When I was a student in elementary school, we had desks, teachers, and blackboards (not even whiteboards!). My interaction with technology in the classroom was limited to an exciting experience playing Oregon Trail, a software game that my teachers leveraged as a hands-on experience for students to see what kinds of challenges pioneers faced going west in the 1800’s.  When I think about how deeply entrenched technology is in education today, I realize my teachers were quite ahead of the curve!

Anyone who has witnessed a child play with a smartphone can attest to the fact that technology comes easily to kids. Educators today are well aware of this situation and have been creating innovative ways to engage the interest in technology with school curriculum. Kids now “know” technology as a part of education starting as early as kindergarten.   Whether it’s a laptop carts, tablets in the classroom, smart boards, or leveraging the internet as a pure teaching tool, the availability of technological resources places no limits on how education can be delivered and innovated.

A Pew Research survey on 2,462 teachers indicates that 73% of their students use mobile devices to complete assignments, 45% use e-readers, and 43% use tablets. Technology in the classroom is not a future trend, it is already here.

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Tags: byod, Cisco, education, events, mobility, Solutions, wireless, wireless network

Mobile workers accessing corporate applications and data from a range of personal and corporate devices is fast becoming the new normal. Month by month every survey confirms the inevitable—mixing personal and business data, devices, and apps. Companies are scrambling amidst a sea of new technologies to regain control of their IT infrastructure, and those thinking ahead are planning for more than just tolerance of personal data and scaling mobile access; they’re building the next evolution of application access, which is based on consistent policies for application and data across any access method or device. These architectures demand an integrated system that spans device, network, and application layers, and they demand policies for employee access based on much more than user name and password. Read More »

Tags: byod, Cisco Security, mobility, mobility security, mobility solutions, secure access, security

Education leaders and innovators around the world are transforming education today. Please join us on March 19th (Americas and EMEA) or March 20 (Asia Pacific), for the Cisco Virtual Forum for Education Leaders, to see how they are shaping the future of education.

During this free global conference, which you can attend from the convenience of your desktop or mobile device, you can participate in live roundtable discussions on leading-edge strategies and practical solutions that are improving the quality of education.  The Forum opens with a keynote session with Dr. Larry Johnson, CEO of the New Media Consortium, and Dr. Ellen Junn, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at San Jose State University, on Trends Shaping the Future of Education. The keynote will followed by  breakout sessions for K-12 schools and higher education. There will also be a virtual exhibit hall featuring resources and information on how Cisco solutions can help transform teaching and learning.

The Virtual Forum will also feature live Moderated Chat sessions with Cisco education experts on the technologies supporting the latest trends in education including BYOD, flipped learning, social collaboration, ICT education, desktop virtualization and more. We’ll also include a session in Brazilian Portuguese.

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Tags: byod, edchat, education, Flipped Learning, highered, ICT, netacad, vdi, video collaboration, vxi, WebEx Social

This quarter, I had the privilege to work on a stretch assignment in the Education Marketing Team, to manage the Exhibit Booth and the dashboard for the Virtual Event Forum for Education Leaders, 2013.  It will be held on March 19 (Americas, and EMEA) and March 20 (Asia-Pacific), and will feature sessions with nineteen education thought leaders and innovators who  transforming education today.

I didn’t know what I was signing up for other than my colleague, Gary Serda, telling me it was going to be easy.  From bi-weekly, weekly, daily meetings, planning an event is anything but easy.  However, it’s been a very rewarding experience being able to work with colleagues in the Field, Sales, Events and so many others to learn about their passion and commitment to Education.  Read More »

Tags: #ciscoeduforum, byod, edreform, education, tomorrowstartshere

Cisco is pleased to present the Cisco Virtual Forum for Education Leaders, 2013 -- a free global conference that K-12 school leaders can attend from the convenience of their desktop or mobile device. Join us on March 19 (Americas and EMEA) and March 20 (Asia-Pacific) to hear education innovators from around the world who are transforming education today.  You can participate via live chat, in roundtable panel discussions on leading-edge strategies and practical solutions that are improving the quality of education.  The Forum opens with a keynote followed by  three breakout sessions for K-12 schools and higher education.

Keynote Presentation

Connecting the Unconnected—Amazing Trends that are Shaping the Future of Education

Today, education systems are facing unprecedented challenges. To address these challenges, education leaders are capitalizing on new technology trends to drive innovation and shape the future of education. This session will explore the impact of these emerging trends on teaching, learning and research in K-12 and higher education. Dr. Larry Johnson, CEO of the New Media Consortium and founder of the Horizon Project, is an acknowledged expert on emerging technology and its impacts on education. His research and insights will help education leaders plan for a rapidly changing future. Ellen Junn, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at San Jose State University, is at the forefront of developing new instructional delivery models. She will provide practical guidance on how new teaching methodologies and alliances can help universities meet their highest aspirations for students.

K-12 Schools Breakout Sessions

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Tags: #ciscoeduforum, byod, collaboration, edreform, education