The Rise of Personal Robots in Classrooms: Implications for Education

Cynthia L. Breazeal, ScD

Founder and Director, Personal Robots Group, MIT Media Lab; Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Founder and Chief Scientist, Jibo, Inc.; Author, Designing Sociable Robots (2003); Co-Author, "Can Children Catch Curiosity from a Social Robot?" (2015, Proceedings of the Tenth Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction)

Neuroscience Meets Technology: A Vision of the Future of Classroom Learning and Assessments

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Director, Neuroscape; Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor, Akili Interactive Labs; Creator of VR games, such as NeuroRacer, and the Glass Brain, a 3D brain visualization that combines neuroimaging technologies of MRI and EEG to display personalized, real-time brain activity while learning; Host, PBS special "The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley"; Co-Author, “Enhancing Attention in Children Using an Integrated Cognitive-Physical Video Game” (2023) and The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (2016)

From Augmented to Virtual Learning: Affordances of Different Mixes of Reality for Learning

Eric D. Klopfer, PhD

Professor; Director, Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Faculty Director, J-WEL World Education Lab; Co-Founder and Past President, Learning Games Network; Author, Augmented Learning: Research and Design of Mobile Educational Games (2008); Co-Author, Resonant Games (Forthcoming), The More We Know (2012), and Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo (2001)

Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today

Eric C. Sheninger, MEd

Associate Partner, International Center for Leadership in Education; Google Certified Teacher; Author, Disruptive Thinking in Our Classroom: Preparing Learners for Their Future (2021), Uncommon Learning: Creating Schools That Work for Kids (2015) and Digital Leadership (2014); Co-Author, Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools Today (2017)

Hacking the Old School: Reimagining Schools and Classrooms

Mark D. Barnes, MAEd

Longtime Teacher; Founder of Teachers Throwing Out Grades -- a global no-grades classroom movement; Founder of Times 10 Publications; Creator of the Hack Learning Series, a book series that provide right-now solutions for teachers and learners; Author of six education books, including the award-winning Role Reversal (2013) and Hacking Education (2015)

3.0 - Teaching, Learning, and Leading in Unprecedented Times

Jonathan Bergmann, MAEd

Co-Founder, Flipped Learning Network; Flipped Learning Pioneer; Former Lead Technology Facilitator, Joseph Sears School, Chicago, IL; Author, Solving the Homework Problem by Flipping the Learning (2017); Co-Author, Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (2017), Flipped Learning for Elementary Instruction (2016), and Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (2012)

Bold Moves for Schools: Creating Modern Learning Spaces, Schedules, and Curriculum

Heidi Hayes Jacobs, EdD

Creator, Curriculum21; Founder and President, Curriculum Designers, Inc.; Co-Author, Bold Moves for Schools: How We Create Remarkable Learning Environments (2017); Author, Active Literacy Across the Curriculum: Connecting Print Literacy with Digital, Media, and Global Competence, K-12 (2017), and Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World (updated 2014); Author/Editor, Mastering Digital Literacy (2014), Mastering Global Literacy (2013), and Leading the New Literacies (2013)

Conference Chair

David B. Daniel, PhD

Conference Chair: Professor Emeritus of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Winner of the 2013 L&B/IMBES “Transforming Education Through Neuroscience” Award; Recognized in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Educational Neuroscience: Are We There Yet?” (2019, Wiley Handbook on Education) and “Promising Principles: Translating the Science of Learning to Educational Practice” (2012, Applied Research in Memory and Cognition)

Keynote Panel Moderator

Joseph South, PhD

Chief Learning Officer, The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®); Design Resident, IDEO; Former Director, Office of Educational Technology, U.S. Department of Education, who served as adviser to the Secretary of Education and developed national educational technology policy, formed public-private partnerships to assist state and local education leaders in transitioning to digital learning, helped school districts expand the use of openly licensed educational resources (OERs), and collaborated with stakeholders to nurture a robust ecosystem of edtech entrepreneurs and innovators

Transform Schools, Curriculum, and Assessment to 4 Dimensions for Future Ready Students

