There's an insidious movement afoot that I think needs addressing. It has to do with the propensity for academics to re-define terms contextually. We see it all the time in academic writing when the author includes a paragraph early in a paper wherein the terms used in the article are defined using phrases like "for the purposes of this paper the authors define TermX as ..."

When those definitions conform to a recognized reality which may not be well established in the field, this practice serves to enhance the understanding of readers who may be unfamiliar with certain constructs. When those definitions serve to re-define that reality, the practice runs the risk of re-defining important ideas out of existence by substituting an alternate reality for an existing one.

New Session
Informal Learning: A Discussion with George Strawn; NSF CIO
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1:00-2:00; Cambridge Room

This discussion will address the potential impact of the informal learning on the formal learning process and visions for the future directions. The National Science Foundation supports many initiatives that study with informal learning settings. These settings offer fewer constraints for the use of emergent technologies but can be adapted to learning objectives. NSF is averaging around $17 million per year on interactive systems for learning. How do gaming, virtual environments or other interactive environments affect informal learning? Join Keynote speak, George Strawn, to discuss the impact of these new ways of learning.

AECT Elections -

'Instructional Design for Complex Learning'
2008 Research Symposia

The second Research Symposium will be held in Bloomington, Indiana June 18 - 21, 2008 at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel and Indiana University. This a bi-annual event designed to draw the best minds together for an intensive intellectual exchange of ideas on a focused topic that would culminate in the publication of a Symposium Proceedings. The goal of the symposium is to bring a group of scholars together in a format that encourages in-depth dialogue and different perspectives on predefined topics and problems.

[Reviewer's Login]

2008 AECT International Convention

'On the Horizon: Rays of Change'

November 4-8, 2008

BUENA VISTA PALACE HOTEL
Orlando, Florida