I had the opportunity to attend Educational technology Week this year, held at Civic Hall in New York City. The event gave educational technology vendors a forum to learn how best to engage decision makers in school districts and was packed with people dedicated to helping create solutions in the education space.
Throughout my stay there I was able to attend some of the discussions that took place, as well as speak with some of the attendees. Two notable facts:
Fireside Chat with New York City Public Schools Chancellor David C. Banks: During this conversation between Chancellor Banks and interviewer Jonathan Harber (President of Started INC), talking points covered multiple topics, including making teachers more aware of the world of work outside of education so they can better prepare students to work in that world, reinstate a sense of joy in students regarding education, and become more worldly as educators in general. Chancellor Banks said, “You can't be a citizen of the world with a neighborhood mentality.”
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Enabling Educator-Led K12 Marketing Strategies: This discussion focused on understanding what teachers need to operate the classroom effectively and knowing how a school/district's finances work to meet their needs. District funding cycles and the need to respect customers were also discussed.
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The overall event was informative and engaging. edtech Week focused on helping vendors be more helpful to the schools and districts they serve. Hearing the passion vendors have for providing educational tools and services to schools and districts was refreshing, especially when it might seem like vendors and educators are sometimes on opposite sides of the spectrum.
<img alt="Images from edtech Week 2024″ srcset=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663-1200-80.jpg 1200w” sizes=”(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw – 40px)” loading=”lazy” src=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663.jpg” data-pin-media=”https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RkDCwkUxS5wHH3EvUtE663.jpg”/>
The event also featured refreshments, live music, and plenty of networking opportunities and one-on-one conversations. From addressing issues such as learning and the availability of ai to creating equity so that all students have the same learning opportunities, edtech Week has shown that educators, administrators, providers and other stakeholders are invested in creating the best path to continue.
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