Our CCS Southeast team recently attended the FETC (Florida Education Technology Conference) education show. The annual conference brings together teachers, principals and deans, district administrators, curriculum designers and others to explore technology advancements and integration in the classroom.
Hundreds of exhibitors with audio-visual products, services and tools for kindergarten to college curriculum administrators were showing the latest hardware and software tools.
According to the FETC post-show release, the key themes and hot topics at the 2013 show included: BYOD and mobile learning, 1:1 implementation, current and emerging technologies, digital content, innovative learning technologies, distance learning, integrated curriculum, infrastructure, Web 2.0 resources and social networking.
Also highlighted in special 1-hr. sessions was a focus on innovative schools and districts who implemented successful school technology integration projects.
One workshop, as detailed at The Journal, pointed out how students can respond to technology touch points in classroom. Education consultant David Sousa spoke on the relationship between stimulating uses of technology, physical activity for students and how music and humor can add to the overall success in the classroom.
The Journal article noted:
At the heart of the science is the question: How is technology affecting students’ attention spans. The answer to that is still an unknown, Sousa stated. What is known, he added, is that the demands on student attention are increasing. Whereas school used to be the major thing in students’ lives now there’s also Twitter, gaming, Facebook, the cell phone, homework, and e-mail. “All of these things are vying to get our brain’s attention,” he said. So figuring out how to “make those kids feel welcome in our schools” is crucial for finding success in the classroom.
Having completed over 10,000 classroom installations in the field of educational technology over the past few years, CCS is a leading provider of K-12 audio visual equipment that matches schools’ needs with interactive white boards, digital projectors, classroom amplification systems, document cameras and more.