Technology Retreat
"The Quest for Digital Wisdom"
with Marc Prensky

Technology Directors and Academic Technology Coordinators are invited to register for the full day program (10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, includes breakfast and lunch).

Heads of School, Trustees, Division Heads, Business Managers and Faculty are invited to attend the morning program (10:00 AM to Noon, includes breakfast).  

Register Now!

AGENDA
10:00 - 11:00 AM
The Quest for Digital Wisdom: Succeeding in the 21st Century

• In an age where the answer to every question is at your fingertips,
  where does the human brain fit in?
• How should we best combine the strengths of mind and machine for maximum benefit?
• How can we help young people achieve digital wisdom?
• Where are we in our quest to find a wise symbiosis between what the human brain does well
  and what technology now does far better?

In an optimistic and inspiring talk about how technology is expanding our minds, internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant, and innovator in the field of education and learning, Marc Prensky, considers these important questions. While people have always made progress by enhancing themselves with tools, today more and more COGNITIVE enhancements are becoming possible, argues Prensky, leading to rapid Brain Gain. However, to find the best symbiosis between what the brain does well and what machines do better, DIGITAL WISDOM is required. Digital Wisdom is the ability to combine the things that the human brain does best (such as reasoning and balancing), with machines and other enhancements for the things the brain is less good at (such as remembering, or calculating). Such combination is necessary, Prensky argues, in order to achieve the highest state of wisdom in the digital age. In this talk, Prensky shows us the road to Digital Wisdom and suggests what we must do to prepare our students to succeed in the 21st Century. 

11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon  
Marc Prensky facilitates discussion with a panel of ADVIS Students
Students from ADVIS schools answer questions and provide commentary on their experiences with technology in their lives and in their schools.

12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM  
Networking Lunch for Technology Directors and Academic Technology Coordinators/Integrationists 

1:00 - 3:30 PM  
Tech Director/Coordinator Forum: The Changing Landscape ~ Balances and Trade-offs for the Future
In our attempts to improve our educational system for all our kids’ future, we come up against many constraints and trade-offs; and our need for balance has never been greater. How do we balance the old and the new? The past and the future? Top down requirements with bottom-up needs? Technology with pedagogy? How do we balance what we know is right for our kids with things trustees, administrators and other constituents may demand? How do we balance scores—no matter how good our tests—with real-life achievement? How do we balance student passions with curricular requirements? 

Informed by your feedback gathered in a brief survey during the registration process, Marc Prensky will discuss participants' most pressing questions, concerns, challenges and constraints, and offer positive, practical and optimistic solutions for achieving balance and success in this changing landscape.

ABOUT OUR PRESENTER:
Marc Prensky, an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant and innovator in the fields of business, education and learning. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between learning and technology, Marc’s professional focus is on helping people understand how to thrive in the digital age. Known for his original, innovative ideas, he is also practical: Strategy+Business magazine calls Prensky “That rare visionary who implements.”

Marc has published five books and scores of essays and articles, including the seminal “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” in 2001, and the recent Teaching Digital Natives, and BRAIN GAIN: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom. 

He graduated cum laude from Oberlin College, holds Master’s degrees from Yale University, Middlebury College, and from The Harvard Business School with distinction, ran a charter school in East Harlem, NY, and has taught at all levels, from elementary to college.

Please pass this invitation along to your trustees and faculty. If you have questions about the program or about how to register, please call the ADVIS office at 610-527-0130.

Register Now!