Here’s a little video that the NJ, NY, PA & ME LC’s put together on the 1st day of the 2008 Summer LC Institute.

Registration is now open for the Annual NJAET EdTech Conference.  Click here to register & Click here for workshop session descriptions.

NJAET Home Page Conference Home Page Exhibitor Information

If you’re like me, you may have even been overwhelmed by the hundreds of seminar titles found in the Annual NJEA Convention Program each year.

The 2008 gathering will still feature many varied professional development opportunities, but now those workshops will be organized so that attendees can choose a strand of seminars most appropriate for their job title.

“We wanted to help our members develop an aligned and coherent learning focus for their Convention experience,” explains NJEA President Joyce Powell.

For the first time, NJEA has identified relevant learning strands to provide the framework for the Convention program. The framework for 2008 is designed to help educators prepare students to meet the demands of the 21st century. All sessions will be assigned to one or more of these learning strands, which are:

Core Subjects - In accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act, core subjects are identified as English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics, government, economics, arts, history and geography. These presentations will be designed to increase practitioners’ knowledge in core subjects or pedagogical approaches specifically targeted to a core subject area.

Global Awareness — The ever-changing and fast-paced issues of a global economy present challenges for teachers and students alike. Students must be encouraged to develop knowledge and understanding of financial, economic, business, civic, and health and wellness issues. Workshops in this strand will increase participants’ knowledge in these areas, and provoke discussion of the impact of these issues on students, educators, and school curricula.

Learning and Thinking Skills — As much as students need to learn academic content, they also need to know how to continue learning—and make effective and innovative use of what they know—throughout their lives. In this strand, seminars will address critical thinking and problem-solving skills, oral and written communication skills, creativity and innovation skills, collaboration skills, and the ability to engage in analysis of information.

Life Skills — In addition to traditional learning skills, students must also develop leadership abilities, understand ethical behavior and be able to adapt. They should also be encouraged to learn personal productivity, personal responsibility, people skills, self-direction and social responsibility. Teaching these skills is no easy task, so this strand will provide educators with the strategies they need to shape young lives.

Information/Communications Technology — Information and Communications Technology (ICT) literacy is the ability to use technology so they know how to learn, think critically, solve problems, use information, communicate, innovate and collaborate. These presentations will illustrate active learning strategies that will promote the development of such skills.

21st Century Assessments — Educators must use authentic assessments to gather relevant data on student mastery to inform future instruction. Such assessments feature modern technologies and both standardized tests and teacher-prepared classroom assessments. Find out if your assessment methods are up to date and ultimately work to improve student achievement.

These strands have been adapted from “A State Leaders’ Action Guide to 21st Century Skills: A New Vision for Education,” produced by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in April 2007. New Jersey is expected to join the Partnership, known as P21, in the coming months. To learn more about P21, visit www.21stcenturyskills.org and look for an article in next month’s Review.

The theme for Convention 2008 is “NJEA: The Beacon for Public Education.” The event will be held Nov. 6–7 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Check out upcoming issues of the NJEA Review and NJEA Reporter as well as the Convention web site for more details about the 2008 NJEA Convention.

First of all, it’s FREE! And, like many other events in the emerging field of online professional development, the conference will be run by VOLUNTEERS! These volunteers are educators who have decided to take hold of the reigns of professional development and become masters of their own destiny- and help provide the tools for their colleagues to do the same.

The “new” internet (aka Web 2.0) is more than just cool tools, it offers exciting ways for educators to redefine the boundaries of our classrooms, as well as our professional development! That’s what the Discovery Educator Network is all about- redefining how we learn from each other in a global network.

Because it is not tied to a specific geographical location, the DEN Virtual Conference doesn’t require participants’ physical presence. In addition, all of the conference materials & activities will be archived. But, I think the feature that matters most to me is the enormous potential for interaction. At a face-to-face (F2F) conference, I could never possibly attend all the presentations and personally interact with all the presenters (most of the time they might not even be accessible). At an online conference, I could. Theoretically, I could actively participate in all the conference activities, such as forums, round-tables, workshops, keynote discussions, and tours. The only limitation would be my time and energy level!

I strongly believe that the DEN Virtual Conference will allow for more quality communication with peers and leaders, and I am honored & excited to be a part of it!

What gets you excited about online professional development? What do you see as the added benefits of a virtual conference, as opposed to a traditional F2F event?

Join us for the 1st ever Discovery Educator Network Virtual Conference on Saturday, February 2nd!

Connect with educators from all over the country during this unique professional development experience where you can attend, in-person, online or both!

The DEN Virtual Conference is a national event that provides educators a unique opportunity to experience Discovery Education’s high quality professional development. Participants have the flexibility to attend the DEN Virtual Conference online or in-person at one of many regional events hosted by the DEN Leadership Councils.

The day will feature keynote presentations from Discovery’s own Hall Davidson and Lance Rougeux that will be broadcast to each of the regional gatherings. In between the keynote presentations, participants will attend breakout sessions presented by local STAR Discovery Educators.

Educators who cannot attend an in-person regional event still have the opportunity to participate virtually in the full-day conference. Special breakout sessionspresented by Matt Monja, Mike Bryant and Steve Dembo will be broadcast throughout the day.

To register for the DEN Virtual Conference or to see if there is an in-person event in your area, visit the registration page here. Seats will fill up at the regional locations quickly, so make sure that you RSVP for this FREE and unique opportunity ASAP!

More information will be posted here as we get closer to the event.

The NJECC Annual Conference on March 18, 2008 at Montclair State University will feature Marc Prensky as the keynote speaker. For further information on this conference, The Natives are Restless: Growing Up in a Web 2.0 World, check out the NJECC Conference site.