Take a Walk on the Wild Side at TCEA 2006

Join us for a wild and crazy technology safari on Feb. 6-10, 2006, at the TCEA 26th Annual Convention & Exposition in Austin.

Kari Rhame, TCEA Vice President Convention, has selected the theme, “Technology Gone Wild” for TCEA 2006. The convention colors will be purple and green and the logo suggests a fun combination of jungle safari and technology education.

Henry Winkler to be Opening Keynote

TCEA 2006’s opening keynoter will be Henry Winkler, former TV star of “Happy Days” and noted comedic and serious actor. Winkler, who graduated from Emerson College and grew up in New York, has a master’s degree in drama from Yale. His parents are German Holocaust survivors. Winker has won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and three Emmy nominations in the same category. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After phenomenal fame as “The Fonz,” his TV character, Winkler went on to do many other activities, including serious drama, speaking, and writing.

At the age of 30 while making a documentary about dyslexia, Winkler discovered that he was dyslexic. He is the author of a series of books for children, "Hank Zipzer: The World’s Best Underachiever," about a fourth-grader who is having difficulty learning. The list of groups he has been associated with include Honorary Chairman of United Friends of the Children, Founding Member of the Children’s Action Network, co-host of the annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon, National Chairman of Toys for Tots, National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, and Special Olympics.

Other highlights

Some of the other TCEA 2006 highlights planned by Rhame include a Technology Village, which will combine table talks and the student academy and showcase top teachers; a special TCEA booth in the convention exhibit hall that will distribute TCEA information and publications; and SIG booths near the registration area to share information about these special TCEA groups. There are also plans to host a reception on Tuesday afternoon for the TCEA Educator Award nominees and their guests.

Plus, TCEA will have the usual array of motivating speakers, knowledgeable presenters, and fun activities. Look for even more workshops, free sessions, and exhibitors. We are adding about 50 booths to our already packed exhibit hall to accommodate the demand. We are planning more sessions and next year, the sessions will be held in larger rooms.

Instead of academies, Rhame is planning safaris — a cross between academies and 6-hour workshops — that will address topics of high interest such as computer science, webmastering, and technology integration. One possible safari will be targeting curriculum coordinators to present technology integration into the core curricular areas.

This year's strands will be: Adaptive and Assistive Technology, Bilingual, ESL, Career and Technology Education, Computer Science, Distance Learning, Gifted & Talented, Internet & Multimedia Production, Library & Media, Networking & Technical Support, Professional Development, Struggling Learner, Technology Integration, Technology Applications TEKS, and Web & Internet Usage.

To submit a proposal for a presentation, go to the TCEA web site, www.tcea.org, and click Call for Participation on the front page. Deadline for submitting a proposal is 5 p.m., June 17, 2005.