FETC 2018: Thought Leaders Explore Tech Trends from Multiple Points of View

January is the perfect time to head to Orlando, Fla.

That’s likely just one of the many reasons that K–12 IT professionals, teachers and administrators are looking forward to the annual Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) from Jan. 23-26 at the Orange County Convention Center.

As one of the first conferences of the year, FETC often spotlights new trends and technologies that will shape the rest of the year. The conference boasts separate program tracks for administrators, IT leaders and educators (including special education and early learning tracks).

From cloud migrations and video conferencing to robotics, all stakeholders have a place at the table in FETC’s conversations.

In this year’s opening keynote, noted worldwide education expert Sir Ken Robinson will expand upon his TED Talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” and discuss how society needs to rethink education and how schools can tap students’ creativity to better prepare them for the workforce.

“The Future of Education Technology Conference is valued by educators for the same reasons that so many in education and beyond have found inspiration in the work of Sir Ken Robinson — because of a forward-thinking approach to societal needs and student success, and the recognition that innovation and creativity are certainly not ‘nice-to-haves,’ but rather crucial building blocks of the world we need,” says Jennifer Womble, program chair of FETC, in a press release.

The closing keynote, to be delivered by Ayanna Howard, the founder of Zyrobotics, will explore how the increased use of robotics and automation will force a change to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum that schools deliver to students.

EdTech will provide live coverage of the event, so stay tuned for articles. Follow our FETC 2018 posts on our conference landing page.

Also, check out the hashtag #FETC2018 for tweets from the event floor.