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Tech Forum NY Provides Insight, PD, & Networking Opportunities for Innovative Leaders

Tech Forum New York, Tech & Learning magazine's annual event is a terrific professional development opportunity for innovative educational leaders. This high-powered, one-day event provides K-12 decision makers with thought-provoking content on the hottest topics of the day in education technology.

Unlike some larger conferences, what I enjoy about Tech Forum is it provides an engaging experience in an intimate setting, with expert presentations and plenty of networking opportunities that ensure participants leave with practical tools and key contacts for continued rich communities of practice.

Kathy Schrock Keynotes
The event is featuring one of my personal favorite experts as the conference keynote, the iconic Kathy Schrock who is known in the education field as the creator of Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators (http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide). Schrock, who’s a personal favorite of mine is someone I’ve looked up to when I began my career as a library media specialist, a title she held early in her career as well. Schrock is Extremely interested in information literacy, search strategies, copyright issues, the role of emerging technologies to support teaching and learning, and critical Web site evaluation, receiving her MLS from Rutgers Graduate School of Library and Information Studies in 1981. I was thrilled last year when she listed me in her compilation of recommended blogs.

Schrock will be discussing ideas for, “Connecting the Classroom to the Future: Predictions and Predicaments” where she’ll look at technological predictions and predicaments that have informed the direction of current instruction, and ponder a few questions about teaching for the future. How can teachers design curriculum that embeds technology in a meaningful way? What tools should the classroom technology toolbox contain? And what are the management strategies to facilitate this connected classroom?

At the conference I'll be co-facilitating a session on a five-step plan to harness the power of cells in education even in districts where they are banned. I will also be participating in a panel that looks at the value of something called innovation field trips which enables schools and visitors to celebrate success and engage in reflective practice focusing on a problem of practice.

Who Should Attend:
District and Building-Level Administrators; Technology Directors; Technology Coordinators; Librarians and Media Specialists; Mentor Teachers; Board of Education Members & other education staff involved in Technology planning.

Event Details:
The event takes place on Friday, October 22. Registration and breakfast (included) are served from 7:00 - 8:00. The opening keynote begins at 8:00 a.m. Readers of The Innovative Educator blog can register at the special discounted rate of $185 per person by visiting http://www.techlearning.com/events/techforum/newyork10/register and using promo code NY10FT. The conference takes place at the Westchester Marriott | Tarrytown, NY. There will be transportation from the Tarrytown train station to the Forum. For more details visit http://www.techlearning.com/events/techforum/newyork10/index.
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Gold Rush; An Insiders Look at the Grant Writing Experience

A little over a year ago a meeting was held for high needs schools eligible to apply for a 3-year competitive grant. The grant application could not have come at a worse time. Schools were packing and shuttering their doors. To make matters worse, the grant was due in the middle of August when all staff members enjoy their vacations. This was going to be difficult. After all, who would want to work on a grant during the summer? Fortunately, tough economic times has a funny way of inspiring people to write even in the heat of the summer.

And so it was… Against the heat of a sweltering sun, the brave, the foolish, and just the plain naïve embarked on a Gold Rush. One such tale begins in the eastern section of Brooklyn. A teacher in his mid forties attends a grant meeting and begins his journey looking for inspiration. As a young adolescent he always enjoyed Beatles music; especially Sergeant Pepper. He always loved the opening…

It was twenty years ago today,

Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play

They've been going in and out of style

But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.

So may I introduce to you…

That was it… He would call the grant, “It Was 5o Years Ago Today” observing all the historical happenings in that neighborhood. And why not? This neighborhood produced famous TV personalities, athletes, comedians, poets, and other notables. There was only one problem; luminous as these people were… they were not connected to STEM… you know; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. For days, the teacher would toil with this theme. Perhaps if he conducted more research a STEM connection could be found. However, he would have no such luck. The simple truth was… this was not working. He needed a new angle… a new way to look at this.

Our hero proceeds to turn on the radio and listens to Neil Young’s “Hank to Hendrix” and its comparative use of varying pop icons and cried… “I got it! Why not call the grant From Pong to the Xbox?” This grant would explore the evolution of gaming technology… starting with Pong, Space Invaders, and Galaxian. It would then move to the 2nd generation of gaming looking at Pac Man, Pole Position, and Donkey Kong… followed by the modern era of gaming. Certainly, the elements of game design would lend itself to a project centered on STEM.

