If the number of EdTech conferences that keep popping up are any indication of where this sector is heading, then we’re in for quite a ride for 2012!
CES (Consumer Electronics Show) Poste-Secondary/ K12 EdTech Summit in Las Vegas was my first and mind blowing with some 140,000 delegates attending the conference. I would describe this show as the Formula 1 event of consumer technology. This is where leading-edge innovations make it to the show floor. Case in point, Vego mobile telepresence (see pic and video interview below) . Apparently, the technology is being used for children in hospital as part of a virtual schooling initiative. The HED Summit panel I attended focused on challenges to deploying technology around cloud computing and the complexities with various systems for elearning, course management, etc. One of the great challenges in the U.S. is student retention at the post-secondary level. There are opportunities for companies who specialize in solutions for this growing problem with respect to early warning provisioning for professors. On the K12 front, I really enjoyed Leslie Fisher’s keynote (www.lesliefisher.com) who shared the practical side of the web and open learning tools for teachers.
Scott McNealy, Curriki founder and former Sun Microsystems co-founder keynote enlightened the audience with his edgy entrepreneurial spirit. Mr. McNealy appeared to be a proponent of privatizing education. “Not sure education belongs in the public sector, “ stated Scott McNealy. “Monopolies don’t innovate very well.” He further lamented about education in the U.S. spending $8-15 Billion annually on learning technology when Curriki, a search engine for learning resources is Free. Mr. McNealy when on to pay tribute to Steve Jobs, “a great fashion designer of all-time,” then proceed to slam his iPad technology, “it’s a piece of crap technically.”
Entrance to Arizona State University SkySong-Center for Innovation, Technology and Imagination which is home to Adaptive Curriculum that we visited while in Arizona
My learning adventure continued on to Phoenix, Arizona where I connect with Dr. Gary Bitter from ASU for a campus tour and the folks at Adaptive Curriculum. I was fascinated to learn about the ASU SkySong Center for Innovation, Technology and Imagination. This partnership between the City of Phoenix, ASU and industry appears to be a model for success. The facilities are awe inspiring and serve to nurture innovative companies such as Adaptive Curriculum. Learn more about Adaptive Curriculum’s solution in the product review section, courtesy of Tim Gard.
I would be remised if I didn’t share that I attended RCAC11 in December and managed to take in Dr. Helen Barrett’s keynote on Digital Portfolios…it was outstanding! I’ve provided a couple of links courtesy of Doug Peterson, a key organizer, who continues to impress with his passion for learning and technology in the southwestern Ontario region and beyond.
Last but not least, I had the pleasure of participating in the Brock U EdTech Showcase decision-makers luncheon this past week. Spearheaded by Dr. Camille Rutherford, she brought together an esteemed group of sr. education leaders from the CEA, ministry of education, local school district leaders and industry to share their success stories, challenges and opportunities to implementing ICT in schools. I commend Brock for their leadership in hosting such an event that also gathered local area teachers and teacher candidates to explore the latest in EdTech trends in classrooms. It’s clear that technology is crossing the curriculum and entering the mainstream. It’s clear that it’s not all about technology and leadership has a significant role to play to transforming learning in the 21st Century. What’ s exciting for Ontario school boards is that the province of Ontario has embraced the notion of 21st Century learning, establishing an working unit in that name. Watch for more to come on this front as pilots are under way being managed by CODE. What’s fascinating about the Niagara area districts is their desire to transform the region to become known as “ the Silicon Valley of the North,” says Dino Miele, CIO, District School Board of Niagara. We certainly see untapped potential and an innovative spirit that is infectious. As I like to say, it all starts with a conversation. Watch for more to come from the folks in this Region .
Mark Carbone, CIO, Waterloo DSB shows off his @markwcarbone twitter tie at the recent RCAC conference in London, Ontario
You may wonder why I haven’t talked about FETC 2012, a conference I’ve attended for many years. This year, I passed the torch over to Tim Gard, our K12 editor to go and explore the latest and greatest trends at one of the longest standing K12 EdTech conferences. Checkout his post in the K12 section. If you have a conference you’d like MindShare Learning to cover or sponsor, please drop us a note.
Cheers, R.M.
