Getting Smart is proud to have partnered with American Student Assistance to create an Educating Entrepreneurs Track that explores teaching and leading entrepreneurship programs, business partnerships, economic mobility, workforce development and building talent pipelines. Sessions will be led by innovative ed leaders, educators and students. You can check out the full summit agenda here.

Check out these Educating Entrepreneurs sessions:

Cultivating Entrepreneurial Mindset in Engineers

Learn how leading engineering schools are cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset from opportunity recognition to solution design and delivering impact.

• Doug Melton, Kern Family Foundation
• Kurt Paterson, Arizona State University
• Joseph LeDoux, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Luis Perez-Breva, MIT & S1 Industries

Joining Forces for our Future:  High Schools, Community, & Entrepreneurship

By creating in-school incubators, students learn entrepreneurship, working to address real-world problems.  Within rigorous, for-credit INCubatoredu programs, teachers use best practices from Silicon Valley and provide students with a safe environment to experiment with their ideas and develop their skills. Volunteers from the business community join the school team to share their expertise.  Through this collaborative work, students experience mentorship and networking opportunities that can help them turn their ideas into successful businesses.

• Margarita Geleske, Uncharted Learning
• Dr. Mike Waldrip, Frisco ISD
• Dr. Lori Rapp, Lewisville ISD
• Isaiah Stanback, Steadfast Fitness
• Jason McCann, Vari

Authentically Teaching Entrepreneurship to Teens

“Get to failure fast” is a rallying cry among entrepreneurs, but generally not educators. The entrepreneur’s discovery process of learning from defeat is at the opposite end of traditional learning in schools.  Can the entrepreneur’s learning practices be transferred to the classroom? Hear from teachers and students who use Silicon Valley processes that ultimately teach them how to learn from failure in and out of class.  Students of INCubatoredu classes will share experiences and businesses they developed.

• Victoria Andrews, Getting Smart
• Margarita Geleske, Uncharted Learning
• Jason Cooper and Nicole Franczvai, Lewisville ISD and Lewisville HS Students
• Tommy Thompson, Frisco ISD and Centennial HS Students

Building Talent Pipelines through High School Work-based Learning

Working-to-learn experiences help students build skills employers need and provide businesses with an expanded pipeline of talent. They also help communities reduce unemployment and attract new businesses. Seems like a win-win. But when 79% of high school students say they are interested in a work-based learning experience, why have only 2% completed an internship? Awareness, access to opportunity, and know-how are at the top of the list for both learners and employers.  Hear about how to implement four ways to improve your employee pipelines including: getting involved in project-based learning through a new national pilot, EPIC; partnering with and hiring from work colleges; supporting high school pathways (P-Tech in TX), or offering a summer internship experience.

• Julie Lammers, American Student Assistance
• Kenyatta Lovett, Educate Texas
• Jason A. Tyszko, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
• Raymie Venable, Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship Academy

Employers & Entrepreneurship Educators: A Win/Win Collaboration

Over 90% of employers agree that it’s important to have an entrepreneurial mindset to prepare candidates to enter the workforce. Enter stage right: entrepreneurial education models that are actively engaging GenZ in career exploration, helping them develop transferable durable skills employers want, and setting them on a confident path for building wealth. Hear from business leaders on entrepreneurial education is connecting employers and learners and helping businesses solve real-world business problems through employer-led project-based learning and youth business plan and pitch competitions.

• J.D. LaRock, NFTE
• Corey Mohn, CAPS Network
• Tanyania Bobb, Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA) Dallas ISD

Career Exploration and Entrepreneurship in K-8 Education
Is it too soon to introduce careers in K-8 schools?  Actually, no.  Exposing and exploring connections between academics and careers helps a young student develop in many areas.  It sparks curiosity, fosters self-awareness, and encourages young people to explore possibility. With entrepreneurship’s hands-on approach, hear how students develop creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills.

• Tom Vander Ark, Getting Smart
• Ed Hidalgo, Cajon Valley USD
• Julie Lammers, American Student Assistance
• Jerri LaMirand, Uncharted Learning
• Melodi Kunn, Midlothian ISD

Business Partnerships in Out-of-School Learning and Workforce Development
When thinking about the learner’s journey from school to career, so much focus is justifiably highlighting what happens in school day settings. But in the 21st-century world, skills rule the day. And much of what the workforce demands are skills built-in experiences out of the classroom. Join this conversation of business leaders and out-of-school time-doers to learn how their partnerships are meeting the needs of the workforce of tomorrow.

• Byron Sanders, Big Thought
• Antoine Joyce, All Stars Project, Inc. https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinejoyce/
• Angelica Barrera, Youth leader and Big Thought Apprentice
• Mike Lawson, Boeing
• Paul Buckley, D Custom

Economic Mobility: Managing Pathways at Scale

Dallas College and Dallas ISD have rolled out the largest Early College / PTECH strategy in the country where over 8,000 students are enrolled in associate degree programs in partnership with over a hundred industry-based partners. As the envelopes that previously held K12, higher ed, and workforce dissolve, communities require a cross-institutional approach to managing the student lifecycle. Dallas College and Dallas ISD have partnered with Economic Mobility Systems to develop the PTECH Pathway Manager where student journey maps and course-level data converge to help institutional leaders effectively manage the work at scale in Salesforce. This work is taking place in a context of a larger community plan called Dallas Thrives that proposes to double the number of adults earning a living wage in a county that educates 10% of Texas students and 1% of the nation.

• Dr. Anna Mays
• Dr. Cheryl Nevels, Dallas ISD
• Dr. Tiffany Kirksey, Dallas College
• Mark Flanagan, Economic Mobility Systems
• Dr. Eric Ban, Economic Mobility Systems

Producing a More Relevant and Innovative Workforce

Students are sitting in classrooms today with a sense of fearlessness and optimism, ready to create a brighter and more prosperous world; as such, our way of thinking and how we prepare learners must evolve and change. This workshop, through the lens of equity and diversity, will showcase creative programming to empower high school-aged learners to become adaptable, curious, and industrious. Join the Readiness Institute at Penn State and the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp to discuss how we can shape a future that works for everyone.

• Victoria Andrews, Getting Smart
• Justin Aglio, Readiness Institute at Penn State

The post SMU+GSV Mission Summit: On a Mission to Change the World for Good appeared first on Getting Smart.

There are over 5,200 attendees from over 130 countries this year, and the highest number of K-12 and higher ed leaders than ever before. The Getting Smart team has been attending ASU+GSV since its early days, when it was just a couple hundred people taking over a small hotel in Phoenix. Over the years we have made lasting connections and gleaned the following tips for attending:

1. Use the App! There are hundreds of sessions, events and opportunities to network at ASU+GSV. Most days there is programming from 7am-7pm so there can certainly be a feeling of overwhelm if you’re not prepared. Download the ASU+GSV App and start building your schedule now. You can favorite sessions, then view your day to see when you have openings for other sessions or meetings. You can also find out who’s attending and start connecting with speakers within the App.
2. Be timely. Sessions fill up fast so you’ll want to get there a few minutes early to get a good seat. We also recommend the breakfast and lunch keynotes. The programming is always great, as well as the meals!
3. Network network network. Take advantage of the happy hours, opening party, hallway conversations and break tims to build your network and learn from others. The Expo hall is also a great place to do this and learn about new tools, programs and leaders.
4. Reflect. Take time in the afternoon or evening to reflect on what you learned, what your takeaways are, where you’re learning fits within your team’s strategic goals and start creating mini action plans. This will help the information stay fresh and actionable, so you can imagine what’s possible when you’re back in your community.
5. Rest and recharge. There is a lot happening every day at the summit. Be sure you take time to step outside, take a walk on the marina and soak in some sunshine. Your brain and body will thank you!

