Posts on “ conferences ”

Announcing the GLS Playful Learning Summit! Are you an educator passionate or curious about game-based learning and digital media?  You are invited to register for the 2013 Games+Learning+Society Playful Learning Summit (formerly GLS Educators Symposium, or GLSES).  The inaugural Playful Learning Summit at the GLS 9.0 Conference will take place on Tuesday, June 11th at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Memorial Union from 8 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Come Play: Keynote and Workshops The Playful Learning Summit will feature: A keynote address by Dani Herro, Assistant Professor for Digital Media and Learning at Clemson University.  Dani is a teacher educator with deep Wisconsin roots – she is the former Instructional Technology Administrator of Oconomowoc Schools and is a GLS alumna having earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010.  The theme of her keynote address is “connected learning.” Over a dozen hands-on workshops relevant to educators across grade levels and content areas.  This year’s workshops will explore STEM education, digital storytelling, video game design, affinity spaces and literacy education, and the design of “gameful” classrooms, curricula, and experiences.  For educators interested in playful “low-tech” games, come learn about improvisation, engaging lessons through physical movement, and gaming for social justice…. Read the Rest»

BrainPOP is proud to be sponsoring the Apps that Close the Gap Summit at Teachers College, Columbia University this Saturday May 11th.  This unique day long summit is designed to address using technology to accelerate achievement in black and latino students while incorporating Common Core State Standards into classroom instruction. Andrew Gardner, senior manager of BrainPOP educators will co-present about digital citizenship with Desiree Bayonet from GameUp partner iCivics.  In addition there will be panels addressing innovative use of virtual learning spaces and future technologies featuring presentations from Google, Dreambox Learning, ifoster, Coder Dojo,  Global Kids.  Click the link above and register for free!

On Saturday, our own Maia Weinstock represented BrainPOP at the inaugural Science Online Teen unconference in New York City. An offshoot of the popular Science Online held each year in North Carolina, the event’s aim was to get New York-area teens thinking and talking about STEM education, STEM careers, and the ways in which STEM topics are communicated online. The day started out with a rousing keynote speech by Hilary Mason, chief scientist at bit.ly and co-founder of HackNY. Mason discussed how certain well-respected scientists of the past questioned established facts of the day, and how technology has become an incredibly disruptive force within just about every facet of society, especially within the past decade. She challenged the future leaders in the audience to re-think what they know about how the Internet is shaping the future of science, information, technology, and journalism. Next up were interactive sessions and workshops led by teens and professionals in a number of STEM-related fields. Maia led a panel discussion on women in STEM, and participated as well in an excellent session on educational science video games led by 18-year-old Erik Martin. Additional sessions covered a slew of intriguing topics, from “The future of how we learn”… Read the Rest»

Heading to ISTE? Submit a proposal to be part of the Online Learning Institute on June 26, 2013 in San Antonio! Jointly sponsored by EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online (ETLO), the International Association of K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) , the 9th Annual Online Learning Institute is now accepting proposals to host roundtable discussions on the topic of your choice related to online or blended learning. This day-long event offers professional development to virtual school practitioners and will provide an opportunity to network with fellow online educators and leading national experts in online and blended learning. Participants will also share strategies and lessons focusing on the successful implementation of online learning. Check out the Online Learning Institute’s agenda for a list of sample roundtable topics to get inspired. Submissions are due April 15, 2013.

I was lucky enough to be part of the BrainPOP team that attended and presented at this year’s SXSWEdu Conference and Festival, and wanted to share some of my thoughts and impressions. Throughout  SXSWEdu, the concept of “innovation” was everywhere, but it was particularly notable at  the “LaunchEDU”  Summit. Over the course of two days, a panel of judges assessed products and services from 24 start-up companies, all attempting to solve a specific education problem – from a more research-friendly search engine to a simplifying complex multiple log-in processes. As individuals and teams gave their “elevator pitch,” you could immediately see  the engagement, excitement, and work ethic involved in starting a business. It got me thinking about how best to bring out these traits in students. Problem-solving is a prime example of authentic and engaging learning. The process forces a team of people, with diverse skill sets, to draw on background knowledge, build new knowledge, and creatively combine knowledge into an authentic solution. It’s what innovators and inventors have done since the beginning of time. It’s what humans do well. It demands creativity. To quote Seymour Pappert, it’s “hard fun.” So, how can harness this for the classroom? Sessions at… Read the Rest»

