FETC 2024 Request for Proposals

Thank you for your interest in speaking at FETC® 2024.

The Future of Education Technology Conference brings together a collaborative community of educational leaders and technology experts to exchange techniques and empower participants with strategies for teaching, leading and learning success. FETC® invites education technology professionals representing all levels, content areas and specialties, as well as industry and technology experts, to submit an application to present. By sharing your successful practices that transform learning for all students, you can help inspire and encourage other administrators, information technologists, coaches, educators and executives to creatively deploy technologies and expand the possibilities of learning through educational technology.

Audience
FETC® attendees represent all 50 states and over 60 countries. Our attendees have varied professional roles in education, but all are educational technology leaders: Superintendents, CAOs, CIOs, district administrators, IT directors, special education directors, instructional designers, academic computing professionals, library media specialists, technology integration specialists, edtech and instructional coaches, tech-savvy faculty, and others charged with technology implementations on campuses, districts and states.

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FETC Conference Tracks

K-12 school systems continue to navigate redesigning education models since the pandemic disruption; problem based instructional models, competency-based grading, flexible schedules, personalized learning platforms, artificial intelligence embedded curriculum and communication methods and cybersecurity protocols are evolving from reactionary solutions to strategic offerings. This transformation to the core instructional fabric is forcing changes to operational support, culture, expectations, professional development, pedagogy, infrastructure, community demands, resources and integrating technology. It is through this new and exciting lens that FETC will select content to share with all tracks in 2024.

FETC 2024 will provide an opportunity to discover how districts and schools are working post pandemic with skill training for new instructional practices, an exploration of career technical education options and the future education implications of emerging technologies. FETC is seeking submissions on emerging and converging technologies such as web 3.0, metaverse, 5G, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, 3D Printing, blockchain, simulation software, and new collaboration tools that are providing ways to reimagine how people learn—which, in many ways, can be superior to the traditional physical model.

Our Program Selection Committee will evaluate proposals in all tracks based on their value and relevance. Below is a list of the FETC Conference Tracks followed by complete descriptions.

Assistive Technology
Campus Leader
Coach
District Administrator
Educator
Information Technology
Library Media Specialist

Assistive Technology:

FETC will explore the latest assistive technologies to support students with disabilities and provide access to curriculum and instructional materials. Attendees will be introduced to assistive technologies and tools to support a range of diverse learners. Technology practitioners will provide guidance in matching technology solutions to student needs and share successful implementations of technologies that benefit students with disabilities in special and general education classrooms. This track attracts visionaries in special education including district and school level special education directors, educators, co-teachers, assistive technologists, paraprofessionals, tutors, intervention specialists and learning specialists.

Campus Leader:

FETC will provide school-based leadership with professional learning focused on strategies to manage school sites, create innovative learning spaces and infuse emerging technologies. Attendees will experience content that helps decision-makers learn about and decide what technology to implement and how employing solutions to current educational challenges can create a thriving campus. This track offers sessions designed for principals, assistant principals, school level leadership, department heads, curriculum coordinators, rising district leaders and virtual school leadership.

Coach:

FETC will provide instructional and educational technology coaches with professional development focused on proven strategies during in person and virtual learning alongside introductions to new and emerging technologies. This track offers sessions for technology coaches, technology integration specialists, instructional technology resource teachers, instructional technology coaches and specialists, educational technology coaches, technology integration facilitators, instructional facilitators, instructional technologists, technology resource teachers, technology integration mentors and instructional coaches.

District Administrator:

FETC will provide administrators with professional development focused on operational strategies during learning management alongside introductions to new and emerging technologies. Thought leaders will provide opportunities for attendees to discover how districts are working with new instructional practices and solutions to impact the future of education. This track offers sessions dynamically designed for district level cabinet officers, superintendents, assistant/deputy superintendents, district administrators, state education leaders, chief academic officers (CAO), facilities management directors, finance directors, instruction and curriculum directors, and professional development directors.

