Volume 8, #5
January 2004

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Building Communities of Practice at the 2004 Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference

Ohio educators who are searching for a comprehensive professional development experience should look no further than the sixth annual Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference, taking place at the Columbus Convention Center March 1, 2 and 3, 2004.

As one of the largest educational technology conferences in the nation, the Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference offers educators the opportunity to network with peers to share best practices and strategies for leadership, integration and implementation, while reviewing the latest technology trends and emerging technologies.

Conference 2004 strives to help educators, administrators and others build Communities of Practice — which can be defined as two or more people who share similar goals and interests. While pursuing these similar goals, they use similar tools, talk in similar ways and practice common procedures. In short, they form a community of individuals who work together very effectively because their practices and goals are synchronous and their common interest can best be served if they work in a spirit of cooperation.

Teacher Showcase Table Displays is one outlet for teachers to use to exemplify best practices in educational technology integration at Conference 2004. Pre-selected teams of two teachers each will bring projects, lessons or units of study that support Ohio's proficiency outcomes and the newly-adopted academic content standards for English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Foreign Language, Technology and Library to display at the conference. The teachers will explain, demonstrate and guide attendees through projects or units of study enhanced with technology that they have designed and implemented in their classrooms.

Don Tapscott — a noted authority on new media and information technology and their implications for business, education, government and society — will serve as Monday's keynote speaker. On Tuesday, Hall Davidson — who has served on various California state task forces on media integration and technology for more than 15 years — will deliver the keynote address. Mike Curtis — the lead author of the ISTE-published "Palm Handheld Computers: A Complete Resource for Classroom Teachers" — will provide a keynote address geared specifically toward teachers on Wednesday. A host of featured speakers will also present on instructional technology topics for all audiences throughout Conference 2004.

Conference 2004 will offer literally hundreds of concurrent sessions, featured speakers, workshops and vendor exhibits. The Ed Tech Agencies will also facilitate hands-on workshops that offer in-depth detail relating to integration and other technical topics. The sessions will be organized in full and half-day workshops, for beginning, intermediate and advanced technology skill levels. Through the hands-on workshops, participants will learn new skills and strategies, create new materials and explore topics in more depth than time allows in a concurrent session.

A "first-timers" orientation session is scheduled for those who have never attended the Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference.

For additional information and to register for the 2004 Ohio SchoolNet State Technology Conference, visit http://www.osn.state.oh.us/go/stateconf.

Please direct your comments and questions to Conference staff at or call .