Archive for the ‘conferences’ Category

Tips for presenters and keynotes - add your best ideas!

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

So after sharing my pain about a not-so-great presentation (The bad dress rehearsal) the other day, Allanah King commented:

For the first time in my life I have been asked to keynote a conference and almost balked at the thought of it. The whole ball game changes when you are the person at the front rather than than the tweeter at the back!

I have decided to give it a go and hope that I will be up to the task.

Apart from backing everything up twice and bringing a stand alone electricity generator have you got any tips for me??

So I think the best thing to do is to crowdsource this - what are your best ideas for presenters and keynotes? Please share in the comments!

Sylvia

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The bad dress rehearsal

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

There’s a belief among theater folks that if you have a bad dress rehearsal, it means you will have a good performance opening night. I’m hoping that proves to be true in regards to conference presentations too!

Next week I’m keynoting the Learning@School 2011 conference in Rotorua, New Zealand (Feb 23-25).

I’ve been working on my keynote presentation and thought it would be a good idea to test some of it at PETE&C, the wonderful Pennsylvania state educational technology conference. I added a lot of video of student work, students talking about how their leadership opportunities using technology changed their lives, and more. I always like to SHOW the results of student empowerment rather than just TELL about it.

But as my friend Gary Stager likes to say, multimedia is just Latin for “doesn’t work in front of an audience.” Just a few minutes into my presentation my speakers went dead. Now I’m faced with a dilemma - do you stop what you are doing to do tech support in front of 100 people? Do you just skip the video? Do you try to paraphrase what’s happening in your now silent video? ACK!

I asked if anyone in the audience had any speakers - and one woman came up with hers. Success! Wonderful sound….for about 20 seconds. Then the battery light started blinking, the sound faded away and she apologetically said she had forgotten to charge them up. Back to square one. I fumbled my way through the rest of the presentation, hoping my enthusiasm would make up for the lack of real examples.

By the end of the talk I was pretty discouraged, feeling sad that people didn’t see all the marvelous goodies I had to share and thinking about all the things I should have done differently. It was very heartening that several people came up to me and said that the session had been very inspiring and they were already thinking about some new ways to empower their students with technology. I also saw some very nice tweets about the session. Other people cheered me up with stories about much worse technical calamities that they had endured at conferences or in the classroom. There seems to be relief in shared pain!

But bottom line (and new speakers in hand) I am ready to prove the old theater adage completely right. The bad dress rehearsal surely means that my keynote for New Zealand will be great! Kia ora!

Sylvia

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Educon 2.3 - a new kind of education conference

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Next weekend in Philadelphia will be the fourth annual Educon conference. I’m happy to say I’ve been to all of them so far, and it’s grown into one of my favorites of the year.

There are several things I love about Educon:

  • It’s small. Capped at 500 people, it’s intimate enough that you get a “sense” of what people are thinking and the shifts occurring in real time.
  • Authenticity gives it voice and shape. Held at the Science Leadership Academy, a public magnet school with a progressive philosophy in the center of Philadelphia, the vibrancy of the school (both from teachers and students) shines through the event.
  • It’s not a trade show. So many educational conferences, even the ones with academic roots, have morphed into what Gary Stager calls “boat shows.” The focus on sales creates a different kind of atmosphere. Educon is about educators thinking out loud together without the carnival barkers.
  • Conversations, not sessions. At most conferences, people always wonder why discussions of new ways to teach and learn are held in old style lecture halls, and the interesting conversations are the ones in the hall. Educon has tried to bring those conversations to the forefront.
  • It’s centered in practice. Being in a school is not just about the building. The teachers and students are full participants in the conference and model collaboration, non-coercive learning and empowerment throughout. You can tell it’s what they do on a regular basis and it raises the bar for everyone.

I’m leading a conversation this year about gaming in education, “If Games are the Answer, What’s the Question?” Games in education are a hot topic these days, with all the usual mix of reality and hype that goes along with that. I definitely have strong opinions (which I’ll share) - but not the whole time. I hope to have a lively discussion where we’ll look at some games and talk about what makes them “good” for learning or not. Ultimately, perhaps we can come to some conclusions about what to look for in games for different subjects and classrooms.

I’d appreciate any input here or on the Educon page for this session about any particular games that people are curious about and want to discuss. I’ll try to have some screen shots prepared since there really won’t be time to download and play a lot of games AND have a discussion.

If you are coming to this session in person or via the live web streaming, please come with a downloaded game to share, or post suggestions here.

