The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) T+L conference [1] this year will focus on helping districts do more with less by educating district technology leaders on the latest education technology tools and programs to save district money and boost achievement.
In Phoenix, Ariz., T+L will examine current education initiatives, including the Education Technology and the National Broadband Plans, and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – and will look closely at available tools to help districts embrace innovation while maximizing limited funds.
2010 programming will include more than 80 district workshops sharing best practices and innovative strategies on these topics such as:
- Digital Content – How digital resources can transform learning and cut costs, including virtual schools and distance learning, open resources, innovative devices for access, Web 2.0 tools, and more.
- Creating & Supporting Learning Environments – New programs that can actually cut costs while promoting safe infrastructure, 24/7 access, innovative facility designs, enhanced communication channels, green technologies, and data systems.
- Education Technology Policy & Advocacy – The latest legal issues including cyber safety, sexting, student-faculty communications, strategies for building community partnerships, and the use of data to guide leadership.
- International Perspectives – Projects and tools that support international collaboration between teachers & students, global perspectives on the use of technology to enhance learning, and examples of the changing global marketplace.
- Professional Development Communities – Strategies for content, design, or delivery of professional development, with examples that use data and support models for continuous improvement.
- S.T.E.M. – Initiatives that engage students and the community, prepare teachers, or create compelling career pathways to enhance science, technology, engineering, and math.
NSBA’s Technology Leadership Network (TLN) has named the Dysart Unified School District (Surprise, Ariz.), the Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools, and the Liberty County (Ga.) School System as Salute Districts in recognition of their focus on technology to promote student achievement. A previous Salute District, Township High School District 214 (Arlington Heights, Ill.), was named a TLN Trailblazer District for its ongoing commitment to technology in the classroom. The districts will receive recognition during the conference.
Keynote speakers include S. Craig Watkins, author of The Young and The Digital. Watkins has been researching young people’s media behaviors for more than 10 years and will explore young people’s engagement with social media, online games, mobile phones, and the growing desire for “anytime, anywhere’ media–and how this new technology is transforming America’s classrooms.
Richard Gerver, author and media commentator, is the co-founder of the International Curriculum Foundation, which helps schools around the world develop education systems focused on the future. A former education adviser to Britain’s Tony Blair, and a 2005 School Head Teacher of the Year, Gerver will share his philosophy on transforming education through communication, empowerment and impact.
Steven Berlin Johnson, author and social critic, is the best-selling author of six books on the intersection of science, technology, and personal experience. A social critic and technologist, he will examine emerging trends and explain their relevance to today’s world.