Schedule for the 2011-2012 Series

Schedule for Each Session:

Dr. David Rose, Chief Scientist, Cognition and Learning, The Center for Applied Special Technology

Meeting the Challenge of Individual Differences in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning

In 1984, Dr. David Rose helped to found CAST (the Center for Applied Special Technology) in order to expand opportunities for students with disabilities through the innovative development and application of technology. David specializes in developmental neuropsychology and in the universal design of learning technologies. In addition to his role as chief scientist, cognition and learning, at CAST, David lectures at the Harvard School of Graduate Education, where he applies CAST's work in neural networks and learning to both the design and the content of his course.

In this presentation, Dr. Rose will address how modern technologies are radically changing the learning and teaching sciences. On the one hand, new technologies allow us to examine and better understand the roots of individual differences in the learning brain. On the other, new technologies provide powerful tools for teaching and learning that are flexible enough to meet the challenges posed by individual differences. In this session he will review the intersection of these two advances in the new field that is called Universal Design for Learning.

Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center (www.cyberbullying.us)

Cyberbullying, Safe Social Networking and Sexting: What Educators Need to Know and Do

Dr. Sameer Hinduja works nationally and internationally with the public and private sector to reduce online victimization and its real-world consequences. Sameer is a member of the Research Advisory Board for Harvard University's Internet Safety Task Force, and has given trainings and keynotes to a wide range of audiences.

Dr. Hinduja’s presentation will address youth Internet use and misuse in great detail, with a specific emphasis on prevention and response strategies that can be immediately implemented within the school or home. Attendees will intensively understand the school's responsibility in addressing cyberbullying, learn about foundational court cases which inform the ways they respond, become aware of the best practices in dealing with these issues. Strategies and solutions will be discussed to allow for input and Q&A from the audience. Attendees will leave equipped with an increased ability to promote safe and responsible participation in cyberspace among the youth.

Brett Peterson, Janie Griswold and Anne Worrall, High Tech School Directors

Julie Evans, CEO of the national education nonprofit organization, Project Tomorrow

Project Tomorrow's mission is to ensure that today's students are well prepared to become tomorrow's leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world. Under Julie’s leadership, Project Tomorrow has emerged as a national leader promoting the use of innovative and research based science, math and technology resources in our K-12 schools to develop critical thinking, problem solving and creativity skills in students. Noteworthy recent organizational accomplishments include the heralded Speak Up National Research Project that includes over 1.85 million students, parents and educators.

For Spotlight, Julie will lay the foundation with the student data and then focus on the role of the education leader in this digital transformation process. In this presentation, Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, will share the latest Speak Up results from K-12 students, parents and educators to stimulate new conversations about how to effectively leverage emerging technologies to drive both increased student achievement and teacher productivity. She will share the characteristics of this new "Visionary Administrator" and engage the audience in a reflection of their own leadership practices and envision the schools of the future.

Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at University of Virginia's Curry School of Education

May 10, 2012

Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson's career as an educator includes 21 years as a public school teacher and 12 years as a program administrator of special services for struggling and advanced learners. More recently, Carol has been a faculty member at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, where she is currently William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy, and Co-Director of the University's Institutes on Academic Diversity.

Carol’s presentation will address the following: While it is more comfortable to teach as though all students in a particular classroom are essentially alike as learners, the changing demographics of today's schools make that approach highly unlikely to serve students well. In addition, research suggests clear benefits to attending to student variance in instructional planning and delivery. Perhaps most intriguing is the question of what "ethical" teaching would look like in contemporary classrooms and how it would guide educators in thinking about academically diverse learners. This session will examine a demographic, research-based, and ethical case for learning to differentiate instruction.