Sylvia

Previous posts about Educon

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Learning @ School - Keynote

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

I’m excited to be heading off to New Zealand next month to keynote the Learning@School 2011 conference in Rotorua (Feb 23-25). It looks like a wonderful conference, with some really interesting themes and strands.

Learning@School homepage

I’ll be talking about student leadership and empowerment - and the way we can structure learning environments to offer those opportunities. Putting students into positions of responsibility for what and how other people learn teaches them that what they do matters, and gives them new insight into how they (and others learn.)

People always say, “you learn so much by teaching” - so why not have students learn AND teach. Combining this with technology, for which students today have a natural instinct and interest, just makes sense. Students can teach other students, teach teachers, support technology professional development, help with technical set up and support, and much more. It creates natural collaboration opportunities, provides challenges at many levels, and is really useful. Giving students this kind of responsibility creates a win-win situation where students are valued for their expertise and hard work - real, needed work!

I’ll also do a follow up session to talk about the “how tos” of student technology leadership programs, and then another one about games in education.

I also hope to get some time visiting the famous geysers, boiling mud pools and thermal springs of Rotorua!

Sylvia

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New York here we come!

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Next week is the New York State education technology conference NYSCATE in Rochester, NY November 21-23, 2010. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones, either at the Generation YES booth (#809) or maybe at Dinosaur BBQ.

If you are going to NYSCATE, be sure to check out these sessions:

If Games are the Answer, What’s the Question?

Sunday November 21, 2010 12:30PM Highland JK (RCC) - Sylvia Martinez
You hear it everywhere. Games are the “future” of education. After all, kids love games, so if we could just sneak some education into them kids would magically learn! Right? Or is it more complicated than that? Let’s explore this together and find out where hype, hope, and reality meet.

Implications of Web 2.0 in Education: 2010 Update

Monday November 22, 2010 10:45AM Highland AB (RCC) - Panel
What does instant communication and global collaboration associated with Web 2.0 mean for education? How can schools approach Web 2.0 without fear, hype or hyperbole? What does it mean to be an educated person in 2010 and beyond, and how can our schools approach this challenge? We’ll extend our conversation from last year, and challenge you to think about the power of connective technologies.

Moderator: David Jakes; with Sylvia Martinez, Ryan Bretag, Chris Craft and Brian C. Smith

Student Tech Literacy A Project-Based Approach

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 8:45AM Cascade CD (RCC)
All New York districts are being asked to report the percentage of students who are technology literate. This session will present a model of using authentic projects to build a technology literacy program in any school, even if there is no technology class for all students.

Presenters - Rachel Gregg; Technology Integration Specialist, Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES ; Cindy Sengenberger; & NYSSTL Advisor, Science Teacher, Broadalbin-Perth Middle School; Megan Coker; ELA & SS teachers, South Glens Falls School District

This session will explore the third year outcomes of the NYSSTL program (New York State Student Technology Leaders). In more than 50 middle schools in New York, this innovative model for student-centered technology is showing that students can be 21st century leaders and show what they know through technology projects. The session will showcase video by teachers who are working side by side with these student leaders.

After that, it’s off to New York City for a family/friends Thanksgiving, and a JETS game Thanksgiving night.

Sylvia

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Youth Risk Online - Why Engage Youth in Bullying Prevention?

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

A prevalent view of education is that young people are empty vessels and schools simply open up their heads and pour in knowledge. Unfortunately this is a vision of education that is not serving us well in the 21st century. For a few students, this clearly works, but for many, this is a futile effort — made worse by an increasing focus on testing a few subjects at the expense of high-interest subjects like art and music.

By looking at students as objects to be changed, we lose many opportunities for students to be agents of change. Our society needs change agents — people who care about others, citizens, voters, creative imaginers and leaders. Where will they come from if we don’t allow young people to explore these roles?

Bullying prevention is an opportunity to engage youth in becoming change agents for an important cause, one that impacts them directly. However, lecturing them about rules or organizing pep rallies for kindness misses the mark.

To truly engage youth in bullying prevention, we must take the risk of turning some of the power over to them and allow them to be part of the solution. For example, some students can create their own presentations about bullying or participate in peer mediation. Students listen to other students much more about these subjects than adults, and identify information from peers as more truthful. Involving youth in solutions where they DO something important allows adults to steer youth towards the right answers and good behavior, instead of just lecturing. As adults and youth work together, learning and teaching merge, and youth find new empathy for others.

This kind of engagement requires long-term commitments and caring adults with talent in youth development. However, it pays off when youth develop real skills, compassion, and responsibility.

