CHICAGO, IL -- March 19, 2004 -- The Illinois Online Conference for Teaching and Learning (IOC 2004) today presented its first Innovations Awards to four unique recipients including the Center for Technology and Professional Development at Lake Land College; Lorraine Leo of the Jackson School in Newton, MA; The League for Innovations in the Community College; and Teaching in the Community College Online Conference (TCC). The IOC Innovations Awards recognize individuals and organizations advancing meaningful innovations in the education field.

The IOC also unveiled five awards for Distinguished Presenters at IOC 2004, the second annual 3-day conference held completely online. The “Conference Wrap-up and Awards Program” premiered today and may be viewed at: http://www.learningtimes.net/ioc2004awards.shtml

"It is a great honor to present IOC 2004 Innovations Awards to these outstanding contributors to education,” said Deb Hutti, Associate Vice President for Educational Services at Lake Land College, one of the 12 IOC sponsors. “We are also very proud of the 90 IOC 2004 presenters, many of whom were leading live online groups for the very first time.”

This year, the IOC 2004 received funding from the SBC Excelerator Program, the SBC Foundation's signature initiative which funds projects that use technology to build stronger communities. Since the program's inception in 2002, nearly $20 million in SBC Excelerator grants have been awarded to more than 1,000 non-profit organizations. "SBC has opened up a path for educators to utilize technology for professional development, and for that, we are very, very appreciative," said Hutti. For more information, see:
http://www.sbc.com/gen/corporate-citizenship?pid=58

Held entirely on the Internet, the Illinois Online Conference (IOC) for Teaching and Learning featured interactive webcasts with three keynote speakers, over 70 presentations and discussions based on the topics of: Innovation, Technology, Leadership, Teaching and Learning, and Current Issues in Education. To join the IOC Conference Community please visit: www.ilonlineconf.org

LearningTimes collaborated with the IOC to create a community experience with a full spectrum of real-time and on-demand learning and networking activities including virtual classroom sessions, instant messaging, discussion forums, a Conference Café; collaborative image galleries; and places to upload, annotate, collaborate on and publish resources specific to the conference.

”We are pleased that the IOC Advisory Committee has decided to open the Conference Community and all of its resources to the public, at no charge,” said Jonathan Finkelstein, President and Executive Producer of LearningTimes. “When combined with IOC 2003, there are now over 170 interactive presentations on topics of critical importance to K-20 education professionals – a wealth of current knowledge that is now a vital resource to the education community at large.” These resources are now available at http://home.learningtimes.net.

About the IOC
The IOC working group consists of representatives from Lake Land College, Illinois Virtual Campus, North Central Regional Education Laboratory, and the Eastern Illinois Education for Employment System. The IOC Advisory Board includes a wide range of state government agencies including the Governor's Office, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Community Colleges Online, Illinois Community College Board and Illinois Board of Higher Education.

About LearningTimes
LearningTimes, LLC designs and produces online learning conferences, communities, and events, and provides the platforms, applications and promotional expertise that make them successful. The LearningTimes Network of over 35 online communities and 14,000 members, connects learning-oriented groups and provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Recent clients and partners include: The New York City Department of Education, Columbia University Teachers College, St. John’s University, New Visions for Public Schools, The ICT Literacy Portal, The TLT Group, Workshops by Thiagi and InSync Training. For information visit http://www.learningtimes.net.