"Jim presents a fascinating look of the NEXT generation of technology across all technical and life sectors. As he stated in his address on Monday, the language of technology is the foundation and benchmark of communication for all economic sectors, infrastructure, social institutions, transportation and logistics, entertainment, and even human systems. It is the key to human arts and human development. Jim Brazell has been a major contributor in creating a platform for STEM+ARTS (TEAMS) focused education in South Carolina through his statewide presentations to K-12 educators." Dr. Bob Couch, 

Past State Director, South Carolina, 

Career and Technical Education

Jim Brazell is the "What's Next Speaker." What's next in technology, jobs, education, and community innovation. And, what's next in public oratory. A collegiate national champion in public speaking from Bradley University, Jim's repertoire includes keynote pace setting, large group workshops and very large group interactive keynotes.

Large Group Workshop, 160 Participants

Copyright Metropolitan Community College (2011)

Jim is literally redefining what's next in public speaking by incorporating civil discourse and participatory design into traditional oratory. His programs are highly sought after for the what, why and how of what's next in learning, product design, organizational change and even public discourse.

During 2010 and 2011, Jim delivered approximately 60 keynotes, workshops and large group interactive keynotes. Jim's audiences range from business and industry to education leaders, teachers, students and even military and government audiences.

It's a New Day at NSSEA!

Attend the Ed Expo & Dealer Conference and be part of an event unique to the learning and teaching industry…your market, your show, and all designed just for you! Ed Expo is the ideal meeting place for suppliers, dealers and reps of instructional materials, technology products, educational supplies, and teaching aids. At NSSEA's back-to-school tradeshow, you will save money for your store, catalog or internet business; discover thousands of innovative educational products; develop a resource network; and invest in your business growth and professional development.

New Dealer Conference!

The Dealer Conference, Wednesday, March 21, will be a day packed with educational programming focusing on real issues and giving practical, take-home advice to improve your business. Sessions take place throughout the day, and include a Dealer Roundtable (back by popular demand) with a luncheon, allowing you to discuss challenges with your peers and learn from the best! Following the afternoon sessions, Jim Brazell, educational technology forecaster, will inform and inspire you at the industry-wide Keynote Session that will set the stage for the grand opening of exhibits.

NEW! Dealer Conference Designed to Maximize Your Sales & Grow Your Business

In conjunction with this year's Ed Expo is the Dealer Conference, a knowledge-packed day of learning, networking, and growing sales. NSSEA members pay just $50 for your entire team to engage in sessions in four different learning tracks. Bring your whole team and cover them all!

Keynote Address - The Future is Here: Emerging Technologies and Business Strategies for Educational Markets, Wednesday, March 21, 2:45 – 4:00 pm - Jim Brazell, Educational Technology Strategist

As technology is accelerating, new opportunities are emerging for educational supply and technology markets. What are the emerging technologies driving change in education and the world? How can educational suppliers anticipate change by thinking like a futurist? What are students, schools and businesses doing today to align to the needs of the future? The Future is Here is a thought-provoking story about the world today and how the real technology—human thinking, relationships and stories—are behind new education practices and business opportunities in educational markets.

Jim Brazell is a technology forecaster, strategist and public speaker focused on innovation and transformation. Jim has led research and development projects including analysis of emerging international high technology regions; international technology commercialization; technology forecasting for education and economic development; video games for military training transformation; and robotics for STEM+ARTS education in the State of Texas. He has served a variety of Fortune 100 clients with Internet strategy and cloud design/build services. Jim blogs about his educational experiences at theartofthefuture.com and for USA Today's Career and Technical Education blog.

It's a New Day at NSSEA!

