TCEA 2007 promises to be a ‘Total Technology Experience’
TCEA has invited 16,000 of its closest friends to be part of a “total technology experience” on Feb. 5-9, 2007, at the Austin Convention Center.
TCEA’s annual convention is one of the premier educational technology conventions in the nation. From the nationally known speakers to the 135 workshops, hundreds of concurrent sessions, special fun events, and a 700-booth exhibit hall, attendees will venture “Into the Next Dimension” of educational technology.
They will learn about the latest and most up-to-date technology solutions and ways to incorporate them into their teaching and learning, all while having fun and getting to know each other. Last year, more than 13,000 educators, students, and exhibitors attended the TCEA annual convention. TCEA hosted principals, superintendents, teachers, technology specialists, and curriculum specialists from across Texas, the nation, and from other countries.
Speakers
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Opening Keynote Erin Gruwell |
Closing Keynote Steve Gilliland |
Luncheon Speaker Greg Schwem |
This year’s opening keynote on Wednesday will be Erin Gruwell, a teacher whose passion for teaching and her students’ successes have caught the imagination of people across the country. They co-authored a book together and their story is currently being developed as a major film by Paramount Pictures.
The Closing Session keynote on Friday is Steve Gilliland, a master storyteller and humorist who helps teachers understand and embrace serious issues. He speaks to more than 250,000 people annually and often shares the platform with famous speakers.
Greg Schwem is the Thursday Past Presidents’ Luncheon speaker. His talks have been dubbed “Comedy with a Byte” by the Chicago Tribune. Greg brings his wholesome, energetic brand of comedy to groups and events from coast to coast.
TCEA will also present four Featured Speakers, who are equally exciting to hear. They include:
- Will Richardson, founding partner of the Connective Learning Group and well known as an educational author, blogger, and expert on the Read/Write Web
- Peter H. Reynolds, writer, storyteller and illustrator, and CEO/Founder of FableVision Studios, a new kind of animation studio
- Dr. Arnie Abrams, a full professor of Educational Technology at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, where he teaches in the Education Department
- Tammy Worcester, the Instructional Technology Specialist at an educational service center in Kansas who has over 20 years of educational experience
Highlights
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Attendees will experience live music in the Austin City Limits studio as PBS TeacherLine of Texas, an online professional development program for K-12 teachers, and KLRU Austin PBS, offer an unforgettable Texas evening. They will enjoy complimentary appetizers and beverages while listening to Austin’s own “Elizabeth McQueen and the Firebrands” live, on the real stage of the longest running music television program, aired nationwide on PBS. The program will be at the ACL Studios at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Then on Thursday evening, they will have fun at the “Austin-tatious Social,” which is free to all. The band, “Texas Unlimited,” will rock the house.
TCEA 2007 will feature more than 700 exciting educational technology exhibits in the newly expanded Austin Convention Center exhibit hall. They include vendors who provide products and services for instructional and administrative software, Internet, LAN/WAN, staff development, desktop/network security, and more. All the big names in hardware and software will be there.
The eighth annual TCEA State Robotics Contest will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5 at the convention center. The double-elimination contest goes eight rounds to determine the winning teams in two divisions. About 400 Texas students are expected to take part.
TCEA will present more than 450 educational sessions. There are 135 workshops scheduled and more than 350 free sessions, all designed to help educators learn to use technology effectively in their classroom instruction.
Early registration is $125 and runs through Jan. 12, 2007. Register and make hotel reservations online at www.tcea2007.org.
