EduCon 2.2

(Re)Imagining Social Media & Technology in Teacher Education

Who:

Dr. Alec Couros, Dean Shareski

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 208

Join Dean Shareski and Alec Couros to discuss innovations in teacher education for developing technical skills and new literacies in preservice teachers. We'd like to share our experiences, but more importantly, we'd like to lead a conversation discussing the role of teacher education programs for developing innovative teachers.

2.Go

Who:

Paul Bogush

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 308

Skype? Wikis? Delicious? RSS? Twitter? Podcasts? Google Docs? 2.Go will cover all the basic 2.0 tools that will be talked about in Educon sessions, and "introduce" you to many of the attendees to help you network. 2.Go is for beginners who are just starting to integrate technology into their lives.

21st Century Classrooms or 21st Century Learning?

Who:

Tracy Weber

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 211

We've all been encouraged to build a 21st century classroom full of cool technology tools and gadgets, yet many have witnessed the underwhelming change these tools have brought to student learning. Why is that? We'll explore this dilemma as we work collaboratively to clarify a vision and a process for creating digital age learning environments.

8.5x11: Sameness, disruption, and design in the classroom

Who:

Christina Jenkins

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 307

When does technology integration make sense in the classroom, and when does it not? We will examine the instructional routines we often abuse (see PowerPoint), and propose strategies for disrupting these routines by introducing "design thinking" to teaching practice. Participants will make a physical book that illustrates this concept.

A Student's Vision of Personalized Learning & Real-time Collaboration

Who:

Evan Morikawa, Andrew Pethan

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 301

How do we easily cater to the individual learning styles of students through technology; and facilitate collaborative, project-based work? Join a conversation hosted by a group of students from the project-based Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Your thoughts will likely be implemented in a wide-release online software package called Alight Learning, which is actively being developed by us.

A Teacher Like Me: pushing past racial archetypes

Who:

Jas Thomas and Rosalind Echols

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 307

Do students need a teacher who "looks like" them, and is from a similar background? How can we create meaningful relationships with students in spite of our own preconceived expectations and stereotypes? How can educators design curriculum that pushes beyond student labels? This conversation will explore multiculturalism in the classroom, and its implications for learning.

Best Practices: Project-Based Learning in Forward-Thinking Schools

Who:

Meghan Best, Tim Best, Jillian Gierke

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 311

Explore project based learning using real examples of projects from two different non-traditional urban high schools. We'll discuss the characteristics of a good project and share strategies for designing projects to maximize student learning and engagement.

Better than Passing Notes: Backchanneling Promising Practices

Who:

Cheri Toledo, Sharon Peters

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 304

Join us as we discuss backchannel uses, constraints, and successful practices that were revealed by seventeen educators in a qualitative study. This non-disruptive, non-subversive, collaborative activity will be used during the primary discussion to expand participation and interactions. Moderator, anchor, and jockey roles will be explored and practiced.

Beyond Standards; The Road Ahead

Who:

Joseph J. Bires

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 207

The current focus on standards is misguided and will result in students prepared for yesterday's world, rather than ready to create tomorrow. In this presentation, we will explore alternative concepts for organizing teaching and learning that will allow students to solve problems which they face now and in the future.

Bridging the Gap Between General and Special Education

Who:

Kathleen McClaskey, Christine Southard

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 303

Tools can remove barriers to learning for students with learning challenges, but have the perceptions ever changed of these students by the average classroom teacher? Join the conversation to discuss the often observed, but rarely documented gap between general and special education teachers and how we can bridge this gap so that every teacher understands how to support all of their students to their potential.

Changing Practice: Seeing progress in reluctant classrooms

Who:

Sarah Sutter, Alice Barr

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 300

What's working? We'll share emerging teacher practices using ubiquitous tools for staff and students such as Google Apps for Ed, talk about the resulting student work, and speak to the bigger picture of changing pedagogy. The conversation will continue as participants share what's working in their schools, and how we are collectively moving forward toward more constructivist, collaborative, reflective and open educational practices.

Copyright Clarity: The Future of intellectual property in a Remix Generation

Who:

Kristin Hokanson

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 304

As a result of Internet access and other information technologies, it is time to start talking about the role of copyright and fair use in contemporary society. Using materials from the Center for Social Media and Temple Media education lab, this session will examine different perspectives regarding the future of intellectual property

Direct and Explicit Instruction Virtually? Yes! Of course, why not?

