Summer is upon us and in between a little sea and sun many educators take the summer season as opportunity for personal development. Professional Development is found to be most effective when it occurs in the context of educators’ daily work and it is known that a little PD can go a long way toward increasing student achievement.
Most school and districts offer various forms of professional development through in-service and professional learning days during the school year and some schools will even pay for their employees to attend professional development they find on their own (you won’t know until you ask!). Whatever the case, there are opportunities all around you and summer is a great time to seek them out.
Here are the Top 10 Education Conferences happening this summer and here’s a little something for everyone– from teachers, to district administrators, to edTech enthusiasts, you’ll find something worth hopping on a plane for.We’ve even included some FREE events that can’t be missed!
As the weather heats up, start planning your 2016 summer PD today.
- ISTE: Known as the “Premier forum in which to learn, exchange ideas and survey the field of EdTech,” ISTE Is where educators go to learn about new tools and strategies. With over 18,000 attendees and growing, this event is perfect for teachers, tech coordinators/directors, administrators, library media specialists, policy makers and industry reps. Learn more about ISTE here.
- National Charter Schools Conference: With nearly 5,000 attendees, NCSC brings together charter school leaders and educators from across the country to connect, share ideas and strategies for growing and improving US charter schools . Learn more about NCSC here.
- NSPRA: The largest gathering of school communication professionals in the US, NSPRA brings brings together top experts and practitioners in communication and leadership for four days of collaboration and learning. Learn more about NPSRA here.
- NAESP: The National Association of Elementary School Principals’ Best Practices for Better Schools conference provides principals with the tools they need to make their school a successful learning community and a model of excellence. Learn more about NAESP here.
- Distance Teaching & Learning Conference: This is where education, technology and learning converge. Attendees connect with other online learning professionals from across the world to share ideas, resources, research and best practices to educate and support online learners. Learn more about the conference here
- EdCamp: Edcamp is a group of over 50,000 educators focused to discover new ways of learning and teaching, reigniting their passion in the classroom and passing it on to students across the world. Edcamp is famous for its free un-conference style events that provide access to high quality, professional learning for all educators. Check their calendar to see when the next EdCamp event is happening near you.
- Google Summits: Use Google apps in your classroom(s)? Google for Education Summits are 1-2 day events primarily focused on practical uses of Google Apps for Education. The summits provide leveled training that can be immediately applied to the classroom. Designed for school leaders, teachers and IT professionals, the summits also include workshops for other Google products like YouTube for Schools, Google Earth and Google Search. Learn more about Google Summits for Education here.
- BbWorld: Thought leaders, educators and other great minds from around the world attend BbWorld to Learn, connect and advance the future of education. Prior to the conference, IT professionals and developers participate in an event called DevCon for a more detailed and indepth edTEch experience. Learn more about the conference here.
- ILA Conference: The International Literacy Association brings together thousands of educational professionals to connect and discover new teaching methods, materials and tools to transform lives through literacy. Learn more about about ILA here
- SkillsUSA: The national leadership and skills conference is perfect for CTAE professionals and students. With over 16,000 attendees, the SkillsUSA event brings together students, teachers and business partners to showcase student skills. Before the conference, there’s the Leverage, Activate and Engage training sessions for students and their advisors. Learn more about SkillsUSA here.
We want to hear from you! What are some of your favorite PD opportunities that have impacted your education career?
Are you a school or district looking to innovative student learning through technology? Take a look at our MAD-learn professional development opportunities here.