Gravity Goldberg, EdD

Educational Consultant; Former Assistant Professor of Education, Iona College; Former Instructor and Staff Developer, Teachers College, Columbia University; Author, Teach Like Yourself (2018) and Mindsets and Moves: Strategies That Help Readers Take Charge (2015); Co-Author, Active Learning: 40 Teaching Methods to Engage Students in Every and Subject (2023), What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? (2017), and Conferring With Readers (2007)

Time, Space, and Activity: Redesigning College Classes for Flipped Learning Experiences

Robert Talbert, PhD

Associate Professor, Mathematics Department, Grand Valley State University; Proponent and thought leader on active learning in higher education, particularly in the STEM disciplines; Flipped Learning Research Fellow through the Flipped Learning Global Initiative; Currently on sabbatical serving as a scholar-in-residence and consultant with Steelcase Education and the Workspace Futures group on active learning issues and conducting research studies on flipped learning; Author, Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (2017)

Transforming the High School Experience: Learning Reimagined

Robert W. Dillon, EdD

School Designer, Sustainable Education Solutions; Former Director of Innovative Learning, School District of University City; Co-Founder, ConnectEd Learning; Author, Leading Connected Schools (2015) and Engage, Empower, Energize: Leading Tomorrow's Schools Today (2014); Co-Author, The SPACE: A Guide for Leaders (2021), The SPACE: A Guide for Educators (2019), and Redesigning Learning Spaces (2016)

Hacking the Old School: Reimagining Schools and Classrooms

Mark D. Barnes, MAEd

Longtime Teacher; Founder of Teachers Throwing Out Grades -- a global no-grades classroom movement; Founder of Times 10 Publications; Creator of the Hack Learning Series, a book series that provide right-now solutions for teachers and learners; Author of six education books, including the award-winning Role Reversal (2013) and Hacking Education (2015)

3.0 - Teaching, Learning, and Leading in Unprecedented Times

Jonathan Bergmann, MAEd

Co-Founder, Flipped Learning Network; Flipped Learning Pioneer; Former Lead Technology Facilitator, Joseph Sears School, Chicago, IL; Author, Solving the Homework Problem by Flipping the Learning (2017); Co-Author, Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (2017), Flipped Learning for Elementary Instruction (2016), and Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (2012)

Assessing, Impacting, and Engaging: Using Technology to Meet Diverse Student Needs

Eric M. Carbaugh, PhD

Assistant Professor, Middle, Secondary and Math Education, James Madison University; Co-Author, The Differentiated Flipped Classroom: A Guide to Digital Learning (2015) and “Designing Reliable and Valid Common Core–Aligned Math Assessments” (2014, ASCD)

Bold Moves for Schools: Creating Modern Learning Spaces, Schedules, and Curriculum

Heidi Hayes Jacobs, EdD

Creator, Curriculum21; Founder and President, Curriculum Designers, Inc.; Co-Author, Bold Moves for Schools: How We Create Remarkable Learning Environments (2017); Author, Active Literacy Across the Curriculum: Connecting Print Literacy with Digital, Media, and Global Competence, K-12 (2017), and Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World (updated 2014); Author/Editor, Mastering Digital Literacy (2014), Mastering Global Literacy (2013), and Leading the New Literacies (2013)

Transforming Schools with Learning Science and Technology Rich-Learning Environments

Jennifer S. Groff, EdM

Educational Engineer, Researcher and Learning Designer; Research Assistant, The Education Arcade, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Founder, Center for Curriculum Redesign; Former Vice President of Learning and Program Development, Learning Games Network; Co-Author, "Using Games in the Classroom" (2016, Learning, Education and Games, ETC Press), "Technology-Rich Innovative Learning Environments" (2014, OECD), and "Collaborations in Mind, Brain, and Education: An Analysis of Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Three-Elementary School Intervention Studies" (2011, International Mind, Brain and Education Journal)

Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Design Tomorrow's Schools, Today

Eric C. Sheninger, MEd

Associate Partner, International Center for Leadership in Education; Google Certified Teacher; Author, Disruptive Thinking in Our Classroom: Preparing Learners for Their Future (2021), Uncommon Learning: Creating Schools That Work for Kids (2015) and Digital Leadership (2014); Co-Author, Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools Today (2017)