Educator:

FETC will provide educators with skill training and professional learning focused on best practices during live, virtual, hybrid, blended, flipped or online classes alongside introductions to new and emerging technologies to assist in transitioning to student-centered personalized learning models. Attendees will engage in content that reimagines modern curriculum and pedagogical strategies to reflect the accelerated use of technology infused with critical and creative thinking. This track offers sessions for technology using educators, teacher leaders, curriculum designers, online educators, technology integration specialists, grant developers, professional development trainers, technology coaches, and pre-service teachers.

Information Technology:

FETC will provide IT Leaders with professional development focused on operational strategies and best practices for in person and remote instruction support. Cybersecurity will continue to be a topic of great interest with this track offering with sessions on technical solutions, cyber insurance, policy/procedure and awareness. Finally, we always want to see what is new, exciting or emerging and this track won’t let you down. Designed to meet the training needs of state and district chief information officers, information technology directors, technologists, technology integration specialists, web designers, IT support staff, and network administrators, the Information Technology track won’t disappoint.

Library Media Specialist:

FETC will provide library media specialists with professional development focused on best practices to encourage collaboration, personalization and creation through increased literacy and student-centered learning. School librarians will interact with content that puts them on the leading edge of the digital transformation by learning to curate digital resources, provide equitable access, lead innovative installations, and collaborate with partners to introduce new and emerging technologies. This track is designed to meet the needs of librarians, media specialists, Maker Space Directors, STEM Lab Coordinators, technology lab managers, esports lab designers and coaches.

Presentation Formats

FETC is accepting applications for all of the session formats described below.

Concurrent Sessions: FETC Concurrent sessions are 45 minute sessions held in rooms set in theater style for up to 200 attendees. Attendees will have variety of session topics to choose from, presented by experts and innovators who are making a difference across the PK-12 education spectrum. They'll share best practices, innovative ideas, leadership strategies and provide valuable perspectives and solutions to challenging edtech problems.

Workshops: FETC workshops are deep dive, hands-on professional learning activities designed to give attendees new skills and strategies in educational technology. Workshops are offered in 2-hour lengths only. They are offered in computer labs (PC laptops, MAC or iPad) or BYOD. Workshops require attendees to pay an additional fee to participate. Workshop presenters are expected to develop effective hands-on activities to ensure the workshop attendee the best professional development opportunity.

Leadership Round Tables: District, state and school-level leaders will get timely, topical, practical content focused on policy, leadership strategies, technology initiatives, pedagogy, wellness and school management in these sessions lead by nationally recognized district administrators. Attendees at Round Tables can choose the discussions to participate in during 45 minute time slots. This format encourages group discussion in a relaxed environment.

Thought Leadership Panels: A leadership panel is a group of leaders (3-4) brought together to provide their insights and expertise on particular topics in a concurrent session. The panel may be made up of state or district leadership, executives from different companies, or it may be composed of edtech experts. These 45 minute sessions help attendees gain a greater understanding of current edtech challenges at hand and to develop creative solutions to problems.

Theater Presentation Sessions
Information Technology Theater: Designed specifically for the technologist. This theater will focus on LAN, WAN and wireless technologies, cybersecurity infrastructure best practices, G-Suite administration and the leading technologies in monitoring, trending and forecasting. If you are looking for the latest and greatest in core technology infrastructure best practices these are must attend 30-minute sessions to put on your schedule.

Emerging Technology Theater: Designed for the senior level decision-makers in schools and all types of education organizations, this theater showcases the newest technologies to support teaching, learning and administration. Discover innovations in products and services that support and serve education with evolving instructional pedagogy in these 30 minute sessions. Explore emerging education products and learn about how they work through live product demonstrations reinventing the future for education.

STEM Theater Presentations: Attendees learn how to implement STEM/STEAM content from education experts and representatives of award-winning schools across the country in these 30-minute sessions in a theater built in the Exhibit Hall. The FETC STEM Excellence Award winners and STEM experts will share their lessons and discuss the best tools and techniques for these innovative programs!

Esports Theater Sessions: These 30 minute sessions are designed to engage those interested in developing and building a successful Esports program in their schools and districts. Presentations are led by Esports coaches, athletic directors, team members and industry professionals who share insights and developments in the k12 gaming space.

