University of Nebraska Omaha
By Lyn M. Holley - American Association for Gerontology in Higher Education 34th Annual Meeting and Educational Leadership

This is an exceptional conference in respect to quality of presentations and accessibility of participating scholars. Research: At this conference, my research progress gained considerable momentum. I benefited from the direct discussions with top scholars and their critiques of my work. My student co-author Stephanie Hraban and I received the AGHE 2008 Emerging Scholar Award for research on using service learning to influence student intention to serve. This work informs my curriculum design and, through my Teaching Circle and faculty development presentations, will inform curriculum design throughout UNO. Teaching: Hearing the Distinguished Teacher Lecture by Dana Burr Bradley (the AGHE 2008 Distinguished Teacher) and subsequent discussions with her will change my teaching. Professor Bradley described integration of (Facebook-like) technology into an Introduction to Gerontology course. This glimpse of how technology provided a powerful platform for integration of life history with video social networking that uses historical context and structured interviews, video presentations and responsive blogging “rocked my world”. It inspired me to “go and do likewise”. Dr. Bradley described a dimension that integrates active, collaborative learning and critical thinking with other-regarding behavior. Facebook is a major departure from current pedagogy, but it is increasingly central to my students’ experience. My Teaching Circle and I are considering how to design instruction so that it can “go where the students are”. The result of this brainstorming and sharing will be tested in my Introduction to Gerontology courses and shared throughout UNO via Faculty Development presentations, and in journal articles. Many other inspiring sessions and exhibits provided ideas and articles that will enrich my classes in the coming academic year. My Fall 2008 Programs and Services for the Elderly course will benefit particularly from the comparative gerontology materials as we address the current policy debates about US national health insurance/care.