ASCD Conference To Spotlight Ed Tech

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 12/13/11

ASCD will hold its 67th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show, "A Collective Call to Action," in Philadelphia, PA, March 24-26.

The event will "will explore what committed educators are doing to support the success of each learner," according to information released by the organization. "Reflecting the ever growing relationships between educational technology and instruction, the 2012 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show will feature many sessions designed to help educators seamlessly and creatively integrate technology into curriculum."

Recently scheduled sessions that will focus on technology in education include:

• "They're Coming from the Cloud and They're Here To Help," will be presented by Hall Davidson of Discovery Education at 1:00 pm March 25. Davidson will explore the convergence of tech books and mobile apps;
• "Face to Faith: Breaking Down Barriers, Expanding Horizons," will be presented by Newseum's Charles Haynes at 8:00 am on March 26. This session will focus on Face to Faith, an international program that connects students of varying faiths and beliefs via videoconferencing to explore issues such as health, poverty, and the environment in an effort to raise the cultural and religious literacy of participants;
• Alline Sada and Leonor Salazar from Colegio Euroamericano de Monterrey will present "Spice it up! Technology-Infused Lesson Planning Made Simple" at 8:30 am on March 26. Sada and Salazar will discuss planning lessons that use technology with an emphasis on assessment and learning goals;
• "Real-Time Global Forum: How to Connect Your Classroom and School," will be presented March 24 at 3:00 pm by Heidi Jacobs of Curriculum 21 and Brandon Wiley of the Asia Society. In this session, conference participants and virtual participants will collaborate on connecting classrooms, schools, and faculties with others "throughout the world in purposeful teaching and learning experiences," according to information released by ASCD; and
• Discovery Education's Steve Dembo will present "The Power of Glass Schools" at 1:00 pm on March 26. Dembo will discuss the use of Web 2.0 technologies to make education more transparent, engender a sense of community, and connect students to people from around the world without sacrificing student safety or compromising standards.

"Educational technologies are changing the way educators teach and students learn," said Ed Milliken, ASCD's managing director of professional development. "The 2012 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show is responding to that trend by providing more sessions than ever focused on helping educators leverage the power of technology to support the success of each learner."

Formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ASCD is a nonprofit organization "dedicated to advancing best practices and policies for the success of each learner," according to information found on the association's site. Founded in 1943, the association has 160,000 members in 148 countries.

For more information about the conference, visit ascd.org.