Based on feedback, we are continuing the phased approach to our Call for Proposals this year. We hope to build 80 percent of the program during the first two phases, and complete it with an all call and invited speakers in Phases 3 and 4. 

If you would like your proposal to be considered for the online conference as well (this will not affect the acceptance of your in-person conference proposal), check that option in the proposal form.

The phases are outlined below:

• Phase 1 - June 12 - July 22, 2023 - CLOSED

• Innovation in digital learning (new and what's coming in the future);

• Artificial Intelligence in Education;

• Student and parent/family engagement strategies;

• Working with special student populations in digital environments (ELL, Special Education);

• Accessibility;

• Best practices for teachers and leaders in digital learning.

• Phase 2 - August 8 - September 8, 2023 - CLOSED

  A focus on session topics related to:

  • Sessions for a new private/international school track (private schools, international schools, independent schools, overseas school, and IB online courses/schools)

  • New school models - design and best practice focused (hybrid schools, micro-schools, CTE, etc.) 

  • Professional Learning for both leaders and teachers - needs, onboarding, and ongoing support, etc.

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) focused topics

• Phase 3 - September 26 - October 22, 2023 CLOSED - An open call phase (please feel free to submit on any topic). However, we are looking to fill in gaps not met in the first two phases. Our current gaps are for:

  • We are looking for sessions focused on pushing the field forward (more advanced audience) and for leaders of digital programs/schools.

  • Research, policy, and communications/marketing focused sessions.

  • International and private online schools continues to be a focus, along with DEI and SEL focused topics.

  • A focus on AI in the future (we have plenty of sessions focused on how AI is being used now, how do you envision it will look in 2-5 years and how will this effect online and hybrid learning). Let’s push our thinking!

• Phase 4 - November 13, 2023 - January 5, 2024 - Invited speakers only. The DLAC Program Committee and team will invite specific people to fill in specific gaps in the program.

Proposal submissions will be reviewed by members of the Program Committee throughout the months of August, September, and October (after each phase) and the program will be finalized by conference organizers in early November.  All submitters will be notified of their proposal status at the end of each phase and no later than November 17, 2023 on the final status of their proposals. 

• June 12, 2023 - Call for Proposals Opens 

• October 22, 2023 - Call for Proposals Closes

• October 14 - November 12, 2023 - Final review of proposals by Program Committee and DLAC team.

• Week of November 13, 2023 - Notifications are emailed to all submitters no later than November 17, 2023.

• Speakers must confirm their acceptance no later than December 15, 2023.

​​​​The Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) program is not the typical education conference. The time allotted to sessions is considerably different than your normal education conference, with an emphasis on shorter, more interactive discussions. Sessions range from very short presentations (6 minutes, 40 seconds) to debates that might be as long as 75 minutes, with many options in between.

We are building a modular program in which the basic building block is a 20-minute segment, which must include at least five minutes of Q&A/discussion at the end, and is followed by five minutes for transition. Three segments are combined into 75-minute breakout sessions (including transition time), which may be built around a common theme. Several exceptions to this basic framework are explained below.

This approach maximizes flexibility for conference attendees and ensures that everyone is personalizing their learning experience. Attendees move from room to room throughout the break-out sessions. Although previous DLAC attendees are more comfortable with this format, we recognize that this approach requires us to continue to socialize presenters, moderators, and attendees!

For example, an attendee may start by attending two 20-minute talks, and during the transition/Q&A time of the second one, get up and move to a room with PechaKuchas to watch the last two in the final segment. Another attendee may begin by attending a panel session and a little after decide to leave (even though the panel discussion isn’t over) to attend a Contributed Talk for segment three. Another attendee may decide to attend a debate that lasts the entire 75 minutes and not move during that break-out session.

The guiding idea is that attendees should feel free to move between sessions in a way that meets their learning and networking needs to create a truly personalized conference experience. We are creating a culture where it’s not considered rude to move between sessions, and presenters should expect that people will leave and arrive throughout their presentation/discussion.

In order for this to work, segment times will be strictly enforced by a moderator in each break-out room. This will provide the needed structure to allow for the “organized chaos” of the break-out sessions to succeed.

