Thursday Afternoon Opening Welcome

Yvette Terps, Chairperson of WAALC, opens the conference on Thursday afternoon and welcomes Jo Medlin, for her Keynote address

Jo Medlin – Keynote – Part 1

Jo Medlin has been involved in adult literacy and numeracy for almost 30 years. She describes herself as “a serial volunteer”: currently President of the Australian Council of Adult Literacy (ACAL), rural representative of the NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council (NSWALNC), and a member of the national DESE Foundation Skills Advisory Committee, the Reading Writing Hotline Steering Committee, and the national Education IRC.

Jo Medlin – Keynote – Part 2

Jo Medlin – Keynote – Part 3

Thursday Panel Discussion

Jo Medlin, Paul Barnes and Richard West take questions from the audience

Friday Opening Welcome

Yvette Terps, Chairperson of WAALC, opens the conference on Friday morningand welcomes Deniese Cox, for her Keynote address

Deniese Cox – Keynote

Dr Deniese Cox is known as the go-to source for exceptional online teaching strategies that really are effective. Every research-driven strategy presented by Deniese has been extensively trialled, refined, and proven to work in a variety of settings by diverse educators and learners.

With extensive hands-on experience of her own in the online space, a Masters in online learning, and a PhD in online practice, Deniese is ideally placed to help educators and teams cut through the noise around teaching online.

However, it’s her ongoing commitment to research which really sets Deniese apart. Her current focus on digital literacy barriers is a welcome one, and the insights she’ll be sharing with us from learner and educator experiences are not to be missed.

Jo Medlin – Workshop – Sludge

In 2022 Jo was a guest at the NSW Sludge-a-thon where she was impressed by the work of the Corrective Services NSW Team who were developing a hand-held device for use by prisoners: Having taught into corrective services for many years via paper-based distance education, she was excited by the potential of the device to expand prison education options. In this workshop Jo will discuss the potential lessons from sludge-busting for educators. She will also share insights learned from dozens of other organisations she met in a second project that started as a plain language project but soon morphed into a wide-ranging reader-friendly communication approach.

Deniese Cox – Your Face Matters

The webcam has become an essential tool in our toolkit over the past couple of years. Whether we formally present online, are recording content, or hosting live tutorials and meetings, the webcam is now an everyday tool. However, the nature of your camera feed (angle, framing, position, etc) all significantly affect the learning experience and learning outcomes for your students. Yes, it even impacts learner engagement! Don’t be that educator who is accidentally blocking learner engagement just because of your camera feed.

During this essential session, you’ll hear learner feedback about their experiences and perceptions. You’ll also learn really practical advice that you can immediately apply regardless of what technology you have available to you. These insights are relevant for any educator who appears on screen (live or recorded).