It's amazing to think about the way a traditional classroom operated only a few years ago.  As Renee Patton recently pointed out in her blog post, there were rules, there were barriers, and they were all kept within the confines of an educational institution.  As technology has advanced, those rules have been challenged, barriers overcome, and an entirely new era of learning has emerged.

The collaborative nature of education, educators and learners has allowed new technologies to thrive and innovation to accelerate.  We're flipping classrooms, implementing mobile learning programs and developing entirely new ways for students to connect and engage.  And we're looking with excitement toward a future that will continually change the way we teach and learn.

Educause 2013

On October 15, thousands of higher education IT leaders from all over the world will be attending the Educause Annual Conference 2013, the largest higher education IT event of the year, in Anaheim, California.  The conference will bring together educators and IT leaders in the education industry to discover new and innovative ways to deliver higher education to students in a more engaging, effective way.

This year, we are excited to again be at Educause, and about the session Dr. Robert Wagner, Vice Provost, Utah State University, will present -Utah State University: Creating a Successful Distance Learning Environment. This session will show how USU delivers nearly 400 distance education courses weekly to students across the state. With videoconferencing, USU ensures equal access to educational resources (even in the most remote areas), encourages collaboration and community-building among students, as well as supports non-traditional and adult students with a curriculum tailored to their unique needs.

I hope to see you at Educause this year as we continue collaborating towards an even brighter future!  What are you most looking forward to at Educause?