Sessions At A Glance
FETC 2012 offers participants a variety of meeting structures designed to maximize participant networking and collaborative learning environments to build their individualized effective professional learning network.
Types of Sessions
• 3 and 6-Hour Pre-conference Workshops*: FETC is known worldwide for its outstanding program and captivating pre-conference workshops held on Monday and Tuesday, January 23-24th. Set in a classroom setting that will allow participants to interact with technology and/or each other. These hands-on workshops provide opportunities to experience the latest technologies and practice implementing technological tools and solutions that you can take back and use and your school or district without delay. From integrating iPads to Cloud Computing and Effective Leadership Strategies, there are plenty of sessions every faculty and IT staff member can’t afford to miss!
• Keynote General Sessions: The general sessions provide an opportunity for all conference attendees to gather at once daily. FETC 2012 general sessions feature keynote speakers that are engaging educational professionals who will share important topics and content that set the prevailing tone and central theme introduced at the start of a conference. Many professionals enjoy sharing their expertise with audiences and this year we are pleased to feature three dynamic keynote speakers including Michael Wesch and Heidi Hayes Jacobs.
• Featured Sessions: FETC will host more than 20 Featured Session Speakers addressing current and emerging technologies, as well as best practices, development through research, and actual classroom experiences. Featured Sessions focusing on hot topics and technology trends will be held during each of times of the Concurrent Sessions and will be noted in the program. All Featured Sessions are lead by an array of nationally-recognized speakers presenting in their areas of expertise
• Concurrent Sessions: Over 200 1-hour concurrent sessions will be held in breakout meeting rooms on Wednesday and Thursday, January 25-26th. Attendees have an excellent selection of sessions to choose from; each lead by presenters making a difference across the educational technology environment. They’ll share lessons learned, innovative ideas, leadership strategies, and give you new and valuable perspectives as well as offer solutions to challenging IT questions.
• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Concurrent Sessions: Enhanced internet bandwidth at OCCC is making more BYOD sessions possible! These 1-hour sessions are held in breakout meeting rooms. BYOD means that participants to utilize their own laptops, tablets, mobile or smart devices but are NOT required to have a device to participate. It is not necessary to have a device to participate but speakers will provide instructions and resources to allow audience members to interact with their content during the sessions. Unless otherwise specified in the description, these sessions are designed for both MAC and PC users and will list the device needed to participate.
• 2 hour “How To” Workshops*: FETC 2012 is offering more than 100 workshops in BYOD and hands-on formats, led by local and national experts on Wednesday and Thursday, January 25-26th. These information-packed workshops offer participants a chance to intensively explore topics and tools in more depth than time allows in a concurrent session. From discovering the best apps to collaborating with social media and online resources, there are plenty of workshops for every staff member! These 2-hour workshops provide quality instruction and practice implementing technological tools and solutions that can be taken back to your district or school and be applied without delay.
• Technology Classrooms: Open to all attendees, these presentations take place on the exhibit floor in the Exhibit Hall Presentation Theater. Come learn about the latest products and technological solutions features! It’s like an additional conference track right on the Exhibit Floor. *Time available allows for 15-20 minutes of presentation time plus 5-10 minutes for Q&A with no limit on commercial content.
NOTE: Participation in all types of sessions earns attendees CEUs through the VerAttend System.
*Workshops require an additional fee.
Session Focus Areas
THE FETC Program Review Committee selects sessions from a variety of focus areas. Each session identifies the primary and secondary focus or sub-focus for each presentation. The focus area is listed on the mobile app and the printed program to assist attendees in selecting sessions to attend that match their current institution-wide IT challenges and content area curriculum needs.
• Accountability/Assessment– Presentations that focus on the use of technology to measure progress for teachers, students, schools, and/or districts to report results and best practices, including enhanced data collection systems, online assessments and ePortfolios.
