ISTE 2012: First Look
The thousands of teachers, school IT leaders, vendors and other educational technology enthusiasts who flock to the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference always leave with a renewed enthusiasm for and commitment to the students they serve, and this year will be no different. Conference organizers have assembled a robust schedule of rich, relevant programming, as well as plenty of professional development and networking opportunities, to give attendees the inspiration and knowledge they need as they prepare for the 2012–2013 school year.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the key events and sessions we’ll be following.
Saturday, June 22
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center, Room 6A
Formally known as EduBloggerCon, this “connecting and sharing” event is organized by its participants in real time, on site. Advance registration isn’t required, but interested participants are encouraged to indicate their plans to attend on the Classroom 2.0 event page.
Sunday, June 23
Opening Keynote — Redefining Horizons: Encouraging Students’ Passion to Achieve
5:45 p.m. – 7 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B1
This roundtable discussion will showcase different student engagement approaches.
Speakers:
- Sir Ken Robinson, creativity expert and author of The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
- Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President of Global Market Development, Qualcomm
- Marc Prensky, speaker, consultant and author of five books, including Digital Game-Based Learning (2001) and BRAIN GAIN: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom (August 2012)
- Mayim Bialik, actress and blogger
Monday, June 24
Session – Learn Now, Lecture Later: New and Emerging Classroom Models
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center, Room 6C
Panel discussion of the key findings from CDW•G’s Learn Now, Lecture Later report, which surveyed high school and higher education students, faculty and IT professionals to better understand new and emerging education models and the role of classroom technology and IT infrastructure in optimizing learning. Julie Smith, Vice President of K–12 Education for CDW•G, will lead the discussion.
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
A panel of chief technology officers, chief information officers, and district curriculum and instruction leaders will discuss the strategic role and relevance of key informational and instructional technologies that make up the core business of today’s schools. Moderated by Dan Honore, former director of information services, Kenosha (Wis.) Unified School District; and Tony Inglese, CIO, Batavia (Ill.) Public School District 101.
Speakers:
- Ray Eernisse, CIO, Francis Howell School District, St. Charles, Mo.
- Keith Krueger, CEO, Consortium for School Networking
- Bailey Mitchell, Chief Technology and Information Officer, Forsyth County (Ga.) Schools
- Lissa Pijanowski, Associate Superintendent of Academics and Accountability, Forsyth County (Ga.) Schools
- Henry Thiele, CTO, Maine Township High School District 207, Park Ridge, Ill.
- Eric Willard, CTO, Community Unit School District 300, Carpentersville, Ill.
Tuesday, June 25
Keynote — Global, Creative and Entrepreneurial: Defining High-Quality Education
San Diego Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B1
Dr. Yong Zhao, presidential chair and associate dean for global education in the University of Oregon’s College of Education, will explain how to prepare students for the future even as globalization and rapid technological changes make it nearly impossible to predict what the future will be like.
Session — Mobile Devices + Social Media = Engaged and Empowered Learners
2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center, Room 8
Wednesday, June 27
Online Learning Institute (registration and payment required)
8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Omni Hotel Grand Ballroom A
Now in its eighth year, this online networking and professional development event is tailor-made for virtual school and other online learning practitioners.
Session — The 2012 Horizon Report: K–12 Edition
San Diego Convention Center, Room 6D
Larry Johnson, CEO of the New Media Consortium, will discuss the organization’s annual report of the technologies that will most impact K–12 schools over the next five years: mobile devices and apps; tablet computing; game-based learning; personal learning environments; augmented reality; and natural user interfaces.
Closing Keynote — A Time for Learning in Action
2:45 p.m. – 4 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B1
World-renowned conservationist Dr. Willie Smits and Christopher Gauthier, a teacher at Australia’s New Cleveland State High School, will detail a collaborative project in which students and teachers from around the world worked to combat one of the most urgent manmade global problems on the planet using the power of social networking, collaborative online tools and new pedagogies.
Follow EdTech’s ISTE 2012 coverage here for all the latest news and events from the show.
