SXSWORLD

SXSWedu: Looking to the Future of Innovations in Education by Patrick Nichols Texas Education Agency (TEA), SXSWedu is designed to help educators learn best practices for integrating technology in the classroom. The inaugural conference will take place in Austin just prior to SXSW 2011. This year's theme is centered on Project Share™, TEA's professional T his spring, SXSW ventures into the world of education by presenting SXSWedu. Co-facilitated by the development and networking portal for K-12 educators. It is a fast- growing resource, with more than 250,000 accounts created since launching in late 2009. But with upwards of 400,000 teachers and administrators statewide, the portal still is gaining traction. Ron Reed, SXSWedu conference liaison, had long hoped to bring an educational technology focus to SXSW. Project Share proved an ideal convergence point: "Teachers and educators are just becoming familiar with and exploring Project Share. With TEA looking to increase aware- ness and support for its portal, and with SXSW always looking to push technology advocacy, the marriage seemed to be a great fit." Educators who are already experienced with Project Share can attend sessions highlighting advanced features and capabilities, such as motion-based storytelling in "Very Visual: Animation in Online Course Development." Newcomers can gain first-hand experience in sessions like "Hands On Project Share," a BYOL (bring your own laptop) intro- duction to the portal. Presenters share a common interest in education, but TEA and SXSW pointedly selected individuals with diverse backgrounds. "This isn't just science teachers talking with science teachers, or math teachers talking with math teachers," Reed said. "We want to broaden the con- versation so foundations and businesses can join in the dialogue with educators." That spirit of inclusion extends to the SXSWedu advisory board, which includes representatives from open source advocates Connexions Consortium, game developer GetYa Learn On and even technology giant Apple Computers. Broadening the conversation is an important theme behind Project Share. Educators can build lesson plans, share portfolios and network with peers, but the portal also advances digital content ripe for classroom innovation. For example, The New York Times Knowledge Network pro- vides free access to the newspaper's archives, dating to 1851. Similarly, public broadcasting videos, imagery and documents are available through Texas PBS and the national PBS Digital Learning Library. Once they are comfortable with the portal, teachers can use Project they have the ability to seek input from colleagues in other schools, districts, states or even countries." Project Share is not the first portal offering such opportunities to educators, but its home state makes it an exceptional case study. With nearly five million students in K-12 public schools and rigorous cur- riculum requirements, Texas already is considered a major force in textbook adoption. The school system's vast scale also makes Project Share a bellwether in educational technology. "Many states are doing similar things to what TEA and Project Share are doing," according to Reed. "But the scope and scale of what Texas is doing—with so many hundreds of thousands of educators—is really exciting." For SXSWedu, a goal for 2012 and beyond is to attract speakers and attendees who bring an even wider range of perspectives. Reed already is fielding inquiries from experts outside the traditional public school system: "If you look at what's happened with SXSW Music, Film and Interactive, I think the same opportunity is possible for SXSWedu. " Teachers and educators are just becoming familiar with and exploring Project Share. ... with SXSW always looking to push technology advocacy, the marriage seemed to be a great fit." Share's resources to connect with students through technology. "Often, in education there's a perception that going into the classroom is kind of like boarding an airplane: you have to power down, turn off all your technology and then enter an environment that's really not representa- tive of the real world," said Reed. "Technology is helping change all that by making the learning process more relevant and engaging. And that's what Project Share is doing by empowering teachers." Such a wealth of online resources is helping reshape the education system, Reed added: "No question, the Internet and digital content are revolutionizing education. Today's teachers aren't just limited to their colleagues in the next classroom when in search of quality resources. Instead, they can access a virtually limitless world of ideas online, plus 76 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2011 We're well positioned to become an annual convergence point for a very diverse set of education stakeholders—certainly K-12 teachers and administrators, but also people from higher education, public policy, non-profits and trade associations." With Project Share at its core, this inaugural conference is proving a strong draw. SXSWedu officials anticipate upwards of 500 attendees this year. That number is expected to multiply as future conferences attract more national and even international registrants. n SXSWedu is March 8-10 at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. To learn more, visit sxswedu.com. © GOLDEN PIXELS LLC/CORBIS

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