• Discover the technologies that are impacting learning environments and increase your relevance to your customers
• Save thousands of dollars by taking advantage of show specials
• See all the latest product innovations that give you new reasons to be in touch with your customers and become a better resource for them
• Enhance your company's best practices by networking with your most innovative peers during the round table discussions and social events
• Meet face-to-face with key executives from the companies whose products you sell, and build the relationships that make your business work
• Learn how to deal with changing school budgets and fine tune your business to succeed in this new environment
• Expand your product mix and marketing strategies to remain a viable and dynamic business

"I always find at least two or three new vendors whose products are different from anything else I carry. The profits from the sales of this merchandise alone more than pays for the trip to the show. It also helps me round out our store so that we are far more than just a physical version of the many catalogs our customers receive. This makes our store far more interesting to our customers, enticing them to stop in throughout the year." — David Madison, Stone's Educational Super Store

 ATEA 48th National Conference on Technical Education

Conference Host
Dunwoody College
MARCH 30 – APRIL 1, 2011
St Paul, MN

• Bill Symonds - Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21^st Century.
  Bill Symonds is the director of the Pathways to Prosperity Project, which is based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The Pathways Project was created in 2008 to find promising solutions to our national failure to prepare many young adults for success.  In February, 2011, the Pathways Project released a major reportsumming up its research and recommendations in Washington, at an event that included keynote remarks from Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other key officials. The report is entitled, pathways to prosperity: meeting the challenge of preparing young americans for the 21^st century.  
  ATEA 2011 Keynote Presentation 

• Jim Brazell - The Future is Here:  STEM Mainstreaming Community College Technical Programs
  Jim Brazell is a technology forecaster, public speaker and strategist focusing on innovation. Between 2008 and 2010, Jim delivered over 100 speeches to audiences ranging from the 2009 inaugural NSF High Impact Technology Exchange Conference -- Educating America’s Technical Workforce to the 2008 and 2009, International Conference on Technology Policy and Innovation on energy policy in Norway and solutions to the financial crisis in Portugal. Jim has keynoted and been a spot light speaker at conferences for community colleges including: the 25^th Annual Career Conference, National Council on Workforce Education, and the Community College Futures Assembly. To learn more about Jim Brazell please visit www.jimbrazell.com.

• Stevie Ray - StevieRay has been a nationally recognized speaker and traininer for nearly 20 years helping Fortune 500 companies and start-ups alike to improve communication skills, teamwork, and customer service.  His is the Executive Director of Stevie Ray's Improv company in Minneapolis , a company that has provided training and entertainment since 1989.  He is a professional member of the National Speakers Association.  He is also a nationally syndicated columnist for the Business Journal Newspapers and author of five books, including; Keep Your Mind On Your Work, What We Laugh at…and Why, and Speaking in Public without Sweating in Private.
  
  

• Rachel Lund - Rachel Lund is the owner of Motiv84All, a professional speaking and leadership business, and a principal instructor at Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, Minn. She has had the opportunity to speak in Russia, Mexico, Belarus, Puerto Rico and around the United States. She was named Women of the Yearundefined2010, by the National Association of Professional Women.  She was also named one of the eleven Women of Distinction and Master Presenter - 2010 at the National Institution for Staff and Organizational Development by the University of Austin-Texas. Rachel recently retired from the position of City Commissioner, Brooklyn Center, Minn., Planning and Zoning which she held for the past six years.

Conference Tracks:

• Technical Focus - Discipline Specific
• Teaching Innovation
• Innovative Teaching
• Changes in Federal Legislation Leadership in Postsecondary Technical Educationd

2012 ATEA 49th National Conference on Technical Education
"Advancing Technical Education by Achievement"

March 21-23, 2012
Biloxi, Mississippi

Conference hosted by: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

For more conference information: 2012 CONFERENCE WEB PAGE

Share your knowledge and best practices: 2012 CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

January 25-26, 2011
Pre-conference January 24
The Madison Concourse Hotel
Madison, Wisconsin

Learn more online.

In response to the global economic challenges, career development professionals and leaders are focused increasingly on helping students, clients, and professionals find near-term solutions. For many people and communities, new and effective strategies for addressing unemployment and under-employment through short-term training, education, and social support programs are crucial to their futures. Displaced and downsized workers, for example, need new technical skills in emerging fields, such as the green energy sector, health care informatics, or public safety and security careers. State governments and local business networks continue to develop new certificate programs to upgrade technical skills in key industries such as advanced manufacturing. Middle and high school teams are re-aligning their standards and assessments to ensure that all
students are college and career ready.  