Here are a few trends our team is predicting at the conference…

Equity & Access. As organizations, leaders, educators and other education stakeholders continue to focus in on the critical importance of designing for equity and access, we know this will be a distinct theme and hope to see it as a thread throughout every session.

Unbundling. We recently published an Unbundled Learning white paper and we think this will be a theme worth looking for at ASU+GSV. Unbundling is making everything count within an ecosystem of learning. This means work-based learning, entrepreneurship, partnership, internships, apprenticeships and a learn everywhere model will be a theme during many sessions.

Credentialing & Portrait of a Graduate (PoG). Look out for PoG and associated competencies, badging and credentialing beyond CTE, learning and employment records, what is stored, where it’s stored and how it’s shared. We’re excited to learn more about progress in this area.

Workforce: Skills Matching & Alignment. We hope to hear sessions talking about better skills matching with highered or employment, lifelong learning (and how we teach those skills in K-12) and badging professional learning.

User Generated Content. You’ve probably heard that user generated content is the future. We’re looking forward to diving deeper into Web3, what the next generation of read, write, and own content will mean for learning, decentralized learning, self sovereignty and connecting learners and teachers without intermediaries.

Embracing AI. We think AI is here to stay, and instead of rejecting it, it’s time we embrace it to better serve learners. We are looking for ways that AI can help advance outcomes for all learners (and ways to address the challenges AI presents).

Permissionless Education. We are watching for innovations in K-12 that both push new school models through different funding approaches and how these are influencing change in districts who are facing school enrollment declines. How can microschools, partnerships to personalize and other new models support the future of education? One that is permissionless, personalized and customizable for every learner – as well as accessible to every learner.  

Health and Wellbeing. It’s no secret that our educators and students are facing enormous mental health challenges. Mental health is directly correlated to all outcomes and we know that trauma-informed leadership/supports, SEL and effective structures to support struggling learners and educators will be a focus of the summit.

If you’re headed to ASU+GSV like we are, keep an eye out for Caroline, Tom, Rebecca, Shawnee, Nate or myself! We’ll all be there and can’t wait to meet you.

Also, add a few of our sessions to your agenda (in the app of course):

• Pods and Microschools: From Crisis Response to Enduring Education
• Scaling Local Partnerships to Accelerate College Attainment
• Communicating Competence: How Mastery Systems, Digital Credentials, and LRs Tell Learners’ Stories
• Shifting Power Dynamics in Education to Learn With and From Youth
• Blended Pathways for the Next Generation
• Mobilizing Diverse Learners as Chief Architects of Our Future

The post Your Guide to the ASU+GSV Summit appeared first on Getting Smart.

It’s almost impossible to believe we are now in the third school year affected by the pandemic. While we are all hopeful it is the last, there are many lessons learned and new opportunities created by educators and leaders who used the challenges of school closures to reimagine how and where learning is delivered to students.

While online learning is not a novel idea, in the last two years it has become more widely utilized than ever before. According to a RAND study and supported anecdotally by many local media stories, more than a thousand districts are starting or significantly expanding online or hybrid programs this school year. It’s likely that most of them are doing so in response to a demand from parents and students who value the flexibility of remote learning and want to continue learning in a new, innovative approach.

At Getting Smart we are advocates for choice and believe a strong, effective online learning option should be available to all learners through their neighborhood school. But we know that this work cannot be done alone.

Edleaders are in need of support and other leaders to share best practices and garner expert advice. Enter the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC), an initiative that seeks to support districts and schools as they increase options for students and improve outcomes.

Who is the Digital Learning Collaborative?

Started by the Evergreen Education Group, DLC is a membership group made up of educators, providers, supporters and thought leaders who are all committed to improving education for schools and students. All stakeholders in education are invited to join, whether you’re an educator, school board member, reporter, researcher or policymaker.

Given the dramatic shift for many districts, DLC is heavily focused on  meeting the needs of those starting an online or hybrid program. The collaborative ecompasses many different schools and instructional practices, including but not limited to state virtual schools, online schools, hybrid and mainstream schools.

Getting Smart strongly believes in the power of Networks, so we’re excited to have partnered with DLC to help share this opportunity with teachers and leaders in our own community!

The DLC is offering new membership options for districts this year. Membership benefits include ongoing members-only webinars that dig deeper into these topics, with opportunities for discussion among participants, as well as online discussions, “office hours” with experienced practitioners, and extensive practical guides and resources.

DLC webinars, office hours, happy hours, and other events are organized and presented by practitioners, researchers, and others who have many years of experience in the online, blended, and hybrid learning field.

Their new membership option provides for up to five people from your school or district to take advantage of the resources and learning opportunities. A portion of the annual fee to join is also given as credit to attend DLC’s main event, the Digital Learning Annual Conference (read about the most recent conference in our blog recap).

Start Learning Now.

To help support districts, DLC is offering a free webinar series every Monday through November 1st, 2021 that is open to anyone interested in learning from leaders in the field. These webinars will spend 20-30 minutes exploring keys to success in running an online or hybrid school. This includes setting clear and measurable goals, hiring and training teachers, selecting content and technology and engaging families. Following the discussion there will be time for attendees to bring your questions, share your stories and start moving forward in the right direction.

So if you’re thinking about starting an online or hybrid option, or maybe you already have but are running into obstacles, it’s time to join a webinar and learn more about implementing a successful online program. Click here to start learning and networking.

If membership isn’t right at this time, DLC is offering our readers a 10% discount on registration for the Digital Learning Annual Conference! To register, click here and use code DLACSmart22 to save!

The post Why Collaborate for Online Learning? Because it Just (Net)Works appeared first on Getting Smart.

When schools were closed last year, they scrambled to find innovative ways to engage learners and connect with families. Many turned to video creation for sharing lessons and learnings. While some districts already had systems and platforms in place, making the transition a bit easier, some had to scramble to find something to deploy.

Planning for Back to School.

