ELDA Speaker Series Put Spotlight on Top Issues in Education

The Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA) at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences will once again bring top-notch national and international speakers to campus to discuss a variety of issues facing educational leaders today. The theme for the 2009/2010 Spotlight on Education Speaker Series is “Transforming Education: Digital Learning, Creativity, and Student Engagement.”

Area school leaders can take advantage of conversations with speakers well versed in technology, educational design, creativity, and diversity, among others. The series will start on Oct. 15, and end on May 6, 2010. All sessions will be held in Mother Rosalie Hill Hall on the USD campus. Participants may register for the entire series or purchase tickets for individual sessions.

Scheduled speakers for this years’ series include:

Oct. 15, 2009
Ken Kay - CEO and Co-founder of e-Luminate Group and President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Kay will address the need for schools to move beyond a focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting understanding of academic context at much higher levels by weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes into core subjects.

Nov. 19, 2009
Marc Prensky - Internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant and designer in the area of education and learning. Prensky will present a unique message about the upcoming efforts of today’s digital youth in education and business. He will demonstrate not only how today’s students have changed, but how educators can deal with the changes and learn from.

Feb. 18, 2010
Sir Ken Robinson - Internationally-renowned expert in the field of creativity and innovation in business and education. Sir Robinson is one of the most sought after speakers in the world and a respected adviser to governments in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He argues that many countries are pushing reforms in the wrong direction. In his powerful presentation, he urges schools and colleges to rethink basic assumptions about intelligence and creativity.

March 18, 2010
Alan November - International leader in educational technology, Senior Partner/Founder of November Learning: Expanding the boundaries of learning. November will address students’ use of collaborative online tools, research and global communication skills to add value to the learning community. He will challenge participants to think beyond the classroom and work towards preparing students for today’s global economy.

May 6, 2010
Milton Chen - Executive Director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation and the Edutopia Program. He is a Fulbright New Century Scholar working on innovation, access and diversity issues in education. With the economic and global changes facing our society, Chen feels its clear that the nation – and teachers and students – need a different type of educational system than the one in place. The Edutopia media produced by The George Lucas Educational Foundation showcase many schools around the country who are making a change. They are moving from textbook-based instruction to rigorous, authentic project-based learning. They are using technology to give students and teachers access to modern knowledge and experts.

For more information on the series and registration information, go to www.sandiego.edu/soles/spotlight.

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego is a Catholic institution of higher learning chartered in 1949; the school enrolls approximately 7,800 undergraduate and graduate students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. The fall 2007 establishment of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies brings the University’s total number of schools and colleges to six. Other academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of Business Administration, Leadership and Education Sciences, Law and Nursing and Health Sciences.

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About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.