While reading Julie Lindsay’s book, The Global Educator, I stumbled upon a fascinating case study. The K12 Online Conference offers educators an outlet to share their ideas and skills regarding technology virtually. The conference comes at no cost to participants and takes place entirely online. Designed solely by other educators, the information is realistic, authentic, and extremely helpful. Understanding technology can be overwhelming to many of today’s teachers, but the K12 Online Conference allows instructors to help one another understand a variety of emerging technologies.
The set up of the conference is very user friendly. Over three weeks, educators have a set time where they can upload different 20-minute video resources for participants to view. There are also online forums and video chat opportunities that allow educators to collaborate in real-time. However, if someone misses a session they want to attend, they can watch the video at a later date. Video-based presentations accommodate the busy life of teachers, as well as opening up the conference to people of different time zones. By making teaching tools accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status or location, we create a learning environment where everyone can partake in learning. I love the concept of these conferences because there is no monetary gain from vendors or fights for funding, but rather a genuine sharing of ideas that supports the growth of education.
As someone who wants to become the best educator I can be for my future students, I researched when the next K12 Online Conference would be. During the uncertainty of the current pandemic, an online teaching conference based around technology felt not only helpful but necessary.
However, when viewing the K12 Organization’s website, I was met with some unexpected news. After eleven years, the K12 Online Conference ceased its renewal due to a lack of participation and interest. Instead, they will continue to archive and share past content from previous events. Below is an archived presentation by John Spencer on design thinking in the classroom.
Although I am glad there is still access to previous online presentations, technology changes fast. Since the K12 Organization’s last conference in 2016, technology has already experienced rapid change. As time goes on, we can only expect even more drastic changes in how we use technology in the classroom.
I hope one day that the K12 Online Conference will restart their educational journey. By providing educators with the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, we are simultaneously helping every child they encounter. I know I definitely would be interested in one day participating in the conference, as would many other emerging teachers. Perhaps we should come together to show the need for this program by educating those around us it exists. Before reading Lindsay’s book, I would have never known this opportunity was available to me. By supporting free learning resources like the K12 Conference, we will not only stay up to date with modern technology but better ourselves as educators overall.