2013 Keynotes - The Global Education Conference Network

2013 Keynotes - The Global Education Conference Network

2013 Keynotes

Karen Armstrong Charter for Compassion International How to Change the World Karen Armstrong, renowned and provocative writer about the nature of religion will speak about compassion as the common imperative in all world religions: Every single one of the world religions has developed this ethos of compassion, summed up in the ‘Golden Rule’ - which has arisen independently in all religions - ‘never treat others as you would not like to be treated yourself’. That is the test of true spirituality, rather than any doctrine or rules. Speaking about the Charter for Compassion, the global peace initiative of which she is the founder, posits that compassion is a force that can change politics, governments and communities, I am convinced that compassion is key to the survival of our world but urged us to begin with ourselves – what can I do to make my family or my workplace more compassionate? – and be gentle, it’s step by step. And it is a rewarding journey, don’t feel burdened by it: compassion can be a lot of fun. BIO: Religious thinker Karen Armstrong has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths shaped world history and drive current events. A former nun, Armstrong has written two books about this experience: Through the Narrow Gate, about her seven years in the convent, and The Spiral Staircase, about her subsequent spiritual awakening, when she developed her iconoclastic take on the major monotheistic religions -- and on the strains of fundamentalism common to all. She is a powerful voice for ecumenical understanding. Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize wish asked to help her assemble the Charter for Compassion, a document around which religious leaders can work together for peace. In late fall 2008, the first draft of the document was written by the world, via a sharing website. In February 2009 the words of the world were collected and given to the Council of Conscience, a gathering of religious leaders and thinkers, who are now crafting the final document. The Charter was launched in November 2009.

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Karen Blumberg Technology Integrator The School at Columbia University BIO: Karen Blumberg is an educational technologist at The School at Columbia University working with faculty and students to integrate technology academically, respectfully, and responsibly. On a daily basis, Karen reminds her students to make wises choices, especially in light of the fact that everything they put online is public, permanent, and traceable. Previously, she was a Technology Integrator at Sacred Heart teaching robotics and programming to 5th through 7th grades and supporting the faculty's technology and integration needs. Karen also taught 7th grade Math at The Dalton School and 7th/8th grade Math at LaBrum Middle School, a public school in Philadelphia. Karen is passionate about building community and creating opportunities for people to collaborate and communicate. An organizer of TEDxNYED, TEDxYouth@TheSchool, Robo Expo, EdCampNYC, and EdcampMumbai, Karen is also a former President of the New York Consortium of Independent School Technologists (NYCIST). She was recently chosen to be a Teacher of the Future by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and she has also been named a Top Education Influencer on Twitter. Karen has presented at conferences around the country about teaching students to navigate social media and working with teachers to develop digital projects that embrace new media literacies. In her spare time, Karen travels locally and globally in search of new sights, tastes, and absurdities. Karen earned her BA in Mathematics from Bryn Mawr College and her MA in Instructional Technology and New Media from Teachers College, Columbia University.

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Sergio Daniel Bosio Profesor Escuela Normal Superior N° 38. V. Cañas, Sta.Fe 'Los caminos del conectivismo', De la escuela media hacia la Universidad Sergio D. Bosio Nos contará como ha realizado las distintas estrategias, de la mano del conectivismo, para lograr motivar y comprometer a los adolescentes de la escuela media, en el último año de la misma. Comprometido con la idea de que la escuela esta para formar ciudadanos alfabetizados digitalmente, preparados y orientados vocacionalmente. Nos contará como ha desarrollado el diseño de clases que, entre otras cosas, logró que uno de sus alumnos se matricule simultáneamente a la escuela media, en una Universidad de España. Lo que constituye un hecho inédito e interesante. Como conclusión, logra visualizar como debe ser el paso hacia la universidad. Nuevas estrategias para que la Universidad logre más matriculados (Cantidad) y mejor alfabetizados (Calidad). Logrando con este diseño instruccional, capturar y fidelizar nuevos a alumnos, haciendo más rentable económicamente la labor de la Universidad. Por otro lado el diseño apunta a socorrer a la escuela media, incurriendo en ella sin interferir, mejorando el rendimiento académico de los alumnos de la escuela de hoy y futuros estudiantes universitarios. BIO: Técnico Superior en comunicación Social (Periodista) Titulo de validez nacional (S.N.E.P.) Óptico Técnico Nacional. Fotógrafo Profesional (Matrícula Nº 12 i). Contactólogo U.B.A. Fac. de Farmacia y Bioquímica de Bs. As. 19 de abril de 1994. Docente. curso Lic. En Cs. Políticas. Univ. Nac. De Rosario. (1982) y Lic. En Filosofía de la Univ. Nac. De Rio IV. Encargado Sede Regional Punto Edu Universidad Nacional De Rosario. Moderador y entrenador de diversas plataformas LSM Conferencista.

