Presidents Message

Hedy Lowenheim



Yes, the Educational Technology Student Organization (ETLSO) newsletter is still alive! Please accept our apologies for not producing a newsletter last semester. We were in the midst of sorting out the technical issues involved in switching to a wiki technology. This transition turned out to be more complicated and time consuming than originally anticipated, but nonetheless a great opportunity to learn a new technology.

Since our webmaster graduated last year, we decided a wiki would offer the organization wide-ranging functionality, such as blogs, forums, etc. and be easier to manage and maintain. We have started a job forum on the wiki for anything relevant to educational technology employment. We hope you will find it useful.

We are also hoping to move the Yahoo! groups to the wiki since a few alumni and students still use that site to communicate. This would keep all ETLSO related things in one place. Please send us feedback and suggestions - we would love to know what you think! Send your comments to: me. This link will take you to the Yahoo! site.

I am very happy to report that as of the fall 2008 semester, I have completed all of my ETL course requirements and will be graduating in May 2009. It was a long three and a half years, though looking back, I am pretty amazed at how fast the time did go by. If anyone is wondering whether they can complete the program, you can. Just keep plugging away!

This brings me to the next topic, the continuation of the ETLSO and our newsletter. After this semester, all of the ETLSO officers are moving on, graduating and going into other life pursuits. As a result, there are leadership vacancies that need to be filled in order to keep the organization going. If you would like to continue this fine ETSLO tradition, we would welcome your involvement and be very happy to help you every step of the way. If you would like to lend a hand, please contact me. I hope to hear from some of you. I know you will find it a worthwhile experience.

Our ETLSO newsletter has been a great tool for students and alumni over the past few years, allowing all of us to stay in touch and learn from one another. I realize that Facebook also serves this purpose for many ETL students and alumni, but I believe the
ETSLO Wiki can provide additional value beyond what Facebook can provide.

This spring our 2009 newsletter includes contributions from Charlotte Corbett and Derek Walter, both ETL alums. Ms. Corbett has reviewed a very timely book, "Safe Practices for Life Online: A Guide for Middle and High School." Derek Walter has written an article on document cameras in the classroom. We also are very fortunate to have a review of the Instructional Technology Council (ITC) 2009 conference. Susan Gallagher, from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., attended this conference in February and agreed to an interview. I think you will find this article very interesting as the conference addressed practically every topic impacting distance learning these days. Finally, my article discusses “My Last GWU Elective” and the Independent Study I participated in to fulfill my last three credits.

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring semester and learning a great deal! Just think-- only a few more weeks to go until graduation and the end of the semester! Good luck and congratulations to everyone all the graduates!

Lastly, I would like to thank Charlotte Corbett, a very dedicated ETL alumni. Charlotte very generously gave her time, guidance, technical expertise and her commitment to this project made it all possible. The ETLSO is indebted to Charlotte for all her contributions in the development of this wiki.

We hope you enjoy this wiki newsletter and look forward to your feedback!

Hedy Lowenheim
ETLSO President & Newsletter Editor

Newsletter Contributors:

Hedy Lowenheim - ETLSO President & Newsletter Editor
Charlotte Corbett- Technical Assistance & Alumni Contributor
Derek Walter – Alumni Contributor
Susan Gallagher - Guest Contributor
Joy Gayler –ETLSO support
Diane Koffenberger & Sharon Briggs– ETL administrative support

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