SXSWedu 2014

A robust platform for the community to connect, collaborate, create and change how we teach and learn- SXSWedu is quickly gaining a reputation as a catalyst for change in education. The event welcomes the professionals making up the many different facets of the education ecosystem. Education stakeholders and practitioners of all backgrounds– including teachers, administrators, university professors and business and policy leaders– with the passion and commitment to create a better tomorrow make up the SXSWedu community.

Optimizing Learning: Preview of Aspen Task Force on Learning & the Internet Report – SXSWedu 2014

The internet presents unique and unconventional learning opportunities to empower and engage youth in new ways, but also raises concerns about their safety and privacy. Over the last 12 months, the Aspen Institute Task Force on Learning and the internet convened 20 of the sharpest minds in the industry to explore these issues and craft recommendations to optimize online learning and innovation without compromising safety. The Task Force will preview their report highlighting these issues.

Analytical Writing: A Skill to Change the World – SXSWedu 2014

What makes great analytical writing—the ability to explain, argue, provoke—so powerful? And can a generation of American students become expert in this mighty art that most predicts success in college and careers? Come join College Board President David Coleman and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Caro for a discussion of how writing can transform outcomes for students, schools and citizens across the country.

Analytics and Student Success Innovations in Higher Education – SXSWedu 2014

Diverse higher education institutions—from community colleges to private four-year colleges to large universities—are beginning to use advanced analytics to inform and power their student-success innovations. Come join this interactive dialogue to learn more about how exemplar institutions are approaching gaining deeper insights about what’s working, what’s not, and for whom; and deploying analytically fueled apps to the front lines to help more striving students learn well and finish strong.

Game Dynamics Can Be a Game Changer – SXSWedu 2014

Brain science has shown that active learning can achieve, in many instances, over 10X acceleration in the speed of learning, with better retention, compared to traditional methods. And just as with the best video games, technology now enables educators to personalize instruction to target each learner with exactly what he/she needs to develop skills and achieve mastery. Learn how games and game dynamics can be used by schools and teachers to maximize outcomes.

Convergence: Creating a New Culture of Learning – SXSWedu 2014

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is in the midst of a complete digital convergence. Through a system-wide confluence of digital resources and emergent technologies; blended learning and professional development; and deployment of digital content and mobile devices, this large urban district is knocking down the classroom walls and creating a new culture of learning. Learn how Miami-Dade is employing the concept of convergence to increase student achievement and implement true systemic reform.

Higher Ed is Big and Bold in Texas – SXSWedu 2014

The charter to establish “a university of the first class” hasn’t changed for the UT System since its creation in 1876, though the landscape of Higher Ed and what defines that certainly has. The UT System continues to set the standard for access and success for over 213,000 students attending 15 UT institutions. Today’s bold and innovative vision includes plans to establish two medical schools, transform education and health care in the Rio Grande Valley and lead the nation in online learning.

Welcome to Another Day in Paradise – SXSWedu 2014

Jeff Charbonneau believes that paradise must be built, maintained and improved by removing the words ‘can’t,’ ‘too hard’ and ‘impossible’ from our vocabulary. He understands that many students feel the “hard” sciences are too difficult and it’s his job to support their learning by breaking down the content and creating interactive learning experiences. Learn what makes Jeff the teacher he has become and how to create conditions that enable teachers like Jeff to grow and develop in every school.

E-Rate 2.0: Rebooting Support for Educational Technology in America – SXSWedu 2014

The Federal Communications Commission runs the nation’s largest educational technology program, known as E-Rate. Funded at $2.4 billion in 2013, the E-Rate program connects schools and libraries across the nation to modern communications and the Internet. A strong supporter of E-Rate, Commissioner Rosenworcel will discuss the program and how it should be refocused on broadband and modernized.

Inspire, Lead, Innovate, Make More, TEACH – SXSWedu 2014

Exceptional people gravitate toward big challenges and there are few challenges greater than reinventing American education. Join Teach.org in a panel discussion on the current state of education and recruiting the next generation of teachers. Learn how to help prospective teachers transition into the teaching profession and ways to help spread the importance of teaching. Teaching demands exceptional talent. Are you up for the challenge? Make more.

SXSWedu 2014 Keynote – Jeffrey Tambor: Performing Your Life in the Classroom

Jeffrey Tambor is an award-winning film and Broadway actor and star of Arrested Development. He is also an educator, with 40 years of experience. As a teacher, father, husband and student, he cultivates a passion for learning and creativity in others. His hilarious, one-man show includes personal stories to encourage teachers to look beyond their curriculums and offer lessons from their own truths. This inspirational conversation encourages audiences to overcome their fears and discover their potential.

SXSWedu 2014 Keynote – The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time

From classroom teacher to US Secretary of Education, Rod Paige has demonstrated his dedication to education. The driving force behind his work as Secretary was his strong belief that education is a civil right, just like the right to vote or to be treated equally. In an enlightening conversation moderated by Evan Smith of The Texas Tribune, Rod Paige speaks to a number of topics, most notably the perspective that education is the top civil rights issue of the 21st century.