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Don Buckley Co-founder Tools At Schools Design and Maker Thinking - how can they be part of our Everyday in Education The focus of this presentation is to investigate the teaching and learning of design and maker thinking in schools. Design Thinking is a context-driven, human centered problem solving process that emphasizes ideation, learning from failure, prototyping and designing for real-world use. Maker Thinking is related to the DIY mindset and refers to a process of thinking through making, emphasizing tinkering resourcefulness. How and why is this thinking relevant? Should we be teaching these processes in our schools? Where does this type of problem solving fit in in the current education landscape? How can this thinking we integrated into education? BIO: Don Buckley has transformed learning spaces so they work for teachers and students and not just architects, he has transformed textbooks so that they work for students and teachers and not just publishers, and transformed new media resources so that they work for students and teachers and not just programmers. He has advanced degrees from leading European universities, is a former industrial chemist, published photographer, and consultant to MOMA. As well as teaching a graduate course at Columbia Teacher's College in Educational Technology and directing the Technology and Innovation at The School, he is an author for Pearson's Interactive Science Program (a K-8 Science series for 21st century schools). Most recently Don has just co-founded Tools at Schools with design partner aruliden, who's mission is to make design thinking our everyday. Don is passionate about Travel, Architecture, Design, Change, The Future and Innovation.  He is a scientist, technologist, educator, author, traveler, design thinker, innovator and dual citizen of Ireland and the United States.

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Jaime Casap Global Education Evangelist www.google.com/edu The Transformation of Education Those entering school this year do not know a world without technology or the web. Our students are children of technology and the web. It is where and how they manage their resources, where and how they manage their relationships, where and how they collaborate with each other, and most importantly, where and how they learn. Think about what we do with technology and the web today and try to imagine what we will be able to do in two years, ten years, or 20 years. We will examine what the transformation of education needs to look like to take advantage of new learning models, and in the process, transform “students” into lifelong “learners.” BIO: Jaime Casap is the Global Education Evangelist at Google, Inc. Jaime evangelizes the power and potential of the web, technology, and Google tools in education. He helps educational organizations across the world find ways to utilize these tools in support of new learning models. His team is responsible for bringing Google tools to millions of administrators, teachers, and students across the globe. Jaime serves on the Science Foundation Arizona Board of Directors, on the Board of Directors for New Global Citizens, is a member of the Digital Learning Council, and a member of the South by Southwest EDU advisory Board. You can follow Jaime on Google+ at +Jaime Casap and Twitter @jcasap

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Kim Cofino Technology & Learning Coach Yokohama International School Adventures in International Education For the last 13 years I've been living and teaching in international schools around the world. From Munich, Germany to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Bangkok, Thailand, and now Yokohama, Japan, teaching internationally has been an amazing and fantastic adventure. Every country, school and community has taught me something new, and every day I am envious of my students who have grown up in this ever-changing environment. During this presentation, I'll share some of the key highlights (for me) of teaching in international schools. I hope this will encourage you to start your own adventure in a new country too! BIO: Originally from the US, Kim is an enthusiastic and innovative globally-minded educator. Kim has been teaching internationally for over 10 years, first in Munich, Germany, then in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next at the International School Bangkok in Thailand, and currently at Yokohama International School in Japan. An Apple Distinguished Educator, her work focuses on helping core subject teachers authentically embed current and emerging technologies in the classroom to create a global and collaborative learning environment. Her inquiry-based, constructivist approach to teaching utilizes project-based learning experiences developed using the Understanding by Design process combined with the MYP Technology Design Cycle. Kim regularly consults with other international schools interested in implementing 21st century learning, has been profiled on a number of educational websites and journals, is a member of the K12 Horizon Report Advisory Board 2008 – present, and is a regular presenter and keynote speaker at conferences and professional development sessions throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her professional blog, Always Learning, is an invaluable resource for teachers seeking examples of authentic student engagement.