How to Redesign (Physical and Virtual) Classrooms to Reduce Gender Disparities in STEM and Computer Sciences

Sapna Cheryan, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology; Primary Investigator, Stereotypes, Identity, & Belonging Lab, University of Washington; Co-Author, "(Robot) Programming Experience Promotes Higher STEM Motivation Among First-Grade Girls" (2017, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology), "Designing Classrooms to Maximize Student Achievement" (2014, Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences) and "Classroom Matters: The Designing of Virtual Classrooms Influences Gender Disparities in Computer Science Class" (2011, Computers & Education)

Preparing Teachers for Tomorrow: Gaming, Learning Science and Designing Teacher Practice Spaces

YJ Kim, PhD

Research Scientist, Teaching Systems Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Assessment Design and Analytics Consultant; Researcher on the effects of real-time scaffolding of science inquiry driven by automated performance assessment, National Science Foundation; Reviewer, International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education; Co-Author, "The Future of Assessments in Technology Rich Environments" (2016, Learning, Design and Technology) and "School-Based Badging System and Interest-Based Learning" (2015, International Journal of Learning & Media)

Heidi Zollman, MEd

Faculty Member, Granite State College; Curriculum Director, Rochester School Department, Rochester, NH

Designing Learning Spaces That Matter

Robert W. Dillon, EdD

School Designer, Sustainable Education Solutions; Former Director of Innovative Learning, School District of University City; Co-Founder, ConnectEd Learning; Author, Leading Connected Schools (2015) and Engage, Empower, Energize: Leading Tomorrow's Schools Today (2014); Co-Author, The SPACE: A Guide for Leaders (2021), The SPACE: A Guide for Educators (2019), and Redesigning Learning Spaces (2016)

Transforming Classrooms into EPIC Learning Studios for Student Agency, Authenticity, and Agility

Rena F. Subotnik, PhD

Director, Center for Psychology in the Schools and Education, American Psychological Association, whose missions is to generate public awareness, advocacy, clinical applications, and cutting-edge research ideas that enhance the achievement and performance of children and adolescents with gifts and talents in all domains; Former Professor of Education, Hunter College; Winner of the 2013 “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Mensa Education and Research Foundation; Co-Author, Talent Development as a Framework for Gifted Education: Implications for Best Practices and Applications in Schools (2018), “The Talent Gap: The U.S. Is Neglecting Its Most Promising Science Students” (2014, Scientific American), “Nurturing the Young Genius: Renewing our Commitment to Gifted Education is Key to a More Innovative, Productive and Culturally Rich Society” (2012, Scientific American Mind), and “Rethinking Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Proposed Direction Forward Based on Psychological Science” (2011, Psychological Science in the Public Interest), Co-Editor, The Psychology of High Performance: Developing Human Potential Into Domain-Specific Talent (Forthcoming), Malleable Minds: Translating Insights From Psychology and Neuroscience To Gifted Education (2012), and Developing Giftedness and Talent Across the Life Span (2009)

Designing Learning Environments for School Change

David Stephen, MEd

Architect; Educational Planner, New Vista Designs for 21st Century Learning; Design Strategist, Architects of Achievement; Co-Founder/Design Director of High Tech High; Co-Chair of the LEFT (Learning Environments for Tomorrow Institute), a joint venture of Harvard University Graduate Schools of Education (HGSE) and the Harvard University School of Design; Has served for 10 years as a high school teacher, program director, and Co-Creator of the award winning CityWorks program at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School; Author, Architecture for Achievement: Building Patterns for Small School Learning (2007) and Dollars and Sense II: Lessons from Good, Cost Effective Small Schools (2005)

Learning by Making: The Benefits of Makerspaces and Game Design for Agency and Inquiry

Kimberly M. Sheridan, EdD

Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, George Mason University; Co-Author, "Designing for Resourcefulness in a Community-based Makerspace" (2016, Makeology: Makerspaces as Learning Environments) and "The Maker Movement in Education" (2014, Harvard Educational Review)