As you plan for the return to school, whether you’re an educator or a school leader, video is here to stay. Four school-wide ideas include:

• Sharing content. Video can be used to capture evergreen content and can allow for a richer community within your educator teams as they share content they’ve created via video, share tips via short videos and even connect classrooms.
• Staying ready for remote. While the pandemic closed schools for an unprecedented amount of time, snow days, power outages, floods and various other circumstances have closed schools in the past. Extended illness or travel can also mean long absences for learners. Video can support learners at home, and extend learning despite classroom doors being closed.
• Sustaining and building family connections. Video can create opportunities for more families to engage and be a part of your class and school. Whether it’s creating video tutorials on how to check learner work or growth, recording back-to-school nights for those that can’t attend, or even simply sending regular school/classroom update messages.
• Connecting hybrid, in-person and online classrooms. Many schools are offering all three learning options this school year. Imagine how video could support keeping learners connected with their cohort regardless of which learning model their family chooses.

Teachers, This One’s for You.

As a mother of a student who entered Kindergarten in 2020, I can’t say enough how grateful our family was for our teachers. Or how magical they made the school year, even if it wasn’t how any of us expected it.

A lot of the “magic” of the year was because of innovative and creative ways many teachers used video to keep lessons engaging, extend instruction time when Zoom rooms or synchronous learning times were limited and to engage with their families.

Some of those same practices can continue when we return to the school building. Video can create an opportunity to free up more instructional time for projects, digging into problem-solving and really being able to personalize for each learner.

Here are a few reasons video can be powerful and a few ways to incorporate it into your lesson plans:

• Agency. We know some learners built a deep sense of agency while learning from home. Through video, students can tell their story, use a different format than they’ve used before to explain work and build and share their own lessons with classmates. Imagine the power of flipped student presentations.
• Flip Your Classroom. Utilize the power of video by recording some of your direct instruction plans for learners to watch as “homework” then spending class time diving into work and building understanding.
• Enriched Station Rotation. Create differentiated videos for each of your small group stations so students can watch a video that you created and be working on different review activities in their different stations. This also helps build a library of content you can use in the future.
• Built in Assessment. Educators can create videos that are embedded in a Google Form that serves as a quick assessment. If a student gets the answer wrong, they’re moved into a new branch of the form that has a video to help build understanding, then when finished they go back to the original question to reassess. Students can also respond to assessment questions or submit work.
• Better than Red Ink. What if instead of writing a learner’s grade with short feedback on their next written assignment, you could record a quick 30-second video that explains your grade and give real-time feedback that is more robust than the traditional red pen.

Support for Leaders, Too.

Video creation and editing can be daunting, and many options out there are difficult to use and require extensive training. Teachers need an easy to use capture and edit tool, and many found that in Screencastify, a Chrome extension that allows you to record, edit and share videos. With teachers in 70% of US school districts using Screencastify to improve student learning, it’s clear that the tool is needed and valued.

Sarah Margeson, the Connected Learning Coordinator for Tippecanoe School Corporation is certain that Screencastify use pre-pandemic helped create better transitions and engagement during school closures.

“I have said multiple times that I don’t know how we would have gotten through the year without Screencastify. If somebody asked the one thing that I feel, across the board, was instrumental in the success of the year — it was 100 percent Screencastify.”

District access with Screencastify unlocks additional tools and creates opportunities for leaders and teachers to better engage staff, learners and families without having to learn a new and complicated platform. Here are a few things to consider:

• Private and Secure. Because videos can contain student information, faces, etc. It’s critical that you make sure your platform is private and secure. Screencastify is certified COPPA, FERPA and SOPIPA compliant. There is minimal data required to operate the software and information is never shared or sold.
• Tiered Systems of Supports. Several districts have utilized video to build libraries of content that support response to intervention and multi-tiered systems of support.
• Informative Data. Get an inside look at how specific domains are utilizing the software, including monthly usage reports that share how many videos have been created, edited and submitted, how many learned have completed assignments and more.
• Tailored Support. A Screencastify team member will be available to support your district’s implementation. They’ll check in to see how things are going, help with tips/tricks and support implementing with fidelity so your district is truly taking advantage of all the things Screencastify has to offer.
• New Features First. District teams get early and exclusive access to new features on the platform. The team at Screencastify is dedicated to improving the tool to make it valuable based on feedback they get from leaders and educators so there are updates happening all the time. One of the latest updates introduced was Viewer Analytics so school teams can see who has seen the video, how many times they’ve watched it, when they watched it last, etc.
• Video for Growth. Imagine the possibilities to extend access and reach for professional learning with video and creating more efficiency across PLCs and in-service days. It also creates opportunities to send quick videos to school teams to grow community and enhance school culture.

Screencastify will soon release a new Video Quizzes feature to embed multiple-choice quizzes in videos. So in addition to using the form option above for quick assessment, teachers can now embed them directly into videos!

As you plan to head back to the building this year, how will you support educators and learners? It’s time to unleash asynchronous learning in your community through the power of video!

For more, see:

• Smart Review: Harnessing the Power of Videos with Screencastify
• 5 Personalized Learning Strategies for the Online Learner
• Why Students Should Co-Author Learning

This post is sponsored by Screencastify. If you’d like to learn more about our policies and practices regarding sponsored content, please email Jessica Slusser.

Stay in-the-know with innovations in learning by signing up for the weekly Smart Update.

The post Returning to School: Why Video Is Here to Stay appeared first on Getting Smart.

Many of us on the Getting Smart team are parents. Our children range from ages 1-19 so we’ve been swapping stories of distance learning, resources that have helped our families through a difficult year, and now we’re all prepping for summer!

Here are a few ways our team is planning to ignite summer learning for our children AND ourselves. If there are any you love, please add them as a comment or tweet us @Getting_Smart and use #SummerLearning

Subscription Boxes

We love subscription boxes because they take the guesswork out of summer learning. Boxes come right to your door monthly and can be done anytime that works best for your family.

• KiwiCo. Great for ages 0-104 (really) KiwiCo offers a variety of “crates” depending on age and interest. Whether they’re wanting to explore STEM, Maker and Arts or Geography and Culture there is something for everyone. Crates come once monthly and include hands-on activities, creative learning opportunities, content to help learners explore and ideas to keep them learning after they’ve completed the activities within each box.

• Raddish. This box is a culinary lesson and mealtime solution all in one. June’s box is edible engineering and helps youth celebrate science, technology and math in the kitchen while creating a pie, taco triangles and a jar salad. Each box includes a quality kitchen tool, collectible apron patches, table talk cards and more. We also love that Raddish offers playlists for each box to listen along as you cook, as well as dietary modification options.

• LoveEvery. This one is for the littlest learners, but we love these stage-based play essentials for children ages 0-3. Each box is specially curated for your child based on their learning/development stages and the toys are high quality!

Digital Opportunities

Have a long road trip ahead? Or just want to make good use of your child’s screen time? These virtual options are great and worth exploring;

• Outschool. With over 100,000 interactive online classes and camps, you’re sure to find something on Outschool that your learner (ages 3-18) is interested in! From how to draw a T-Rex to speaking Spanish, there’s no shortage of interesting content. Classes are taught by safe and vetted educators and the live, small group format helps youth grow social skills and build friendships.

• Outlier. This one’s for the older kids at home. Pay 80% less than college courses, earn transferable college credits and learn from the best instructors on demand. The best part is… if learners do the work but don’t pass, they get a refund. Check out Outlier, courses start soon.

