Discovery Education Speakers Bureau
Supporting the most effective use of technology in classrooms and schools
Supporting the most effective use of technology in classrooms and schools
Students today engage with content differently than any previous generation of learners. Yet even with the irrefutable evidence that our students have a clear preference in how they choose to interact with information, we largely ignore these facts when considering instructional content. Come examine the future of instructional materials including recent legislation which allows the use of traditional “textbook” funds for digital content, the instructional benefits and examples of current success.
This interactive session examines the growing diversity in America’s classrooms and how embracing this diversity can have a positive impact on the educational process. Utilizing statistics, classroom examples and imagination, attendees will journey through cyberspace examining ways in which students are connecting with others throughout the world.
There is no doubt that media plays an influential role in our student’s lives. In fact, most children spend an average of 6 ½ hours per day exposed to media. However, students today are no longer satisfied simply passively consuming information; instead they want to be active participants. From participating to producing, this session will explore the role media plays in today’s classroom and examine the research that supports its inclusion.
Students were born into in an age where information on nearly every topic was only a few keystrokes away. Consumers across the globe and students in classrooms now interact with content in a fundamentally different way than five years ago. Academic success can no longer be defined as the recitation of facts and figures. Instead, the degree to which our students access global expertise, engage with content, and create meaning becomes important as the criteria of a new age. Explore the steps for education to move beyond the Information Age.
Learn to incorporate digital storytelling as an important instructional tool. Teachers can capitalize on all the digital assets available to them through unitedstreaming to create simple, yet powerful stories using free programs like Photostory 3.
Every classroom can go digital! New (and often free) software has flattened the learning curve--and even older hardware can make magic. Scaffold teachers and students with successful digital project building. Make a digital video in under five minutes with a simple program that uses still images and creates music. Progress next to a free video editor that encourages student content creation in the curriculum. Finally, a program that lets students insert themselves into videos! Media creation leverages engagement and takes learning to a new level.
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Ever-Expanding Resources Using Media for Assessment, Building Assignments, Diagnostics, and Remediation
Yesterday’s media libraries were great for watching in a classroom. Today’s media libraries use media as a gateway experience for evaluation, online learning, and 24/7 teachable moments ! Learn about the new way to use media for instruction. Audience participation required, prizes included!
Audience participation is key in this interactive session which examines the growing diversity in America’s classrooms and ways in which media, online and otherwise, can assist teachers in supporting their students. Utilizing statistics, practical examples and student samples, attendees will visit a typical classroom and explore ways to support each student through the integration of technology.
Scott Kinney is a tireless advocate and strong voice in support of the creative and effective application of educational technologies and digital content in America’s schools. With a rich background spanning from the classroom to the boardroom, he currently is the Vice President of Outreach and Professional Development for Discovery Education.
Kinney began his career as a Technology Specialist at the Central Columbia School District (PA), where he helped teachers integrate educational technologies into their classroom activities. Soon, he was named District Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Sharpsville Area School District (PA), where he worked with educators to create district-wide plans to
encourage the use of educational technologies in schools.
Kinney’s next role was as Director of Educational Technologies at the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit (PA). During his tenure at the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit, he founded and nurtured a new department specifically designed to support local Eastern Pennsylvania school districts in the effective integration of technology into curriculum.
In his current position at Discovery Education, Kinney serves as the company’s educational liaison for public policy, frequently addressing audiences around the world about the positive role educational technology can play in improving student achievement.
He has presented at numerous national education conferences, offering teachers classroom tested strategies for leveraging educational technologies and digital content to improve student engagement in learning. Conferences at which he has presented include the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) including keynote presentations at the Center for Advancing Partnerships in Education (CAPE) conference, Virginia’s EdTech conference and the Maryland K12 Digital Library Summit.
In June of 2009, Kinney was invited to testify before the U.S. House of Representative’s Education and Labor Committee on the future of education in America. In his testimony, Kinney passionately called on all levels of government to accelerate their support for the use of rich digital content in schools.
Kinney is a frequent contributor to national education publications and has co-authored multiple articles about using technology as a tool to help differentiate instruction including: “Creating a Differentiated Classroom,” which appeared in Leading and Learning with Technology and “Teaching Every Child,” which appeared in the Discovery Education Classroom Resource Guide.
In addition to Kinney’s public policy and professional development work, he also oversees the Discovery Educator Network (DEN), a global community of more than 100,000 educators dedicated to supporting education through digital media and educational technology. Kinney has taught aspiring teachers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and is also the architect of an innovative partnership with Wilkes University, whereby educators across the nation have the opportunity to
earn a Master of Science in Instructional Media through a fully online, 30 credit degree program.
