Silver Cloud Retirement Myths for Higher Educ & Call For Proposals: TLT Group Online Symposium TOMORROW 8/14 1pm ET

Silver Cloud - TLT Group's Annual Online Summer Symposium  

August 8, 14, and 16 at 1:00 - 2:00pm ET  + optional 30 mins "afterthoughts".  Free to TLT Group Individual Members; Fee for non-member registration $250.  Register:  tlt.gs/OLIreg 

Who are the Silver Cloudians?  
Those facing a new confluence of Confusion, Ignorance, and Fear
associated  with the rapidly changing options for (and external pressures toward):

A. Online teaching, learning, and networking
B. Retirement

Who are Silver Cloudians?  ...the unprecedentedly large cohort of higher ed "baby boomer" professionals facing

ACCELERATED/DELAYED/PARTIAL retirement from academic careers in the midst of economic recession and info tech revolution?

What can they offer?  What do they want, need?    [Even beyond reserved parking?] 

Aug. 8 - Overview - Identify resources, needs
Aug. 14 - Myths & CFP - Identify challenging myths and develop Call for Proposals
Aug. 16 - Stories - illustrative, provocative, useful

Aug 14 we'll follow-up previous sessions by identifying relevant myths about higher education retirement options and related online teaching/learning/networking options.
We'll explore myths, questions, etc.  and develop a related Call for Proposals - for online offerings during 2012-13.

Sample Myths & Related Questions:

1. I know when I'm going to retire, what my finances will support, and what im going to be doing.
2. I understand Medicare. 
3. I understand several of the important current options for online teaching and learning - including synchronous/asynchronous, text/audio/video, mega-course support, open educational resources, etc INCLUDING THOSE MOST FAVORED AND BEST SUPPORTED BY MY "HOME" INSTITUTION. 
4. It will be great not to have to work anymore and to make lots of money through my websites and other online activities!
5. Early retirement is good for everyone!
6. I'll never retire.
7. I understand all the benefits and responsibilities of emeritus status fully - not just the parking privileges and ceremonial obligations! 
8. I'll spend most of my retirment traveling and doing volunteer work.
9. I'll continue to have internet access speed and quality and tech support as good as in my campus office.
10. My retirement budget includes new tech and telecomm options I can't even anticipate - ESP ones my grandchildren and my online undergrad students will expect me to use.
11. My relatives and colleagues will be ready to participate along with me in the online activities I like best now and the ones I discover in the next few years (weeks?).
12. I know all my options for continuing to work at/with my "home" institution and other institutions.
13. My institution/dept/colleagues are well-prepared to help me adjust to my new status and develop new roles and relationships.
14. My institution/dept/colleagues are well-prepared to accept help from me in my new status and to provide support for these new roles and relationships.
15. I'm familiar with the organizations that already exist to support retirees in general, in higher education, and within my own institution!

NOTE: How many of those facing imminent retirement - or already retired - strongly identify with a single "home" institution? Why do/don't/should/shouldn't acad leaders care about the strength of these affiliations? What are they able/willing to do about it?

Related questions for consideration:

1. What resources, support would enable you to take better advantage of higher-education-related online options as a retiree?
2. What resources, support would enable retirees to use online options to continue helping colleagues and students in higher education?
3. How are the answers to these questions different, complementary, conflicting from the perspectives of   full-time faculty?  part-time faculty?  online faculty?  professional support staff?  hybrids?  administrators?
4. What roles do you want to have available to you and your colleagues during retirement?  Shortly before?  
5. What are the biggest challenges you see as retirement approaches? Or that you have already found?
6. What issues should be researched further vis a vis retirement in higher ed?

IMAGE selected by Steve Gilbert 20120712
Photo of "Silver Lake, Florida: Sun behind clouds over the lake." 10 August 2008... "Author Ebyabe..."
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Silver_Lake_FL_sky01.jpg/512px-Silver_Lake_FL_sky01.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASilver_Lake_FL_sky01.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Silver_Lake_FL_sky01.jpg
"Permission (Reusing this file) 
By Ebyabe (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Own work, copyleft: Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0)"

IMAGE selected by Steve Gilbert 20120813 

Photo of "Reserved parking sign at the St. Thomas Synagogue-Beracha Veshalom Vegemiluth Hasadim. The synagogue (but probably not the parking space which is just outside the synagogue) has been on the NRHP since August 15, 1997. At 16AB Krystal Gade (or Crystal Street) in Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands...Date 27 December 2011...Source Own work...Author Smallbones"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/No_Parking_St_Toms_since_1830.JPG/512px-No_Parking_St_Toms_since_1830.JPG

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANo_Parking_St_Toms_since_1830.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/No_Parking_St_Toms_since_1830.JPG

By Smallbones (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

"I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license:
This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication."

Posted with Blogsy