2007 Tech Expo
hosted by
Madison Area Technical College & Blackhawk Technical College
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
MATC-Madison Downtown Campus and Madison Concourse Hotel
Keynote Speaker
Download Mr. Prensky's presentation
Marc Prensky
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, educator, consultant, and game designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001), and Don’t Bother Me Mom – I’m Learning (Paragon House, 2006). Marc is the founder and CEO of Games2train, whose clients include IBM, Bank of America, Pfizer, the U.S. Department of Defense and the LA and Florida Virtual Schools. He is the creator of the sites www.gamesparentsteachers.com and www.socialimpactgames.com.
Marc has created over 50 software games for learning,including the world's first fast-action videogame-based training tools. He has spoken to teachers, administrators, school boards and departments and ministries of education throughout the United States and around the world. He holds a Master’s in Teaching from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. Marc has taught at all levels, been featured in The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Economist, and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and the BBC. He was named as one of training’s top 10 “visionaries” by Training magazine and cited as a “guiding star of the new parenting movement” by Parental Intelligence Newsletter. His latest projects are games to help students learn about financial literacy, chemistry, physics and algebra. For Marc's writings, see www.marcprensky.com/writing. For Marc’s games, see www.games2train.com.
Topic
"Engage Me or Enrage Me": Educating Today's "Digital Native" Learners
All educators are struggling to find ways to get today’s kids more involved in their schoolwork. The key, says Prensky, is not curriculum, certification or testing, but rather ENGAGEMENT. He argues forcefully that this generation is NOT in need of better content, but of more engaging approaches, more understanding, and 21st century skills. To best help today’s unengaged students learn, says Prensky, we need to provide them with learning that motivates them, and the first place to look for help is where the kids are already involved most – in their games. In this talk, through numerous examples, Prensky shows specifically how games engage kids, and how educators can employ and benefit from not only existing games but also the powerful educational principles behind them.
Download Mr. Prensky's presentation
Marc Prensky
Marc Prensky is an internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, educator, consultant, and game designer in the critical areas of education and learning. He is the author of Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001), and Don’t Bother Me Mom – I’m Learning (Paragon House, 2006). Marc is the founder and CEO of Games2train, whose clients include IBM, Bank of America, Pfizer, the U.S. Department of Defense and the LA and Florida Virtual Schools. He is the creator of the sites www.gamesparentsteachers.com and www.socialimpactgames.com.
Marc has created over 50 software games for learning,including the world's first fast-action videogame-based training tools. He has spoken to teachers, administrators, school boards and departments and ministries of education throughout the United States and around the world. He holds a Master’s in Teaching from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. Marc has taught at all levels, been featured in The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Economist, and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, and the BBC. He was named as one of training’s top 10 “visionaries” by Training magazine and cited as a “guiding star of the new parenting movement” by Parental Intelligence Newsletter. His latest projects are games to help students learn about financial literacy, chemistry, physics and algebra. For Marc's writings, see www.marcprensky.com/writing. For Marc’s games, see www.games2train.com.
Topic
"Engage Me or Enrage Me": Educating Today's "Digital Native" Learners
All educators are struggling to find ways to get today’s kids more involved in their schoolwork. The key, says Prensky, is not curriculum, certification or testing, but rather ENGAGEMENT. He argues forcefully that this generation is NOT in need of better content, but of more engaging approaches, more understanding, and 21st century skills. To best help today’s unengaged students learn, says Prensky, we need to provide them with learning that motivates them, and the first place to look for help is where the kids are already involved most – in their games. In this talk, through numerous examples, Prensky shows specifically how games engage kids, and how educators can employ and benefit from not only existing games but also the powerful educational principles behind them.