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OUT OF THE BOX
Always the forward-thinking optimists, we at EdSurge are already looking waaay outside the box. Here’s the lineup of edtech events confirmed for the first half of 2012 that you ought to know about–especially the ones we plan on crashing! We’ll wrap up the latter half in the next issue. Planning or know of an event that we should look out for? Let us know!
JANUARY
JFK
1/4 |
NEW! Digital Learning Series: Demos and Discussion: New York, NY: Jan. 4, 7:00 PM. Come mingle with fellow eduepreneurs in General Assembly’s mod pad in downtown New York, featuring the fine fellas from Codeacademy, EasyBib, tutorspree, P2PU, littlebits, and Study Edge. Co-produced by Starl and General Assembly. Cost: $10. Sign up now. |
LAS
1/10 |
HigherEdTECH2012: Las Vegas, NV: Jan. 10-13. Part of the Consumer Electronic Show, which runs Jan. 10-13. Kick off your new year high at this multi-day binge on all things higher-ed. Hear from the likes of Knewton’s Jose Ferreira and Innosight Institute’s Michael Horn, and check out the new year’s upcoming gadgets at the exhibition floor show. The lineup is stacked and the stakes even higher. (Pun totally intended). |
DEN
1/11 |
Boulder EduTech Innovators Meetup: Denver, CO: Jan. 11. This second meetup for the Denver group will be a member spotlight, featuring six five-minute presentations and some local craft beer to get conversations with fellow entrepreneurs and teachers flowing and spirits flying mile-high. |
LHR
1/11 |
BETT Show: Olympia, London, UK: Jan. 11-14. For her Majesty’s loyal edsurgents: this annual ICT trade show from British Education and Training Technology is definitely one to check out. Featuring the latest products, services, and other gadgetry from 700 edtech suppliers, this “largest education technology show in the world” drew nearly 30,000 visitors from over 100 countries to its halls last year. Also includes a variety of hands-on workshops and seminars for those seeking more knowledge than gadgets and software. Oh, and did we mention that its free? |
LAS
1/12 |
NEW! KidsAtPlay Summit: Las Vegas, NV: Jan. 12 Part of the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs Jan. 10-13. The summit runs all day. Want to talk about a younger demographic? The KidsAtPlay will highlight educational and inspiring technologies aimed at kids. Speakers include the marvelous Dale Dougherty of MAKE magazine and Warren Buckleitner of Children’s Technology Review. |
SFO
1/12 |
SF Edu Tech Innovators Meetup: SF, CA: Jan. 12. Edupreneurs’ favorite shindig at the pariSoma starts the new year featuring to-be-announced educational thought leaders who’ll frame the challenges ahead for 2012. EdSurge will surely attend. Stay tuned! |
BOS
1/25 |
EdTechup: Boston, MA: Jan. 25. EdTechup just finished their inaugural, big-time conference in December to rave reviews. This meetup to kick off the new year is more of an informal network event, but that doesn’t mean you won’t meet the East Coast’s most daring and brightest…for free! Register here. |
LHR
1/25 |
NEW! Edu Tech Pitch Fest: — London, W14, 5 pm. Organized by the folks who recently brought you StartupWeekend in London, this is an evening event where you get 4 minutes to pitch your startup before a panel of judges, who in turn get 2-3 questions. Free to all comers. |
PHL
1/27 |
NEW! EduCon 2.4: Philadelphia, PA: Jan. 27-29. An innovation conference where folks gather to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas–from the very practical to the big dreams. Cost: $150. All the details here. |
FEBRUARY
SFO
2/2 |
Middle Grade Math: Why Algebra Matters & How Technology Can Help: Stanford, CA: February 2. Hosted by Policy Analysis for California Education, NewSchools Venture Fund and Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Day-long policy-oriented event to explore how digital tools and resources can better support middle grades mathematics. NSVF leader, Ted Mitchell speaking. Cost: $50. Register here. |
JFK
2/3 |