Start and SEED Making: Designing Creative Maker Experiences for Children to Support Novel Models of Inquiry, Passion, and Expression

Alisha Collins, MS

Designer; Educator; STEM TeacherPreneur; Founder of SEEDS StudioLab at Acera, The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity, and Leadership; Former Research Assistant, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Founder, Duct Tape Network; Co-Founder, Creative Learning Company; Co-Author, Start Making!: A Guide to Engaging Young People in Maker Activities (2016)

Learning Together in VR: Social, Visual, and Interactive Dimensions

Scott W. Greenwald, PhD

Research Scientist and recent PhD graduate in the Fluid Interfaces Group at the MIT Media Lab; dissertation title: Virtual Reality as a Medium for Learning; research projects include Electrostatic Playground, an immersive VR learning experience for electricity and magnetism, and CocoVerse, a multi-user VR framework for collaboration and co-creation; Chairman and Co-founder of the Reality Virtually Hackathon at the MIT Media Lab

If You Were a Tree

Xin Liu, MFA

Masters Candidate in Fluid Interfaces, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who works with wearable technology and Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) technology; Co-developer of the "TreeSense" virtual experiences where you become another life form and the "Tree", a VR film in a rainforest that debuted at Sundance Film Festival, the New Frontier and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017

Creating VR Science Classrooms

Rus Gant

Well-regarded International 3D Artist; computer engineer and educator; Director, Visualization Research and Teaching Laboratory, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Research Staff, Harvard University; Faculty, Showa Women's University, Tokyo, Japan; Lead Technical Artist for Harvard's Giza 3D Project reconstructing the pyramids, temples and tombs on the Egyptian Giza Plateau in virtual reality; Past Fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Center for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University

Immersive Media in the Classroom

Jeffrey Jacobson, PhD

Advocate of VR; Board Chairman, BostonVR, the fifth largest VR Meetup group in the world, with over 4000 members; Former Member of the Advisory Board for Scalable Display Technologies; Consultant and Developer of a wide range of projects that mixed space, theater and VR, from the "Active Learning in a Digital Dome with the Living Forest", "The Egyptian Oracle; Live Reenactment in Augmented Reality" to "Immersive Interactive Learning Labs for STEM Education"

Neuroscience Meets Technology: A Vision of the Future of Classrooms Learning and Assessments

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD

Director, Neuroscape; Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor, Akili Interactive Labs; Creator of VR games, such as NeuroRacer, and the Glass Brain, a 3D brain visualization that combines neuroimaging technologies of MRI and EEG to display personalized, real-time brain activity while learning; Host, PBS special "The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley"; Co-Author, “Enhancing Attention in Children Using an Integrated Cognitive-Physical Video Game” (2023) and The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (2016)

From Augmented to Virtual Learning: Affordances of Different Mixes of Reality for Learning

Eric D. Klopfer, PhD

Professor; Director, Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Faculty Director, J-WEL World Education Lab; Co-Founder and Past President, Learning Games Network; Author, Augmented Learning: Research and Design of Mobile Educational Games (2008); Co-Author, Resonant Games (Forthcoming), The More We Know (2012), and Adventures in Modeling: Exploring Complex, Dynamic Systems with StarLogo (2001)

Teaching with Augmented Realities/Virtual Environments: Preparing Students for the Real World

Christopher J. Dede, EdD

Professor of Learning Technologies, Technology, Innovation, and Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Principal Investigator, ecoMOD, ecoMUVE and ecoMOBILE -- 3-D worlds that helps students learn about ecosystems and science thinking; Author, "The Role of Digital Technologies in Deeper Learning" (2014, Jobs for the Future); Co-Editor, Teacher Learning in the Digital Age: Online Professional Development in STEM Education (2016); Co-Author, Digital Teaching Platforms (2013), Scaling Up Success: Lessons From Technology-Based Educational Improvement (2005), and The Virtual High School (2003)

Virtual Worlds and Immersive Learning: Amplifying Engagement, Empathy, Mindfulness, and Storytelling with Virtual Reality in Education