The 2011 Careers Conference features strategies and program ideas to help schools, community colleges, and job centers move forward proactively to address the challenges associated with ceconomy recovery. 

We hope your interaction with colleagues from across the nation over the next few days will help you effectively address the near-term and long-term career development needs of students and clients. Participants, as well as presenters, have much to offer in developing a collective understanding of ways to deliver counseling and education that “works” for the increasingly diverse students and adult learners. We are glad that you are here to learn about programs, practices, and other innovations that hold promise for developing the 21st Century workforce.

OPENING KEYNOTE - JIM BRAZELL - The Future is Here: Career Pathways for Living, Learning and Working in the 21st Century

Robot cars... virtual reality phones... supercomputer toys. This is not fiction, not a dream, not the future. This is the world today. What do science and technology tell us about education, work, and society? How are jobs and industry changing? In this powerful presentation, you'll explore the essential knowledge innovation skills required of the well-rounded student and worker in the 21st century. Learn how innovative schools are transforming the stovepipe education model. Discover the 21st century imperative—that creativity and innovation must connect heads and hands, as well as theory and action, to create a future that works.

Announcing CAREERS CONFERENCE 2012

January 30-February 1, 2012
The Concourse Hotel & Governor's Club
Madison, Wisconsin

The Careers Conference is hosted by the Center on Education and Work, part of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive events of its kind, featuring top quality professional development for those who work with students and adults of all ages. The breadth of topics covered at Careers Conference is surpassed by no other conference in the field. Highlights include:

• More than 120 practitioner sessions
• Off-site tours to workplaces and model career centers
• Interactive sessions on the latest career development trends
• Outstanding featured and dynamic keynote speakers
• Practical, hands-on technology sessions
• Panels by experts focusing on key topics that concern you
• Networking opportunities galore
• Practices and strategies you can use
• Best practices and exemplary programs to adapt for your situation

About the 26th annual conference

While highlighting lifelong career development needs, the conference serves to connect practitioners from across the country and beyond with information about practices, strategies, and programs that address important issues in a changing global economy. The Careers Conference 2012 promises to deliver the best in quality professional development. Be sure to plan your schedule to participate in this exciting event and check back regularly for conference updates.

Tough economic times = greater need for well-trained career specialists and career educators. See you at Careers conference 2012!

OCTOBER 21-23, 2011• PASADENA, CA

Opening Keynote - Jim Brazell - What’s Next for Science Education in America?

by Valerie Joyner

This year we are extremely excited to have noted speaker, strategist, and technology forecaster Jim Brazell give the keynote address at our annual CSTA Conference on Friday, October 21. Jim is a compelling speaker and powerful story-teller who will engage us in a lively interactive session that is far more than a speech. We will all be thinking and talking about the future of science education.

What is technology? Is it a thing, a design, or way of thinking? Throughout the history of education, one thing has always remained constant… there will be change. Students have moved from Horn Books and pieces of slate, to chalkboards, whiteboards, and now Smart-boards. Curriculum has changed from the didactic teachings of Plato, to learning science while tilling the field, to rote memory of scientific facts and arithmetic. Our references have expanded from textbooks to include audio-books and on-line books.

Classroom tech is reaching a new peak with the ever increasing student use of netbooks, tablet PCs and iPads. Education is in a constant state of flux that keeps teachers challenged to reflect on our known best practices in teaching to new information. Now more than ever, thanks to the extraordinarily fast development and increased use of new technologies, we need to employ them effectively in our classrooms.

I talked to Jim about the keynote session and he emphasized that it is not a speech or address, but rather is an opportunity for him to facilitate a summit on science education with us, the experts, working day to day in the field. He is going to lead the group and share his expertise as a technology forecaster and strategist in three hands-on activities where we all participate together – no microphones. He will gather all of the information we develop, process it, and return it to CSTA for our use.

