Keynote speaker Katie Linder displays a favorite quote from Herbert A. Simon: “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Her address was titled “Helping Students Learn in an Age of Digital Distraction.” Linder is director of the eCampus Research Unit at Oregon State University. (Photos by Marisol Ramirez)

The flood of ever-evolving technology has changed the workplace, the home and the social fabric of civilization, but how has it changed the classroom?

More than 600 educators tackled that question and strategized how to optimize learning in a technological world at the recent Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference.

The annual, two-day conference at the University of Missouri–St. Louis was organized by the Center for Teaching and Learning‘s Director of Faculty Development Keeta Holmes and Instructional Designer Emily Goldstein. It had 110 presenters, 67 sessions and 13 vendors.

Educators participate in an exercise during Katie Linder’s address, the first of two keynotes at the recent Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference at UMSL.

It also offered two keynote addresses: “Helping Students Learn in an Age of Digital Distraction” by Katie Linder, director of the eCampus Research Unit at Oregon State University, and “Late Nights and Big Questions: The Joys and Challenges of Teaching Outside Your Comfort Zone” by Therese Huston, a faculty development consultant for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Seattle University.

Attendees came away considering the positive role of technology in the classroom, the necessity to help students develop reflective strategies to improve comprehension and how teachers more than ever need to also educate students on how to use the technology that surrounds them.

One of Holmes’ favorite takeaways shared post-conference: “I liked the idea of getting brains ready for learning – being intentional about helping students develop reflective strategies.”