District 207 Institute Finalized - Want to Come?

Just finished the announcement for our district wide institute focusing on technology. It is the same day as tech forum Chicago, but let me know if you would like to attend.

Maine 207 District Wide Institute

“Using Technology to Improve Teaching and Learning”

April 25^th 2008 – Maine South High School

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keynote Speakers

David Thornburg:

David is an award-winning futurist, author and consultant whose clients range across the public and private sector, both in the United States and in Brazil. His razor-sharp focus on the fast-paced world of modern computing and communication media, project-based learning, 21^st century skills, and open source software has placed him in constant demand as a keynote speaker and workshop leader for schools, foundations, and governments.

As the founder and Director of Global Operations for the Thornburg Center he conducts research and provides staff development in several areas. He helps clients to think intelligently about the future and is active in exploring ways that telecommunications and multimedia will change the face of learning, both at home and in the classroom.

His educational philosophy is based on the idea that students learn best when they are constructors of their own knowledge. He also believes that students who are taught in ways that honor their learning styles and dominant intelligences retain the native engagement with learning with which they entered school. A central theme of his work is that we must prepare students for their future, not for our past.

In addition to his work at the state and local level, he is also involved at the Federal level in helping to shape telecommunications and education policy for the benefit of all learners. David has shared his perspectives with policy makers in several countries.

He has written numerous books. His latest book, “When the Best is Free,” explores the world of free open source software in education, with special emphasis on tools for use by students. Reviewers have declared this to be the definitive book on the topic.

In addition to his consulting, speaking, and writing, David also has served on several non-profit boards. Dr. Thornburg is the recipient of several awards for product design and is the recipient of both the Golden and Platinum Disk awards from CUE (Computer Using Educators, Inc.) for his contributions to the advancement of learning and learning technologies. In 1999 he was selected as one of twenty "pioneers" in the field of educational technology by ISTE, the premiere organization devoted to the advancement of technology in learning, and was named by Technology and Learning magazine as one of the top ten most influential people in the field of educational technology in the past twenty years.

He has been the subject of numerous magazine articles and has appeared on radio and television throughout North America. According to the magazine, Electronic Learning, he is one of the six most popular speakers in the area of educational technology.

David splits his time between the United States and Brazil. His work in Brazil also is focused on education, and he has consulted for the Federal Secretary of Education as well as for firms and educational institutions throughout that country.

Chris Dede:

Chris Dede's fundamental interest is the expanded human capabilities for knowledge creation, sharing, and mastery that emerging technologies enable. His teaching models the use of information technology to distribute and orchestrate learning across space, time, and multiple interactive media. His research spans emerging technologies for learning, infusing technology into large-scale educational improvement initiatives, policy formulation and analysis, and leadership in educational innovation. He is currently conducting funded studies to develop and assess learning environments based on modeling and visualization, online teacher professional development, wireless mobile devices for ubiquitous computing, and multiuser virtual environments. Dede also is active in policy initiatives, including creating a widely used State Policy Framework for Assessing Educational Technology Implementation and studying the potential of developing a scalability index for educational innovations. From 2001 to 2004, he served as chair of the Learning & Teaching area at HGSE.

His research interests span technology forecasting and assessment, emerging technologies for learning, and leadership in educational innovation. He was the Editor of the 1998 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Yearbook, Learning with Technology. He has had grants from the National Science Foundation to develop educational environments based on virtual reality technology, from the Joyce Foundation to aid urban school districts in using technology, and from the U.S. Department of Education to create and assess technology-based science education materials for learning disabled secondary students.

Chris has served as a Senior Program Director at the National Science Foundation. He has also been a Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at NASA's Johnson Space Center. His prior funded research includes work for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, NASA, and Apple Computer. He is on the International Steering Committee for the Second International Technology in Education Study spanning approximately thirty countries.

Schedule

· 7:00 – 7:45 – Breakfast in Student café

· 8:00 – 9:30 – Keynote: David Thornburg – in auditorium

· 9:40 – 10:30 – Break Out Technology Sessions I

· 10:40 – 11:30 – Break Out Technology Sessions II

· 11:30 – 12:20 – Lunch in Student Cafe

· 12:30 – 1:30 – Second Keynote: Chris Dede – in auditorium

· 1:30 – Faculty work ends

Break Out Sessions

1. David Thornburg will discuss the impact of open source software on computing and learning. Topics covered will include worldwide 1-1 computing initiatives, the role of the Linux operating system, and how the growing amount of open source products will drive technology.

2. Chris Dede will discuss learning inside and outside of school using new interactive media. Topic covered will include new instructional models, current educational trends, and new learning environments impacting education.

3. American Eagle will present the current progress of the new web environment. Topics covered will include the scope, current progress, and future goals of the project.

4. 21^st century classroom overview – technology staff members and experts in the field of technology hardware will demonstrate some of the tools that are changing the 21^st century classroom.

5. Adobe Software will be demonstrating the power of the software contained in the Adobe Master Collection, which was purchased this year by Maine 207. Topics covered include an overview of Adobe Photoshop, Premire, and Soundbooth.