• ABC Mouse. Many families used ABC Mouse during the height of the pandemic as they offered a steep discount on an annual subscription. Great for ages 2-8, this app supports reading, math, science and art in an engaging digital format.

• Homer. Offering digital and hands-on options, Homer supports ages 2-8 through personalized, comprehensive reading, math, SEL, instruction that also inspires and grows creativity and thinking skills

• Osmo. This tablet-based program (compatible with FIRE Tablets and iPads) supports learning through play. From entrepreneurial skills, to spelling, creativity, coding and puzzles, Osmo really has something for every interest group. There are some games for younger learners (age 3-5), but most are built to best serve ages 5-12. My daughter’s favorite game is the pizza shop. She loves to practice math with the money option in the game and thinks it’s fun to see how many people she served, if they were happy clients and what revenue her store brought in each day.

Utilize The Power of Place

You already know we are deeply passionate about community-connected projects and the power of place-based education. Our recently published book The Power of Place offers several examples for school and community leaders to inspire the implementation of place-based education to connect learners to a common purpose and build agency and community. Here are a few quick ways to utilize place to inspire learning this summer:

• Run a lemonade stand, or maybe a fidget stand (my kids are obsessed with those pop-it things these days). Start withstand design (art), develop a business model (what supplies do you need, what are the costs, when will you be open), promote the stand in your neighborhood (marketing), and open up for business.
• Build forts inside or outside. This is fun for kids of all ages, and family too!
• Encourage kids to find their own special spot that allows them time alone to think, draw, write and create. This can be inside or out.
• Host a bio-blitz at home or with your community. iNaturalist has a guide here to get you started.
• Plant something, literally anything. Start your own family or community garden. We also recommend checking out these books to help us all better appreciate our planet and share accessible ways for young people to get involved in the fight against climate change.
• Track the weather, predict changes, and explore local weather patterns.
• Track the stars and moon phases.
• Embark on a micro-scavenger hunt. Look really closely at a small area (sidewalk, lawn, pond, etc.) and see what you find.
• We love this book on how to Let the Kid Guide. The authors share accessible activities for parents who want to be more present and connected to the world and their families.

Other Favorites and Tips:

We know we have shared a lot already, but here are a few more worth mentioning!

• Busy Toddler is a favorite for many on our team. The website and Instagram account share a variety of affordable, easy-to-set-up playtime and learning activities for toddlers and school-aged kids.
• Check your local library! Most facilitate a summer reading challenge that offers kids a chance to win prizes by reading books. Some will even send personalized recommendations.
• Find a summer project. Pick a topic to go deep on, research, interview, write about it and at the end of summer do a presentation of learning for family and friends on the topic. Caroline on our team had to do this every summer, we all wish we could see her presentation on French Impressionism.
• Zoos and Children’s museums typically offer extended programming for the summer as well as planned learning events and themes. Check out your local museum this summer!

For more, see:

• It’s Time to Plan Summer Learning Opportunities
• Strategies and Considerations when Designing for Summer Learning

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The post 21 Ways to Ignite Summer Learning appeared first on Getting Smart.

ASU Prep Digital courses promote active learning through real-world questions and problem-solving activities. Case studies based on real-life scenarios contextualize the learning. In a chemistry class, students treat a man with cancer and work in a laboratory sandbox, following directives and manipulating the screen as they measure and pour components, and in a math class students compute weather forecast probabilities.

A first-of-its-kind course offered by ASU Prep Digital — BioBeyond — is an introductory, college-level, online biology course covering all the course material of a standard first-year biology course, adapted for high school learners, and built to create a personalized experience tailored to each unique student.

Using the same adaptive learning technologies that ASU uses to help students progress as they are ready, ASU Prep Digital courses are modified for the high school learner, which incorporates their longer course times and age-appropriate reading lexiles. Students are exposed to the “college experience” while the system adapts to their learning level.

BioBeyond

Centered around real-world scenarios, the BioBeyond course strives to answer the question of Are We Alone in the Universe? by looking at what is known on earth and beyond earth. The Learnspace is scaffolded (where lessons build on one another) and consists of eight course units broken into lessons. Unit one — ‘Biology Bootcamp’ — sets the foundation for understanding the scientific terms and practices needed to be successful in the course. Each additional unit centers around a central question.

The Pedagogical Approach

Instead of formal assessments, the course is set up with visually stimulating, and game-based components where learners earn points as they demonstrate mastery of concepts through four types of screens — instructional, simulation, summative and formative. Additionally, lessons incorporate virtual field trips, immersive, game-based experiences, and project-based learning.

From the moment a student begins, the platform is assessing current knowledge- and adjusting to their individual learning pace and style. The Smart Sparrow platform powers the adaptive experience which anticipates and responds to student performance, and provides guided prompts to enhance the student’s sense of agency.

This built-in learning support keeps the learner engaged and acts as a virtual tutor. The prompts come in the form of reinforcement (why you got the answer right), or encouragement (how you might consider things differently to get to the right answer).

In one instance, the system might ask the student to make a prediction before beginning a lesson. The system interprets the student’s input, generates prompts to enhance the response and anticipates future performance.

A Look at ASU Prep Digital

In 2017, the ASU Prep Digital program was rolled out as an extension of the ASU Preparatory Academy, an innovative K-12 charter school system founded by ASU, as a means to expand the reach of Arizona State University and create pathways for high school students to prep for and begin college courses.

Now in its third year, ASU Prep Digital has over  20,000 enrollments, which consists of partner school, international, part-time, and full-time students using a learning model that offers over 200 personalized pathways.

With each individual student and his or her goals at the center, the teaching model is high touch with ASU faculty, teachers, a success coach and parents as the four support groups contributing to the student’s success (see diagram above). Professors come in the form of ASU faculty presenting video lectures, moderating discussion groups and providing online tutoring; teachers conduct weekly, live, small-group instruction and one-on-one academic feedback; learning success coaches serve as educational assistants monitoring progress, communicating with parents and helping the student set goals and plan for the future; parents assist with emotional support, progress monitoring and college and career planning.

Teacher Dashboard

The instructor monitoring capabilities give the teacher or professor everything from high-level class summaries to individualized student and lesson reports. The instructor has the ability to assess everything from number of lesson attempts to time spent on a question to lesson completion rates.

With the Question Explorer tool, the instructor can assess how many pathways are being utilized. Trace graphs show analytics by student path and progression through a module so an instructor can see which students may need and are getting access to remedial material.

The Courses

In addition to BioBeyond, ASU Prep Digital offers over 40 online high school courses and over 200 college courses that are mapped to pathways in specific majors including Intro to Engineering, Business and more. Looking ahead, English 10 will be the next course released in fall 2020.

The Students

Whether a student is high achieving or low performing, the tailored and personalized approach of ASU Prep Digital helps each student discover their abilities as a learner, with the ultimate goal of exposing students early in high school experience to possible career paths.

Online learning is enabling a more experiential approach to K-12 education in new and exciting ways. Teachers and students are benefiting from greater insight, options and personalization—and edtech companies are continuing to hone their products and services in order to better support them.

