The LearningTimes Australia (LTA) community firstlaunched with a three-day online conference entitled "Using Cool Tools for E-learning" which was aimed at showcasing the latest e-learning tools for the vocational education and training (VET) system. Over 1000 education professionals from across Australia and from around the globe participated, and the LTA community continues to grow and serve as a vital networking and professional development hub.

The "Using Cool Tools for E-Learning" online conference was produced together with the Networks of the Australian Flexible Learning Community Project, which is an initiative of the Australian Flexible Learning Framework.

The event offered an exciting professional development opportunity with participants not only learning about the full range of e-learning tools, but also being able to access, explore and use them. By actually using the tools, people were able to learn how they can be incorporated into effective blended learning programs.

Some highlights included:

Sssions were both asynchronous in format, for easy access at any time, and live online in audio and video enabled environments, providing opportunities to colleaborate in real time. An archive of all events and discussions are available freely on the LTA community site. Additional online conferences and ongoing activities have continued to take place inside the LearningTimes Australia site.