This year the ALT Conference happened in Cardiff, my adopted hometown, and I simply couldn’t miss it!
It’s been a while since I managed to attend an ALT Annual Conference, and I’ve blogged before about how it feels to return and I also shared a preview of my conference leadership workshop.
If you’d like to learn more about my session, then take a look at the info and slides at the end of this post 🙂
Conference Run
Early morning at the River Taff, where our run started.
As part of my contribution to the Conference Committee, I volunteered to help organise a local run the morning of the event. This was a really fun activity led by Megan, one of the Conference Co-Chairs, and I was glad to be involved.
Of course, it was raining and still pretty dark as I made my way to the West Gate of Bute Park to meet the group, but we had a fun round taking in the river, the Secret Garden cafe, the Welsh Royal College of Music and the Cardiff Castle! By the time we got back, we were ready for the conference 🙂
Conference radio
Life is busy these days, so I was only able to attend one day of the event in person. Which is why I was doubly glad and grateful to have the amazing Thursday Night Show Radio crew broadcasting altc radio!
I listened to the schedule for most of Tuesday, and enjoyed is massively. Big kudos to Dom Pates and all of his special guests, and to the conference team for keeping the conference radio spirit alive.
Conference shoe tweets
In the run up to the conference I had a lovely catch up with Simon, the other co-chair, and we only realised afterwards that we missed a great opportunity to an “all brogues” shoetweet.
It’s been years since the days of conferences shoe tweets… and I miss it! So I set out to the event ready to take those show photos. Thankfully plenty of lovely folk were game, and before we knew it, we were conferencing like it’s 2017!
It was such a joy for me to take part in the event, and the best part was no doubt to catch up with lots of colleagues in person!
I also went to plenty of inspiring sessions, and learnt a lot along the way, and the best bit was to see so much excellent work happening across the community.
Conference moment – Image taken by Puiyin 🙂
My #altc26 workshop
Inspired by the conference theme “Digital Ecosystems for Lifelong Learning”, this workshop offers a reflective and practical approach to developing digital leadership capabilities for managers and leaders.
I am looking forward to the opportunity to share my work and get feedback from peers, and the workshop I am leading is called “Leadership Capabilities for the Future of Education”.
Below is a quick preview of what’s in store, and the session takes place on Wednesday, 21st October at 12:10. Looking forward to seeing you there 🙂
Workshop Preview
Inspired by the conference theme “Digital Ecosystems for Lifelong Learning”, this workshop offers a reflective and practical approach to developing digital leadership capabilities for managers and leaders.
Digital capabilities are not only relevant for learning, teaching and research, but also for the way we work and lead more generally as in Higher Education and other sectors the way we work continues to become more flexible, blended and hybrid.
Leaders at all levels play a crucial role when it comes to translating the affordances of flexible, lifelong learning in organisations from strategic aim to lived reality. This workshop offers dedicated time to deepen your practice and pick up fresh inspiration for developing as a leader.
Workshop outcomes
Develop greater awareness of and reflective approaches to your leadership practice;
Learn about practical leadership approaches to digital wellbeing;
Explore resources for individuals and teams to reclaim the pace of digital productivity.
Workshop agenda
Introduction and context (5 min): Quick introduction to help situate the workshop in the wider context of digital leadership and in relation to the conference theme.
Part 1: Leading hybrid, remote and flexible teams (15 min): participants will be guided through a reflective exercise to gain insight into their current practice and its impacts.
Part 2: Practical leadership approaches to digital wellbeing (15 min): anchored in digital capability frameworks, work together on translating digital wellbeing theory into practice and discuss how you could apply this in your own context to foster physical, mental and social wellbeing at work.
Part 3: Reclaim the pace of digital productivity (15 min): explore practical approaches to managing digital noise and notifications, and to lessen digital overwhelm using best practice examples (and worst-case experiences, too).
Closing reflections (10 min): participants will undertake a brief reflective exercise individually and share their closing thoughts in response to reflective prompts.
Free printed resources will be provided to use on the day and digital versions will be available to take away. This is an interactive session, so be ready to take part in group activities and discussions. All group activities can be undertaken in a solo capacity if preferred.
Who should attend: This is a masterclass workshop designed for emerging and established leaders and anyone interested in developing their leadership capabilities.
References
Global Trends Towards Flexible, Hybrid Working and its Impact for Digital Leadership in Higher Education, A report by Maren Deepwell. Commissioned by the N-TUTORR National Digital Leadership Network, 2025;
CIPD. (2023). Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2023. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Digital Leadership Skills for the New Era in Education, Dr Lynne Taylerson, Digital Learning Institute, 16 April 2024;
Leading Virtual Teams – Field Notes from a CEO by Dr Maren Deepwell, was published in 2022 as an open access publication by the Association for Learning Technology, UK.
