The Edvocate’s List of the Top 10 Can’t Miss Education Conferences in 2017
*The Edvocate is pleased to produce its “Best of the Best” resource lists. These lists provide our readers with rankings for education-related blogs, twitter accounts, influencers, products, etc. These lists are meant to be fluid, and for that reason, they are regularly updated to provide up to the moment information.*
Every industry has a plethora of conferences and assemblies where educators are encouraged to go, learn about the latest in news and tech, and talk about their experiences. While many of these are little more than a reason to talk and network, some conferences stand out as offering a lot more to educators than a gathering.
If you are interested in attending a highly beneficial conference in 2017, the following ten meetings are something you should consider at least following (even if you ultimately decide not to attend).
This is the 37th annual convention and exposition for educators at every level. You can register to visit just the exhibit hall, or you have a choice between a basic and premium badge. This is one of the most well-established and well-attended educational conferences of the year, with more than 900 sessions and 450 exhibitors. You can network, learn about the latest technology, and find out where your particular area of focus is going. It is the kind of event that you must attend to get a real understanding of the scope and breadth of knowledge that is on display.
For more details, you can download their app (TCEA mobile app), or you can follow the event on Twitter @TCEA
One of the most important things to understand about education is that everyone learns differently, but there are some universal truths. This conference takes a look at some of the newest learning methods, how they work, and why they work. The focus is to help educators provide a more effective educational experience for their students, regards of the student’s age. The following are just a few of the areas being explored to help you give your students more motivation and a desire to learn:
- Using Effective Instructional Strategies
- Brain Benefits of Exploring and Explaining
- Developing Expertise and Skills
- Promoting Effective Student Feedback
- Creating Curious, Creative, Self-Explorers
You can review their brochure on the event, but if you want to attend you will need to move quickly as they have already begun posting warnings that they require an overflow room to cover all of the current participants at the keynotes session. To keep up to date on the events and the latest news from Learning & the Brain, you can follow them on Twitter at @learningandtheb/#latb46.
The Clute Institute is hosting an international conference for both faculty and administrators to get together and talk about both proven and potential methods of teaching. Whether you are teaching Kindergarten or at a university, there is information for every level. The following are just a few of the topics that will be discussed during the presentations being held from March 13 to 15:
- Accreditation
- Contemporary Issues in Education
- Curriculum
- ESL
- E-learning
- International Education
- K-12 Education
- Teaching Methods
- Tenure
The last day you will have the option of taking a tour of the beautiful Maui, Hawaii, just to help you recalibrate after a few days of learning. To keep up with the latest news on the event or other events from the Clute Institute, you can follow them on Twitter @CluteInstitute.
Sponsored by ASCD, this conference is designed for anyone within the education field, whether a teacher, professor or administrator. Instead of the typical conference style presentations, they have several different events, such as panels for discussion and debates. They also offer a broad range of interactive opportunities. This is the first conference of its kind, giving you a chance to be part of something new and innovative in the education field.
To learn more about the conference, you can follow ASCD on Twitter @ASCD.
Another conference sponsored by Learning & the Brain, this conference examines ways you can inspire students to take a positive approach to learning. It does not target a particular set of students either, as it can be difficult to maintain a positive mindset no matter how far you have gone in your education. One of the biggest keys to a student’s success is that student’s ability to keep trying, and that requires a positive outlook on education. The purpose of this conference is to give educators the necessary tools and methods to help keep students inspired. The following are a few of the presentations that will help you build a better mindset in the classroom:
- Ways to Develop Positive Schools, Behaviors, and School Climate
- Applying Brain/Behavior/Positive Science to Help Children Thrive
- Effects of Stress, Adversity, Poor Environments on Achievement
- Interventions for Depression, Negative Behaviors, and Bullying
You can review their brochure on the event. If you want to keep up with the latest news from this unique educational provider, you can follow them on Twitter at @learningandtheb/#latb46.
Toward the end of the school year, ASU is hosting its annual summit. The three-day event is open to all educators and includes many innovators and businessmen as well. While there is an extensive list of speakers, some of the most notable are Andre Agassi (the famous tennis player) and Luis von Ahn (one of the geniuses behind crowdsourcing).
If you would like to learn more about the event, you can follow the latest discussions and news on Twitter @asugsvsummit.
This is one of the few dedicated conferences to make the list, but with more schools moving to a technical heavy, online presence, it is a timely meeting to attend. It gives you a consider what the current technology is for working with students over a distance, and what you are likely to start seeing emerge in the near future. The technology covered is helpful to every level of education, from kindergarten through college and military training.
If you want to keep up with the latest news and information, you can follow the event on Twitter @UWdtl.
The iNACOL Symposium is sponsored by the nonprofit organization iNACOL, and it focuses on the education of children in grades K through 12. In addition to the opportunity to develop your network, the symposium offers a broad range of topics to help you explore new ways of teaching. There are over 200 sessions covering a wide variety of issues that fall one of the following foci:
- Personalized learning
- Policies
- Competency education
- Blended and online learning
- iNACOL national quality standards
You can check out the areas being highlighted at the symposium to see if they are covering a particular field. If you are interested in setting up an exhibition, they are still accepting applications.
While there are still months before the event, there are already several hashtags associated with it. You can post some of your own ideas or look up what others are saying with the hashtags #Policymakers and #Edleaders. You can also follow details about the symposium and other news and events by iNACOL by following @nacol on Twitter.
If you are actively involved in using technology to help students learn, this is a conference you need to add to your calendar. The entire event is dedicated to different learning technologies and how they can best be used to enhance the learning experience. Sponsored by the eLearning Guild, you will have three days devoted to technology in education. You can speak with some of the leaders in the industry or share ideas with others who are enthusiastic about what technology can do to help students perform better both in the classroom and outside it.
You can follow the latest news and information on Twitter @eLearningGuild.
To round out the year, you can go to the National Summit hosted by ExcelinEd for a look at ways to improve and reform the American education system. The focus goes beyond the classroom and examines how state and local policymakers and advocates can keep up with the latest trends to help students get ahead in their education. Some of the conference’s primary focus include the following:
- Holding schools accountable for learning
- Creating incentives for students to achieve more
- Using technology to improve and customize education based on the student
- Expanding the options for students and parents
By focusing on these details before the holiday season, you can establish some resolutions to help improve the way you, the local government, and the state approach education. To stay current on the latest news and changes to the event, you can follow the event on Twitter @ExcelinEd.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s the end of our list. How did we do? If you would like us to consider adding your education conference to the list, let us know.
