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"This is the 6th annual conference on blended learning sponsored by COHERE (Collaboration for Online Higher Education & Research) and CSSHE (Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education). It will feature Dr. Tony Bates, the well known scholar and commentator on the use of technology in higher education. His latest book is Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies for Transforming Teaching and Learning (Jossey-Bass, 2011). In addition to taking an active part in the entire conference and doing the conference wrap-up, Tony will deliver the following keynotes: Meeting the challenge of technology: are we failing as managers? Designing university teaching to meet the needs of 21st century students The conference will also feature a number of concurrent sessions, for which we invite proposals related to one of the following streams: 1. Taking stock of blended learning in higher education: Management, policy, and research issues 2. Case studies of teaching and learning issues related to blended learning"

We cordially invite you to participate in the 37th Annual POD Conference to be held in Seattle, Washington on October 24-28, 2012. With this year's theme, Pencils & Pixels: 21st Century Practices in Higher Education, we invite an informed exploration of the unprecedented array of technologies, both high-tech and low-tech, in use at institutions of higher learning. New technologies continue to arise, faster than most of us can assimilate. Some are seductive. Others seem to be more trouble to learn than they are worth. Some may seem frivolous, but upon closer examination have exciting applications for teaching, learning, and professional and organizational development. At the same time, many of the very best pedagogical technologies are neither new nor digital. It is probably no coincidence that the growing interest in contemplative practices and "slow teaching" is occurring simultaneously with the current smart phone and social media explosion. How are digital technologies affecting the way students learn? How can we support faculty and students-many of whom wear their smart phones like appendages-in selecting appropriate technologies for the work at hand? When, if ever, is it appropriate to insist that students, faculty, and even organizations disconnect entirely from digital tools and social media? How do high-tech and low-tech pedagogies inform each other? We invite you to share the tools, approaches, and practices that foster excellent teaching, learning, and professional development; strategies and rationale for supporting the technology-resistant to choose and use excellent digital tools; technology-related research findings; and examples of productive disengagement from technology addictions. 

The role of the educator has transformed. No longer mere conveyors of static information, teachers are increasingly entrusted with the responsibility to foster and develop life skills in students. Fostering global citizenship calls for the development of leadership skills, which may be especially challenging to cultivate in online learning environments. Transformation of learning experiences opens new opportunities for transforming the lives of life-long learners and leaders.