Who:

Michael Wacker

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 304

Direct Instruction often refers to a rigorous scripted method of teaching, systematic and boring. For the purposes of virtual environments, where the art of teaching is alive and well, direct instruction can be used as a way of modeling and explicitly showing what the students are expected to demonstrate and show, while allowing opportunities to create, question, and make sense of the material.

Discussion: Best Practices for Teaching and Learning at a Distance

Who:

Ted Bongiovanni

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 301

In this session, Ted Bongiovanni, Associate Director of Distance Learning for New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies, will facilitate a discussion of best practices for teaching and learning online. Discussion topics will include: activity design, the management of digital spaces, assessment and program evaluation.

Ditch the classroom, embrace the world, and integrate Adventure Learning

Who:

Dr. George Veletsianos

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 301

We will discuss how teachers can design powerful and engaging learning experiences by focusing on narrative, pedagogy, social media, creative curricula, and the world outside the classroom. I will illustrate how a 5-year K12 Adventure Learning program engaged millions of students worldwide and assist participants in designing Adventure Learning lessons.

Educational Commissioning and Project Based Learning

Who:

John Sole

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 209

This conversation will focus on the relationship between the teacher/learner/community and the physical educational facility. Our Essential Question, then, is: "In a wired world unfettered by the geography of place, how do we design teaching and learning spaces when much of the teaching and learning happens outside of the physical "school" building?"

Educational Technology and the Law: Stump the Lawyers!

Who:

Jonathan D. Becker

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 309

In this "stump the lawyers" session, attendees will have an opportunity to discuss issues at the intersection of educational technology and the law with four uniquely qualified "expert" panelists. Limited only by being specific to educational technology, the topics of discussion will be generated by questions from the audience.

Elementary School In The 21st Century - How Does The Pedagogy Change? How Does That School Look, Or Not Look?

Who:

Brian Crosby

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 303

We hear that education/schools need to change, to adapt for the 21st century. We even see examples of lessons, projects, technology use. But what is the "big picture?" What REALLY changes? We will look at examples and then outline/brainstorm as a group the "could be's" and "should be's".

Falling Down the "Alice Project" Rabbit Hole: Inverting Traditional HS English Research and Writing

Who:

Christian Long, Jason Kern, Benedikt Kroll and Michael Nathman

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 204

For 6+ weeks this academic year, 3 sections of 10th grade English students (at a college prep, independent school in Texas) publicly analyzed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (via The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition). Instead of the traditional approach to analyzing a text (with a teacher-lead conversations around pre-determined themes), students were challenged to "fall down the rabbit hole" (like Alice) throughout the duration of the project, therefore trusting their own instincts as they made their way through Wonderland's themes.

Field Guide for Change Agents

Who:

Rodd Lucier and Ben Hazzard

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 309

The fourth 'R', Relationship, is one of the most important important tools to build upon if we are to succeed in generating lasting change in our schools. This session will ask participants to consider which strategies are most effective in building relationships with school, district, regional, national, and international colleagues.

Fostering Youth Leadership through Technology-based Service Learning

Who:

Edison Friere, Chris Alfano, Crista Collins

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 211

How can we as educators and community partners cultivate strong youth leaders in an era of constantly changing technology? The answer is simple: youth as agents of this change. This conversation will focus on implementing student-driven, service-learning program models in schools.

Friday Night Panel: What is Smart?

Come to the Franklin Institute, from 6pm-8pm, to see a group of societal visionaries speak about their vision of what is smart in a panel discussion.* Introductions by Dr. Dennis Wint, CEO of The Franklin Institute* Loren Brichter - CEO of atebits Software and developer of Tweetie Twitter...
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High Noon - A model for online participatory learning

Who:

Dave Bill, Basil Kolani

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 207

Online learning has become a hot topic, but how is it being done at the secondary level to promote participatory learning? This session will examine an online class that is doing just that. We will discuss the implications while meeting some of the students taking the class.

ICT Rich Interdisciplinary Education in an ESL Classroom

Who:

Dr. Ann Kennedy, Isaac Zawolo, Jeffrey Elkner

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 207

Three teachers with backgrounds in math, reading, and ICT are working together to create interdisciplinary learning experiences for their students using Scratch, Google Apps, Wiktionary, Audacity, and SchoolTool.