For more, see:

• ASU Prep: Blended College Prep with a Little Extra Kick
• Arizona State Accelerates Progress with Adaptive Active Courses
• ASU Online: Extending Access to Higher Ed

Stay in-the-know with innovations in learning by signing up for the weekly Smart Update.

This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures, please see our Partner page.

The post Engaging Online Learners in Real-World Problem Solving appeared first on Getting Smart.

Below, you will find a summary of where you can find us throughout the week, where our friends (who we highly encourage you to check out) will be, and a few others that are new to us but exciting nonetheless. We also encourage you to check out the featured speaker line up and sessions for this year’s conference. There are a ton of great educators coming to share their experiences and best practices and help push all of our thinking toward what a new future of learning will look like.

For the second consecutive year, we’re excited to be a SXSW EDU media partner. We’d love to meet up while we’re there, but if you can’t make it to Austin, stay tuned to Twitter (@Getting_Smart), we’ll be on the ground live reporting and can’t wait to share what we learn.

You can also follow along on our Team’s social handles. Here’s who you’ll see in Austin:

• Caroline Vander Ark @CVanderArk
• Erik Day @ErkDay
• Adam Kulaas @AdamKulaas
• Jessica Slusser @Jess_Slusser
• Tom Vander Ark @TVanderArk
• Emily Liebtag @EmilyLiebtag

Monday, March 4th

Life Beyond the Diploma: Adults with Autism

When: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Where: Austin Convention Center, Room 10C

Who:

• Adam Kulaas, Director of Learning Design, Getting Smart
• Gary More, Co-Founder, President & CEO, nonPareil Institute
• Lisa Marie Coates, Special Education Teacher Leader, Chesterfield County Public Schools
• Kim Tagge, Director, nonpareil Institute

What: Join an ecosystem of educators and business leaders to discuss emerging learning modules and skill-sets that are effectively preparing students with autism for post-secondary success and meaningful employment. Panelists will discuss how to make these learning approaches and skills. including personalized and project-based learning, more accessible to young adults, specifically those with autism, working in partnership with software development firms.

Revolutionizing Edtech with Interoperability

When: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Where: Austin Convention Center, Room 11AB

Who:

• David Miyashiro, Superintendent, Cajon Valley Union School District
• Caroline Vander Ark, President, Getting Smart
• Kimberly Smith, Executive Director, League of Innovative Schools, Digital Promise

What: Project Unicorn, Digital Promise, and Cajon Valley USD will discuss how districts can dig deeper to develop a digital ecosystem with interoperability and discuss pain points identified by districts, including privacy, security, policy compliance, and rostering. Technology will never replace great teaching. Rather, it can help educators to inform instruction, save time, and improve student outcomes. Learn how to optimize your data and mobilize your movement in the digital space.

Tuesday, March 5th

Building Student Agency Through the Power of Place

When: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Where: Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K

Who:

• Emily Liebtag, Director of Advocacy, Getting Smart
• Nate McClennen, VP of Education & Innovation, Teton Science Schools

What: Learning doesn’t just happen within brick and mortar school buildings—powerful learning happens in our communities. In fact, some of the most personalized learning starts when students engage in their communities and unpack who they are, where they are from, and how they can make a difference right now. In this session, participants will work with students to explore Austin as a community and reveal the six essential place-based education design principles.

Wednesday, March 6th

Collaborate vs Compete: Sustaining via Networks

When: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Where: Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon H

Who:

• Tom Vander Ark, CEO, Getting Smart
• Lydia Dobyns, President & CEO, New Tech Network
• Royce Avery, Superintendent, Manor Independent School District
• Juan Cabrera, Superintendent, El Paso Independent School District

What: Changing education is complicated. Working in networks reduces complexity and increases effectiveness and impact. By providing design principles, learning models, tools, and professional learning, networks play a key role in scaling and sustaining high-quality, equitable learning. Informal and formal networks can support the transformation of a single school or an entire system. Hear from network leaders and learn how you can leverage the power of networks to transform learning.

Better Together Book Signing

When: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM

Where: Austin Convention Center, Atrium Landing on Level 3

Who:

• Tom Vander Ark, CEO, Getting Smart
• Lydia Dobyns, President & CEO, New Tech Network

What: Grab your copy of Better Together: How to Leverage School Networks For Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning and get it freshly signed by Tom and Lydia!

Thursday, March 7th

Building Talent Pipelines Through City Ecosystems

When: 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Where: Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon K

Who:

• Tom Vander Ark, CEO, Getting Smart
• Connie Yowell, CEO, LRNG
• Paul LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University
• Rob English, CCO, Friends At Work

What: We live in a time of rapid change. How the next generation learns, expresses themselves, socially and civically engage and what motivates them is shifting dramatically. Join this workshop to explore new approaches to building talent pipelines designed with the city as the core unit rather than educational institutions alone. We will be joined by civic and higher ed leaders as well as entertainment and design experts to discuss creating workforce solutions for the 21st century.

Other Sessions Worth Checking Out

Here are a few more we’ll be sending our team to! We think you’ll want to check them out too.

• Project Good: A Toolkit for World Changing
• To Design For Youth, Design With Youth
• Passion as a Skill
• Building Equitable Education Ecosystems
• Enhance Student Creativity with PBL
• Ideation CrashUp
• Wonka, Unicorns, & the Interoperability Imperative Meet Up

Keep your eye on @Getting_Smart and @SXSWEDU for highlights and links to other fun events happening in Austin next week!

Stay in-the-know with innovations in learning by signing up for the weekly Smart Update. This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures, please see our Partner page.

The post Where to Be During SXSW EDU 2019 appeared first on Getting Smart.

DLAC derives from the September 2018 establishment of the Digital Learning Collaborative (DLC), a membership group dedicated to exploring, producing, and disseminating data, information, news and best practices in digital learning. With the DLC’s online community well into development, the members and organizers decided that hosting an onsite gathering would be a logical next step.

DLAC’s first conference will be held April 1-3, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, TX. The three-day conference will not only explore online learning, digital learning, and the use of technology in education, but will be focused on the exploration of where attendees are relative to their educational goals, and how digital learning can be used to reach the next level.

We’ve done our research and have outlined below our top four reasons to attend this inaugural conference.

1. Learn from and collaborate with an array of thought leaders and educators.

The agenda is set, and the speakers are scheduled. You can surely expect to see some familiar faces like Thomas Arnett, Saro Mohammed, David Kanter, Aaron Jones and represented organizations like Clayton Christensen Institute, The Learning Accelerator, MasteryTrack, Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance, Microsoft Education and more. But at the core of this conference, are the speakers who are everyday educators from large and small school districts across the country sharing their unique digital learning narratives.

Speakers. Along with John Watson, Founder of Evergreen Education Group, opening speakers, Alexandra Griffith, of Oshkosh Area School District, and Heather Hiebsch, of TeachUNITED, were selected to share about their in-the-trenches journeys using digital learning in their classrooms and schools. Griffith, a public high school English teacher, will share the accomplishments and setbacks in working to best leverage technology supports in her classroom (see her story here). Hiebsch, Co-Founder and Executive Director of an education network using tablet technology and teacher training to transform rural schools across the world, will share her experience as the founding principal of one of the most successful hybrid public schools in Colorado to her current work with TeachUNITED.