• Administration/Leadership – Presentations that focus on educational policy and the use of technology as a strategic tool for school improvement and reform, including Title I Programs, state/federal technology grants or projects, data driven decision making, educational leadership topics, teacher evaluation tools, Race to the Top Management issues, how to make purchasing and budgeting decisions, facilities management and implications of the national standards.
• Classroom Management & Communications – Presentations that address how educators can manage the integration of technology into the learning environment, and how they can utilize technology to communicate with colleagues, parents and students (i.e., implementation of 1 to 1 computing, few computers per classroom, website development, use of learning space, hybrid teaching, etc.)
• Community Connections – Presentations that address the use of technology to create mutually beneficial school-community partnerships; particularly programs that focus on improving student performance and that address the Digital Divide and service learning.
• Digital Content – Presentations that address the creation and/or use of technology to deliver educational content and materials to students in the classroom (including Web 2.0 integration, curriculum integration with technology, digital libraries, e-Textbooks, blogging, application development, online resources and courses).
• English Language Learner (ELL) - Presentations that address how educators and English language learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills.
• Foreign Language - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in teaching and learning foreign languages.
• Global Connections – These sessions focus on how teachers are utilizing technology to incorporate activities that connect students internationally through project based learning, e-pals, online projects, digital resources, multi-cultural application development and on-site visits. Presentations will address how use of the internet encourages communication between students of multiple countries and how they can work together on meaningful standards-based activities to achieve results in learning gains.
• Grants - Presentations that address how educators and grant developers are applying for technology grants to strengthen the resources in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills. Topics may vary from basic to advanced grant writing.
• Health & Physical Education - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in health and physical education.
• Innovative Learning Technologies – Presentations that focus on up-and-coming digital tools and resources to enhance education and the learning environment (i.e., Web 2.0, Cloud Computing, 1 to 1 mobile technologies, blogging, videoconferencing, cell phones, wikis, tweets, etc.).
• Integrated Curriculum - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain problem solving, critical thinking and technology-oriented skills across all core curricular areas.
• Language Arts/Reading – Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in language arts and reading.
• Math - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in math.
• Mobile Technologies – Presentations that address how educators and learners utilize personal mobile devices such as tablets, eReaders, Netbooks, Laptops, Smart Phones and other mobile learning dev to enhance the learning environment and deliver curriculum and content using an untethered method.
• Performing/Visual Arts - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in music and the visual arts.
• Professional Development – Presentations that focus on the use of technology and online content to advance the professional competency of educators through accountability, leadership preparation, and productivity resources and tools. Best practices shared will highlight effective teacher technology integration training problems and just-in-time technology training solutions.
• Science - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in science.
• Social Studies - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using adaptive technology in the learning environment to encourage academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in social studies.
• Special Education - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in special education.
• Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in the curricula areas of STEM.
• Safety & Security – Presentations that focus safety and security of students and teachers within the learning environment (i.e. cyberbullying and security within social networking, as well as campus-wide security issues)
• Computer Technology/Adult Education - Presentations that address how educators and learners are using technology in the learning environment to encourage high academic performance, promote best practices, and place a strong emphasis on academic standards and opportunities for learners to gain both academic and technology-oriented skills in computer and technology and adult education.
• Technology Management/Infrastructure - Presentations that focus on the use of technology infrastructure to support the management of information systems and support learning and the learning environments such as desktop virtualization, open source, implementation of wireless environments, implementation of 1 to 1 computing, solutions to bandwidth issues and the roll out of personal mobile devices. Session topics will also feature data and communications for instructional information processing and reporting, including
• Virtual/Online Learning – Presentations address how educators and students are using the online learning environment to promote high academic performance and place a strong emphasis on academic standards. Topics will include virtual learning, hybrid coursework, acceleration programs and online solutions for credit retrieval
• Web 2.0 and Social Networking – Presentations address how educators and students are using the new Web 2.0 and social networking sites to expand their learning environment beyond the classroom (i.e., blogs, wikis, tweets, cloud computing, Second Life, gaming, virtual reality, simulation, etc.).