Startup Weekend EDU (NY): Mandell School on the Upper West Side, NYC: Feb 3-5. The crash course is back!. You know the drill: a 54-hour blitzkrieg of people pitching ideas, ideas coalescing into teams, teams building products, and (for some) teams paving that yellow brick road to success! (Um, no guarantees on this last part, but some sound advice here from a team that formally launched.) A-list mentors from all backgrounds stand ready to assist with all sorts of icky startup questions. Judges include investors and entrepreneur gurus who’ll tell you straight up what they think. Register here. |
SFO
2/24 |
Startup Weekend EDU (Bay Area): Santa Clara, CA: Feb 24-26. These just keep getting better! Pick each other’s brains in the offices of Kno, get useful advice from friendly mentors, and pitch to a panel of awesome Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Sign up here. |
MARCH
SFO
3/1 |
Digital Media and Learning Conference: SF, CA: March 1-3. The Digital Media and Learning Conference, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, will explore the development and use of mobile technology in new, innovative learning environments across various disciplines. Promising an all-star cast of researchers, teachers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and investors, this year’s conference will be led by Diana Rhoten, co-founder of Startl and currently senior VP in News Corp’s education division. EdSurge will be there. More details to follow–stay tuned. |
IAD
3/5 |
CoSN 2012: Washington, DC: March 5-7. The Consortium for School Networking’s 2012 K-12 Technology Leadership Conference focuses on re-imagining education beyond “four walls and seven bells.” Featuring Douglas Thomas, John Seely Brown, Karen Cator, and a schedule packed with workshops, demos, presentations, and schmoozing opportunities. EdSurge’s Betsy Corcoran attending. Lots of different registration options. |
SFO
3/5 |
GDC Education Summit: SF, CA: March 5-6. Part of the Game Developers Conference (March 5-9). For better or worse, gamification is here to stay. So why not check out the premier game industry event and hear from industry pros? This year features over 400 industry sessions, spread across seven tracks and eight summits, including one on “experimental and inventive educational approaches that established game curriculum builders can bring back to their faculty and classrooms.” More details forthcoming. Costs a very pretty penny, but well worth it for ubergame enthusiasts. Register by February 2 to save big. |
AUS
3/6 |
SXSWedu: Austin, TX: March 6-8. This second annual conference focusing on chic learning innovations comes to this hip, hip city, with a distinguished lineup including Karen Cator and Catherine Casserly (CEO of Creative Commons). This year promises more bang for your bucks, with meetups, a LAUNCHedu showcase, and organized “Meet Ups” around different content strands to connect you with other attendees. Various deadline rates here–register by January 13 and save! |
AUS
3/9 |
SxSW: Austin, TX: March 9-18: This is the big shindig, the event that launched the likes of Twitter and countless other Internet memes. It’s got a dash of tech (EdSurge’s Betsy Corcoran will be on a panel on Education 2020) but is also just a rip-roaring, idea-generating time about interactive media (March 9-12), film (March 9-17), and music (March 13-18). Be warned, though: tix are pricey. |
ATL
3/23 |
Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation Design Thinking Summit: Atlanta, GA. March 23. Building on the work of the K-12 Lab at the Stanford d.school, the first annual summit will explore ways to incorporate user-centered design in classrooms and schools. The event features a diverse set of keynote speakers, Q&A with a panel of doers, and a hands-on workshop to put theory into practice. More details coming early in 2012. |
PHL
3/24 |
2012 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show: Philadelphia, PA: March 24-26. The annual gathering features over 300 exhibitors and a variety of sessions on topics from teacher effectiveness and Common Core to classroom tech and 21st century learning. Talk about action packed: this year’s conference even kicks off with Discovery Channel’s fearless extreme storm chaser Reed Timmer, certainly someone who knows something about navigating through chaos and disruptions. Register by January 18 and save. |
APRIL
PHX
4/16 |
