Educators From Foxborough Attend Education Technology Conference at Gillette

More than 1500 Massachusetts teachers and administrators from across Massachusetts, including Foxborough, attended the Massachusetts Computer Using Educators (MassCUE) and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) 2011 Technology Conference at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27.

MassCUE and M.A.S.S. are recognized nationally for their efforts to help pre-K through post-secondary educators best use and enhance learning through technology. This year’s conference, which had the highest registered attendance to date, has been growing year after year; the conference includes seminars, lectures, a show floor of technology vendors, and opportunities to network and share information.

Foxborough's Public Schools had seven staff members in attendance at the education conference, a combination of teachers and administrators.

Here's what Foxborough's attendees had to say about their experience at the 2011 technology conference.

Julie Grant, an Ahern Middle School computer teacher:

"I found the conference very valuable to me as I do every year. I always come away excited with fresh ideas to share with my students. I feel that even if I bring one great technology back to my classroom, it is worth it. I have never brought back just one! MassCue is not only great for the classes that I get to attend, but for the other educators and administrators that I meet and have the chance to share ideas with. Even having lunch I gather valuable ideas from others like AJ who teaches technology in Danvers. She had some really good ideas and feedback for me on some things I want to try in my classroom like Screencasting.

Who would have thought that lunch could be important? Interacting with people from my own school outside of school even brought me some new ideas and the chance to talk to them about the different classes we took. Normally at school we are too busy to take the time to venture away from our day to day colleagues. Walking around in between classes I am always enlightened by new technologies that I would not have known about outside of the conference! I am always looking for fun activities to grab my students interest, and this topic is a hot one... Internet Usage and Safety! It is a very special experience for me to have the opportunity to go to this conference every year. It is a place where they really make teachers feel important. Really!

[I appreciate] the opportunity to attend this conference. It means so much to me and gives me a spark that encourages me to reach out and try new things!”

Keri Jenison, district-wide Technology Integration Specialist:

“There was a feeling of high energy at the conference from the presenters that inspired me to try all these new tools and share them with teachers.  Among them was Pinterest, an online pinboard where users can share things they love and have interest in.  Tikatok was another great site that allows for student imagination to be transformed into stories and into a published book.  Awesome Highlighter is another great site that allows a user to highlight any portion of a webpage. There was so much to be excited about!”

Laura Isaksen, Applied Technology Teacher at the Ahern Middle School:

“The next day, I shared with my students that there were two parts of the conference – presentations and vendors.  The two best things I took from each of those parts of the conference were:  1.) A vendor demonstrated a program created by high school students that programs a robot to dance to any song requested by the audience; and 2.) a high school teacher and her students presented their apps that they programmed for the Android market.  We learned about why apps were made for Android vs. Apple, how much it costs to register an app, what types of apps the students first created, and how they programmed their apps. I made an immediate connection to my grandfather who was an inventor, who created his inventions without the use of computers!” 

Dr. Amy Berdos, Assistant Superintendent:

“At this time of high accountability, it was refreshing to be able to hear from someone of Dr. Yong Zhao’s caliber speak about how important it is to continue to focus on what really matters for students.”

Debra Spinelli, Superintendent:

“The MassCue Conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about new and existing technologies and to hear the perspective of global experts about the appropriate role of technology in education in the United States and beyond.  We are able to see demonstrations of new technologies to determine whether they fit with our district’s vision and goals for helping students to acquire 21^st century skills. We also find it invaluable to network with educators from other districts to learn about what has worked well in other school systems.  In a nutshell, this annual conference is filled with rich conversations… and it’s in our own backyard!”