Universal design + task automation + great food = COLTT 2015

I missed out on the Conference for Learning and Teaching with Technology (COLTT) last year and that was unfortunate. COLTT, along with the spring eLCC annual conference, are not to be missed if at all possible. This year was no exception as presenters from across the region gathered to share knowledge about learning technologies and their impact on teaching and student learning.

Some were fun, such as the presentation by CU-Boulder's Sienna Wood on the automation of tasks in software programs. This fast-paced (a bit too fast-paced for some) session offered methods for using macros and scripts to simplify and greatly speed up repetitive tasks commonly found in large documents. Using her own dissertation as an example, Sienna demoed the use of Word and Photoshop macros, and a simple scripting language used with Finale, a popular music notation program (her field of study). I immediately wanted to head back to the office and practice my script-writing skills, something I've purposely put off due to the seeming complexity of raw coding, regardless of the simplicity.

And once again I was fascinated by the amazing amount of quality material available through open educational resources (OER). Amanda Burch and Tobin Magle (DU) and Stephanie Spratt (UCCS) explained the complexities of using OER materials and the various methods for Creative Commons citations. And as if this wasn't useful enough, Tobin went one step further and provided search links to commonly sought OER materials including OERConsortium.org (full courses), OpenStaxCollege.org (textbooks), and MERLOT.org (peer reviewed learning objects and more). An amazing assortment of resources, available free of charge based on the Creative Commons licensing restriction.

However, as much as I enjoyed the conference sessions, there was nothing that could compare with dining at the CU-Boulder cafeteria. While wandering around the various food stations, I experienced repeated plate envy by looking at others plates and thinking "Wow, that looks so much better than mine." Of course this required returning for seconds and thirds. And it didn't help that I sat next to the Italian food gallery with their selections of pasta and pizza.

Well done, COLTT! Sign me up for next year!