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Next week I’ll be in Seattle presenting as part of a day-long pre-conference panel on Youth Risk Online: Issues and Solutions at the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) November 15-17 in Seattle, Washington. I was asked to contribute 300 words to a handout for the participants and thought I’d share them here too!

Sylvia

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Cyberbullying event in Seattle

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Next week I’ll be in Seattle presenting as part of a day-long pre-conference panel on Youth Risk Online: Issues and Solutions at the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) November 15-17 in Seattle, Washington. This is a in-depth look at a topic that’s both timely and important for everyone, not just technology using educators.

Last week I posted the details and the list of participants (I’m totally honored to be in this nationally known all-star lineup!).

If you are in the Seattle area, this is a must-attend event for anyone involved with school technology. The issue is timely and the answers aren’t simple. There is no “one size fits all” solution for building the solid policies and practices that reduce risk and expand opportunities for students in the 21st century.

Please consider attending - and if you do, say hi!

Sylvia

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Youth risk online: International Bullying Prevention Conference - Seattle

Monday, November 1st, 2010

I’ve been invited to participate in a day-long pre-conference panel on Youth Risk Online: Issues and Solutions at the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) November 15-17 in Seattle, Washington. This is a in-depth look at a topic that’s both timely and important. But I’m most excited about getting to meet the other panelists. These are some of the most respected names in this area, people who are on the front lines of making schools (and the world) a safer, better place for kids. (List below)

The focus will be on positive action and clear information - not scare tactics. Cyberbullying has become a hot topic with media and there is a lot of conflicting information for parents and educators to sift through. We hope to sort some of this out and release a document afterwards that summarizes the event.

The day will be broken up into sections covering:

  • The Challenges. The presentation of current research and on-the-ground insight into the risks being faced by young people online.
  • Positive School and Online Climate. Developing an all-school approach to interpersonal relationships that will support both a positive school climate and enhance positive online interactions.
  • Engaging Youth. Strategies to engage youth in developing the understanding and skills to ensure their competence in the online world and enlisting their assistance to others.
  • Investigations and Interventions. Addressing the specific concerns of investigating and intervening in youth risk online issues that are impacting schools.
  • The Larger Cyberworld. Expanding the discussion to include necessary insight on what is happening in other arenas including government, non-governmental organizations, initiatives addressing universal literacy, and the efforts of industry.

If you are a person responsible for your school or district’s policies in this area, this is a MUST ATTEND event.

The participants
I apologize for not linking all these names up, but it’s just too much work and they are all easily found!

Andrew Agatston is an attorney in private practice in Marietta, Georgia, whose civil trial practice includes representing crime victims, victims of bullying and other acts of aggression, and those who are otherwise intentionally harmed by others. He has also attempted to advise and assist those who have been targets of cyber bullying, encouraging non-litigation and dispute resolution as potential solutions.

Patricia Agatston is co-author of the book, Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age with Robin Kowalski, Ph.D., and Susan Limber, Ph.D. that was recently published by Wiley – Blackwell Publishers. She is also co-author of the Cyber Bullying Curriculum for Grades 6 – 12 and the Cyber Bullying Prevention Curriculum for Grades 3 - 5. Patti is a certified trainer and technical assistance consultant for the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and a Licensed Professional Counselor and Prevention Specialist with the Cobb County School District’s Prevention/ Intervention Center in Marietta, Georgia. She is also on the board of the International Bullying Prevention Association.

Warren J. Blumenfeld, Ed.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa specializing in Multicultural and International Curriculum Studies; & Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies. He is co-editor of Readings for Diversity and Social Justice; Co-Editor of Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States; Editor of Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price; and Co-author of Looking at Gay and Lesbian Life.

Linda Burch leads Common Sense Media’s education, program and strategy development efforts and has been the architect of the organization’s digital media strategy. In this role, she is coordinating the efforts of researchers and risk prevention professionals, along with professionals in instructional design and parent education to create new resources to support universal education for students and parents on digital media literacy. Linda received her MBA from Stanford University and her bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

Anne Collier is editor of NetFamilyNews.org, co-director of ConnectSafely.org, and founder and executive director of Net Family News. She co-authored with SafeKids.com’s Larry Magid the first parents’ guide to teen social networking, MySpace Unraveled (Peachpit Press, 2006). She served as co-chair of the Obama administration’s Online Safety & Technology Working Group, which sent its report to Congress in June 2010; on the Harvard Berkman Center’s 2008 Internet Safety Technical Task Force; and currently serves on the advisory boards of several national and international nonprofit child advocacy organizations.

