Dr. Reynol Junco

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University’s Dr. Reynol Junco will deliver the keynote speech at the 34th Annual Conference of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). The theme of the conference is “Advising: The Fast Pass to Student Success.”

Junco, who is an associate professor and the director of Disability Services in the Department of Academic Development and Counseling, will speak at the Opening General Session on Sunday, October 3.

An official NACADA online “Speaker Spotlight” states that Junco “is widely regarded as a leading scholar on social media in higher education.”

The Speaker Spotlight includes an interview with Junco in which he describes his research interests: “I focus on assessing the impact of emerging technologies on student psychosocial development, engagement, and success. Lately, I've focused a lot on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.” He adds, “My goal is for advisors to be able to use my results to decide which technologies will be most effective to use with their students and to uncover the most effective ways to use them.”

The online interview also previews Junco’s keynote speech. “While attendees will hear me talk about the positive outcomes of student technology use, they'll also hear me talk about the pitfalls. Additionally, I believe it's important not to categorize all students as having equal technology skills just because they are younger than we are or grew up at a time when our society is saturated by technology. So, attendees will also hear me talk about digital inequalities in student ownership and use of technology, something that is of great importance and interest to me.”

The full interview is available at http://nacada2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/speaker-spotlight-rey-junco.html

Junco is the author of an article entitled "Using Emerging Technologies to Engage Students and Enhance Their Success," in the September issue of Academic Advising Today. His blog is available at twitter.com/reyjunco

The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) promotes and supports quality academic advising in institutions of higher education to enhance the educational development of students. NACADA provides a forum for discussion, debate, and the exchange of ideas pertaining to academic advising through numerous activities and publications. The 2010 NACADA conference will be October 3-6 in Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center at Disney World, Florida.