For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Katherine Haney
919-459-2510
khaney@ncalta.org 

ANNOUNCING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NORTH CAROLINA ADVANCED LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES ASSOCIATION (NCALTA)

NORTH CAROLINA EDUCATORS, SCIENTISTS AND BUSINESS EXECUTIVES ANNOUNCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE CREATION OF ADVANCED LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
Serious Games Summit Washington. D.C. (October 31, 2006)

In a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas through the use of advanced learning technologies for education and workforce development.
North Carolina educators, scientists and business executives have joined together to provide thought leadership and collaboration in this area through the formation of a new 501(c)(6) organization known as the North Carolina Association for Advanced Learning Technologies (NCALTA). NCALTA will provide a vital network and bridge between educators, legislators and technology developers regarding the use and creation of Advanced Learning Technologies.

NCALTA aims to advance research and multidisciplinary collaboration on the innovative paradigms, architectures and implementations of learning systems for adaptive learning related to STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), mobile learning, life-long-learning, just-in-time, and on-demand learning. NCALTA is committed to the development of new technologies to empower learners of all types and ages.

NCALTA will focus on Interactive Digital Environments for Advanced Learning Technologies (IDEAL Tech). IDEAL Tech includes but is not limited to:

• Adaptivity in Learning Systems
• Advanced Uses of Multimedia and Hypermedia
• Architecture of Context Aware Learning Technology Systems
• Artificial Intelligence Tools for Contextual Learning
• Augmented Reality
• Building Learning Communities
• Concretizing Technologies (e.g. Robotics) in Learning
• Educational Modeling Languages / Learning Design
• Evolution in Teacher Roles through Technology
• Information Retrieval and Visualization Methods for Learning
• Instructional Design Theories and Learning Science
• Media for Learning in Multicultural Settings
• Pedagogical and Organizational Frameworks
• Simulation Learning
• Serious Game Development
• Technologies for advanced Teacher Training
• Virtual Reality

“North Carolina has a rare blend of leading learning institutions, game development studios, new media companies, and companies dedicated to creating learning programs. NCALTA will leverage these resources to establish North Carolina as the world’s foremost hub for creating Advanced Learning Technologies, a burgeoning source of high-paying jobs and transformational learning tools” – Jerry Heneghan, President and Co-Founder of NCALTA.

NCALTA will support attempts to integrate technology into education as well as provide resources and tools for carrying out professional growth and development among developers, educators and researchers. To learn more about the association and to join, visit our website at www.NCALTA.org or email “info@NCALTA.org”