Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning Launches Hybrid Event via Mediasite

26th annual conference streams presentations live to virtual audience

Madison, Wis. (05 Aug 2010)

Sonic Foundry, Inc.(NASDAQ: SOFO), the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting, lecture capture and knowledge management, today announced the 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning will be streamed to a virtual audience using Mediasite. The conference, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Division of Continuing Studies, is being held this week at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis.

The Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning is internationally recognized for providing a quality venue to exchange current resources, research and best practices in distance education. The conference has been using Mediasite to record and archive select sessions for several years, but this is the first time a blended conference will be offered, combining online presentations with a physical event. The virtual pass was added as part of the commitment to provide the audience with greater access to the program and tap into the momentum created by the conference.

“The addition of the virtual conference will enable distance educators to attend instructional sessions and ask questions of the presenters in real time from their desktop,” said Jane Terpstra, conference director. “It made sense to offer the option of a virtual conference after more than a quarter century of providing a venue to exchange ideas about distance education to attendees from around the world. We’re thankful for the long-term partnership with Sonic Foundry that allows us to make this happen.”

The virtual package is aimed at administrators, targeting sessions and symposia from the Program Administration & Management track. Virtual attendees will have access to the live streaming video of the general, keynote and closing sessions, as well as access to the on-demand archives for three months following the conference.  In addition, the in-person and virtual participants will be interacting via Twitter during the meeting. Use #DTL_2010 on Twitter or visit http://search.twitter.com/search?q=dtl_2010 to follow the conversation.

The conference will be webcast by Sonic Foundry's Event Services, a leading provider of webcasting for blended conferences and high-profile training events. The group supplies technical webcasting services and expertise to organizations who seek to complement their conference or event with viewing over the web. Since its launch in January 2007, the Event Services group has provided live and on-demand webcasting for clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations and university associations to sporting events and charitable organizations.