Improving Professional Development with Online PD

Who:

Barbara Treacy, Chris Champion

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 300

Pennsylvania educators and EdTech Leaders Online are part of e-Learning for Educators, a 10-state collaboration with training for teachers to facilitate and design online PD for educators. This session will discuss: What's effective online instruction? How can it meet the needs of educators and address topics underrepresented in traditional PD?

In front/behind the Network

Who:

Marcie Hull, Chris Alfano

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 303

Chris Alfano (SLA's systems administrator) and Marcie Hull will be presenting on the collaboration between what happens behind the network and in front of the network.

Invitation to Inquiry

Who:

Eric Brunsell, Elizabeth Alderton, Lucky Mason.

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 207

For over 100 years, educational leaders have extolled the virtues of inquiry as a way to promote meaningful student learning. What are the essential features of inquiry across all disciplines? How can web tools enhance inquiry? Participate in model activities, discuss, share, and learn about this powerful teaching strategy.

It Takes a Village to Raise a Program

Who:

Jeremy Spry and Rachel Hallowell

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 309

Community partnerships enable schools to give students experiences outside the classroom. Students can apply their education and learn from nontraditional teachers.

Languages Without Borders

Who:

Melanie Manuel, Juan Gabriel Sanchez, Jillian Gierke

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 211

How can we extend our conversations outside of the classroom? How do we develop productive partnerships with other classrooms around the globe? How do we involve our audience?

Leadership 2.0: Who Do We Need Our Leaders To Be?

Who:

Chris Lehmann

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 208

If we assume that the schools we need are inquiry-driven, technology-infused and communities of care, what do leaders have to be to engender and nurture those ideas?

Learning 2.0 -- Overhauling Classroom Best Practices

Who:

David Warlick

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 208

Participants in this conversation will discuss specific learning activities that are assigned by members, suggesting enhancements and new elements that bring the assignments into the light of learning 2.0.

Leveraging the Wisdom of the Crowd: Collaborative Action Plans

Who:

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 204

If using Web 2.0 tools is so easy, why is implementation so difficult? Preparing students for the 21st Century calls for collective action of all stakeholders and this session looks at the steps needed to build momentum and garner buy-in from the entire school community. Participants will discuss...
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Managing Filter Failure - Getting to the Good Stuff

Who:

Lisa Thumann, Liz Davis

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 301

Clay Shirky says, "it's not information overload - it's filter failure" Have you figured out a way to filter in the relevant information and filter out the noise? Join us to share the places and spaces that you use to harness the power of your network's intelligence and expertise.

Managing Life and Personal Learning Environments in the 21st Century

Who:

Brandon Lutz, Tracey McGrath, Lori Sheldon, Scott Snyder

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 311

As technology continues to infiltrate our everyday lives, what can the conscious classroom teacher, administrator or technology integration coach do to create balance in their everyday life. Discuss strategies for seamlessly integrating and managing technology in your professional and personal life, while maintaining a balance in the unconnected world.

Many to Many-- How Entire School Communities Can Collaborate

Who:

Jim Heynderickx

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 307

Join a conversation about practical ways to develop Clay Shirky's "Here Comes Everybody" concepts in a school community. Be ready to share both successes and set-backs, and discuss the best processes for change.

Metacognition: The Real 21st Century Skill.

Who:

Mary Moss

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 208

With all the talk about 21st century skills and standards, what is really important to teach adolescents? We believe that the ability to self-regulate their learning is the most important skill we can help adolescents develop. In this session, we will present some of our practices and facilitate an open discussion for feedback, dialog, and the sharing of best practices.

Moving Beyond the Scientific Method

Who:

Darryl N. Williams, Ph.D.

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 211

To build scholarship in STEM, students need to be taught in environments that foster the development of a systems thinking approach to learning using engineering design as the platform. Evidence shows potential value in increasing the presence of engineering in K-12 STEM education to address the current lack of integration of science, technology, and mathematics.

Multi-Touch Technologies in Education

Who:

Jeff Han

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room Drama Studio

Jeff Han researches advanced multi-touch solutions that enable novice and expert users to manipulate complex datasets through powerful and visually rich interface techniques. Jeff believes multi-touch has a place in our classrooms; he?d like your input as innovative, early-adopter educators on what applications you see for this technology to inform his thinking and advocacy for use in education. Note: Prior to this session we encourage you to come try the multi-touch wall so you have first-hand experience with the technology.