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Natalia Gil de Fainschtein Licenciada Excellere Consultora Educativa y Universidad Kennedy La educación necesita más Realidad Aumentada, con o sin computadoras En Argentina el Plan Conectar Igualdad lleva entregadas más de 3.600.000 de netbooks y ha capacitado a miles de docentes con el fin de mejorar los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje a través de la modificación de las formas de trabajo en el aula y en la escuela a partir del uso de las TIC; aun así las pruebas del informe PISA (Programa Internacional para la Evaluación de Estudiantes) señalan que el 52% de los alumnos argentinos de 15 años no entiende lo que está leyendo y un 54% no puede resolver problemas básicos de matemática. Frente a esta realidad planteamos cuáles son las competencias que deben desarrollar los alumnos para mejorar su nivel educativo y cuánto puede incidir en esto la incorporación de las TIC. La mejora educativa no es una tarea fácil, lleva tiempo e implica llevar adelante programas a largo plazo en los cuáles deben comprometerse alumnos, padres, docentes, autoridades y la sociedad toda. Miremos a quiénes hoy marcan la diferencia, aún en contextos desfavorables, para descubrir algunas cuestiones que hacen al debate sobre cómo lograr una mejor educación. BIO: Lic. en Ciencias de la Educación, Profesora de Educación Inicial, Maestra Normal Superior, Maestra Especializada en Educación de Adultos, Profesora de Actividades Prácticas y Profesora en Ciencias de la Educación. Con amplia experiencia laboral como docente y directivo. Ha brindado asesoramiento a docentes e instituciones educativas, especializándose en planificación por proyectos, evaluación institucional y gestión de la calidad educativa. Colabora con distintas Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil en las áreas de niñez, educación e inserción laboral de jóvenes. Colaboró con Fundación Leer, Fundación Compromiso, Acción Social de la Comunidad Amijai y con la Escuela Taller San Jorge, Asoc. Civil La Providencia en Nueva Argentina en las áreas de fundraising y promoción institucional. Fue miembro del comité organizador del Ier Congreso Internacional de Liderazgo, Creatividad y Nuevas Tendencias en el Aula. Autora del libro 'Cómo planificar proyectos creativos en el aula y en la institución' de Editorial Biblos, donde es directora de la Serie 'Desafíos Educativos'. Es Directora general de Excellere Consultora Educativa, prof. de las materias Didáctica y Obs. y Prácticas de la Enseñanza Media y Coordinadora de Capacitación en Educación a Distancia en la Universidad Arg. J.F. Kennedy. Organiza el Congreso de Ed. y TIC La Escuela del Futuro y coordinó el MOOC Herramientas TIC para el Aula.

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Michael Furdyk Co-founder TakingITGlobal.org Imagining Future Friendly Schools: Global Citizenship, Environmental Stewardship, and Student Voice Michael Furdyk will take us through his decade-long journey with TakingITGlobal (TIG), creating an online network engaging millions of youth in taking action on the world’s greatest challenges. TIG has engaged more than 40 million young people in 13 languages in informal learning, and has a growing community of more than 4,000 schools in 140 countries taking their classrooms global. He will share stories of educators collaborating to engage their students in challenge-based learning, and explore what it means to be a Future Friendly School in this complex, rapidly-changing world. BIO: Michael Furdyk is the Co-founder of TakingITGlobal (www.tigweb.org), which provides innovative global education programs that empower youth to understand and act on the world's greatest challenges. In the past, he turned his interest in technology into several successful online companies, including MyDesktop.com, which sold to Internet.com in 1999. In 2008, he was named by Contribute Magazine as one of 10 Tech Revolutionaries Redefining the Power and Face of Philanthropy. Michael has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, presented at TED, and was named one of Teen People's Twenty Teens that will Change the World. Over the last decade, he has keynoted over 100 events across sectors, sharing his social media expertise and insights on youth engagement and educational reform to audiences in over 30 countries. He sits on several non-profit boards, including the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition, and on the International Advisory Council for Microsoft's Partners in Learning program.

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Julie Lindsay Director Learning Confluence How to go Global - Lead, Learn, League Emerging technologies and increased access across the world is the catalyst to embed global awareness, interaction and understanding into all learning opportunities, but has this really happened yet? What positive social change needs to take place to fully realize the goal of a connected and 'flattened' environment that supports personalized learning? Join Julie for 'How to Go Global' as she describes, and shows through current examples, how leadership, collaborative learning that leads to true co-creation, and building 'leagues' of designers, innovators and communities can take learning to the next level. Our future is important, let's articulate and plan now to go global now. BIO: Julie is an enthusiastic, global educator, leader and innovator who has led the way in global education and technology-infused connections and collaborations across six countries including Africa, Asia and the Middle East. As an IT Director in international schools she implemented 1:1 learning and worked with teachers from K-12 on pedagogical applications for mobile and ubiquitous computing. Worldwide she is recognized for innovative programs using a wide array of Web 2.0 tools to transform learning for the emerging digital, “world-is-flat” educational landscape. Her experiences in education have included International Baccalaureate schools including MYP & DP implementation, leadership and management. Now based back in Australia as a consultant, presenter and workshop leader she is kept busy as Director of Learning Confluence, Director and co-founder of Flat Classroom® and Global Collaboration Consultant for THINK Global School. She is also co-author of Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time, Pearson 2012, and an ADE (Apple Distinguished Educator).

