Waikato education lecturer to speak at national conference

For Immedicate Release

Thursday, April 7 2016

University of Waikato education lecturer invited to speak at national conference

Dr Dianne Forbes, Senior lecturer at the University of Waikato’s Te Kura Toi Tangata Faculty of Education, will be speaking at the national ‘DEANZ2016’ Conference, hosted at the University of Waikato from 17 to 20 April.

Leveraging the potential of digital technologies in education as well as research trends and practice in online and blended teacher education will be presented in Dr Forbes’ keynote speech titled; Mixed media pathways: Bringing teacher education to your home town.

Bringing a wealth of teaching experience in the faculty’s Mixed Media Presentation (MMP), a programme which enables aspiring teachers to study online, Dr Forbes has also received many professional accolades, including being the recipient of two awards in 2011, the Inaugural Nola Campbell Memorial eLearning Excellence Award, and the Faculty of Education Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award.

The University of Waikato, a leader in e-learning, introduced the internet to New Zealand and was the first university to have students graduate with a Bachelor of Education degree achieved online.

Dr Forbes says, “I'm proud to be a part of Waikato's MMP degree. The past 14 years have afforded me the opportunity to work with and learn from talented tertiary teachers and students who are determined to become effective school teachers. The opportunity for them to learn online has enabled these individuals to pursue their passion without leaving their families and communities, creating more flexibility than traditional learning at university.

“I have so much admiration for the staff and students of MMP and see this keynote as a chance to celebrate some of the early successes of the programme. The combination of studying online, on campus and going into schools and communities, has enhanced the life-chances of people who live in our regions. Waikato University has grown a team of dedicated online teachers who know how to place students at the centre of their efforts.”

Dr Forbes has recently published her latest book with colleague Dr Noeline Wright, titled ‘Digital Smarts: Enhancing Teaching and Learning’. It is unique because it is freely available online at no cost.

Dr Forbes also collaborates with Dr Wright to run a popular blog, Interrogating educatioNZ. She also convenes the Faculty’s monthly e-learning brown bag lunches for staff and students to discuss issues related to the scholarship and learning with digital technologies. Dr Forbes is currently researching the use of social media to promote effective learning and professional learning networks.

The DEANZ conference attracts educators, corporate trainers and professional developers working in the area of open, distance, flexible and mobile learning and is open to anyone interested in this fast developing field of open and flexible education.

To register or for more details about the conference visit: conference.deanz.org.nz

ENDS

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