Now what?

Who:

Jeremiah Patterson

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 211

You're exhausted; your mind is churning with snippets of conversation from the EduCon experience; you're headed back into your own "real" world. Go armed with a plan of action for creating real reform at home.

On the Development of Learning Spaces

Who:

David Jakes

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 208

There are five axioms that form the foundation of the Educon experience. The axioms focus on the characteristics of school, of the role of technology and what learning can become. They provide a framework for informing what we can andshould do as educators.When we discuss pedagogy, when we...
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Papert Matters: Thinking About Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas

Who:

Gary S. Stager, Ph.D.

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 204

Seymour Papert's work has defined the frontiers of education for 40+ years. Gary will share what Papert's ideas mean for the future of learning through personal anecdotes, Papert's words and video clips.

Projects in the Math Classroom: Learning Through Doing

Who:

Erin Garvey, Brad Latimer, Mark Miles, Sunil Reddy, Caitlin Thompson

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 207

How do teachers create a curriculum based in projects for a subject grounded in discrete skills? What does project based mathematics look like? How can meaningful projects serve to not only demonstrate student comprehension of key concepts, but also provide an opportunity for students to apply skills and knowledge to practical situations? What role do traditional assessments play in a project-based math curriculum?

Redefining "Schooly" Texts

Who:

Joshua Block, Molly Buckley and Alexa Dunn

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 209

In this conversation, participants together with SLA students, SLA staff, and a University Researcher will reconsider the traditional definition of "schooly." We will use participatory learning activities to propose the benefits of broadening the definition of what counts as school texts. We will examine possibilities for personal and social transformation within classroom settings.

Resources for Success: How to Offer Differentiated Support for Math Students

Who:

Brad Latimer and Sunil Reddy

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 307

What can be done when students require additional support beyond the classroom? How can we offer support for students while balancing a full teaching load? How can resources be made available to effectively offer differentiated support? This conversation will focus on creating a structured set of mathematics resources both inside and outside of school.

Rethinking Portfolios

Who:

Bill Fitzgerald

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 301

Portfolios can be used to document the process of learning, and to document what has been learned. In this conversation, we will look at how these two facets of learning can be mutually supportive. Moreover, we will look at portfolios as tools for student learning and teacher professional development.

SLA Student Experience

Who:

Larissa Pahomov and SLA Students

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 300

Talk and learn about Science Leadership Academy with the people who matter most: the students! The members of panel will describe their own educational experiences at SLA -- as well as what lead them to the school, and where they think the experience will take them.

SpeedGeek Learning: A platform for Disruptive Inspiration

Who:

Ben Wilkoff

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 304

What if we created a platform for inspiring disruptive ideas? What if we took the most passionate examples of learning and built them into lasting change for schools? SpeedGeek Learning is people presenting ideas in context, with meaning, for perspective. Let's create the platform for this disruptive inspiration.

Stager Certified Educators Executive Program

Who:

Gary S. Stager, Ph.D.

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 204

Play your cards right and you can leave this intensive, immersive, engaging and transformative session a Stager Certified Educator, complete with I.D. card, certificate of awesomeness (suitable for framing) and web badge for use on your blog or web site. Some educators don't achieve this much over a lifetime, but you may in less than 90 minutes! You will also gain a greater sense of the issues, ideas and expertise a 21st Century educator needs in order to create more productive contexts for learning. Resources for post-certification learning will be shared.

Student Assistant Teaching: Completing the Circle

Who:

Alexa Dunn, Joshua Block and SLA Student Assistant Teachers

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 300

The Student Assistant Teaching program at SLA places Senior students in underclassmen classrooms and completes the high school circle experience of teaching and learning. It enriches teacher/student and student/student relationships, builds a multi-leveled community of reflective learners, and reinforces an ethic of care in the classroom and beyond. Please join us for an evocative and stimulating panel discussion with teachers Alexa Dunn and Joshua Block, plus members of the Student Assistant Teaching program as we explore the roots of this program and its success at SLA.

Students (and Teachers) as Creators of Content - Digital Storytelling and Beyond

Who:

Samantha Morra

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 308

Digital storytelling, podcasting, Flash animation, Scratch, etc are just a few powerful tools to create content or the web. The list is tremendous! This conversation will discuss current thoughts on creating and creativity, focus on best practices and explore some of these amazing tools.