Keynotes: Keynotes provide an opportunity for all conference attendees to gather together to learn from high-profile speakers who engage attendees on important topics and content that are reflective of the prevailing themes of the conference. These highly regarded professionals are passionate about sharing their expertise with audiences. One hour presentation.

MEGA Sessions: These sessions provide the FETC audience with the most relevant and emerging educational technology topics and most popular speakers. These sessions are held in rooms double the size of concurrent sessions and draw 500 or more attendees. 45 minute sessions.

Mobile Mega Share: Practitioners facilitate collaborative hands-on sessions rotating to three different tables where participants can attend the topics that they find most interesting in 45 minute chunks over a three hour period of time. It gives attendees the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics and gives them choice. This is a very popular pre-conference day event and favorite of many #FETC attendees every year! The Mobile MegaShare event provides opportunities for conversation, reflection and evaluation on current research, best practices and professional tips to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

Special Events: There are several professional development learning opportunities at FETC that engage attendees in alternative presentations. These include track orientation sessions, certification testing, academies, summits, computer science fire hose, hack-a-thon, pitch fest, meet the author, sandboxes, NEW@FETC, school tours and field trips.

What we expect attendees to gain from all presentation types:

actionable insights
transformational experiences
unexpected discoveries
human-centered connection
connections to solutions for their challenges

Presenter Information
Registration
FETC® is pleased to provide a complimentary conference registration to all of the accepted lead presenters (one per session). All co-presenters MUST pay a discounted rate for the conference registration.

ALL communications will be sent to the primary email address you will provide in the application. It is important that you provide an email address that you access year-round and does not block FETC® emails. We recommend a personal email and not a school email if you do not control the spam filter.

Information Needed to Complete Application
The information gathered during this process will be used to prepare the agenda, website, signs, and the mobile app. Please be sure that the information you provide is complete and accurate. The following items are required parts of the application submission form below:

Provide an e-mail address without school district SPAM block. It is important that you provide an email address that you access year-round and does not block FETC® emails. Please use a personal e-mail address for the Presenter.
Title of presentation (10 word maximum--may be edited for publication)
Session description to be used by the program review committee in evaluating your submission (150 word maximum-- may be edited for publication) Description must reflect what attendees will learn from the session.
Presenter biography (150 word maximum)
High resolution headshot photograph of presenter (3MB max; .jpg, .png, .gif only)
Co-presenters details (email address, headshot, bio, title) * Co-presenters can be added later. Instructions: How to add a co-presenter to your proposal

Presentation Selection Timeline
Call for Presentations Closes: June 5, 2023
Submission Review Period: June – August, 2023
Invitations to Present Issued: September 2023
FETC 2024: January 23-26, 2024 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL

Review and Evaluation Criteria
Each proposal undergoes a process of review and evaluation by the FETC® Program Selection Committee who use the following examination criteria:

Interest and engagement of conference attendees
Current and/or cutting-edge topic
Content of presentation
Relevance to conference tracks
Research based strategies and methods
Implementation possibilities explained

Presenter Responsibilities
Contact Information: Please keep your contact information up-to-date and log in to your Speaker Service Center to get updates on your presentation. All event details and information for presenters are distributed in the Speaker Service Center online at the FETC webpage.

Presentation Equipment: FETC® requires all presenters to supply their own computers, laptop or tablets for their session to present. If using an Apple device or tablet, presenters need to provide the appropriate projector connection (dongle). Standard A/V for every presentation includes: wireless Internet access available, LCD projector, screen, and microphone.

Presentation Materials: Part of effective professional development is providing meaningful presentation materials and online resources that allow the participants to further their learning. It is expected that presenters provide electronic presentation materials, handouts and/or follow-up materials for our event participants.

Social Media Engagement: FETC® expects all presenters to share their presentation notification and experiences about FETC® with their professional networks via social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.) FETC® will provide digital badges to place on blogs, websites and electronic media.

Questions About Your Submission? If you have any questions, please contact:
Jennifer Womble, Conference Chair, Future of Education Technology Conference
edtechspeaker@etcnetwork.com

NOTE: With the high volume of submissions we receive, expect to be notified of the status of your submission in September 2023.