ECOO 2010: Inspire, Connect, Learn
Opening Keynote
Dr. David Thornburg 
Director, Thornburg Centre
Education in the 22nd Century: Playing with the Future
Thursday, November 11, 2010 8:45 - 9:45 am
We are a decade into the 21st century, yet global school systems remain largely the same as they have for a hundred years. This dynamic talk shows emerging technologies that not only have the power to change how students interact with content, but to assist in the complete transformation of education itself. By moving from science fiction to reality, participants in this session will get a glimpse of their future and never look at their classrooms the same way again.
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www.tcse-k12.org
Other Breakout sessions (times TBA):
BREAKOUT SESSION #1
The Network IS the Computer
In 1984, John Gage said, "The network is the computer," and the world was not ready for that message. Things are different today. This talk explores the changing face of educational computing and shows why only rich districts will use textbooks, while the poorer ones will only be able to provide every child with a powerful laptop computer instead. In other words, we are headed to a major transformation in curricular tools toward the increased use of powerful technologies under the control of the students themselves. This session explores both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of this transformation.
BREAKOUT SESSION #2
Constructionism, Duct Tape, and Preparing Children for Their Future
Anyone who has seen the movie, Apollo 13 knows the critical role duct tape played in the successful completion of this mission. Creative problem solving in critical situations is an important skill in education as we craft environments to prepare our youth for a world of constant change. Seymour Papert's views on the importance of student projects fit well with the inquiry-driven, project-based model of education known to be of benefit to students. This dynamic presentation explores the role of technologies – including those created by students themselves – as they advance their skills in academic fields. Critical to this success is the kind of dramatic problem-solving that we all engage in when one of our projects doesn't come out exactly as planned. Duct tape is employed as a metaphor for the dynamic learning that comes when a project is “debugged.” The depth of learning that comes from refining a solution is amazing.
Topics include:
• Why constructionism is an important concept
• How constructionism fits in with other pedagogical models
• Personal computers as constructionist tools
• When things go wrong - the role of creativity in problem solving
• Thinking with duct tape
• "Duct tape" in practice
While the emphasis in this presentation is on technologies used by students, examples of problem solving using duct tape in space (since Apollo 13!) will be used to illustrate the core ideas of this dynamic presentation.
Carpe Ductum: Seize the Tape!
BIO
Dr. Thornburg is one of the most popular presenters on the topics of STEM education, educational technology, and the push toward inquiry-driven project-based learning. His experience is global, and he has written extensively on his topics, including over a dozen books. In addition to his work with educators and school systems, he also conducts mechatronics workshops for middle-school children in Recife, Brazil. David currently splits his time between North and South America.
David is an award-winning futurist, author and consultant whose clients range across the public and private sector, both in the United States and in Brazil. His razor-sharp focus on the fast-paced world of modern computing and communication media, project-based learning, 21st century skills, and open source software has placed him in constant demand as a keynote speaker and workshop leader for schools, foundations, and governments.
His educational philosophy is based on the idea that students learn best when they are constructors of their own knowledge. He also believes that students who are taught in ways that honor their learning styles and dominant intelligences retain the native engagement with learning with which they entered school. A central theme of his work is that we must prepare students for their future, not for our past.
In addition to his consulting, speaking, and writing, David also has served on several non-profit boards. Dr. Thornburg is the recipient of several awards for product design and is the recipient of both the Golden and Platinum Disk awards from CUE (Computer Using Educators, Inc.) for his contributions to the advancement of learning and learning technologies. In 1999 he was selected as one of twenty "pioneers" in the field of educational technology by ISTE, the premiere organization devoted to the advancement of technology in learning, and was named by Technology and Learning magazine as one of the top ten most influential people in the field of educational technology in the past twenty years.
Closing Keynote
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
President- 21st Century Collaborative & CEO- Powerful Learning Practice
Schooling for the 21st Century-Unleashing Student Passion 
Friday, November 12, 2010 3:00 - 4:00 pm.
A passionate student is a learning student. As the people of the world are becoming increasingly connected, the nature, use, ownership, and purpose of knowledge are changing in profound ways. Our goal as educators is to leverage these connections and changes as powerful means to improve teaching and learning in our schools. Come join in a discussion of why we should all have a sense of urgency for shifting classroom practice toward more engaging approaches that unleash the passion that lies within each learner.
BREAKOUT SESSION #1 (time TBA):
Living and Learning in a Connected Learning Community
Learning is now an anytime, anywhere, anyone experience, and for educators to fully understand the implications of an interconnected, networked world for their students, we must begin to see ourselves as a part of a global community of learners. We'll look at ways that schools from around the world are making these shifts, and discuss in detail the steps to creating successful professional online learning communities at your school.
BIO
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach is a 20-year educator who has been a classroom teacher, technology coach, charter school principal, district administrator, university instructor and digital learning consultant. Currently, she is in the dissertation phase of completing her doctorate in Educational Planning, Policy and Leadership at the College of William and Mary.
She is the owner and founder of 21st Century Collaborative, LLC, a digital learning consulting business through which she regularly delivers keynotes, workshops and supports nonprofits in their grant work.
Through the Powerful Learning Practice Network which she co-founded with Will Richardson, she works with schools and districts from across the US, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Australia to re-envision their learning cultures and communities. http://plpnetwork.com.
Additionally, she is the co-founder of the K12Online Conference, a free, annual global gathering of educators, hosted on the Web and packed with cutting-edge ideas. In 2008, K12Online attracted more than 100,000 participants world-wide. Find out more at http://k12onlineconference.org.
Sheryl is a published writer and regular presenter at national and international events, speaking on topics of homelessness, teacher leadership, virtual community building, educational leadership and 21st Century reform.
Sheryl lives near the Atlantic Ocean and spends her spare time playing on the water with her four children and long-haired dachshund Itchy.
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