Tuesday, October 29, 2013

President's Farewell Message

As we begin our 2013 AECT International Convention in Anaheim, the end of my term as president of AECT approaches. This has been an eventful year for our association, its leadership, and most importantly its members. AECT could not exist without its many dedicated members who faithfully serve AECT each year.

In an effort to update you on all the work that was carried out this year, I have compiled a list of the things YOU accomplished during the past year. And please forgive me, if I fail to mention some of your accomplishments, as there are so many:
  1. Formed a Strategic Planning committee, conducted town hall meetings and (with input from our divisions and members) drafted a new AECT Strategic Plan that members will have a chance to further vet at our Anaheim convention.
  2. Initiated a web site partnership with MultiView that generates $1,000 per month in revenue.
  3. Established a credit card convenience fee and encouraged members to use checks and other methods to pay for membership/convention registration, creating potential savings of $16,000 for AECT.
  4. Celebrated a productive 1You/New2 member drive adding over 350 new members to AECT.
  5. ectFoundation sponsored another successful auction and continued its support of AECT convention interns, scholarships, and other activities.
  6. Developed a new AECT Leadership Intern policy manual.
  7. Updated the AECT Division Officers Handbook.
  8. Updated the AECT Policy and Procedures Manual.
  9. Revised the AECT Employee Handbook
  10. Hosted a successful 2012 International Convention in Louisville, KY
  11. Discontinued sponsorship of the International Student Media Festival (ISMF), saving AECT approximately $35,000 per year. 
  12. Drafted and approved a Certificate Endorsement Plan.
  13. Facilitated numerous GSA and division webinars.
  14. Formed a new partnership with Wiley Learning Institute to produce and deliver webinars highlighting AECT members/authors.
  15. Created the new division, Culture, Learning and Technology (formerly MIM affiliate).
  16. Created a web editor position, providing support for the AECT web page and increasing AECT's social media presence.
  17. Appointed a Special International Affiliate Emissary.
  18. Modified accounting from a fiscal year to a calendar year.
  19. Relocated the AECT office to a new and improved office.
  20. Created a monthly consolidated budget report.
  21. Conducted a successful Summer Leadership Conference and Leadership Development Day in Bloomington, IN.
  22. Sponsored AECT's first overseas conference - AECT-ICFER Conference in Taiwan.
  23. Created a partnership with ASTD to trade publicity for each others' conferences in newsletters and web sites.
  24. Approved ICEM as an affiliate of AECT.
  25. Created our first Convention mobile app with Crescerance, saving $8,500 in printing costs.
  26. Introduced the use of Google Hangouts for our 2013 Convention.
  27. Developed a new title, procedure, and application for selecting AECT convention interns.
  28. Announced the AECT book and briefs series "Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations" with Springer.
  29. Conducted a member survey.
  30. Accepted proposals for the 2015 AECT Summer International Symposium.
  31. Accepted a proposal for the 2014 AECT Summer Research Symposium.
  32. Welcomed META (Malaysian Educational Technology Association) as an international affiliate.
  33. Composed a Procedure for Investigation of Allegation of Violation - AECT Code of Ethics.
  34. Transformed ETR&D's International Review section into Cultural and Regional Perspectives.
  35. Approved the ICEM convention internship.
  36. Crafted an Affiliate Sponsored Convention Intern Policy.
  37. ETR&D, TechTrends, IJDL, and JAID maintained their reputation as high-quality, high-impact journals. (TechTrends topped 100 pages).
  38. Published the 2012 AECT International Convention Proceedings.
  39. Announced the publication of the 2013 Media Yearbook and a new book by the Division of Distance Learning.
  40. Published the Fourth Edition of the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, Proceedings for the 2010 and 2012 Research Symposia, 2013 Media Yearbook, and
    Encyclopedia of Terminology for Educational Communications and Technology.
  41. Four AECT past-presidents edited Learning, Problem Solving, and Mind Tools:Essays in Honor of David H. Jonassen.
  42. AECT past-presidents and members traveled the world, representing AECT and extending AECT's international presence.
  43. Documented 13 new interviews for the AECT History Makers project.
  44. Approved a $10 dues increase for regular and retired members (effective January 2014) that will help fund AECT initiatives and member benefits.
  45. Increased convention University Reception participation to 18 universities.
  46. Introduced the AECT Member Book project providing space in AECT publications for promotion of member-authored books.
  47. Introduced the AECT Position Paper project.
  48. Introduced the AECT Member Video project.
Indeed, an impressive list. You are to be congratulated for yet another exceptional year! Normally, I would mention your accomplishments at our general membership meeting in Anaheim.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you for that meeting, as I will be leaving LAX for Beijing on Tuesday evening (October 29) to represent AECT at the 10th Anniversary of the Beijing Forum, hosted by Peking University. As much as I looked forward to enjoying our convention in Anaheim as past-president and as difficult as it was for me to make this decision, the opportunity to represent AECT at such a prominent international forum outweighed all other options. I will surely miss seeing my many AECT friends and colleagues Wednesday through Saturday. However, I hope that I can return from Beijing with some new opportunities for AECT and its members. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as president of the finest association of its kind. It has been an honor to serve and work side by side with such amazing individuals.  President-Elect Steve Harmon, convention co-planner Zeni Colorado, division/committee planners, and AECT staff have organized another outstanding convention. I wish you all a great time in Anaheim and a successful year under the capable leadership of President Harmon.

With appreciation,
Marc


Monday, October 14, 2013

Top Five reasons to attend this year's convention



The 2013 AECT International Convention is only two weeks away and there's much to celebrate! I have developed my own .................

TOP FIVE reasons to attend this year's convention:

5. Where else can you enjoy a $40 luncheon and $70 per gallon coffee?

4. Incoming President Steve Harmon and the convention planning team have organized another outstanding convention experience.

3. AECT members gather yet another year to catch-up with old friends/colleagues, meet new friends, and attempt to impress each other with their research prowess and PowerPoint skills.

2. This is our LAST convention in Anaheim....at least for a while. (Call me crazy, but I kind of like Anaheim. But then again, I live in Kansas....enough said.)

1. This is our LAST Halloween convention!  (Last year's signed pumpkin petition did the job).

Do you have some more reasons to add?  Post them in the comments section below or on our AECT Facebook page!

Check out the schedule at - http://convention2.allacademic.com/one/aect/aect13/


Don't forget that we've got an app!! 

Apple iOS Devices: http://bit.ly/11DstzJ
Android Devices: http://bit.ly/12iuUmd
Windows Mobile Devices: http://bit.ly/18O8D71

With our app, developed by Crescerence (http://crescerance.com/), you get access to all the important facts and information about the convention anytime, anywhere.

Features of the 2013 AECT International Convention App:
 
• About the convention - Access information about the convention
• Schedule –Events-at-a-Glance are available, integrated with your device calendar
• Maps - Get directions to the convention hotel and within the vicinity
• Click and Share AECT – Snap photos and share them on social networks
• Featured Speakers – Get to know more about the speakers
• AECT Membership - Learn about AECT and its membership benefits