Subversive PD: Creating a culture of collaboration to bring educators into the 21st Century

Who:

Danja Mahoney, Michael Springer, Beth Knittle

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 309

Why are there still so many educators sitting in the back of the faculty meeting rolling their eyes whenever 21st Century Skills are on the agenda? How can Professional Development be meaningful, effective and important for the uninterested. This will be a conversation about getting ALL educators...
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Taking Play Seriously

Who:

Brian C. Smith

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 204

Diane Ackerman's quote, "play is the brain's favorite way of learning" is oft used to describe the learning that takes place in elementary schools. Despite that belief, a simple visit to any school in the country will reveal a picture that flies in the face of Ackerman's statement....
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Taking the load off a learner's mind: Cognitive Load Theory in Education

Who:

Christopher Craft

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 308

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do your students? This session will help you understand Cognitive Load and its impact on education.

Teaching Big Ideas to 21st Century Learners through collaboration, innovation, and differentiation

Who:

Zoe Branigan-Pipe and Ben Hazzard

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 211

Presented by a Program Consultant and Classroom Teacher from Ontario - Come see the power of a collaborative and engaging online learning environment that meets the needs of 21st Century learners in elementary and middle schools.

Teaching Teachers: How students can help teachers adapt to working in a new learning environment.

Who:

Jeff Kessler, Tyrone Kidd, Juan Gabriel Sanchez, Erin Garvey

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 303

The sequel to "Forging Student Teacher Relationships in an Era of Shared Learning," Tyrone Kidd and Jeff Kessler are back to expand upon the topic. In this session, Jeff and Tyrone will work with new SLA faculty to describe how students have helped them adapt to the SLA community.

Teaching the At-Risk Brain

Who:

Rodd Lucier

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 309

Those at risk are often under-represented in discussions about educational change. How can the needs and voices of at risk students and at risk teachers, be brought to the forefront when considering the transformation of our schools?

Teaching While Black: The Unarticulated Values

Who:

Mark Bey, Jamie Bowers, Matthew Kay, Pia Martin, and Jas Thomas

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 209

How do we have authentic dialogue concerning the intersection of race, responsibilities and values in our schools? Come join an intimate and honest conversation about our experiences as black educators. We will discuss the roles and relationships we have with students, staff and parents.

The "Decoupling" of Education and School: Where do We Begin?

Who:

Will Richardson

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 204

The next ten years promise to be hugely disruptive for the traditional idea of school as more and more alternative learning platforms are created and expanded. This conversation will focus not on technology but on the larger shifts that will have to occur for schools to evolve into a different role in our society. Driving the discussion will be quotes from Allan Collins and Richard Halverson's recent book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology.

The Academy and the You-niverse: college search & fit in the internet age

Who:

Shelley Krause

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 209

What happens as students imagine themselves into their unknown futures? What are students' hopes and expectations with regards to their learning communities? How do characteristics they want to consider map onto what's currently "searchable," and how might that change? Will the increasing transparency of learning enable students to assess their future learning opportunities in new ways?

The Art of the Remix: Collaborative Writing in the Social Media Classroom

Who:

Dr. Leif Gustavson, Vanessa Scanfeld

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 311

Remixing is as old as art itself. As digital technologies expedite the transition from passive consumers of text to an engaged, read/write culture, we explore the pedagogical benefits of the remix in relation to literacy and tackle the thorny issues of plagiarism and illegal appropriation.

The Caring Classroom

Who:

Zac Chase, Bud Hunt and John Pederson

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 307

This conversation will focus on what can be done across subjects, grades and schools to build a climate of care.

The Democratization of the Classroom in the 21st Century

Who:

Matt Baird and Doug Herman

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 304

The intention of this workshop is to explore how the ideal of more democratic and progressive classrooms might look today in light of 1:1 computing, networked communication and other tools that might be available.

The Future of Science Education?

Who:

Rosalind Echols, Stephanie Dunda, Matthew VanKouwenberg, Tim Best

When:

Session Four

Where:

Room 308

Four SLA science teachers will lead a conversation examining the current state of science education. How are science teachers' (and students') roles changing in the internet age? What are some techniques we can use to maximize learning for all students? How can we move toward our own personal "dream teaching" situations? Science teachers don't always have the answers, but we'll share how SLA is approaching these questions. Join other like-minded educators as we share our experiences and discuss how we can realize the future of science education.

