Ralph Ortiz's Blog: The 2016 Student Technology Conference

A conference run by students [Guest Post]

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

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In 2015, Marymount School of New York’s Student Technology Team pose the question: what if students and teachers from around the world could share ideas about using technology in the classroom? As a result, the Student Technology Conference was born.

A Note from Vicki: Again this year, I’m a cheerleader and admirer of this incredible group of students! They wrote this post that I agreed to share here on this blog. Your students can present and join in! Online presenting is a required presentation standard I wrote into my curriculum at school. Are your students presenting online to different audiences? Now is the time! Applause from me to the lovely organizers of the 2016 Student Technology Conference. – Vicki Davis

A partnership of Marymount, University School of Milwaukee, Westhampton Middle School and Lauriston Girls’ School, in collaboration with educational consultants Lucy Grey and Steve Hargadon, this free, virtual event provides an international forum for the presentation, discussion, and sharing of educational technology best practices in schools and other academic settings, Over the course of twelve hours this January 30, 2016, students will share innovative approaches to digital learning and fresh perspectives on educational technology.

This year’s keynote speakers will include The Young Hackers, an organization of high school students that seeks to empower the next generation of programmers; and Coco Kaleel, middle school student and technology advocate from Southern California and founder of veryhappyrobot.com.

When asked about the impact of planning the Student Technology Conference on her learning, 2015 Student Co-Coordinator Isabelle Fitzgerald stated,

“At the University of Virginia, where I now attend, I am a member of the student enterpreneur club (HackCville) and TEDxUVA and both have been a lot of fun. Planning for TEDx reminds me a lot of planning for the Student Technology Conference, just with a more competitive selection process because spots are limited. I’ve realized how great our digital model was for the conference because the barriers to entry didn’t exist on such a rigid level.”

The 2016 Student Technology Conference is open to students in grades 6 through 12 as well as college students. More information on conference strands and guidelines for submitting proposals may be found at: studenttechnologyconference.com.