Program

Below is a recap of the day's sessions and events, complete with handouts and other materials submitted by presenters.

7:30am - 8:15am

Registration & Refreshments

8:15am - 9:30am

Welcome and Opening Keynote

Thinking as Big as the World is Small

Hall Davidson
The cameras in their cell phones make them citizen journalists. The web is their personal library and media center. They communicate in real time with the ends of the earth. But can they convince their teachers to let them learn at school with help from such powerful tools? Beyond the "wow," technology provides nearly limitless potential for connectivity and education. See examples of how today's technologies—from calculators to the web, from music files to video-on-demand—can (and should) engage and teach a new generation of students.

9:30am - 9:45am

Refreshment & Networking Break

9:45am - 11:00am

Breakout Sessions

Stay tuned for more about these panel presentations featuring leading experts in the field. Planned topics include:

Leading the Way with Help From Data

Amy Poftak (moderator); Frank V. Auriemma, James Ashby
The concept of data-driven decision making is not a new one to schools, but only a few pioneering districts have been at it long enough to offer us a retrospective on what can be gained through a sustained commitment to continuous improvement guided by data. We have invited administrators from two such districts to share their perspective — complete with descriptions of their philosophy and approach, information on tools used for data management and analysis, evidence regarding impact, and advice for other districts based on lessons learned from years of experience.

Presentation: "Pearl River School District"

Virtual Schools, Real Learning

Gwen Solomon (moderator); Bruce Friend, Cliff Blackerby, Jean Parmer
This panel will explore issues, logistics and realities in the area of e-schooling. Panelists include the director of student services for a school district that runs and outsources its own successful virtual school, a former course designer and instructor who is chief administrative officer of a virtual course program, and the director of a Texas ESC that serves as the fiscal and administrative agency for a statewide virtual school initiative. Whether you're looking for individual online courses to supplement a school's curriculum or a total education package to serve as an alternative to your district's brick and mortar schools, this session offers you a real-world look at some of the options.

Video Conferencing and High-Bandwidth Connectivity

Carol Willis, Gerri Maglia, Dan Updegrove
Come learn what educators and students are doing when given the opportunity to collaborate and communicate globally, in real time, using interactive videoconferencing. As the technology platforms and options evolve and grow, the possibilities for exciting K12 applications of videoconferencing — involving local, national and international communication and collaboration — are becoming limitless. We'll discuss the importance of bandwidth increases as schools hook up with initiatives such as Internet2 and Lonestar Education And Research Network (LEARN).

Technology-Based Assessment

Judy Salpeter (moderator); Miguel Guhlin, Joel Rush
Accountability, testing and assessment are central to education today. Whether we think assessment is over- or under-emphasized in the typical school, one thing is clear: it is only helpful if the results are quick, easily accessible and reported in a way that is usable. What better way to make this a reality than with technology? From computer-based testing to the use of handheld technology for observational assessment, our panelists will share examples of the ways in which technology is helping with the challenging task of student assessment.

Presentation: Guhlin: "Technology-based Assessment"
Presentation: Rush: "Technology Based Assessment"

Plus, visit these links for additional information from Miguel Guhlin:
http://itls.saisd.net/mg/techforumtx
http://www.mguhlin.net/blog/archives/2005/11/entry_654.htm
http://www.mguhlin.net/blog/archives/2005/11/entry_652.htm

11:00am - 11:15am

Refreshment & Networking Break

11:15am - 12:15pm

Industry Spotlights

Hear from the companies that are sponsoring this event and shaping the future of educational technology.

12:15pm - 12:45pm

Lunch

12:45pm - 1:15pm

Dessert Reception

1:15pm - 2:00pm

Roundtable Discussions

These discussions, on topics suggested by attendees when you register, provide a great opportunity for you to network with fellow technology leaders.

Handout: Web Resources

2:00pm - 3:30pm

Mini-workshops

These workshops allow our attendees to explore key topics in greater depth.

Digital Storytelling, Visual Literacy and 21st Century Skills

Joe Brennan and David Jakes
In today's world, literacy goes far beyond learning how to read and write. Knowing how to convey information using multiple media and how to tell a compelling story are both crucial communication skills for tomorrow's graduates. Come explore the process of digital storytelling and see how this meaningful learning experience supports the skills required for 21st Century learning. We’ll show examples of digital stories and, with the help of the audience, create a digital story. Finally, our collaborative discussion will focus on extending the key elements of the digital storytelling process to other technology experiences to create a new vision of learning with technology.

Presentation: Jakes: "Digital Storytelling, Visual Literacy and 21st Century Skills"

Blogs and RSS: Tapping Into the Global Conversation

David Warlick
Weblogs have given voice to millions, and dramatically leveled the playing field in terms of who writes and whom we read. The surprising success of blogging comes from two factors: the creation of a human network in which people read, respond, re-blog, and contribute their knowledge and perspective, and the powerful but subtle RSS technology that underlies blogs and serves to aggregate these conversations in potent ways. Learn how educators can employ these factors to promote basic literacy skills, help students develop new relationships with content, and harness the emerging capabilities of RSS for their own professional use.

Handout: "RSS Aggregators"
Handout: "History of Blogs"
Presentation: Warlick: "Blogging"
Handout: "A Professional Weblog with Blogger.com"

Classrooms, Content and Kids

Pete Reilly
Join Pete Reilly for an in-depth session examining how educational technology leaders are addressing the instructional content/software issues that are so important in transforming teaching and learning. In this interactive session, Pete will help us refocus on the needs of teachers and students, provide an opportunity to experience a wide variety of educational software, discuss successful strategies for bringing more attention and resources to non-hardware, content and professional development needs, and share a “Structured Content Planning” model that results in a 3-5 year Instructional Software Plan.

Hall Davidson
Copyright law allows incredible lattitude in the service of education—in a monitored environment. Making informed copyright decisions requires a clear understanding of historical and evolving laws of intellectual property as they apply to schools. Join Hall Davidson for an entertaining look at "why" and "when" the law is on your side. Copyright conflicts typically reflect problems in the instructional plan more than problems with the law.You will leave this workshop with tools and checklists that will help you understand the application of copyright in your schools and districts. Visual support for the content will include movies, morphs, the Internet, and the original lyrics from the actual composer of the American national anthem (not FS Key).

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Sponsor-Hosted Reception