Add item to your planner: Scheduled Event: Keynote: Democratizing Education: How Technology Can Include and Empower All Learners
Date
Oct. 27, 2021
Time:
12:45 PM-1:45 PM
Descriptiopn
Human-centered learning that is inclusive of divergent ways of thinking is essential if we are to empower our next generation to be productive problem solvers. When we make connections, tell stories, and work together to solve problems we design with people in a community. Today technology feeds our senses with information but it also allows us to communicate with people outside of our sphere of influence. With technology, we are not limited to observing and interacting with just our community, we can reach out to anyone in the world. All learners can have a sense of agency in what they want to learn and how they will interact. Educators are central in the ability to create the opportunities for learners. All learners can now connect and design with experts from all over the world. As we saw with the increased use of technology in 2020, students can learn from anywhere at any time. As we prepare students for the world they are entering that includes remote work, collaborative teams, and solving global problems, think of how the learning environments have to evolve as well. Educational technology organizations can be an active partner with education systems to bring innovation and creative solutions to the question of “how can we include and empower every learner?” Bio: Jeanette Simenson brings two passions to her work as an educator. Her first passion is volleyball which thanks to a teacher, exposed her to the sport and paved the way to success in college and professionally. Playing volleyball changed the trajectory of her life and helped her to develop her strengths of self-confidence, social awareness, discipline, and persistence. She also believes in the power of stories to help us empathize with others which led her to a career at 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles, CA. She has been a teacher for 16 years in elementary and middle schools in Chicago, IL and Denver, CO. She has been fortunate to work in the CS4All Department in CPS. She was a facilitator for Code.org and worked for Lumity, a STEM non-for-profit serving students in Chicago. She has designed online courses and has led many initiatives in STEM, Computer Science, and Project Based Learning. Currently, she is a Director of Programming at Thrively.com. Thrively was founded on a core philosophy that every child has a genius and they deserve to thrive. At Thrively, we believe It is through a strengths-based approach we can empower all learners to find their passion while nurturing their unique talents and interests. Jeanette enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She is working on completing her doctoral degree in STEM education and leadership.