Annual Conference Workshops: A Survey of Innovations

Jennifer Carbonneau Walden University EDUC-7101-3 Diffusion and Integration of Technology in Education June 12, 2011

A Survey of Innovations

Annual Conference Workshops: A Survey of Innovations The exploration of innovations in education are essential to the needs our societys future. If open minds do not approach the learning process a nation can not grow, develop, and flourish. Several annual conferences across the nation focus on advances in technology through the use of innovative approaches in the classroom. The Association for Education Communication and Technology, Computer Using Educators, Distance Teaching and Learning, and International Society for Technology in Education offer a plethora of workshops each year. Among the several innovative approaches they explore, three offer strong potential for impacting education: the integration of mobile devices, the potential of global collaboration, and the power of social networking. Nearly every conference offered workshops exploring mobile devices including iPads and smart phones. Marco Torres presents iPad: Personalizing Learning, Creating and Sharing through PETE-C. Like wise, David Pownell presents Empower Yourself With the iPad: There's an App for That! through ISTE, and Chris Bell continues the theme of mobile device integration with his Android Boot Camp workshop during the CUE conference. Again and again this innovation is being shared. It would seem that the integration of mobile devices would be an easy innovation to diffuse through an educational system. It is affordable; many students own their own devices. Some of the barriers include reluctant teachers and the centralized dominating powers of a technology coordinator. Yet, the innovation of mobile devices being used in a classroom will result in student engagement and life-long learning. The innovative idea of global collaboration in education opens doors for students not only in the moment of collaboration but also into their future professions, as collaboration is
2

A Survey of Innovations

becoming an essential skill in the workplace. In the future those collaborative skills will be essential as employers will necessitate collaboration across great distances virtually. Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton model global collaboration through their ISTE Virtual Workshop session Connect, Collaborate, and Create with the WorldGlobal Collaborative Learning. Anticipated resistance to the integration of global collaboration include teachers willing to open their classrooms stepping out of a secure environment, finding two teachers that share collaborative efforts, and the follow through of interclass activities due to school technology issues. If two teachers were appropriately paired, this innovative approach to learning would be an easy integration. The challenge will be finding that match. Social networking may be one of the more challenging innovations to integrate into the educational system. Sharon Stoerger, Dylan Barth, and Matthew Russell present Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube: Socail media for educators during the Distance Teaching and Learning Annual Conference. Emad Eliass Harnessing the Power of Twitter at the CUE conference focuses on networking using Twitter in elementary and middle schools. Even Howie DiBlasi shares 14 Ways to Integrate Social Media into Your Classroom at the ISTE annual conference. In the United States, CIPA laws restrict student access to an array of social networking opportunities poising a barrier to effective diffusion of this innovation; however, teachers can establish their own social networks and begin modeling appropriate use of the innovation. School technology policies that block social networks further complicate its integration. Their use could be a powerful step into the future if the barriers can be overcome. With persistence and effective modeling of each of these innovations, their diffusion into the realm of education is immanent.

A Survey of Innovations

References
AECT. (2011). 2011 AECT Convention--Jacksonville, Florida. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from Association for Educational Communications and Technology: http://www.aect.org/events/Jacksonville/Workshops.asp?clientid=&type=All CUE. (2011, March 9). Hands-On Workshops. Retrieved April 12, 2011, from Computer Using Educators: http://www.cue.org/conference/workshops/1/ DEPD. (2011). 2011 Conference Program. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from 27 Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/ ISTE. (2011). Unlocking Ptential ISTE 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from ISTE COnference: http://www.isteconference.org/ISTE/2011/program/search.php PETE-C. (2011). Conference Program 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference: http://sessions.peteandc.org/programtentlist.php