We are soliciting the following types of sessions. Remember, an individual segment is planned for each speaker to present for 20 minutes including Q&A. Therefore, the total times are:

• 0.5 segments: 10 minutes

• 1 segment: 20 minutes

• 1.5 segments: 35 minutes

• 2 segments: 45 minutes

• 3 segments: 75 minutes

Sessions are held in the 75-minute blocks of time, made up of multiple segments and transition time, that can be built around a specific theme/topic, which will combine different session types. If you wish to request this for your proposal, select "Other" for the number of segments and explain the length of time being requested and why longer than 75 minutes is needed.

You will be asked to select one of the following session types:​

• Contributed Talk (20 minutes/1 segment) – These talks are made up of 15 minutes of presentation and 5 minutes of questions and discussion. The Program Committee will organize these short talks together under broad themes. 

• Explore and Engage (45 minutes/2 segments) – This session is intended for a presenter to share information about a topic for 20 minutes (similar to a Contributed Talk) and then lead a discussion about the topic directly following the presentation for the next 20 minute segment (similar to a Table Talk). ​​​​​​​

• Organized Session of Talks (75 minutes/3 segments) - The presenter proposes the theme for all three speakers. These sessions are considered a group of three Contributed Talks. They are based on 20-minute segments and allow conference attendees to move between sessions throughout the day. A session moderator may choose to have two speakers plus a 20-minute discussion for the third segment. 

• Table Talks (35 minutes/1.5 segments) – Table talks are facilitated small group (10-15 people) discussions of 35 minutes. Discussion topics are chosen by the moderator of the session and can focus on any aspect of digital learning. The moderator does not need to be an expert on the topic, but should have questions planned prior to the Table Talk to guide the conversation. 

• Book Study (35 minutes/1.5 segments) – Book Studies are facilitated small group (10-15 people) discussions of 35 minutes. Sessions are focused around a book that will be highlighted before the conference so attendees have the opportunity to read the book prior to the session. The book is chosen by the moderator of the session and can focus on any aspect of digital learning. The moderator does not have to be the author of the book but should have questions planned prior to the Book Study to guide the conversation.

• PechaKucha (0.5 segments) – This is a very specific type of presentation that is exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds long, where you must have exactly 20 images in a Powerpoint with slides auto-advancing after 20 seconds. See www.pechakucha.org for more information. ​​​​​​​

• Poster Sessions (90 minutes) – Posters are presented during one of the two early evening receptions in the exhibit hall. We would like you to think of your poster as an “infographic” to stress that the graphics must convey a problem and solution, or research question and findings.  

Blocks may also be used for the following types of activities, using the entire 75 minutes or a portion of the 75 minutes:

• Debate (2 to 3 segments) – This session is intended for a moderator to lead a debate-style discussion on an online, blended, or digital learning topic in which differing opinions exist. Structurally, a debate and a panel discussion may appear similar, but we are encouraging the free exchange of ideas and, as such, debates that feature differing views will be given priority.​​​​​​​ 

• Panel Discussion (2 to 3 segments) – After short introductory statements on the panel topic, a moderator will lead a discussion with the panelists on the topic, encouraging the attendees to pose questions. Panel discussions must be interactive between panel members and the audience and not a set of individual presentations. The preferred panel discussion provides panelists with a variety of perspectives on a topic from multiple schools/organizations. (The Program Committee can assist in finding other panelists as needed.) 

• Workshops (3 segments) – This session provides an opportunity to explore a topic in depth. It is expected that the workshop will have various interactive components. While, generally speaking, sessions are limited to 75 minutes in length, workshops may propose a longer time period that would span more than one break-out session. The workshop session type is not meant to be a traditional conference break-out sessions. These must be interactive sessions, engaging all participants in activities and discussions to take a deeper experiential dive into a topic.

