The 2012 K-12 Online Conference is coming to a computer near you soon! This year’s FREE online conference will take place the weeks of Oct 22 – 25 and Oct 29 – Nov. 2, with a pre-conference keynote on October 15th. The 2012 theme is, “Learn, Share, Remix.” Educators and students worldwide are invited to respond to our 2012 call for proposals. Presenters create twenty minute, engaging video presentations shared during our two week conference. Please check out some of last year’s presentations. The organizer team for this year’s conference selected “Learn, Share, Remix” for our theme because it embodies many of the ACTIONS we can model as 21st century teachers and students. We all want to model lifelong learning. Our digital connections afford us amazing opportunities to SHARE what we are learning along the way. REMIXING is the process taking knowledge and using it in creative and innovative ways. Remixers build on the work of others. REMIXING can also include transforming the ways we teach and learn. In each strand of our conference this year, we hope presenters will explore and model ways we can learn, share and remix our professional development.

Deadline for proposal submissions is June 15th at midnight PDT. Selections will be announced July 15th. Ten presentations will be featured in each of our four strands for 2012, for a total of forty presentations.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A PRESENTATION PROPOSAL.

Getting Started: Do you consider yourself a newcomer to the world of digital learning? This strand is for you. Presenters will focus on “the why and how” of using digital learning tools to connect with other learners, create new and exciting knowledge products, and engage students in an expanded learning process beyond the traditional “boundaries of the bell.” Practical classroom implementation ideas for beginners will be emphasized. Susan van Gelder is the convener.

Kicking it up a Notch: This strand amplifies ways new technologies can be used to transform classroom and personal learning. Rather than merely replicating traditional, analog-based learning tasks, how can digital technologies permit teacher-leaders to add greater interactivity, personal differentiation, and multi-modal exploration of curriculum topics? Presentations will explore innovative ways Web 2.0 tools can be blended together to help students create, collaborate, and share the knowledge safely on the global stage of the Internet. Jose Rodriguez is the convener.

Student Voices: This strand seeks to amplify voices of exemplary student leaders who use digital tools in their school communities as well as the larger world. Students can focus on specific project using technology to learn, outstanding classroom projects which have had a particularly positive impact on their and classmates’ learning, and/or recommendations for educators seeking to effectively use digital tools. A focus on project-based learning and service learning is welcome, but not required. Student presenters must be sponsored by an educator; permission forms will need to be signed by a parent for each presenting student. Ginger Lewman is the convener.

Visioning New Curriculum: As the age of paper-based textbooks adopted on multi-year cycles fades away, a new age beckons with a curriculum filled with multimedia resources and interactive simulations. This strand explores curriculum possibilities for accessing as well as sharing and remixing digital content. This will include OER (open educational resources) as well as commercial curriculum sources. What does the best “digital curriculum” today look like and what should it look like tomorrow? Should curriculum still be folded into “textbooks?” When should and how can teachers “flip” classroom learning? What’s your vision for innovative curriculum? Wesley Fryer is the convener.

We would love presenters to involve students and include student voices when appropriate in presentations. (Student participation is NOT required or expected, but is welcomed.)

The 2012 Conference: What’s the same?

1. Price: Free!
2. Basic format: Each weekday of the two weeks of the conference, four presentations (two per strand for that week) will “go live” / be published on our conference blog.
3. Pre-Conference Keynote: Still the week prior to the “˜regular’ conference. this year it’s on October 15th.
4. Presenters will share their presentation via a Ge.tt account. Strand conveners will handle the rest.
5. Presenters are invited to include student voices and perspectives in their presentations in all strands.

The 2012 Conference: What’s different?

1. We are re-igniting a separate “student voices” strand this year.
2. Each year we try a different or experimental strand. This year it is “Visioning New Curriculum.”
3. We are calling on our community to get more involved as volunteers in this year’s conference.

How Can You Help?

1. Spread the word! Share #K12Online12 via your social networking connections, blogs, email, and face-to-face with colleagues!
2. Submit a proposal to present! We love first-time presenters. It’s a 20 minute recorded presentation. Screencasting tools are better than ever today. You can do this. Hundreds of educators worldwide want to hear your ideas and your voice!
3. Encourage others to present! Each year many of our submitted proposals come after someone sends a personal invitation. If you know a teacher who should present, ask them to submit a proposal!
4. Volunteer! Our 2012 Call for Volunteers form is also available.

Volunteers are needed for the following committees:

1. Public Relations Committee
2. Professional Development Committee
3. Conference Preservation Committee
4. Live Events Committee

Your participation and voice is essential for the continued success of the K-12 Online Conference! Please get involved and spread the word about this year’s conference. We’re looking forward to YOUR participation as we learn, share and remix together!