Save the date for AEC: Dec. 5-7 in San Diego
Futurist and game designer, global education expert are keynote speakers
Published: June 18, 2013
Registration season is well under way for CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show, which will be Dec. 5-7 this year in San Diego.
“There’s something for everybody here at this Annual Education Conference,” says Rowland Unified School District board member Heidi Gallegos, a member of the conference planning committee, in a video on the conference site, aec.csba.org, which also has registration details. “It’s gonna be dynamite!”
General Sessions to inspire and motivate
Game designer and futurist Jane McGonigal headlines the first General Session on Thursday, Dec. 5. Rather than being a waste of time, she argues, games instill useful traits in players—optimism, a willingness to work hard, the ability to forge strong social bonds, even a feeling of meaning in life. In fact, after suffering a severe concussion that left her bedridden and depressed, McGonigal created a game that helped her heal. She’s gone on to develop games that shift the focus of play from simply winning to collaboration to solve problems. McGonigal is a leading speaker on the application of game design to the real world. In 2009, BusinessWeek magazine named her one of the Top Ten Innovators to Watch. Her TED Talk, “Gaming Can Make a Better World,” (www.ted.com) is considered a classic and has been viewed more than 3 million times. She’ll sign her book, “Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World,” at the CSBA Store after the General Session.
Yong Zhao, a presidential chair and associate dean for global education at the University of Oregon, will headline AEC’s second General Session Friday, Dec. 6. His work focuses on the implications of globalization and technology on students. Zhao will share his ideas for schools that cultivate creativity and entrepreneurial thinking in preparing students for a global economy. He received the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association, and Tech & Learning magazine named him among the 10 most influential people in educational technology last year. Zhao will sign his book, “World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students,” after his talk.
Dozens of breakout sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and more are also in store. Look for an advance AEC planning booklet in mailboxes this month, and visit aec.csba.org for more information.