Jim will discuss how things are changing in education in terms of emerging technology and jobs in the sciences. Also, he will cover the emerging best practices in science education, those tailored to meet the needs of today’s kids, as they become the scientists of the near future. What should our science classrooms look like today? How will they prepare our students for real world technology and jobs? As science educators, we all know that technology is intertwined with every aspect of our lives including our students, their families, and the community at large. As Jim says, technology is the people, not just machines and devices. It is a reflection of human design – thinking, process, design, and people is what it is all about. Be sure to join us as we explore the many ways we can put current technology to work for our students, and help them prepare to create the new technologies of tomorrow as well.

Valerie Joyner is district science lead teacher for Petaluma City Schools and is the CSTA’s region 1 director.



The League for Innovation in the Community College is proud to announce its second annual STEMtech conference, October 2-5, 2011, at Indianapolis' new JW Marriott. Educators, industry leaders, and others will gather to discuss increasing student access into and success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and careers. The 2011 STEMtech conference will also help educators explore the strategic use of information technology to better serve their students, campuses, and communities. Over 400 sessions will cover everything from recruiting and retaining students for STEM-related programs to using information technology to improve organizational and student learning.

2011 STEMtech Tracks

2011 STEMtech Summits

Summits are workshops that deliver a body of practical knowledge by providing in-depth exposure to specific topics. Summit facilitators help participants learn new concepts, draw on participants' expertise and prior knowledge, and have participants apply what they have learned. Full workshop descriptions are available at www.league.org/stemtech/summits. Enrollment is limited, so register early!

2011 STEMtech Online

STEMtech Online allows individuals to participate in a great conference without incurring travel expenses. Because travel costs and online conference fees are reduced, more people will be able to participate in the most exciting professional development opportunity to come along in some time. As an added bonus, STEMtech Online participants receive a one-year membership to iStream, the League for Innovation's web-based professional development portal.

Of particular interest for the 2012 STEMtech conference are proposals that address the implementation of STEM education in a manner that reflects the interdependence of the four STEM subjects, as well as proposals that focus on partnerships involving school districts, community colleges, four-year institutions, and business and industry to provide a comprehensive community-based approach to STEM education. Click on Call for Proposals to submit your proposal to present at the third annual STEMtech conference.

The STEMtech conference is a national convening focused on increasing student success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, areas that are currently the focus of much national attention. The STEM-related tracks reflect the League for Innovation’s longstanding commitment to workforce development as well as the strong national emphasis currently being placed on workforce training and economic revitalization. The “tech” suffix continues the 25-year history of the Conference on Information Technology and its predecessors by branding the STEMtech conference as the League for Innovation’s technology conference, recognizing that even as a myriad of technologies are now embedded in teaching and learning, technology’s place in the instructional context is in the discipline areas. The tech-related tracks also focus on collegewide technology systems and applications.

2012 STEMtech Tracks

• STEM Tracks
  • Health and Science
  • Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability
  • Mathematics, Engineering, and Architecture
  • Manufacturing, Industry, Agriculture, and Aerospace
  • Technology, Multimedia, and Telecommunication
  • Recruiting, Retaining, and Transitioning Students Into STEM Programs
  • The Integration of STEM and the Liberal Arts (New for 2012)
• Tech Tracks
  • Technology Systems and Applications
  • E-Learning Resources

2012 STEMtech Summits

Facilitated by recognized leaders, STEMtech Summits are fee-based, six-hour workshops that deliver a body of practical knowledge and applications. STEMtech Summits augment the conference program by providing in-depth exposure to specific topics. The selection of faculty for these workshops is very competitive and is based on course content and thoroughness of the proposed course design.

2012 STEMtech Kansas City, Missouri

Hosted by Johnson County Community College
and Metropolitan Community College
Westin Crown Center and the Sheraton Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri

Learn more about STEMtech 2012 on-line at the League for Innovation in the Community College STEMtech.