Become a 21st Century Teacher at ASCD's Personalized, Interactive Summer Camp

Alexandria, Va. ―From August 6 to 8, ASCD will host Connect 21 Camp: Becoming a 21st Century Teacher, Leader, and School, a professional development event that will explore solutions to contemporary education challenges including modernizing curriculum, upgrading classroom and district assessments, and creating authentic personalized learning experiences. Registration is now open.

Led by Heidi Hayes Jacobs, ASCD author and founder of Curriculum Designers, Inc., and her Curriculum 21 team, this ASCD Summer Academy will be held at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. For a sneak peek, educators can view a free archived webinar presented by Jacobs that features a few of the strategies they will learn at the academy.

“I’m tremendously excited about the upcoming Connect 21 Camp and the opportunity to engage with a great group of educators,” said Jacobs. “This truly will be a ‘camp’ atmosphere, as attendees and presenters will have ongoing, personalized interaction and will all learn from one another. I’m confident that participants will leave the experience with great new skills and perspectives, including enhanced digital, media, and global literacies.”

The Connect 21 Camp will provide a personalized experience where participants will have the opportunity to choose their sessions based on their technical level or school role and create custom learning paths. Each of the session offerings will help educators make the transition from 19th century school structures to 21st century learning models. Below is a preview of the sessions and events for each day.

Camp Day One
Participants will choose between sessions that explore how to

  • Use social media and networking to promote student learning.
  • Develop vital personalized learning spaces for students.
  • Modernize teaching practices by upgrading curriculum and instruction.

Participants can also attend after-camp special events including an unconference café; a forum on security, safety, and cyberbullying; and a film study.

Camp Day Two
Participants will choose between sessions that explore how to

  • Modernize instruction in a standards-based environment.
  • Create quality digital media.
  • Incorporate game design in the classroom to enhance learning and increase rigor.

Day two after-camp special events include an unconference café and a film study hosted by Jacobs.

Camp Day Three
Participants will choose between sessions that explore how to

  • Use game design techniques in the classroom as a pedagogical option.
  • Link new literacies with traditional print.
  • Flip instruction for student mastery.

Before participants leave this professional development camp, they will understand how to apply their ideas and new strategies when they return to their own learning ecosystems and will have the chance to share their personal learning journey with other participants.

Registration is $749 for members and $799 for nonmembers, and every fifth person attending from the same school or district will receive complimentary registration.

Also this summer, ASCD will host a three-day interactive summer academy in Anaheim, Calif., presented by ASCD authors Harvey Silver, Tom Dewing, and Daniel Moirao. This academy, The Strategic Teacher: Developing Every Teacher's Instructional Know-How, will be held from July 30 to August 1 and will help teachers move beyond instructional strategies to the larger concept of instructional know-how. Learn more about this academy or register here.

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