This year's Imagination Summit 2013 was focused on providing a “for-faculty, by-faculty” discussion about how Biola professors can use technology to better teach students and prepare them for successful futures, without making technology the main focus of teaching.
Over 200 Biola faculty and staff members gathered in the Andrews Banquet Room of Talbot East on Friday, April 26 for the University's Third Imagination Summit. The opening plenary sessions included an opening keynote address by Fred Sanders, along with interactive video sessions with Michael Wesch, a cultural anthropologist at Kansas State University and leader in the emerging field of digital ethnography. Faculty then had the opportunity to attend breakout sessions in which fellow faculty led discussions and gave their peers valuable tools to aide in their teaching.
President Barry Corey addressed the crowd detailing Biola’s response to the digital revolution, featuring current initiatives and a vision for Biola's future . A faculty roundtable followed, featuring Jason Oakes, Gary Strauss, Matthew Weathers, Joanne Jung, Lisa Swain, Maria Wilbar, Caroline Kim, and moderated by Aaron Kleist. These faculty members shared stories detailing creative uses of technology that enhanced their teaching experience and their interactions with students, both in the traditional classroom and through online classes.
The closing session included words from Provost and Senior Vice President David Nystrom to faculty on "The Way Forward". To end this exciting event, classroom resources--including an iPad 2-- were raffled off to faculty members.