What happens in Austin—gets posted on EdSurge.
Get ready for thousands of entrepreneurs, educators, administrators and everyone in between to descend on Austin next week for SXSWedu. It’s one of the biggest education conference of the year, and you don’t want to waste any time if you want to get the most out of the hundreds of sessions happening over the four days. (Pro tip: wear comfortable shoes!)
In advance, we’re bringing you the sessions that caught our fancy and, yes, the ones we’ll be moderating. And what’s SXSWedu without a party? On the evening of Tuesday, Mar. 8, we’re also hosting a shindig with 4.0 Schools, HireEducation, Michelson Runway Accelerator, NewSchools Venture Fund, and Reach Capital! Our night of fun will be on the rooftop of Speakeasy in downtown Austin, and we’re bringing together the movers and shakers of education.
More interested in conversations about higher ed? Check out our survival guide to SXSWedu’s higher ed offerings.
EdSurge Sessions
Want to catch us on stage? We’d love to see you too!
Monday
The Rise of the Teacher Entrepreneur
12:30 - 1:30
Teachers have a wealth of untapped knowledge that education entrepreneurs would drool over. So why is it that teachers never seem to have a voice in the discussion of new products and services? Moderated by EdSurge Reporter, Blake Montgomery.
Tuesday
Begging for Disruption: EdTech Procurement
11:00AM - 12:00
Procuring edtech has never been a clear process, but as more and more classrooms need tech tools, finding and buying the right ones becomes all the more vital. How can we make it a seamless process? Leonard Medlock, Product Manager, will share plenty of wisdom.
Traditional vs. Competency-Based Learning Models
11:00AM - 12:00
EdSurge Senior Editor Mary Jo Madda will ask the question, “Is traditional professional development better or worse than competency-based PD, or should there be a balance of both?”
Thursday
Breaking the University From the Inside Out
9:30AM - 10:30
Allison Dulin Salisbury, Director of Higher Education Strategy will ask panelists to ruminate on the research and development in higher education: “How can we intentionally design universities to change fast—even as fast as the needs of students themselves are changing?”
What Do We Mean When We Ask if EdTech "Works”?
11:00AM - 12:00
Betsy Corcoran, founder and CEO, will share her questions about efficacy: “What do we really know about how to measure the effectiveness of EdTech tools? What are the ‘results’ that we’re trying to measure? How are the current pilots proceeding? What seems to be making a difference for a spectrum of learners?”
Topic Spotlight: Virtual Reality
There’s an ocean of writing about virtual reality, but what does using it in the classroom look like?
Monday
12:30 - 3:30
What theoretical challenges face educators and higher ed faculty teaching with virtual and augmented reality? Are there pedagogical challenges that VR/AR content creators haven’t anticipated? Teachers from around the world will convene and discuss.
Learning Through Virtual Reality Experiences
Wednesday
1:30 - 3:30
A workshop that will allow you to immerse yourself in several different VR experiences and design your own lessons that use them.
Virtual Reality at the British Museum
Wednesday
3:10 - 3:25
The British Museum, one of the foremost collections of artifacts and art in the world, launched a virtual reality environment last year. The curators are bringing the same setting, a Bronze Age round house, to testers at SXSWedu.
Monday:
12:30-3:30
Parents don’t seem to trust that schools and companies have their children’s best interests at heart when it comes to those students’ data. What will it take to build that trust?
TRUE/FALSE All Kids Should Learn to Code in School
3:30-4:30
Four directors of kids’ coding organizations will come together and ask the tough questions: Do all kids actually need to code? What does it mean for kids to code?
Putting People of Color at the Center of Design
4:00-6:00
Three leaders who have recently opened schools in New York City are bringing their challenges to the SXSWedu crowd. As per the organizers: Participants will engage in brainstorming, a ‘How Might We?’ protocol, and prototyping and revision work around challenges related to student-centered school design.”
Tuesday:
The Role of Maker Ed in Schools
9:30-10:30
LittleBits CEO Ayah Bdeir is sitting down for an intimate chat. Stay tuned for a new announcement from LittleBits during her talk.
Why Startups Should Hire My High School Students
5:00-6:00
The first teachers to be named Allen Distinguished Educators are discussing what it takes to ignite high school students’ passion and what they can bring to companies that no one else can.
Edu-Gaming: Money, Morals and Games in Classrooms
3:30-4:30
Educational gaming has a troubled history. These four panelists are looking at the industry’s ethics and discussing the guidelines and ramifications of making games.
Wednesday:
Can Hip Hop Save Us? Youth and School Culture
12:30-1:30
Spotify says hip hop is the most popular genre of music in the world. But it is often stigmatized and considered inappropriate and crass. But what if it holds the key to engaging students and helping them build the mental fortitude to succeed in school and college?
Innovation in Charters vs. Districts
3:30-4:30
“Join us for a fun-spirited debate around innovation and scale in charters vs. districts...Moderated by Julia Freeland, we expect a bare knuckle bar brawl.” Need we say more?
Thursday:
No Barriers: Models for Making in Your Community
9:30AM - 10:30
The Maker Movement has made a lot of promises, but without careful planning, what will happen as the dreams of the movement fail to reach communities?