2. Share your ideas and experiences.

This conference is an opportunity to connect with digital learning educators and leaders alike. Advisory Board attendees include leaders from school districts, state agencies, iNACOL, Bloomboard, Institute for Teaching and Learning, Pearson, Foundation for Online and Blended Learning and many more.

Sessions. DLAC’s session format is unique in that most presentations are planned for fifteen minutes plus five minutes of Q&A, to ensure that the conference is built around discussions among all attendees. Talks are meant to inspire conversations and DLAC wants to make space for those conversations to happen in both facilitated and informal sessions. There will be plenty of opportunity for outside-the-session connections with both familiar colleagues and new acquaintances. As many of us know, hallway conversations are such a crucial and powerful time at conferences! It’s great to see one where that is naturally built in.

3. Feel welcome to attend, no matter what level of knowledge or expertise.

DLAC is specifically geared towards a wide audience of educators, district leaders, researchers, policymakers and those representing companies and non-profit organizations.

Attendees. If you have experience or interest in learning about online/blended learning environments, system-level digital learning programs, digital tools, resources, professional learning and other supports, then this conference environment will be a good fit for you. The only caveat is that attendees come with an open mind and a willingness to share and learn from one another about how technology can most effectively increase student opportunities and improve student outcomes.

4. Attend at a discounted rate.

We hope the above are reasons enough to attend this one-of-a-kind event, but we’re thrilled to offer an added bonus. As a special offer to readers of this post, DLAC is offering a $100 discount on registration using the following promotional code: GETTINGSMART@DLAC.

Registration. All details about registration can be found here and any further inquiries can be addressed by contacting the conference organizers at (616) 340-8066  or at info@evergreenedgroup.com.

An inaugural conference is exciting – and we can’t wait to see the conversations, inspiration and change that is sure to come from a gathering of digital learning minds at DLAC. If you can’t make it to Austin this year, follow along on Twitter using @theDLAC and #DLAC19. Also, be sure you subscribe to DLAC’s newsletter to stay up to speed on conference happenings, resources and information about DLAC 2020.

For more, see:

• 27 Can’t-Miss Education Conferences for 2019
• Smart List: 50+ Advocacy Organizations Making a Difference
• Infographic | Engagement in a Digital Learning Environment

This post is sponsored by Evergreen Education. If you’d like to learn more about our policies and practices regarding sponsored content, please email Jessica Slusser.

Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update. 

The post 4 Reasons to Attend the Inaugural Digital Learning Annual Conference appeared first on Getting Smart.

“But I’m just not a math person.”

We’ve all heard this refrain—and possibly even echoed it ourselves. As a young student, I felt this way for many years. For some reason, math just never clicked for me. My 11th-grade math class with Mr. Peterson changed all that. Why was his class different? He worked hard to bring us examples of math in the real world, connecting concepts back to our lives and making them feel relevant and accessible to us. He gave us voice and choice in our learning, and it made all the difference for me. I can only imagine how much my confidence and enthusiasm for math could have been changed had I experienced a similar instructional approach in all the grades prior.

I’ve come to understand that there is no such thing as a “math person,” and that high-quality math instruction is key to helping learners shed that perception. We know from decades of research that success in mathematics is more linked to opportunities to learn in a meaningful way than to innate intelligence, and we know that effective educators can nurture mathematical abilities in all students.

One approach that effectively brings math to life is termed “culturally responsive mathematics teaching” (CRMT). This approach creates a learning environment focused on mathematical sense-making in which students feel valued for the unique experiences and perspective they bring, for their ways of engaging in mathematical reasoning, and for their contributions to the collective success of the classroom community.

CRMT focuses on equity at a far deeper level than simply inserting a cultural reference or two or including a student’s name in a new math problem. The approach focuses on raising the bar for all learners in an equitable and inclusive way,  never about lowering standards and removing challenges.

CRMT encourages the creation of relevant learning opportunities for students to dive into concepts and skills as a point of entry, and the approach helps educators create a community of math learners who value collaboration and see math as a way of reasoning with and about quantities. Perhaps most important, especially for those who don’t see themselves as “math people,” CRMT helps students see math as a part of their identity and a tool for examining the world through a quantitative lens.

Recently, Curriculum Associates released a new white paper on culturally responsive classrooms. Included in that guide are four key components necessary to practice CRMT:

1. Developing students’ proficiency in important math concepts, relationships, and skills

Perhaps obvious but worth underscoring is that mathematics should be at the core of CRMT, meaning all efforts to address cultural relevance must be meaningfully tied to math concepts and goals. For many students, past approaches to math instruction have been limited to teaching “basic skills,” which can involve tedious and disconnected rote drills  A culturally responsive teacher will recognize the potential in every student to engage in mathematical thinking and will find ways to elicit a student’s reasoning.  

Standards for twenty-first-century skills recognize the importance of understanding the concepts behind the calculations and emphasize productive engagement in math practices. To meet the expectations of more rigorous standards, teachers need lessons that offer access and supports to every student. What does this look like in practice? Educators can embed a “Number Talk” within a lesson to invite students to share their strategies about a specific problem, or engage students in discussing and connecting multiple representations used to solve contextual problems. When addressing a new question or lesson, a teacher could begin by inviting students to gather at the class “math wall” to reflect on their prior work and consider how concepts or strategies relate to past work.

How do we ensure our approaches support student proficiency? Here are some questions to consider:

1. What are the “big ideas” of mathematics my students will learn this unit or year?
2. What prior mathematical knowledge will my students need to make sense of these big ideas?
3. Am I giving students sufficient time and resources to develop their own mathematical thinking?
4. How will I communicate that their thinking is what matters, not just their answers? What language will I use?
5. How am I ensuring students are making sense of the concepts and learning with coherence?
6. Am I using Instructional routines that encourage both individual think time and partner/whole class discourse?

2. Valuing students’ identities: Inviting prior knowledge, ways of communicating, lived experiences, interests and communities into the learning process.

Find ways to connect math lessons to real, community-based issues or examples that your students will value. More often than not, students find it hard to make sense of why math matters to them, how they’ll use concepts in their worlds outside of school and how these skills will support them in future jobs. Part of CRMT is getting to know your students deeply, recognizing the ways in which they communicate, and inviting them to use forms they’re both familiar and comfortable with.

While formal academic language and mathematical notation are important, these skills are not the most immediately accessible and are best built after students have a chance to informally share their ideas; this is especially true for English Learners. Encourage engaged communication by showing students various ways they can relay their thinking– through spoken language, drawing pictures, hand gestures, and even calculator keystrokes. Once students find their “voice” to get their ideas out, teachers can show the link between their communication strategies and more formal language. This approach allows students to fully participate, feel validated for their way of thinking, and receive scaffolded supports to learning math terminology and notation.