Det. Frank Dannahey is a 29 year veteran of Law Enforcement; assigned to the Youth Division of the Rocky Hill, Connecticut Police Department for the past 20 years. Frank holds a BS Degree and received numerous State/Federal training in Child Computer Crimes & Exploitation. He has done numerous trainings on Internet safety topics for the past 11 years; both locally and nationally. His expertise resulted in him being featured on several National TV Broadcasts and National Publications.

Stan Davis worked with abused and grieving children and trained Child Protective Workers. He designed and implemented training for rape crisis centers and collaborated with police to develop interventions for domestic abuse. Since 1985 he has worked as a school counselor at all grade levels. Since the mid-1990s, he has worked to prevent bullying. He has written two books: Schools Where Everyone Belongs and Empowering Bystanders in Bullying Prevention. In 1985 he became a school counselor. After working in High School and Middle School he moved to the James H. Bean elementary school in Sidney, Maine, where he continues to work three days a week. With Dr. Charisse Nixon, Stan is co-leading the Youth Voice Research Project, which has collected information from more than 11,000 young people in the United States about what works and what doesn’t work in bullying prevention.

Mike Donlin has been involved in education for over 30 years, having taught all grade levels from kindergarten through university courses. Mike was with Seattle Public Schools from 1980 until 2010. He taught in classrooms and supervised a variety of programs throughout the District. He was a Program Administrator with Seattle Public Schools, with the job title of “Senior Program Consultant.” His position was split between the Learning and Teaching and the Operations/Tech Services sides of the district. In that capacity, Mike managed Federal Title IID Enhancing Education Through Technology programs and worked in Prevention-Intervention bully prevention programs, with an emphasis on internet safety and cyberbullying. Mike has shifted his activities into research, consulting, and professional development related to youth risk online and educational technology concerns.

Elizabeth Englander is a professor of Psychology & the founder & Director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State College, which delivers free anti-bullying programs, resources, & research for the state of Massachusetts. A National Merit Scholar & Phi Beta Kappan, she is a nationally recognized expert in the area of bullying & cyberbullying & the author of “Understanding Violence” & more than 3 dozen articles.

Dr. Lance Gibbon is a 19-year public school educator in Washington State. Dr. Gibbon is a former music teacher in the Lake Washington School District, where he also served as assistant principal and technology staff developer. He moved to Anacortes in 2000, where he worked as an elementary principal for 7 years. Dr. Gibbon earned his doctorate in education from Seattle Pacific University in 2007 and has taught School Law for administrators as an SPU adjunct professor. Since 2007, Dr. Gibbon has been the Assistant Superintendent in the Oak Harbor School District.

Sameer Hinduja is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center (www.cyberbullying.us). He works nationally and internationally with the private and public sector to reduce online victimization and its real-world consequences. His research has been featured in hundreds of print and online articles around the world, as well as on radio and TV. Sameer has written two books, his latest entitled Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying (co-authored with Justin W. Patchin), and his interdisciplinary research is widely published in a number of peer-reviewed academic journals.

Lisa Jones is a Research Assistant Professor of Psychology at UNH. She has over 10 years experience conducting research on child victimization and evaluating national, state, and community-level responses to youth. Lisa recently received a grant from NIJ to conduct a process evaluation of Internet safety prevention education programs. She is author or co-author on several papers on Internet crimes against children as well as numerous papers on other aspects of child victimization.

Rebekah Sills Lamm is a Youth Education Specialist at Texas School Safety Center. She trains a variety of community stakeholders including parents, educators, administrators, counselors, law enforcement, and students on the issues surrounding Internet safety, cyberbullying, and the importance of cultural inclusion. Rebekah believes that every student deserves safe, quality, equitable education, and has dedicated her career to making that a reality for Texas children. In order for our youth to do their absolute best, they need the healthiest, safest schools possible. Rebekah has worked with youth in some capacity since 2002. She received her M.A. in American Studies from Baylor University in 2007 and taught at the college level prior to joining TxSSC in 2008.

Larry Magid. Ed.D., is a technology journalist and an Internet safety advocate. He serves as onair technology analyst for CBS News, is co-director of ConnectSafely.org and founder of SafeKids.com. He writes columns that appear on CNET News, CBSNews.com, Huffington Post and the San Jose Mercury News. Larry has written or co-written numerous books including MySpace Unraveled: A parents guide to teen social networking. He’s a board member of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and a member of the of the Obama administration’s Online Safety & Technology Working Group, where he chairs the education sub-committee.

