second Life. USQ was among the first universities in the world to be active in this environment, which now accommodates research and teaching activities from some 3000 higher education institutions.'

Professor Salmon said the conference was 'very low on carbon' and potentially a prototype for international academic conferences in the future.

'Ordinarily, academics from all over the world would converge on a central meeting place to present a paper or to watch others presenting theirs at a substantial cost to the environment,' she said.

'Carbon costs soon mount up from international and national air travel and land costs. But a virtual conference causes no such stress to the fragile ecology of the planet. In addition, it’s a perfect venue with delegates safe from flooding, wild weather and potential epidemics such as swine flu or SARS.'

The Follow the Sun: Learning Futures Festival Online 2011 is free for all USQ staff and students. More information can be found at the conference website: http://tinyurl.com/followthesun. All interested attendees should register as soon as possible.