NECC 2009 > Program > Keynotes

Program    Keynotes

Opening Keynote

Sunday, June 28, 5:45–7 pm, WWCC, Ballroom, Level Three
Malcolm Gladwell with ISTE President Helen Padgett and featuring MICCA/VSTE partnership acknowledgement. Join us at 5:20 pm for a special presession entertainment segment presented by Sesame Workshop and The Electric Company!

Malcolm Gladwell
A British-born Canadian journalist, author, and pop sociologist, Malcolm Gladwell is based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. His books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of sociology, psychology, and social psychology. He is best known as the author of The Tipping Point (2000), Blink (2005), and Outliers (2008).

As part of ISTE's three-keynote series on digital citizenship, Gladwell will deliver his unique perspective on the ways that intentional practice today influences expert-development of the future.

ISTE President Helen Padgett will present her 2009 Presidential Address as part of Sunday's keynote. Special pre-keynote entertainment will be provided by the cast from Sesame Workshop's new Electric Company beginning at 5:25 pm. ISTE Affiliate organizations VSTE and MICCA will also be recognized at this session.

Keynote Simulcast with Backchannel
Sunday, June 28, 5:45–7 pm, Room 202

Additional seating for the Opening Keynote will be available in Room 202, followed by a live Q&A session featuring Malcolm Gladwell and rebroadcast on WYPR's Digital Café. NPR's Tech Guru Mario Armstrong will host both the simulcast and the Q&A.

Backchannel dialogue during both sessions is encouraged—Mario will pull interview questions and facilitate the Q&A based upon live audience feedback and Twitter activity about the session. Use #NECC09MH to tweet the keynote and add your own minute-by-minute commentary to the event Twitter stream.

We hope you'll join us for a unique live experience!

Q&A with Malcolm Gladwell and special guest
Sunday, June 28, 7:10–7:50 pm, Room 202

(This session is concurrent with the start of the Opening Gala; for your convenience, gala refreshments will be available immediately outside the room.) The Q&A will be simulcast live to the EnvisionIT! Lounges and will also be available post-session via the ISTE Vision Network.

Tuesday Morning Keynote: Dialogue and Debate

Tuesday, June 30, 8:30–9:45 am, WWCC, Ballroom, Level Three

Live Oxford-style debate moderated by NPR's Robert Siegel; with ISTE CEO Don Knezek and featuring ISTE awardees.

"Bricks and Mortar Schools are Detrimental to the Future of Education."

What do you think? Join us for a lively dialogue and debate about how the school system model of the present affects our potential in the years ahead. Moderated by NPR All Things Considered journalist Robert Siegel, the formal Oxford-style debate will feature education and technology thought leaders presenting opposing arguments for the session's motion.

Cast your "for" or "against" vote using Turning Technologies' ARS at the session's start, then vote again at the session's conclusion. The side that has persuaded the most people to change their vote is the winner!

A live Q&A period with questions from the onsite audience as well as remote viewers will follow panelist arguments and precede the final audience vote. Look in the Daily Leader for more information about how to be considered for the Q&A pool. Visit www.intelligencesquaredus.org to learn more about this type of spirited exchange. This session will be broadcast live to the Internet via the ISTE Vision Network, www.istevision.org and will be simulcast to the EnvisionIT! Lounges.

ISTE CEO Don Knezek, will provide opening remarks as part of Tuesday morning's keynote. Awardees and outgoing ISTE Board Members will also be recognized.

Closing Keynote

Wednesday, July 1, 2:45–4 pm, WWCC, Ballroom, Level Three

Erin Gruwell, with ISTE Deputy CEO/Conference Chair Leslie Conery, and featuring a preview of ISTE 2010 in Denver!

Erin Gruwell
Wednesday's keynote wraps up your conference experience with an inspirational look into the 10+ years' worth of technology-supported projects initiated by Freedom Writers founder Erin Gruwell. Born and raised in California, Gruwell has been inspiring students and teachers alike since beginning her teaching career in 1994.

By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her students' lives. She encouraged them to rethink rigid beliefs about themselves and others, to reconsider daily decisions, and to rechart their futures. With Erin's steadfast support, her students shattered stereotypes to become critical thinkers, aspiring college students, and citizens for change. They even dubbed themselves the "Freedom Writers"—in homage to civil rights activists "The Freedom Riders"—and published a book.

In January 2007, Paramount Pictures released "Freedom Writers," a film based on this remarkable story, featuring Hilary Swank as Erin.

2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the original Freedom Writers project, and at NECC, Erin will connect the ways in which her ongoing work with the Freedom Writers Foundation has promoted digital citizenship through storytelling and has influenced teachers and students worldwide.

ISTE Deputy CEO and Conference Chair Leslie Conery will provide opening remarks; a preview of ISTE 2010 in Denver will also be featured.