The 2017 Ed Tech Conferences That Should be on Your Calendar

Calling all K-12 teachers, school administrators, and education IT pros! As planning for 2017 kicks into high gear, here are the ed tech conferences that should be on your calendar.

January

• FETC
  Jan. 24-27, Orlando, Fla.
  The Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC), is the largest national, independent education technology conference, and annually attracts thousands of education and technology leaders from around the world. FETC provides CTOs, CIOs, innovation directors, special ed/pupil services directors, early childhood directors, media specialists, technologists, administrators, and other educators, the opportunity to explore the most effective integration of technology across the curriculum through sessions, workshops, various concurrent sessions, and live demonstrations of hardware and software products.

February

• LearnLaunch Across Boundaries Conference
  Feb. 2-3, Boston
  The LearnLaunch Across Boundaries conference brings together a community interested in driving innovation to transform learning and increase achievement using digital technologies. Educators, education administrators, entrepreneurs, investors, education companies, and technology innovators are all part of the community attending this yearly event.
• TCEA
  Feb. 6-10, Austin, Texas
  The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) Annual Convention & Exposition brings together campus and district-level educators to explore best practices for engaging students, increasing productivity, and innovating teaching and learning with technology.
• MACPL
  Feb. 27-March 1, Baltimore
  Mid-Atlantic Conference on Personalized Learning (MACPL) is a conference for those transforming education in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions. Featuring more than 90 dynamic and interactive sessions focused on personalizing learning for K-12 students.
• ICE Conference
  Feb. 28-March 3, St. Charles, Ill.
  Illinois Computing Educators Conference is an organizational affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which holds its national conference in June. The theme of this year’s conference is “Learn Do Iterate,” and is focused on providing educators, administrators, and IT pros with best practices and strategies for learning through technology.

March

• National Conference on Education
  March 2-4, New Orleans
  The National Conference on Education will focus on seven main themes: Common Core standards and assessments, superintendent/school board relationships, personalizing education, leadership, instructional leadership, innovative technology, and healthy school environments.
• SXSWedu
  March 6-9, Austin, Texas
  The SXSWedu Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a passionate and diverse community of education stakeholders. The seventh annual SXSWedu will include four days of sessions, in-depth workshops, engaging learning experiences, mentorship, film screenings, startup events, policy-centered discussions, business opportunities, and networking.
• CUE Conference
  March 15-18, Palm Springs, Calif.
  The CUE Conference is the largest and oldest education technology conference in California, and among the largest in the United States. The conference is targeted to educators, technology coordinators, administrators, and those who are looking to see how technology can support student achievement. Many sessions and exhibits will be of special value to those involved in Title I, school improvement program, data and assessment, future ready, English language development, special needs, and GATE.
• ASCD Empower
  March 25-27, Anaheim, Calif.
  In addition to familiar keynote and presenter-led sessions, ASCD Empower17, hosted by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, will offer extended learning labs, personalized mentor sessions, and dedicated conference time for teams to work individually or with the larger community to solve related problems of practice. On-site EdCamps and expert coaching will help teams harness their best thinking and generate actionable plans to implement at home.
• 2017 Blended & Personalized Learning Conference
  March 31-April 1, Providence, R.I.
  The Highlander Institute and the Christensen Institute are partnering for the 2017 Blended & Personalized Learning Conference. This event is a chance for educators and leaders to discuss blended learning as it exists today on the ground–both in terms of the day-to-day implementation in blended classrooms, and the strategies and systems that have effectively supported replication and scale across schools and districts.

April

• CoSN
  April 3-6, Chicago
  This year’s conference theme is Invent the Future. The CoSN conference strives to provide district technology leaders with the resources needed to successfully effect change through educational workshops, discussions with industry leaders, and networking opportunities.
• OLC Innovative
  April 5-7, New Orleans
  OLC Innovate will involve a series of engaging hands-on workshops aimed at fostering organic interactions and collaborative cross-disciplinary problem solving. Conference work sessions will explore emerging technologies and adapted teaching behaviors aimed at informing policy, inspiring leadership, and evolving practice at all levels impacting institutions, universities, and colleges.

June

• iPADPALOOZA
  June 5-8, Austin, Texas
  iPadpalooza is a learning festival that celebrates the cultural shift iPads have brought about in education and the world. This event will focus on creativity, social collaboration, engagement and the compelling ways schools have integrated iPads into their classrooms.
• ISTE
  June 25-28, San Antonio
  The ISTE Conference & Expo is recognized globally as ones of the most comprehensive educational technology conference in the world. The annual event attracts more than 18,000 attendees and industry representatives, including teachers, technology coordinators, administrators, library media specialists, teacher educators and policymakers.

October

• MassCUE
  Oct. 19-20, Foxborough, Mass.
  MassCUE (Massachusetts Computer Using Educators) and MASCD (Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) have partnered to bring together classroom and educational leaders for a one-day event of presentations, workshops, hands-on sessions, and informal gatherings to address the critical issues of education.
• iNACOL Symposium
  Oct. 25-28, San Antonio
  The iNACOL Symposium, held by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, is an event for K-12 competency-based, blended and online learning. Experts, practitioners, educators, policymakers, and researchers gather and work to transform education.

November

• CETPA
  Nov. 8-11, Sacramento, Calif.
  Attendees of the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CEPTA) conference support all facets of IT including, CTOs and directors of technology, network managers and engineers, database administrators, support, and technicians. All of these groups converge at the conference to share ideas and information and find out the latest, best technology tools to help improve teaching, learning, and administration.