Sylvia Martinez is President of Generation YES, evangelizing student involvement in education reform through technology integration and service learning. GenYES students use their digital age knowledge to make their schools better places for learning by helping teachers, peer mentoring, and doing tech support. Prior to joining Generation YES, Sylvia developed video and educational games and was an aerospace engineer. She holds a Master’s in Educational Technology from Pepperdine and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UCLA.

Donnel Nunes is a behavioral health specialist in Hawaii. His focus is exploring ways to incorporate technology and media into mental health practice. He regularly uses film, music, and other creative software to foster engagement, increase disclosure, and collect data. Recently, he published a paper titled, “Technology and the Adolescent: Pairing Modern Media and Technology with Mental Health Practice.” He is currently a PhD candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Hawai‘i.

Justin Patchin is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He has presented on various topics relating to juvenile justice, school violence, policy and program evaluation, and adolescent Internet use and misuse at academic conferences and training seminars across the United States. His most recent book Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying (coauthored with Sameer Hinduja), examines the ways adolescents use technology to cause harm to their peers (and what adults can do about it).

Kim P. Sanchez, Sr. Audience Marketing Manager, Microsoft Corporation. Kim Sanchez is a Senior Audience Marketing Manager in the Trustworthy Computing group at Microsoft Corporation. She is responsible for strategic communications to worldwide consumer and government audiences on Microsoft’s work in computer privacy, security and online safety.

Robin Sax is a former LA County Prosecutor. Robin authored six books, including “Predators and Child Molesters.” Robin is a sought after speaker on child & internet safety, cyberbullying, and the criminal justice system - to name a few topics. Robin has appeared on dozens of national shows, including: Dr. Phil show, Tyra Banks, CNN Larry King, HLN Nancy Grace, Today Show and many others! Robin is now an NBC Legal Analyst.

Nancy Willard has degrees in special education and law. She taught “at risk” children, practiced computer law, and was an educational technology consultant before focusing her professional attention on issues of youth risk online and effective management of student Internet use. Nancy is author of two books: Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats and Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens, numerous articles, and professional development videos.

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This is going to be one amazing and informative day!

If you are a person responsible for your school or district’s policies in this area, this is a MUST ATTEND event. Hope to see you there!

Sylvia

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See you in Phoenix?

Monday, October 18th, 2010

This week I’ll be in Phoenix at the T+L conference. T+L is the Technology + Learning conference of the National School Board Association. This year it’s in Phoenix, Arizona, October 19-21.

NSBA’s T+L conference is one of my favorite conferences of the year. It’s unique in the fact that whole school teams come to the conference, not just technology folks. This provides a terrific range of perspectives and experience that can’t be matched in conferences that focus on one job title or subject area.

Generation YES is a co-sponsor of the T+L conference, and we’ll be down in the co-sponsor booth area, number 907.

If you are there, I hope you’ll attend a session designed to get everyone thinking about how to “grow your own” resources for technology learning and support in any district. I’m also co-presenting this session Thursday morning with Jeff Billings of the nearby Paradise Valley School District.

Creative Capacity Building for 21st Century Schools
Thursday, 10/21/2010 8:00AM - 9:00AM , Room 222BC
Schools are faced with diminishing technology and training budgets, yet ever increasing needs for technology integration, training and support. Finding cost effective ways to provide these essential ingredients for effective technology is no longer a goal, but a requirement.

Hopefully there will be a T+L Tweetup too – if you’d like to connect, please follow me at smartinez and let’s get together.

See you in Phoenix!

Sylvia

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Edu Panel at the 140 Conference Los Angeles

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Just got back from a quick trip to Hollywood, in the rain no less. We probably got a whole .00001 inch, which meant that traffic was at a standstill. We just aren’t used to it!

But I did make it on time for the 140 Conference LA (Exploring the State of Now) where I teamed up with some great educators to talk about the impact of Twitter and other Real Time Communication on K-12 education.

Aparna Vashisht (@parentella), CEO of Parentella, expertly organized and moderated the panel that included Lisa Dabbs (@teachingwthsoul), Tanya Roscorla (@reportertanya) and me (@smartinez).

Aparna posted a summary of the conversation on her blog 140 Conference Los Angeles 2010: Edu Panel | Parentella.

We didn’t have much time, but I think we all made good points about the opportunities and challenges of bringing this disruptive technology into the classroom.

If the video appears online, I’ll post it here. (But the live stream wasn’t working and there were a lot of very upset techies running around so I have some doubts!)

Sylvia

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