The K12 Online Conference Wants You!

I missed much of the initial planning for the 2011 K12 Online Conference due to my back surgery so I am playing catch up. This year’s FREE online conference will take place the weeks of November 28th and December 5th, 2011, with a pre-conference keynote on Monday, November 21st.

We are looking for participants to volunteer to assist with the conference as well submit a proposal to present a 20 minute pre-recorded video presentation that fits one of the four strands of the conference:

Strands are as follows:

Sandbox Play – Just as children need a sandbox to explore and playtime to learn together and try out new ideas, we as teachers need sandboxes to try new things, risk, and sometimes fail in safe and collegial spaces on the web. Presentations in this strand will be appropriate for beginners new to the use of technology in the classroom. Jose Rodriguez is the strand convener.

Story Time – Everyone loves story time. Presentations in this strand will focus less on communicating large amounts of information and more on sharing compelling stories about the effective uses of technology to increase student engagement, global collaboration, and improve learning. Darren Kuropatwa is the strand convener.

Team Captains – Playgrounds and schools need good leaders. Presentations in this strand will address key leadership issues for visionary school leaders. Students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members all play important leadership roles in the school community. Wesley Fryer is the strand convener.

Level Up – In games, players ‘level up’ or gain ‘experience points’ by completing quests, overcoming obstacles, and for successful role-playing. Those who have taken student learning to new levels of engagement with technology will share their expertise. Ginger Lewman is the strand convener.

Proposals are still being accepted and we hope that you respond to our 2011 call for proposals. Proposals will be accepted from every country and continent until October 17th so don’t delay and submit your presentation proposal today!

Our slate of keynote speakers is almost finalized and we will be announcing those individuals soon!

Please answer our 2011 call for volunteers to pitch in an assist with the conference! Remember to follow K-12 Online on Twitter (@k12online) and like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/k12online) to stay updated!

Please plan to join in our conference learning in late November and early December for “purposeful play!”

Be a Part of the 2011 K12 Online Conference – Purposeful Play

As one of the K12 Online Conference organizers, I am asking my PLN members to volunteer to assist the organizers and co-conveners and/or submit a proposal to present for the online conference. The conference co-conveners are as follows:

Wes Fryer – Team Captains
Jose Rodriguez – Sandbox Play
Darren Kuropatwa – Story Time
Ginger Lewman – Level Up

Sandbox Play – Just as children need a sandbox to explore and playtime to learn together and try out new ideas, we as teachers need sandboxes to try new things, risk, and sometimes fail in safe and collegial spaces on the web. Presentations in this strand will be appropriate for beginners new to the use of technology in the classroom. Jose Rodriguez is the strand convener.

Story Time – Everyone loves story time. Presentations in this strand will focus less on communicating large amounts of information and more on sharing compelling stories about the effective uses of technology to increase student engagement, global collaboration, and improve learning. Darren Kuropatwa is the strand convener.

Team Captains – Playgrounds and schools need good leaders. Presentations in this strand will address key leadership issues for visionary school leaders. Students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members all play important leadership roles in the school community. Wesley Fryer is the strand convener.

Level Up – In games, players ‘level up’ or gain ‘experience points’ by completing quests, overcoming obstacles, and for successful role-playing. Those who have taken student learning to new levels of engagement with technology will share their expertise. Ginger Lewman is the strand convener.

This year’s FREE online conference will take place the weeks of November 28th and December 5th, 2011, with a pre-conference keynote on Monday, November 21st.

The 2011 theme is, “Purposeful Play.” Educators and students worldwide are invited to respond to our 2011 call for proposals. Presenters create twenty minute, engaging video presentations shared during our two week conference. Please check out some of last year’s presentations. Not sure what the conference theme “Purposeful Play” includes? Bud Hunt provided a great description on his blog. “To play on purpose is to take risks.  To challenge what you know.  To ride the edge between what is and what might be, what never was and what should’ve been. How are you making time for play in your learning? And we mean “play” in the best sense of the word.  Fiddle.  Tinker.  Explore.  Discover.  Try.  Fail.  Reengage. “

The pre-conference keynote will be published on Monday, November 21st. Week 1 conference presentations (Story Time and Team Captains strands) will be published the week of November 28 – December 2. Week 2 conference presentations (Sandbox and Level Up) will be published the week of December 5 – 9.

Since the conference dates are later in the year, our proposal submission deadline has been extended to Monday, October 17th. Please consider submitting a proposal and encouraging others you know to submit proposals using our Google form. Full details about the conference (including strand descriptions) are available on our August Call for Proposals post. Selections will be announced October 28th.

Our slate of keynote speakers is almost finalized and we will be announcing those individuals soon!

Please answer our 2011 call for volunteers to pitch in an assist with the conference! Remember to follow K-12 Online on Twitter (@k12online) and like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/k12online) to stay updated!

Please plan to join in our conference learning in late November and early December for “purposeful play!”

                                                     above except taken from K12 Online Conference blog