Digital Learning in Higher Education – COVID-19 and beyond University of Wolverhampton, June 2022.
UNESCO. (2024). What you need to know about UNESCO’s new AI competency frameworks for students and teachers. UNESCO.
In June this year two conferences take place that celebrate important milestones in Open Education and Learning Technology: the Irish Learning Technology Association’s annual EdTech Conference, 3-4 June in Dublin, celebrates its 25th anniversary under the theme EdTech You: Digital Learning From How to Who. Just a few weeks later the OER26 Conference convenes at the Open University in Milton Keynes, to focus on Openness Reimagined: Continuity, Change and Shared Vision and celebrate several anniversaries, including 20 years of OpenLearn and 30 years of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education.
As a big fan of both conferences and their communities, between which there’s plenty of crossover, I am fortunate to attend both this year and a deeper dive into the themes of both events prompted me to reflect on the crossover between the themes, and how each of these events may act as a catalyst for action and for hopeful change across sectors.
The ILTA Co-Chairs, Dr Rob Lowney and Kate Molloy, and the organising committee, pose the following questions:
“We invite you to join us in a conversation that asks:
Who was, is and should be the people of your/our Edtech community?
Who was, is or was missing from conversations about digital pedagogies ?
Who are we designing for (or against) in EdTech, and who is missing?”
For me, these questions relate closely to the wider context and the challenges it poses which are at the heart of OER26 led by Dr. Robert Farrow and Dr Beck Pitt:
“Openness has expanded participation, reshaped practice, and challenged assumptions about who education is for and how it should be delivered. Yet openness is not static. It evolves alongside the social, political, and technological conditions in which it operates. The rapid development of AI systems, platform-based infrastructures, shifting policy environments, new economic pressures, and renewed global debates about equity and justice are reshaping the terrain of open education.”
In both themes I see a call to (collective) action, a sense of urgency that care and connection should help determine the shape of things to come, rather than allowing technological imperatives to set the agenda. In addition, the milestones being celebrated reflect decades of valuable expertise and experience, of knowledge about the “how” of innovation in both open education and learning technology, and the invaluable work of (often volunteer) reviewers, contributors and collaborators.
Times may feel more uncertain than ever, and this is precisely why events like this, organised by member organisations in partnership with universities and volunteers, are so important: they open up space for reflection and discussion, galvanise action and help build new alliances and collaborations.
So here’s to you, OER26 and EdTech 2026! Like hundreds of fellow participants, I very much look forward to celebrating the milestones, swap stories and share inspiration come conference week!
Working with Lou is easy as breathing, because Lou is such a prolific facilitator. It’s always a joy to work with someone who is THIS good at making collaboration easy, who makes everyone feel welcome and who has a gift for explaining complex concepts in such a way that you can relate very easily. It was such a joy!
Lou’s one of the people behind an innovative Instagram Magazine called Fusion, and inspired by our session I’ve submitted an article, which will hopefully be published in the summer.
The recording of the session is now available to watch and you can also access the slides with links to the resources we discuss:
It’s not everyday that you get such an honour, to become an Honorary Life Member of the professional body you’ve belonged to for most of your career (read the ALT media release). It’s a huge privilege to join this illustrious group, to join peers whose work I admire and respect so much: Lorna Campbell and Josie Fraser, Frances Bell and Teresa MacKinnon, Julie Voce and Chris Jones, Linda Creanor and Seb Schmoller, Diana Laurillard and David Hawkridge.
Screenshot from the AGM Presentation on 19th November 2025.
ALT, the Association for Learning Technology, has been my professional home since I finished my PhD in 2008, and supports and empowers the community and networks I actively work with and in. Whilst working for ALT and serving as CEO, I maintained my own membership and successfully gained first Certified Membership (CMALT) and later Senior CMALT. I continue to act as an assessor for the scheme, and appreciate the opportunity to learn from peers going through the accreditation process.
Like many fellow leaders in Learning Technology, I have brought a grounding in other disciplines to my work in Learning Technology and Open Education. That is one of the things I enjoy the most about working in this sector, as it makes for a rich theoretical context and practice, too. I arrived in the sector at a time of great change and economic crisis, and ever since then big waves of innovation, political and social change have continued to rock institutions and practitioners alike. Learning Technologists have thrived through it all, and have a lot of expertise and insight to share with other sectors, I feel.
From serving on the FELTAG Ministerial Action Group, convened by the then Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise, Matthew Hancock and working with Diana Laurillard and Neil Morris on the hugely impactful Blended Learning Essentials courses; to laying the foundations for the AmplifyFE community of practice with Emma Procter-Legg and working on new pathways to accreditation and apprenticeships, my work in Learning Technology has been firmly anchored across sectors. FE, the sector in which I already felt welcome in at age 17, has always been a big focus for me, and ultimately led to my current work as a teacher, trainer and coach working with emerging and established leaders in education.