• Community-Based Set of Sessions (4 sessions) - The goal of these sessions is to propose a specific track of multiple sessions that build upon one another that attendees would join throughout DLAC. These are comprised of: 1) A Contributed Talk (pre-recorded and shared prior to the main conference to introduce the topic), 2) a Panel Discussion (to provide multiple perspectives from experts on the topic, 3) a Workshop (to take a deeper, hands-on dive into the topic), and 4) a Table Talk discussion (to give the participants a chance to ask questions and engage at a higher level with other members of the community). One to two people will plan, lead, moderate, and engage the participants as a community during DLAC around this topic. If there is further interest in participants continuing to engage after DLAC, they can do so through the DLC membership organization. To submit these sessions, select Community-Based Set of Sessions in the proposal form and provide an overview along with the titles of each of the four specific sessions in your session description. You will then need to submit each of the four sessions separately, each with a different title and description and in each of those submissions mark "Yes", that it is a part of a Community-Based Set of Sessions in the proposal form when asked. Please reach out to dlac@evergreenedgroup.com with questions about this session type. 

• If you have an idea for another session, please provide this information in your proposal in the "Other" area. ​​​​​​​​​

DLAC is based on these principles as explained on the website:

Digital tools and resources aren't silver bullets that magically transform education, but online learning, blended learning, and the use of technology have the potential to improve student outcomes, when developed by thoughtful school leaders and implemented by effective teachers.

We seek to celebrate K-12 digital learning practitioners, researchers, and policymakers; learn from each other; and share best (and worst) practices to build common ground in this new and innovative conference.

We seek presentations and facilitated discussions that explore:

• Which instructional strategies using online, blended, and digital learning meet educational goals at a district, school, or student level. We are especially interested in systemic approaches to using online tools, resources, or instruction in traditional schools.

• What “success” looks like—beyond test scores in particular?

• How digital learning strategies and programs are designed to be sustainable and scalable.

• What you have failed at, learned from, improved upon.

• What research- or evidence-based concepts have been put into practice.

• What policies are helping or hindering digital learning efforts.

• How we push the field forward, challenge our thinking, and design new models.

We also welcome proposals exploring the pandemic response, what is sticking, etc. 

This is not an exhaustive list but, instead, is meant to catalyze your thinking.

Each of these topics can be explored from multiple perspectives, including teachers, school leaders, parents, students, researchers, policymakers, and others. In particular, we encourage schools to consider including students in presentations and discussions, as appropriate.

We encourage differing perspectives and welcome debates and panel discussions.

As explained, individual sessions are short. Therefore, we encourage presentations and discussions that focus on a specific topic, particularly from the perspectives of "here's what we tried and here's what was successful (or not)", or "here's what our data tells us about our successes and failures." Specific topics might include content acquisition, teacher recruitment, professional learning, evaluation, student support, and on and on. The list is endless.

Trinity Wilburn, one of our highest rated speakers has shared some tips and tricks for putting your proposal and presentation together in this short video.

Also, you don't have to consider yourself an expert to propose a session. If you are struggling with an issue, propose a table talk to attract others who are dealing with it as well. If you have a certain view and want to explore it with others who hold different opinions, propose a panel discussion or debate. If you have an issue that you feel is important and interesting but limited in scope, propose a PechaKucha presentation.

In the Call for Proposal form, you will select your main topic first. These categories broadly define the audience focus of your session. We recognize that some schools and programs don't fall neatly into any one of these categories! In that case, please either select "Digital Learning" or select the other category that is the closest match to your session.

• Digital Learning: A topic that applies across different types of schools and instructional modalities.

• Online learning: A topic focused on programs or schools where the majority of instruction is done online with students and teachers remote from one another. Full-time online schools and state virtual schools are generally in this category.

• Hybrid learning: A topic focused on programs or schools that combine online and onsite instruction, without requiring students to spend most of their time onsite on a traditional bell schedule. This category includes many independent study programs and alternative schools that have a site that many students attend regularly. These schools are funded based on mechanisms other than seat time.

• Blended learning: A topic focused on programs or schools that operate on a fairly traditional daily bell schedule and semester calendar, integrating online tools, resources, and content into the school day.
   

You will have the option to add a secondary topic to your proposal to more specifically categorize your session. Topics/Tracks and types of questions to think about for the conference include:

• Accessibility - How are you addressing accessibility topics in your program, school, classroom, content, and technology?

• Accountability - How are online and blended schools being evaluated in your country or state? What changes do you think should be made to accountability processes? Why?