Caitlin E. Krause, MFA

Leadership, Technology, Immersive Storytelling, and Curriculum Consultant; Founder, MindWise; Former English and Humanities Teacher; Communications Specialist, Swiss Society of Virtual and Augmented Reality; Author, Mindful by Design (Forthcoming), which focuses on learning, neuroscience, storytelling, designer mindsets, mindfulness and creativity

Using Neuroscience with Virtual Environments for Teacher Training and Student Engagement

Richard L. Lamb, PhD

Neuroscientist; Director, Neurocognition Science Laboratory; Associate Professor, Department of Learning and Instruction, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo; Principal Investigator, VR for Preschools Project, which combines neuroscience, brain imaging with virtual reality to create 3-D labs in schools; Co-Editor, Educational and Learning Games: New Research (2015); Co-Author, "Development of a Cognition-priming Model of STEM Learning" (2015, Journal of Research in Science Teaching)

Studying Empathy and Human Behavior Through Immersive, Virtual Experiences

Elise Ogle, MA

Project Manager, Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University; Manager of VR projects include immersive environments to experience being an animal, homelessness, and the effects of a dying coral reefs under water; Co-Author, "Experiencing Nature: Embodying Animals in Immersive Virtual Environments Increases Inclusion of Nature in Self and Involvement in Nature" (2016, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication)

Engaging Science Learning Through Embodied, Mixed Virtual Environments

Robb W. Lindgren, PhD

Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Principal Investigator of MEteor, which combines virtual reality with a room-sized simulation that allows students to physically interact with planets to teach physics; Co-Author, "Enhancing Learning and Engagement Through Embodied Interaction Within a Mixed Reality Simulation" (2016, Computers & Education) and "Virtual Environments as a Tool for Conceptual Learning" (2014, Handbook of Virtual Environments)

Teaching High School Students to Create VR Worlds

Jordan Budisantoso, BA

Founding Computer Science Teacher, Washington Leadership Academy Public Charter School; IT Director/Manager, United States Army Reserve

Racing With and Against the Machine: Implications for Future Job Skills in an Era of Rapid Technological Change

Francis MacCrory, PhD

Assistant Professor, Information Systems, Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University; Former Postdoctoral Associate, Initiative on the Digital Economy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Researcher on the effects of robotics and automation on job skills; Co-Author, “Identifying the Skills in Skill-Biased Technical Change,” (2015, Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth International Conference on Information Systems, AIS) and “Racing With and Against the Machines: Changes in Occupational Skill Composition in an Era of Rapid Technological Advance,” (2014, Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth International Conference on Information Systems, AIS)

Bringing Educational Robotics into Your Educational Setting

Jennifer S. Kay, PhD

Professor, Computer Science Department, Rowan University; Former Member of The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University; Co-Developer of the popular MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) “Educational Robotics for Absolute Beginners;” Co-Author, “Using Robots to Teach Programming to K-12 Teachers” (2012, Frontiers in Education) and “Robots in the Classroom...and the Dorm Room” (2010, Journal of Computing Science in College)

EXCALIBUR: Learning Beyond STEAM

Peggy Sheehy, MLIS, MALS

Instructional Designer, GoGo Labs (3D Game Lab); School Library Media Specialist; Curriculum Developer; K-12 Teacher; Creator, "The WOW (World of Warcraft) in School" Project, which is designed to teach English Language Arts through the virtual game World of Warcraft; Developer, EXCALIBUR Project, which teachers STEAM skills through game design; Project Guild Master, Cognitive Dissonance Educator Guild; Founding Member, G.A.M.E

Katherine M. Douglas, MEd

Education Consultant; Co-Founder, Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Inc., a choice-based arts advocacy organization; Co-Director, Teaching for Artistic Behavior Institute, Massachusetts College of Art and Design; Retired K-5 Arts Teacher; Winner of the 2016 Massachusetts Art Educator of the Year Award; Co-Author, Engaging Learners through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the Classroom (2018); Contributing Writer, The Learner-Directed Classroom: Developing Creative Thinking Skills Through Art (2012); Co-Author, “The Choice Studio” (2015, School Arts Magazine), “What About Demos” (2018, Arts and Activities Magazine), “When the Cupboard is Bare” (2015, Arts and Activities Magazine), and “Visit to a Choice-Based Art Classroom” (2012, Arts and Activities Magazine)

