EdSurge is a free independent information resource for people using or developing educational technology. With a dual website—the Instruct site for educators and the Innovate site for developers—they work to build open communication between the classroom, administration, and tech developers and entrepreneurs. Their sites are full of info on what’s in, what’s out, and what is needed to make ed tech a useful tool for educators, administrators, and parents.
At the EdSurge Tech for Schools Summits, teachers can walk through apps and program modules with the developer. As the summit site states, each free two-day summit is intended to “bring together teachers, administrators, and companies for two days of experimentation, learning, and relationship building.” Feedback from educators drives changes in the tech products. Administrators can share their needs for new tools for analytics. This video gives a quick overview of a 2014 summit in the Los Angeles area. Each summit includes a keynote speaker, considerable hands-on tech time, lunch, a student panel, networking opportunities, a reception, and a drawing for free tech goodies. There is a separate track for administrators, and these events are free for all educators.
Past summits have been a hit in Rhode Island, Maryland, Tennessee, and California. Several more are in the pipeline, and the 2015 cities are:
- Baltimore, MD, February 27-28
- Los Angeles, CA, April 24-25
- Boston, MA, June 24-25
- Washington, DC, July 12-13
- New Orleans, LA, September 11-12
- Toronto, Canada, October 2-3
- Mountain View, CA, October 23-24
- St. Louis, MO, November 13-14
Because the developers really want to talk with end users and learn about their needs and concerns, there is no fee for current K–12 educators—but you do need to preregister.
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