• Best Practices - What are best practices you have found in digital learning? Examples in both teaching (different grade levels, synch/asynch) and leading an online, blended, or hybrid program (policies, funding, hiring, PD, etc.).

• Communications/Marketing - How do you communicate with parents, students, media, policy makers, your community, etc. about your school/program? What strategies are you using to market your program? 

• Continuity of Learning (COVID Related, Remote Learning, eLearning Days, etc.) - What new strategies and policies have been put in place to ensure Continuity of Learning during the pandemic, for natural disasters, snow days, etc. using online, blended, and digital learning?

• Design and Refine - What do leaders need to do and know to start an online school/program? What new ideas and resources are out there to help them rethink some of the processes and strategies they have been using over the years and need to be refreshed?

• Digital Content - What types of content are being used in your school/program? Did you build it or buy it? Are you using OER? How?

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) - How is your school/program addressing DEI issues in a comprehensive way? 

• Funding/Policy - How are online and blended learning programs and schools being funded in your country/state/district? Are there any new policy changes coming in your country/state this year? How did that affect the schools, students? What types of policies/funding would be helpful for students in these learning environments? What policies and funding models work? Don't work?

• Innovation - What types of new innovations are you seeing in K-12 online, blended, and digital learning? What have you tried that worked? Didn't work? What would you love to see in the future if you could re-imagine digital learning?

• Professional Development - How are you providing professional learning for your teachers and staff? What have you done that worked? Didn't work? Are teachers in your program certified to teach in an online or blended environment? 

• Quality - How is quality measured in your program? How do you measure course quality? How are teachers evaluated? How are you using the National Standards for Quality? What is working? What isn't working?

• Research - Have you put out new research this year to share? What was the outcome? What new topics would you like to see researched in the future? 

• Teaching Strategies - How do you engage students in online environments? How do you support special student populations (ELL, Special Education, Gifted, etc.)? How do you assess students online? How do you create supplemental digital content? How do you build community?

• Technology - What tools are you using in online, blended, and digital learning environments that work? Don't work? What types of tools would make your life easier as an admin, teacher, student?

Finally, if you are interested in exploring a session topic but not sure if it’s a good fit, email us at dlac@evergreenedgroup.com. We will respond to your email as best we can.

If you are submitting a proposal with multiple speakers, please have all group presenters' information (name, title, email, org, city, state/country, and bio) before submitting your proposal.

If you are submitting a proposal on behalf of someone else, please list them as the main speaker. You may add your email as part of the process to be copied on all correspondence.

Please only create one profile (account). All speakers should use the same email address for all presentations (both the ones you submit as the lead presenter and for the presentations where you are listed as a co-presenter).

Each individual person (not based on organization) is limited to submitting three submissions (you may be listed as a co-presenter on multiple proposals).

Please remember that sessions are for educational purposes only and not vehicles for commercial pitches.

Here is a short video sharing some tips and tricks from Sarah Williamson who has submitted proposals for a variety of organizations and schools that have been accepted into each of the past few DLACs. A short video, Tips and Tricks for Submitting a Winning Proposal, can be found below and the slides can be found here.

A projector and speakers will be available in each Break-out Room. Microphones are also provided in larger rooms. Table Talks and Poster sessions will not include AV.

You will receive a confirmation email with a record number that includes your abstract record number within a few minutes of successfully submitting your proposal. Be sure to keep your confirmation email. It will include a link for you to make future edits to your proposal if needed. The confirmation email will be sent to the email address you listed when creating your profile. The email will come from dlac@evergreenedgroup.com. Please be aware that sometimes school and company emails may be blocked or will redirect the confirmation to your junk mailbox. If you feel you have completed and submitted your proposal(s) and you do NOT receive a confirmation email, please go back into your account, make any necessary changes, and re-submit. If you have any issues submitting your proposal, please contact us at dlac@evergreenedgroup.com.

To get started with the proposal process, click on the "Submit Your Proposal" button at the top or bottom of this page, and follow the instructions for a New User to create your account. Once complete, select "Submissions" from the top of the page, then "Add New" to submit your proposal(s). Please send any proposal related questions to  dlac@evergreenedgroup.com. For more information about the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC), click here.