Opening Keynote Presentation by
Wayne Hodgins
Strategic Futurist, Director of Worldwide Learning Strategies, Autodesk Inc.

Wayne has long said that the ability to learn and apply the right stuff faster is the only sustainable competitive advantage there is for any of us. As a preeminent authority on hot trends and companies in the converging space of technology, standards, knowledge creation, creativity and learning, Wayne spends his days (and nights) wandering and pondering as he scours the world for trends and technologies most of us will not see for the next 18 months to 10 years. His track record for identifying useful technologies, and seeing their resultant trends and directions in learning and human performance that no one else does, combined with his gift for articulating them with more passion and enthusiasm than most have ever witnessed, has earned him a well-deserved label for a (sometimes over-used term): Visionary.

In his role as Director of Worldwide Learning Strategies at Autodesk , Wayne Hodgins is the chief architect and strategic futurist responsible for increasing human performance (employees, partners and customers) through what he refers to as Learnativity .

As Past President of CEdMA and now Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Computer Education Managers Association (CEdMA), he champions the continuous quest of the Association's vision to be the hardware and software vendor force shaping excellence in education, training and learning. Mr. Hodgins is also the President and co-founder of the Learnativity Alliance which works at the intersection of learning, productivity, creativity and activity and is the inflection point of the New Learning Economy.

Mr. Hodgins sits on advisory boards for many industry and government groups, commissions and associations in Canada, USA, Latin America, Asia and Europe and is frequently sought out to lead major industry wide task forces. Recent ones include the Certified Technical Trainer (CTT) program that has been adopted by hardware and software vendors and the professional training community as the standard for assessing instructional skills in technical training and the Learning Architectures and Learning Object (LALO) task force which sets standards for skills, learning objects and learning architecture. Mr. Hodgins is currently the elected Chair of the IEEE P 1484 Standards Working Group for Learning Object Metadata and was most recently asked to be the Special Advisor and Strategic Futurist for the recently formed Commission on Technology and Adult Learning. This commission was jointly formed by the American Society of Training & Development (ASTD) and the National Governors' Association (NGA) in February 2000 and asked Wayne to develop their Vision Paper Into the Future.

Due to his unique blend of skills, experience and perspectives, Wayne is one of the most highly sought after speakers in the industry and typically manages to deliver as many as 100 keynotes and featured presentations to groups worldwide. For examples of recent presentations and much more highly valuable information in these areas please see the Speaking Notes 2000 and other sections at www.learnativity.com

Closing Keynote Presentation by
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
BeyondUtopia

Involved in the development and administration of online courses and programs since the early 1990s, Susan Smith Nash has made a point to share her experience as well as her research through her websites, weblogs and podcasts.

The recipient of collaboration and innovation awards for her work in developing innovative and high-quality online and hybrid programs that take advantage of the latest technologies, Nash has been involved with organizations and educational institutions involved in online education and training, as well as ground-floor online program development for the University of Oklahoma and has developed curriculum and programs for elearning (including mobile learning) for Florida Community College Jacksonville, the Literature Institute, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and Excelsior College.

Over the last 15 years, Nash has developed instructional content for textbooks, audio books (educational mp3 downloads), simulations and serious games, and video (downloadable educational video clips). Content includes Spanish and English language materials.

Having held administrative positions at Excelsior College and the University of Oklahoma, Susan currently holds a leadership position at Victoria Resources, a natural resources company. Her role involves research in innovative processes.

She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has made presentations at prominent national conferences. Susan is involved with research into the best ways to use new techniques and technologies (Web 2.0, etc) for effective e-learning (and training).

Her latest book, Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Classroom and Online Instruction, was co-authored with George Henderson and published in 2007. Leadership and the e-Learning Organization, was published in 2006. Nash is managing editor of Texture Press, and is also an editor with JELLO - Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects. Her edublog, e-Learning Queen (http://www.elearningqueen.com), has been nominated for several awards.

http://www.beyondutopia.com
edublog: http://www.elearningqueen.com