Conference Slate Continues to Expand
Since the preliminary slate of keynotes, workshops, and concurrent sessions for FETC 2012 was released late last year, there have been dozens of additions. Every one of them offers something of value to attendees, but here are a few selected additions that demonstrate the technologies that drive school excellence. A complete up-to-date listing of all events is available in the print program at FETC or at fetc.com.
Since the preliminary slate of keynotes, workshops, and concurrent sessions for FETC 2012 was released late last year, there have been dozens of additions. Every one of them offers something of value to attendees, but here are a few selected additions that demonstrate the technologies that drive school excellence. A complete up-to-date listing of all events is available in the print program at FETC or at fetc.com.
Google's Eye Opener Keynote
An early morning "eye opener" of a keynote will be Rajen Sheth's talk on "Scaling Technology in Education: Building on the Web." Sheth, group product manager for Chrome for Business and Education, will talk about how schools can incorporate the web and new technologies to help students build analytical, creative, and collaborative skills.
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7:30-8:15 a.m., Room SA1
Mac Management in the Education Enterprise
Thinking of switching to Mac? Or maybe you have thousands of them and wish there was an easier way to manage them? Christopher Newcombe, systems administrator at Holy Comforter Episcopal School in Tallahassee, FL, will go in depth to offer some management and data backup strategies for JAMF Software's Casper Suite and Code42's CrashPlan PRO, showing real-world examples of both.
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tools, Not Toys
The internet is full of resources, tools, and websites. Education expert Gail Lovely will introduce you to some of the most powerful yet easy-to-learn web tools for you and your students. Lovely will share strategies, tips, and even a few simple tricks. A focus on free tools will be maintained throughout the workshop session.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Going Mobile!
Two top technology officials from the Florida Department of Education will address the growing use of mobile devices in education. David Stokes, the department's chief information officer, and Ted Duncan, the department's deputy CIO, will be joined by a number of Florida district technology coordinators to discuss selecting devices, installing wireless networks, and security concerns unique to mobile technology.
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 3-4 p.m.
Google Search—Hold Onto Your Hats
According to presenter and educational technology consultant Lisa Thumann, there's no longer a good reason to spend precious classroom minutes searching the internet for information. Thumann will guide session participants through a tour of the tools and strategies that Google has developed to help students focus on synthesizing the information they've found, rather than spending time trying to find it.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 3-4 p.m.
Differentiated Instruction With Blended Learning
Instructional content, processes, and products must be differentiated to meet each student's needs and goals. Principal Erick Witherspoon of Preston Elementary School in Rialto, CA, will talk about blended-learning programs that can offer more for personalized, student-centered, modular, and flexible instruction than that provided by traditional face-to-face classroom-only versions.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 12-1 p.m.