Heading to the SXSWEduConference and Festival, March 4-7 in Austin? Be sure to check out Got Game? Learning Through Play. Seriously. Taking place on Monday, March 4 at 3:00 PM, it features our very own Arturo Guajardo,Texas District Relations Manager, as well as some of our amazing GameUp partners. Arturo, with Jennifer Groff (Learning Games Network), Dan White (Filament Games), and Michael Angst (E-Line Media), will explore the role of learning games, barriers to their implementation, and related research. Plus, you’ll have the chance to to play games alongside the panelists. Don’t miss this session bringing together the perspectives of true game development and education experts. We’re thrilled that many of our GameUp partners are set to participate in other SXSW sessions as well. Among those you might want to add to your schedule are Educating the Create and Share Generation; Mind the Gap: Games, Impact, Potential, Reality; LRMI: A Peek Under the Hood of Personalized Learning; and How to Play: Models for Game-Based Learning. You’re guaranteed to leave SXSWEdu feeling inspired! Keep up with the action on Twitter with #SXSWEdu and @brainpop.

For the past two weeks, Moby has been on the road visiting conferences and meeting his biggest fans! At FETC in Florida, and TCEA in Texas, educators posed for photographs with him and were quick to post their images with the hashtag #mobyandme to Twitter and Instagram for the BrainPOP community to see!  Using a service called “Sharypic” we’ve put together slideshows with all the fun photos. Be sure to discover and follow other BrainPOP fans on Twitter and Instagram! #Mobyandme at TCEA in Austin Texas TCEA photos> #Mobyandme at FETC in Orlando Florida FETC photos>

Join the POParrazi We are excited to be in Austin, Texas, this week for the 2013 TCEA Conference.  If you’re at the conference, stop by Booth # 1717 to take your picture with Moby and participate in our #mobyandme POParrazi photo collection!  While you’re there, find out about the latest developments at BrainPOP, including the mixer, new Educators pages ,and a special first glimpse of new teacher and student accounts!   BrainPOP is also featured in the conference program – our own Arturo Guajardo will present BrainPOP Basics and Beyond Thursday, FEB. 7th from 12:30 – 1:20pm in the Hilton ROOM 406. See you there!  

Heading to FETC in Orlando this week?  Our very own Dr. Kari Stubbs has collaborated with a superstar team to present #Edgames #Edlearning #EdAssessment.  She’ll be joining Brian Alspach (E-Line Media), Scot Osterweil (MIT), Naomi Greenfield (Fablevision), and Betsy Peisach (Maryland Public Television) to discuss the hot topic of games in learning and how it’s becoming more than a trend.  This panel of experts will be exploring games as consumption, creation, their intersection with digital content, research, challenges, and the critical dimension of professional development and teacher support.  New to games in the classroom?  No problem!  Attendees will leave the session with a collection of educational games and teaching resources so you can get started as soon as you return to your classroom. Don’t miss this exciting session on Wednesday, January 30 from 10-11 am in room South 320H of the convention hall. We’re everywhere this week! In addition to FETC, we’re exhibiting at BETT in London. Read what the BrainPOP UK team has in store for the show and follow @BrainPOP_UK for the latest overseas news.

Every January, the big players in the consumer electronics industry gather in Las Vegas to share the newest innovations and developments. From collossal TVs to networked “smart” home appliances this yearly event exhibits products that were once dreams of science fiction. For the past four years, Living in Digital Times and Children’s Technology Review have use the Consumer Electronics Show as the place to present the KAPi Kids at Play Awards, honoring the best of the best in children’s technology. This year’s KAPi Award winners were selected from a pool of over 700 apps, video games, toys and other commercial digital products designed for children, as well as individuals who have make their mark in the world of children’s tech. BrainPOP is thrilled that GameUp was selected to receive the award for Best Educational Technology! We’ve put a lot of effort into curating GameUp, to be the best digital learning game network, so we believe the recognition is well earned (and we hope you do too!) We’re even more thrilled to be included in the company of so many other terrific digital learning products such as LittleBits, Kinect Sesame Street, Kindle Fire HD Freetime, MakerFaire and Toca Boca. Thanks again… Read the Rest»