Underscoring relevant real-world applications for math concepts helps engage students and answer the, “How will I ever use this?” question. A group of sixth-grade teachers came up with a neat way to involve parents in making these connections. Students conducted short video interviews with a parent/guardian during back-to-school night and asked them how math is used in their everyday life or job. The result: a multitude of real-world, community-sourced examples for learners to see applications of the concepts they’re learning in the classroom. In another example, a group of educators in southern California collaborated to design a unit for eighth graders about the Pythagorean Theorem. The lesson focused on identifying possible locations for a new cell phone tower near their school site and addressed a common complaint from students about poor cell phone reception in their area.

A powerful way to connect the classroom to your students’ lives and show your investment in their lived experiences is by visiting the spaces outside of school where they live, play, and connect. Visit them at home or during after-school programs, find out what community libraries, shops, and rec centers they’re visiting, and use that information to personalize activities in the classroom. Connect in and out of school learning by asking students to take photos of mathematics happening in their communities, then write problems based on those.

Questions to consider:

1. What have I learned about my students’ prior knowledge and skills? How can I use that information to encourage them in their learning of mathematics?
2. How and where can I learn about the experiences and interests of my students?
3. In what ways do students see themselves and their communities reflected in positive ways while learning mathematics?
4. How do I integrate language supports and develop the vocabulary to make the math accessible?
5. How do I invite authentic, meaningful parent/community engagement into my students’ learning?
6. How am I helping my students see ways to use mathematics to analyze and address issues within their community?

3. Sharing authority with students through inclusive, collaborative norms and routines

How are you distributing authority in your classroom? A great way to show students that their unique contributions are critical in shaping the learning experience is to invite them to craft a set of classroom norms for interactions during lessons. Use videos of previous year’s student interactions or pull out “Class Contracts” from past years so students can see concrete examples of appropriate ways to interact and learn from each other. You can also use role-playing to help establish class norms by showing productive examples and discussing problematic ones.

Allow each and every student to feel that they have the power to be authors of the mathematics concepts being learned. Use shared digital documents so students can collaborate on and share their written work or recordings of their mathematical reasoning with peers, their families, and other teachers.

Questions to consider:

1. What norms have I established to ensure equitable participation and status among students?
2. How am I  empowering my students to have authority over the mathematics knowledge that’s being developed?
3. How do I support the different language needs in my classroom?
4. What instructional routines do I use to scaffold student engagement in productive math discourse and collaboration?
5. What evidence do I have that my students are taking ownership of math?

In reflecting on the elements of a robust, responsive approach to math instruction, I realize that Mr. Peterson’s ability to teach me math concepts wasn’t just a coincidence or some sort of magic. Rather, it was an extension of his commitment to getting to know me and each of his students and helping us connect math to our world.

To learn more, read a new white paper from Curriculum Associates, titled Knowing and Valuing Every Learner: Culturally Responsive Mathematics Teaching or watch their recent webinar with insights from thought leaders and educators practicing CRMT.

For more, see:

• 5 Things That Make Project-Based Learning Culturally Responsive
• Going Beyond Data: 10 Tips for Building a Culture Around Numbers
• Building Culturally Responsive Classrooms with Digital Content
• Cultural Responsiveness Starts in the Principal’s Office

This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures please see our Partner page.

The post Helping Every Learner Identify as a “Math Person” appeared first on Getting Smart.

Here is the latest list of 26 can’t-miss education conferences for your 2019 planning:

1. 2019 iNACOL Symposium 

October 28, 2019 – October 31, 2019; Palm Springs, California

iNACOL’s annual conference is the leading event for K-12 competency-based, blended and online learning. With over 200 sessions, it brings together over 3,500 experts, EdLeaders and educators to explore next-gen learning for K-12 students. Here are 10 reasons to attend.

2. SXSW EDU

March 4–7, 2019; Austin, TX

The ninth annual, internationally recognized SXSW EDU will include four days of sessions, workshops, learning experiences, mentorship, film screenings, policy discussions and so much more all aimed at impacting the future of teaching and learning. The event hosts over 16,000 attendees, 1,200 speakers, 500 sessions and 200 expos and continues to stand out as a true thought leadership summit. Check out our podcast from SXSW EDU 2018.

3. ASU+GSV Summit

April 8-10, 2019; San Diego, CA

This annual conference is the “only conference during the year where you’ll have access to the smartest and most influential Learning & Talent Tech minds from around the world.” The three-day event hosts over 1000 of the best and brightest in business, entrepreneurship, higher ed and education innovation. Here is our recap of the 2018 summit.

4. BETT

January 23-26, 2019; London

With almost 35,000 attendees from 130 countries, representing 850 leading companies and 103 edtech start-ups, and thousands of exhibitors demonstrating the latest in EdTech, BETT is the world’s largest EdTech conference. Taking place in London, BETT believes in creating a better future by transforming education. This conference is premium, inclusive and game-changing. At every level of education, the themes for BETT 2019 are based on the real needs of the education community, from the tech nervous newbie to the cool geeky early adopter. BETT themes at the heart of education.

5. NewSchools Summit

May 8-9, 2019; Oakland, CA

Next year’s event will be the 20th year for this annual, invitation-only gathering hosted by New Schools Venture Fund which brings together more than 1,300 entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders, funders and policymakers to share ideas on reimagining schools to prepare all students, from every background, for the future. We’re eager to see what next year has to bring.

6. National Charter Schools Conference

June 30-July 3, 2019; Las Vegas, NV

NCSC is the best learning and networking event for school educators, leaders and advocates. At the 2018 event, attendees had an opportunity to connect with over 4,700 others in over 100 breakout sessions, 17 meet-ups, eight charter talks and five networking lounges. Participants walk away with an incredible learning experience and opportunity to share ideas and strategies for growing and improving charter schools. Registration opens on November 8th!

7. ASCD

March 16-18, 2019; Chicago, IL

Next year’s theme for the 74th annual professional learning experience is “Empower19.” Ron Clark, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Ashton Kutcher will be amongst the session speakers. This conference is “for every educator,” aiming to gather the best minds in educational leadership including teachers, principals, superintendents, instructional coaches, university professors and central office staffers and delivering a revolution in education.

8. ISTE

June 23-26, 2019; Philadelphia, PA

As the “epicenter of edtech,” ISTE Is where educators and school leaders go to learn about new tools and strategies. With over 550 companies, 1,000 sessions and 16,000 educators attending, this event boasts endless learning opportunities perfect for industry reps, teachers, tech coordinators/directors, administrators, library media specialists and policymakers.

9.  Digital Learning Annual Conference

April 1-3, 2019; Austin, TX

This is the inaugural year for the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) and its sure to be one worth attending. The three-day conference will not only explore online learning, digital learning, and the use of technology in education, but will be focused on the exploration of where attendees are relative to their educational goals, and how digital learning can be used to reach the next level.