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Anne Mirtschin Teacher Hawkesdale P12 College, Department of Education Early Childhood Development, Victoria Australia The World is My Classroom Although the classroom may be our world, the world can by our classroom. Students need to be equipped with the skills, knowledge and understanding that will enable them to engage effectively with and prosper in an increasingly globalised world. Technology provides students and teachers with an amazing power and opportunity to gain knowledge and experiences beyond the textbook. It breaks down all physical and social barriers. We can connect, collaborate and create in both synchronous and asynchronous time globally with students, classes, teachers, experts and community members. This presentation will share some stories from an innovative, practising classroom teacher and will provide a glimpse into what can be achieved, how it can be achieved and the amazing resultant outcomes that are now possible when learning extends beyond the classroom walls. It will also cover an array of useful tools for global interactions, the challenges faced and means for overcoming these challenges and provide useful resources. Teaching and learning globally will create the need for new competencies. What might these be? Please join this session and join in the conversations. BIO: Anne Mirtschin is an award winning teacher from Victoria, Australia whose most recent major awards are ICT in Education Victoria Educator of the Year 2012 and Australian Council for Computer Education Educator of the Year 2012. She is passionate about rural and global education, immersing technology in the classroom, eLearning and loves collaborating, teaching and learning online with students, educators and community members across the world. These global connections have brought the world beyond the textbook into the classroom. She teaches ICT from grade 3 through to year 12 at Hawkesdale P12 College, a small rural prep to year 12 school. Anne is host of Tech Talk Tuesdays, a weekly online webinar, is a virtual conference coach for Digital Learning, Victorian Education Department, an Australasian Co-ordinator for the Global Education Conference, an active member of the Flat Classroom Projects and is a lead teacher for the Global Classroom projects. A recent and exciting challenge transpired as co-facilitator of the virtual participants in the 2013 Flat Classroom Conference in Yokohama, Japan. She has presented locally, nationally and globally, both face to face and virtually.

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Antonio L. Delgado Pérez M. A. Ed. Universidad de Puerto Rico en Arecibo DRAP: Diseño de Recursos de Aprendizaje Personalizados El objetivo de esta propuesta es promover el que la comunidad docente se deshaga de los obsoletos modelos mentales que se siguen practicando en las aulas. Los educadores del siglo 21 deberían desarrollar nuevas actitudes, no solo basadas en problemas de enseñanza, sino en la transformación de todo aquello en donde la innovación ya no puede llegar, donde su función tradicional resulta insuficiente para propiciar nuevas posibilidades de aprendizaje. El DRAP sugiere que cada educador diseñe su propio recurso de aprendizaje basado en las características, necesidades, intereses y preferencias de los aprendices. Esto basado en las prácticas tecno-sociales de la era en donde se fomentan nuevas culturas de aprendizaje. Los modelos de Diseño Instruccional (DI) del siglo 20 son interesantes referentes para entender cómo la educación tradicional debería transformarse. Pero, los límites de los modelos vigentes de DI deberían convertirse en las bases para sentar el desarrollo de nuevos recursos de aprendizaje personalizados. Por tanto, somos nosotros los educadores quienes deberíamos tomar la iniciativa de construir ecosistemas de aprendizaje con el fin de expandir nuevos horizontes de posibilidades. El rol de transmitir conocimiento basado en contenidos ya resulta ser insuficiente en el aprendizaje del siglo 21. Ahora se habla de aprendizaje basado en competencias. Dichas competencias solo pueden ser afianzadas desde la interacción social, ejecución de proyectos, solución de problemas, manejo de conflictos, manejo de conflictos creación de nuevos productos de utilidad, pronóstico de fenómenos emergentes, participación activa en situaciones reales y aprendizaje basado en el trabajo. El educador del siglo 21 debe prepararse para: crear, diseñar, emprender, dinamizar, moderar, facilitar y generar nuevas posibilidades. La pedagogía de la obediencia a la que hemos estado subordinados durante décadas se está transformando a nivel social por la pedagogía del pensamiento. BIO: Diseñador Instruccional, Tecnólogo Educativo, Diseñador de Aprendizajes, Universidad de Puerto Rico en Arecibo. Aministrador de plataformas LMS (MOODLE, BlackBoard, Edu 2.0). EduBlogger, EduTwitter, WebCaster, Recurso de capacitación, Educador 3.0, Aprendiz Social y Conferencista Internacional: - Red de Educadores Puertorriqueños, Red Aula 2.0 (COL), Red CLED (VEN), - EduTICinnova (PER), - Congreso Educación Media (MEX)