My work with ALT Member organisations both for ALT and on a free-lance basis, including many Higher Education providers, expanded beyond the UK, and one of my fondest memories from the past decade is working with colleagues at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University under the BOLT project, and awarding CMALT certificates to a whole cohort of their staff in 2018/19.
If there is one thing I have learnt by being part of this community it’s how much we have in common, across sectors and across international borders. In my work now in the UK, and with the team at Reclaim Hosting and Canadian and Irish colleagues in Open Education, I come across the same issues that ALT explored over the years. The technologies may change, and the context shifts, but at the heart of the work it’s still about empowering learners and educators in their use of technology, to be more ethical, equitable and sustainable.
So thank you, fellow ALT Members, for this nomination and the honour to be recognised by the peers that mean the most to me. I look forward to continuing to contribute to the important work we do and support ALT and our community.
A year ago my book Leading Virtual Teams was published, and I can very clearly remember all the wonderful excitement that led up to the launch, and am still grateful for all the encouragement for this Open Access publication.
A year on, and the book, which was initially inspired by the work Martin Hawksey and I did at ALT, has turned into a whole host of resources, two free courses and a podcast which informs my wider work on hybrid working leadership development and coaching.
A year in Leading Virtual Teams
To celebrate the milestone, this post gives a quick overview over what’s happened in 2023 and if you are just discovering the book or my work, this is a great place to start:
Open Access publication – December 2022
Leading Virtual Teams – Field Notes from a CEO by Dr Maren Deepwell, was published in December 2022 as an open access publication by the Association for Learning Technology, UK. You can read and download a free digital edition, published as an Open Access publication by ALT in partnership with Open Academia.
I started the podcast in 2022, but in spring 2023 things really started happening. Each week, I share ideas and strategies for creative and fun approaches to help you succeed and lead in the hybrid workplace. Each episode includes tools, resources and strategies for different aspects of hybrid working, and links to blog posts and further reading.
Podcast | Blog post | Part 4: Fostering a shared team culture (12 May ’23)
Podcast | Blog post | Part 5: Leading team activities (19 May ’23)
Podcast season 3 with weekly episodes – September 2023
In September I was excited to have Season 3 of the Leading Virtual Teams Podcast finally underway. It’s a new season in every sense… and that is why I kicked off with ‘new pencil case’ moments in episode.
This episode celebrated the start of September, and the new season or start of term for many of us. I have recently tried out a new gratitude journal share ideas for how to find bright spots in a busy time of year. I also give you a preview of what’s in store for season 3 and the upcoming run of the Leading Virtual Teams course in October.
Free Hybrid Working Habits course launches – October 2023
I have experienced a lot of ups and downs working from home, managing remote workers and collaborating virtually, and I chronicled this in my book, Leading Virtual Teams (2022). One of the things I learnt along the way is that a good work/life balance and relationship with digital technology may look a little different for everyone but that the journey how we get there is similar. That’s why I designed this course: to share practical tips that you can use to find ways to make hybrid working really work for you (or you team or organisation) in the long term.
It’s been great to see the course attract lots of listens and interaction. Although I do encourage people to register for free, only about half of the people participating in the course do. Others prefer to simply subscribe to the podcast to listen along and explore at their own pace.
The topics for the course resonated well with participants, especially those designed to help manage digital overwhelm and setting life/work boundaries. Plus, I really enjoyed recording these as well, which is an added bonus!
The course resources and podcasts are now freely available and you can explore topics at your own pace. The easiest way to do that is to listen to the course podcast:
It’s been a wonderful year, and it’s also been a lot of hard work. Practically all my work in this area since the publication of the book has happened around the edges of my day job, and especially until the end of September that was a very full on commitment. Since focusing full time on my free-lance work I have had a little more scope to take on paid work in this space, and thus give this topic a bit more time in my day to day work.
Every now and then I get an email or a message or someone speaks to me at a conference about something valuable they found in the book, something that helped them in their work or opened up a new perspective and it always, always makes my day.
I have chosen not to publish the book commercially, instead going the Open Access route with the book and all the resources and courses I have published since, because I want as many people as possible to learn from the mistakes I made and the experiences I recount, and find a better way to manage blended, hybrid and virtual organisations. One downside is however that I have not much data about how many people engage with the work I do, and with an ever more fragmented social media landscape getting a feel for one’s reach is more challenging still. Which is why I value it so much when folk do share some feedback or send me a message.
All in all, it’s been a fun and rewarding year working towards putting the book into practice and making the ideas in it available to a larger audience.
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