This project was starting to shape up. Our hero was finding some great resources on the web. Per chance he bumped into a few of his school colleagues and shared with them what he was planning. They did not say much. However, our hero could see from their dour expressions that they were not impressed. Needless to say he was demoralized. Our hero was now questioning the validity of his idea. Perhaps he should scrap this idea and go back to his original idea. For days he would pace in his apartment back and forth. Tommy (his 8 year old kid) asked, “Are you OK, dad?” “Yes, little man. I just got lots on my mind.” Tommy said, “Why don’t you watch Sponge Bob with me?”

Our hero watches Sponge Bob with his kid and becomes fascinated. He instantly enjoys the clever subtly of the program and does some research. He learns that the Sponge Bob creator used to teach marine biology. A few days later he unleashes the “The Legend of Ocean Town”. He shares with his colleagues the following abstract….

“The Legend of Ocean Town” will have students create a digital mockumentary depicting the life and times of Ocean Town. This mockumentary will explore the housing structures, sea life, foods, sports, politics, culture, medical advancements, and ecological issues of that fictional era. Additionally, they will create a companion web site entitled “Living in Ocean Town” which will include a travel brochure, findings from research/interviews with marine biologists/scientists/and other experts, a customized wikipedia profiling ancient and modern sea life, blue prints of proposed housing structures, personalized maps of Ocean Town using Google Map Technology, as well as pod casts documenting the making of the digital documentary.

His colleagues love the idea and offer to help him with this project. A few weeks later our hero submits the grant application. And a few months later… he receives a letter learning that his school was awarded the grant.

Editor’s Note- This story is based on a true story and is dedicated to the relentless spirit of educators.

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Tri State Ed Tech Conference - Post Conference Reading



Today I had the pleasure of sharing ideas with more than 400 passionate educators at the Tri-State Tech Conference (TSETC) about thinking outside the ban and taking the risks our students need for success. During my presentation I shared real-life anecdotes of the risk-taking experiences I felt   were necessary to do what what was in the best interest of 21st century students despite the protests of educational administrators stuck in the past.

This post is where I’m sharing my presentation materials for those who attended or wished they had. Existing readers of The Innovative Educator know that I’m passionate about educator voice and thinking outside the ban. Here at The Innovative Educator I share ideas to do just that in posts that explain the importance of sharing educator voice through blogging, provide ideas and plans for Harnessing the Power of Cells in Education Today, tell why I believe in friending students on Facebook and using Facebook with students beginning in elementary school, and more.

At the conference I shared the risks every educator needs to begin taking today and I shared actual examples from my life that demonstrate ways I continuously worked to think and act outside the ban that often keeps our students    stuck in an outdated, irrelevant and boring (no our students don’t all have A.D.D.) educational system. I also shared a six-step guide any educator can take to get on the path to taking risks for student success in their own school or district.

I was deeply impressed by how well the conference was run. Three cheers for Eric Sheninger who did this work like a professional athlete who makes the extraordinary look easy. Kudos to the passionate, dedicated educators who attended this conference on a Saturday. They are the type of educators who know how to take steps in the right direction to preparing students for success in the 21st century. There were so many wonderful presenters that shared practical strategies and tools to engage learners through professional development sessions, workshops, and virtual learning labs. I had the pleasure of learning about the following topics:
Eric Sheninger, Principal of New Milford High School said they were all designed for participants to leave inspired and motivated to pursue innovative practices while becoming agents of change. Sheninger is the man behind the conference and he does more then talk a good game. Though he does that well too. He is a principal who actually used to block, and now offers guidance to those skeptical about social media use. Sheninger, a leader I deeply admire is someone I have covered often here at The Innovative Educator in stories like these:
Principal who used to block, now offers guidance to skeptical admins in social media use
Want to help a principal start a blog? These 5 principals can provide inspiration
Follow the Leader Who’s a Tweeter
Just Say Yes to Publishing! Exposing The Man Behind the Curtain If He’s Still Saying No.
5 Ways to Build Your 1.0 and 2.0 Personal Learning Network

I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to be a part of a conference spearheaded by such a passionate and devoted leader and grateful to the conference host Schoology (a fantastic learning network platform) for supporting Mr. Sheninger in bringing this free opportunity to educators.

To view the materials I presented during my keynote you can visit the following links.
I look forward to participation next year when rumor on Twitter has it, the conference is going to need to expand way beyond Tri-State. This was an incredible experience that learners everywhere would love to attend!
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