Greetings WOL Friends!
The invitation from our Team is sincere. We want everyone to know and understand that online learning can be really good. Recently, Lauren and I presented at PETE&C about the Power of Good in online learning. We riffed off the Wicked theme - showing how online learning can sometimes get a bad rap - when in reality - it can be ‘for good’ when used well.
Does your team used best practices for online learning when preparing assignments for students? Do they use AI for more than just reformatting worksheets? Lots to think about.
In this episode we consider our learning curve in online education. Let us know what you think.
Have a great week!
Pat
📌 Register now: https://iu17.link/2025OLS
An invitation: Join us for some virtual professional learning!
I started working for the World of Learning in August of 2019. My first title was Virtual Learning Specialist. Five months later, all the world was forced to become Virtual Specialists, whether in the fields of learning, medicine, business, law, you name it… I had gotten a five-month head start, but by March 2020, we were all in it together.
National conferences that had previously booked up entire hotels and conference centers, flying thousands of educators from all across the country were now held online with us each sitting at our desks at home. Five years later, many aspects of education have returned to in-person settings, but virtual conferences remain—proving their appeal.
So why have virtual conferences stuck around?
I’ll be honest: I love the buzz of a big, in-person conference. I love running into people in the hallways and the spontaneous gatherings that happen in hotel lobbies and coffee break lines. 📌 Register now: https://iu17.link/2025OLS
But the benefits of virtual professional learning are undeniable, especially in education:
💰 Cost-Effectiveness: Virtual conferences are significantly cheaper. Our upcoming event is $99 for in-state educators—compared to thousands for an in-person conference once you factor in flights, hotels, and meals.
🌍 Accessibility: Virtual conferences remove the barriers to access that a physical conference may pose.
⏳ Saves Travel Time: Educators work hard for nine months a year (or longer). A virtual conference means no extra time away from students—just log in and join.
📅 Flexibility: Many virtual conferences record sessions, allowing attendees to revisit content later at their convenience.
So what about our virtual conference?
As we always emphasize at the World of Learning, every educator is a virtual educator. Regardless of whether you teach in brick and mortar classrooms or over Zoom, if you and your students are accessing the internet, you are teaching with and for digital skills. At the World of Learning, with our experience in virtual learning, we decided to create a “space” where educators can get together once a year and brush up on those skills.
The result is the Online Learning Symposium, the brainchild of Pat Mulroy and Becky Gibboney and a collaboration between IU8 and IU17.
Rather than pick a specific theme (as many conferences do), we decided that this symposium will be a place where educators can touch base on new research and practices in virtual education. Think of it as an annual round up.
With strands in classroom teaching and leadership, here’s a sampling of some of the over 30 sessions this year:
Gamification and Interactive Tools in Online Learning
Leveraging AI to Empower Tomorrow’s Leaders and Learners
Data-Driven Online Teaching: Using Analytics to Improve Outcomes
Zoomers, Alphas, and the “New” Feedback
Cultivating Connection: Building Classroom Community and Social Presence Online
Join us for our inaugural Online Learning Symposium!
We’d love to have you join us and become part of a new community of educators gathering annually to sharpen their skills and re-energize for the end of the school year!
📌 Register now: https://iu17.link/2025OLS
If you want to know more about the World of Learning and how we can help you or your district, contact us!
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