ASU Education Innovation Summit: Scottsdale, AZ: April 16-18. This is a must-go event. Last year’s featured a cast of folks from brand-name companies with a focus on lessons from abroad, corporate affairs, and gaming. Notable speakers included Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel Corp.; Joel Klein, EVP News Corp., and former Chancellor of the NYC schools; Michael Moe, Co-founder of NextAdvisors. This year? Stay tuned. EdSurge will definitely be there! |
BOS
4/17 |
Sandbox Summit: Cambridge, MA: April 17-18. A conference series focusing on how new technology shapes how kids play, learn, and connect. Through a series of panels, demos, research, and discussions, high-profile speakers will explore how the concept of play and technology is essential to unlocking creative potentials. The goal: to ensure that “the next generation of players becomes active innovators rather than passive users of technology.” Kudos to that. Remember: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Regular price $695, but register by February 4 and save $100. |
BOM
4/20 |
Startup Weekend EDU: Mumbai, India. April 20-22. Namaste, India! The frenetic weekend startup builder comes to you! Rules are the same–see February events above. Details forthcoming. |
MAY
TBA
5/1 |
NewSchools Summit. May 1-2. BY INVITATION ONLY. The exclusive annual gathering of top-notch entrepreneurs, educators, and policymakers–the heavyweights whose words can shape the transformation of education. Example: last year’s speakers include Mark Zuckerberg, Sal Khan, and Reed Hastings. More info to come. |
SFO
5/6 |
SIIA 2012 Ed Tech Industry Summit: SF, CA: May 6-8. This annual summit draws together legions of the education industry’s top-brass as they share insights on market trends and innovative services and products. Last year’s speakers included Margery Mayer (Prez of Scholastic Education), Genevieve Shore (CIO and Director of Digital Strategy at Pearson), and Karen Cator. More details about this year’s event forthcoming. EdSurge surely attending. |
SJC
5/20 |
Dust or Magic AppCamp: Pacific Grove, CA: May 20-22. Designers and researchers of children’s will gather at the idyllic Monterey Peninsula for the Dust or Magic Children’s App Design Institute for this three day event featuring sessions on every app design–learning development, demos, brainstorming, testing and critiques. Speakers include Lorraine Akemann, co-founder of Moms with Apps, and Jesse Schell–perhaps most renowned for his talk on a dystopian vision of what gamification may mean in the very near future. A pretty pricey ticket. |
JUNE
BOS
6/12 |
NMC Summer Conference: Cambridge, MA: June 12-15. Skilled professionals and practitioners interested in the integration of emerging technologies into teaching, learning, and creative inquiry will gather here at the MIT campus. Keynote address from Joichi Ito, Director of the MIT New Media Lab. This year will feature new Session Paths that will help to spark new thinking and ideas: Imagine, Explore, Play, Create, Transform and Reflect. Registration opens the first week of April 2012. |
MKE
6/13 |
GLS Conference 8.0 (Games+Learning+Society): Madison, WI: June 13-15. The premier indie community event on video games and learning is now in its eighth year. GLS promises another exciting year of in-depth conversation and social networking across diverse disciplines: game studies, education research, learning sciences, industry, government, educational practice, media design, and business. Confirmed keynotes from Colleen Macklin, Reed Stevens, and Sebastian Deterding. Register early and save $100. |
SAN
6/24 |
ISTE 2012: San Diego, CA: June 24-27. The big kahuna of edtech conferences comes to sunny San Diego. Last year saw over 13,000 edtech leaders from around the world converge on a multi-day feast of presentations and expos. Complete program details announced mid-February. What’s for certain: don’t forget to bring a beach towel. And yeah, EdSurge will plan on swimming alongside. Early registration options for those looking to save. |
EDSURGE (IN THE) NEWS
Look for us in our FastCompany blog and on KQED’s Mind/Shift! But fear not: we bring the best stuff directly to you first. Always.
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Trends & Events for App and Web Developers 