FETC program will be headlined by internationally-renowned expert on innovation and creativity who presented the most-viewed TED Talk in history.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.―The National Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) announced today that sought-after keynote presenter Sir Ken Robinson will kick off its 38th annual event, to take place January 23 – 26, 2018 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Robinson, who works with governments, education systems, international agencies, global corporations and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations to unlock the creative energy of people is the presenter of the most-viewed TED Talk of all time ― ”Do Schools Kill Creativity?” ― which has been seen by an estimated 350 million people in 160 countries.
“The Future of Education Technology Conference is valued by educators for the same reasons that so many in education and beyond have found inspiration in the work of Sir Ken Robinson―because of a forward-thinking approach to societal needs and student success, and the recognition that innovation and creativity are certainly not ‘nice-to-haves,’ but rather crucial building blocks of the world we need,” said Jennifer Womble, program chair of FETC. “We could not think of a more perfect opening keynote presenter for this year’s conference and we look forward to welcoming Sir Ken to FETC.”
In 2003, Robinson received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts. He has been named as one of Time/Fortune/CNN’s ‘Principal Voices,’ was acclaimed by Fast Company magazine as one of “the world’s elite thinkers on creativity and innovation,” and ranked in the Thinkers50 list of the world’s top business thinkers. His career-long dedication to unlocking students’ creativity and innovation makes him a natural fit to kick-off FETC’s 2018 program focused on finding the latest, most effective approaches to preparing students for their future. FETC is the nation’s largest, independent educational technology event focused on leveraging technology to drive preK-12 student success.
Robinson, whose books include New York Times bestsellers The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything and Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life, has been praised for the humor, insight, and level of connection he delivers in presentations. Educators attending FETC will hear a powerful keynote that sets the stage for a full conference of learning, making them think deeply about the purpose of education and the role each of them can play in helping students achieve their true potential.
“The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed — it needs to be transformed,” Robinson writes in his book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. “The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.”
FETC provides unmatched professional learning for educators of all roles and learning styles, with a variety of session structures designed to foster hands-on and collaborative learning. Educators will have the opportunity to choose from more than 600 learning opportunities focused on providing solutions to schools’ most pressing challenges and technological implementations. The conference’s five Future of Ed Tech program tracks―Administrator, Information Technology, Educator, Special Education, and Early Learning ― present specific, targeted content for each attendee’s unique learning needs and make it simple for participants to identify relevant sessions and develop a customized schedule.
Registration is now open for the 2018 Future of Education Technology Conference. For additional information and to register, visit fetc.org/register or call toll-free 1-800-727-1227. The Super Saver rate is available until November 17, 2017.
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