10. CoSN

April 1-4, 2019; Portland, OR

CoSN is the conference to attend if you’re a district tech director or leader. The 2019 event will be themed around envisioning 2030: leadership for learning, exploring how we can provide the class of 2030 with the skills they will need for success. Sessions will cover three focus areas of ubiquity and access, vision and leadership and pioneering innovation. There are plenty of opportunities to network, share ideas and maximize professional development at breakout sessions, workshops and pre- and post-conference events.

11. SETDA Leadership Summit & Education Forum

November 3-6, 2019; Arlington, VA

With the 2018 event wrapped up, SETDA looks ahead to its 18th year. As one of the most important convenings for state EdTech officials, SETDA brings together leaders from over 40 state departments of education to join leaders in EdTech, assessment, instructional materials and professional development to collaborate and engage in in-depth dialogue. Take a look back at the event archives.

12. BbWorld

July 23-25, 2019; Austin, TX

2000+ thought leaders, educators and other great minds from around the world join to “exchange ideas, share best practices and address today’s toughest educational challenges.” Next year’s Austin event will host over 150 valuable sessions, 50 technology partners and access to Blackboard resources, offering participants a chance to walk away with tools to foster success at their institutions.

13. PBL World

June 18-20, 2019; Napa Valley, CA

Pre-conference June 17

In its eighth year, PBL World is the premier project-based learning conference, bringing together dedicated teachers, instructional coaches and school and district leaders who want to connect and learn more about PBL. Rather than a conference with short sessions by various presenters, this event is an institute where participants go through a continuous multi-day experience. The conference, hosted by Buck Institute for Education’s (BIE), stands by the belief that PBL transforms students and PBL World transforms educators.

14. Deeper Learning Conference

March 27-29, 2019; San Diego, CA

DL2019 is the 7th annual gathering of educators and leaders focused on creating more opportunities for students to learn deeply. Attend this conference to experience deeper learning hands-on through interactive workshops, maker spaces and deep dives. Here’s a recap from our time at the DL2018.

15. New Tech Network Conference

July 15-19, 2019; Orlando, FL

NTAC gives principals, teachers, and staff the opportunity to sharpen skills, share best practices and network with like-minded professionals from around the country.

16. Big Bang

July 22-25, 2018, Detroit, MI

Hosted by Big Picture Learning, this conference is for school leaders and educators looking to discover strategies and best practices for advancing student-centered learning, student voice, learning from the community, equity and activism. Big Bang has grown to over 600 attendees from around the world and perhaps our favorite part is that most of the panels are led or include students from the big picture network. This is one you will not want to miss in 2019!

17. ExcelinEd National Summit on Education Reform

Date TBD

ExcelinEd is currently wrapping up their 10th annual conference and we’re excited to see the plan for 2019. The best and brightest policymakers, education leaders and advocates from around the nation will meet for the premier gathering of education reformers to share information on evolving laws, new trends, successful policies and the latest innovations transforming education in the 21st century. Last year’s event was attended by over 1,000 education leaders from 47 states. Here’s a video archive from this year’s summit.

18. FETC

January 27-30, 2019; Orlando, FL

FETC is the largest national independent EdTech conference discussing tech trends, strategies and best practices for student and school success. 2019 marks the 39th annual event focusing on the Future of Education Technology and gathering a group of dynamic and creative education professionals from around the world for an intensive and highly collaborative event exploring new technologies, best practices and pressing issues.

19. TCEA

February 4-8, 2019; San Antonio, TX

Spanning five days with over 8,000 attendees, 1,000 sessions and workshops, and 450 exhibiting companies, TCEA is the largest state convention and exposition in the US. This year’s 39th annual event will feature nationally-recognized experts with topics catering to every educator.

20. CUE Conference

March 14-16, 2019; Palm Springs, CA

CUE is the largest and oldest EdTech conference in California and is targeted towards educators and EdLeaders looking to advance student achievement by using technology in the classroom. The conference has been a go-to event for educational innovation for almost 40 years and provides a best-value, three-day experience for over 6,000 educators.

21. Personalized Learning Summit

May 14-16, 2019; Atlanta, GA

In its 5th annual summit, Education Elements is bringing together 750 innovative district leaders. Participants can expect engaging and dynamic sessions, professional development and networking opportunities, and even tours of some of the most innovative companies in the Bay Area. Here’s a look back at the 2018 summit.

22. Blended and Personalized Learning Conference

April 4-6, 2019; Providence, RI

Educators, leaders and innovators can enjoy this three-day conference because it gives them an opportunity to discuss blended and personalized learning as it exists today in their schools and classrooms. At the 2019 conference, the Highlander Institute and The Learning Accelerator will be showcasing the best classroom, school and district implementers from across the country.

23. Distance Teaching & Learning Conference

August 6-8, 2019; Madison, WI

This conference attracts a broad range of professionals in distance education and online learning. In over 30 years, the conference has grown to over 800 participants and 130 sessions. Attendees can expect to connect with online learning leaders from across the nation and around the world and discover innovative ways to teach and support online learners, as well as best strategies, practices and solutions. We are staying tuned for more information on next year’s event.

24. Annual Conference for Middle Level Education

November 7-9, 2019; Nashville, TN

A valuable and comprehensive PD conference for educators and administrators working with middle school students. AMLE features over 300 sessions in 30 topic areas with hands-on and meet-and-greet opportunities. Because AMLE knows everybody learns differently, the conference caters to the needs of every educator with a multifaceted approach—various session types and styles, opportunities for one-on-one discussions with the leaders, explanations and explorations of technology, and networking—for a most valuable and comprehensive professional development event.

25. OEB 2019

December 2019; Berlin

OEB is a global, cross-sector conference on tech-supported learning and training held in Berlin. The 2018 conference, OEB focused on “incorporating learning technologies,” and giving insights on opportunities and challenges that are changing the world of learning. Attendees can expect to learn from over 2,300 participants from over 100 countries in over 100 hands-on workshops, plenaries, interactive breakout sessions, debates, labs and demos.

26. LearnLaunch Across Boundaries

January 31 – February 1, 2019; Boston, MA

In its 7th year, the Across Boundaries conference hosted by the LearnLaunch Institute brings together the edtech community – educators, administrators, entrepreneurs, investors, education companies and tech innovators – to drive innovation, transform learning and increase achievement using digital technologies. The conference has grown to over 1,200 participants from 33 states and an agenda full of engaging keynotes and informative breakout sessions.

27. OLC Innovate

April 3-5, 2019; Denver, CO

Hosted by the Online Learning Consortium and Merlot, OLC Innovate’s theme for 2019 is “moving mountains in digital, blended and online learning.” Attendees will challenge their teaching and learning paradigms, reimagine learner experience and ideate on how disruptions in education today, can shape the innovative classroom of tomorrow.

Did we miss one of your favorites? Tweet us at @Getting_Smart so we can check it out!

Getting Smart offers a variety of interactive conference services including strategic advising, podcasting, media coverage and social media amplification. To learn more, email Jessica@GettingSmart.com and place “conference media” in the subject line.

Stay in-the-know with innovations in learning by signing up for the weekly Smart Update.. This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures, please see our Partner page.

The post 27 Can’t-Miss Education Conferences for 2019 appeared first on Getting Smart.