The Many Hats of a Technology Coordinator

Who:

Marcie Hull

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 303

Let's talk about the position of Technology Coordinator. What are our challenges, what are our solutions. What do we want from our administrators? What do we want from our teachers? What is required of the IT position and should they weigh in on educational technologies?

Thinking Creatively: Inventing the Possible

Who:

Linda Nitsche

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 311

If schools kill creativity, then what hope do we have of helping our students be prepared to devise creative and imaginative solutions to problems in their futures? Come examine frameworks for thinking and working creatively. Explore and experience creativity, innovation, and imagination in action. Reframe your problems into opportunities.

Tinkering Towards Technology Fluency

Who:

Sylvia Martinez

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 208

Tinkering is a time honored way to learn, invent, and innovate. Yet in schools, tinkering is viewed as wasted time, while instead we teach students to make, do, and invent using rigid procedures with tight timelines. How can we bring the creative benefits of tinkering back to the classroom?

UDL and the 21st Century Classroom

Who:

Lisa Parisi, Karen Janowski, Paul Bogush, Christine Southard

When:

Session Six

Where:

Room 207

Come join us for a great discussion about UDL and its uses in a classroom. Learn how teachers are using this approach to level the playing field, helping all students be successful. Find out how technology makes this much easier and removes the obstacles to success for learners.

User-Generated Education: An Authentic Student-Centric Model of Education

Who:

Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D.

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 307

"Should a student-centric, user-generated education be the predominant learning model for this era of the 21st Century?" will be explored through a technology-enhanced Socratic Seminar.

Using Technology to Foster Exploration and Reflection in Science

Who:

Lucy Gray and Debbie Leslie

When:

Session Three

Where:

Room 308

Share and discover ways of leveraging technology in your classroom to support hands-on, inquiry-based science instruction. Come learn and discuss ways to promote observation, exploration, and reflection using engaging curriculum materials and a variety of technology tools. Bring examples of student work to share!

What Free Improvisational Music and Networked Learning Have in Common

Who:

Shelly Blake-Plock

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 303

A conversation and collaborative demonstration on the meaning of 'networked learning' through the metaphor of free improvisational music.

What if school wasn't just like real life, what if it just was real life?

Who:

Diana Laufenberg

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 301

Why we attend school, what we accomplish while we are here, how we spend our time; these are the issues I would like to investigate as we consider how to make 'school' more about meaningful and enriching life experiences, and less like hoop jumping and necessary evils.

What If...In the Digital Age

Who:

Jessica Brown, Jeff Evans, Louis Mazza, Paul Wagenhoffer

When:

Session One

Where:

Room 209

We are living in an era where left-brain thinking is no longer sufficient for success; a more holistic approach is required. Daniel Pink, in A Whole New Mind, argues that right-brain capabilities are just as important, if not more. How does this play into school curriculum, pedagogy, and community? What is the value of visual studies and design in a 21st century school?

Why Has Technology Failed to Bring Substantial Change to American Schools (and what can we do about it)?

Who:

Tim Stahmer

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 300

The authors of Disrupting Class ask "Why haven't computers brought about a transformation in schools the way they have in other areas of life?". Excellent question. Join us for a discussion of what we can do to change that situation. Bring any and all ideas to share.

Wikis for a Dynamic Curriculum

Who:

Deon Metelski

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 209

Wiki's are not meant to house static content. See a MediaWiki implementation that highlights how a teacher can have their curricula materials online, make it visually appealing and increase the ability for collaboration among the learning community.

Youth Voices - A Social Network Where Teachers Nurture Student-to-Student Conversation

Who:

Paul Allison

When:

Session Five

Where:

Room 311

On Youth Voices, students publish images, videos, audio, and text not just to communicate but to connect with each other in groups of passionate inquiry. National Writing Project and EdTechTalk teachers who have been building this site with their students for seven years. Come learn more about a multi-school, peer-to-peer social network.

Zapping the Buzzwords: "Disruptive innovation," "the widget effect," and more.

Who:

Tom Hoffman

When:

Session Two

Where:

Room 304

With each wave of school reform, a new batch of jargon is deposited on our shores. Take a critical look at the new wave of business model reform language, from "Race to the Top," to "non-negotiables," including our new "higher, clearer, and fewer" "internationally-benchmarked" "college- and career-ready" "Common Core" standards.