The conference — called EduStat — will feature more than 25 speakers discussing topics from distance learning to “flipped learning.”
Interested members of the public will have opportunities to share in the learning. Keynote speeches will be featured on the EduStat website, and three Idaho Leads Project members— Clark Muscat of the Jerome School District, Michelle Dunstan of Boise’s Anser Charter School and Anna Wilson of Coeur d’Alene’s Ramsey Magnet School for Science — will share their EduStat experiences through daily blog posts on the Idaho Leads website, Facebook and Twitter updates, and YouTube interviews with expert speakers.
“Many of Idaho’s teachers are taking the summer months to improve their skills and expand their education possibilities,” said Boise State University Professor Bill Parrett, co-director of the Idaho Lead’s Project. “The number of participants in the full conference reflects this. I’m sure many more educators will be dedicated to following updates from the conference to see what other knowledge they can soak up.”
EduStat is set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Boise. Part of the State Department of Education’s Students Come First initiative, the conference will focuses on increasing student achievement with a technology-rich and data-driven approach.
One focus will be the Flipped Classroom, in which teachers’ lectures are delivered via video outside of class time. Students can watch these informational videos as many times as needed to understand the lessons. Class time is then used for active problem-solving, one-to-one small groups, and tutoring from the teachers.
Before the conference, participants were given homework materials and videos to watch. At the conference, speakers will supplement that information. Featured speakers include Aaron Sams of the Flipped Learning Network; 15-year-old Adora Svitak, a student who has written several books; Jeff Mao, learning technology policy director for Maine’s Department of Education; and Greg Green, a pioneer of the flipped school model.
The conference also will feature two Idaho teachers — Michelle Chavez of Weiser High School and Dave Gural of Eagle High School — who are veterans in using the Idaho Education Network.