Engaging Minds and STEM Education Through Making and Coding in the K-12 Classroom

Diane Brancazio, MS

Instructor and Lead Maker Educator, MIT Edger Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who develops K-12 STEM curriculum and works with Cambridge schools to implement week-long STEM experiences for students; Co-Founder/Director, RoboSail; Computer Science/Engineering Teacher, Belmont High School; Council Member, Technology/Engineering Advisory Council, MA Department of Education; Former Consultant, Boston Museum of Science

The Rise of Personal Robots in Classrooms: Implications for Education

Cynthia L. Breazeal, ScD

Founder and Director, Personal Robots Group, MIT Media Lab; Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Founder and Chief Scientist, Jibo, Inc.; Author, Designing Sociable Robots (2003); Co-Author, "Can Children Catch Curiosity from a Social Robot?" (2015, Proceedings of the Tenth Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction)

Engaging Children in Early STEM Education Through Interactive Robots, Tangibles, and Games

Ayanna M. Howard, PhD

Founder and CTO, Zyrobotics, LLC.; Director, Human-Automation Systems (HumAnS) Lab; Professor and Chair in Bioengineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; Co-Author, "Engaging Children in Play Therapy: The Coupling of Virtual Reality (VR) Games and Social Robotics" (2013, Serious Games, Alternative Realities and Play Therapy), "Assessment of Engagement for Intelligent Educational Agents: A Pilot Study with Middle School Students" (2014, Computers in Education) and "Applying Behavioral Strategies for Student Engagement Using a Robotic Educational Agent" (2013, IEEE)

Building Intelligent Tutors for Schools

Beverly P. Woolf, PhD

Research Professor, Center for Data Science; Director, Center for Knowledge Communication, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Author, Building Intelligent Interactive Tutors: Student-Centered Strategies for Revolutionizing E-Learning (2008)

Robotics in Education: Teaching Using Robotics and Learning Sciences to Change Learning

Chris B. Rogers, PhD

Department Chair and Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Co-Director, Center for Engineering Education and Outreach; Adjunct Professor, Department of Education, Tufts University; Co-Author, "LEGO-based Robotics in Higher Education: 15 Years of Student Creativity" (2014, International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems) and "Kindergarten Robotics: Using Robotics to Motivate Math, Science and Engineering Literacy in Elementary Schools" (2006, International Journal of Engineering Education)

Using Robotics and Makerspaces to Create Meaningful Learning Experiences in Early Childhood

Amanda Strawhacker, PhD Candidate

Doctoral Student in robotics, DevTech Research Group, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University; Intern, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Founder, The Amanda’s Consulting, LLC; Project Coordinator, ScratchJr Research Project; Co-Author, “Teaching Tools, Teacher’s Rules: Exploring the Impact of Teaching Styles on Young Children’s Programing Knowledge in ScratchJr” (2017, International Journal of Technology and Design Education)

The Science of Learning and Creating Engaging Classrooms

Christina Hinton, PhD

Founder and Executive Director, Research Schools International, which has partnered with schools around the globe to inspire research-based innovation that supports students' learning and well-being and is studying the effects of a school-based gratitude, SEL digital app; Researcher with expertise in neuroscience and education, social-emotional learning, and global education; Editor, Understanding the Brain: The Birth of a Learning Science and Languages in a Global World: Learning for Better Cultural Understanding (2012, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)

Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, PhD

Cognitive Scientist; Multidisciplinary Artist; Musician; Adjunct Faculty in STEAM courses, Johns Hopkins University; Entrepreneur; Co-Founder; Executive Scientific & Artistic Director, La Petite Noiseuse Productions; Author, “STEAM is Hotter than STEM: The Why and What of My Teaching Paradigm in Higher Education” (2017, SciArt Magazine); Co-Author, “Colorful Insights Supporting the Modeling of Creative Processes Across Language, Music and Emotion” (2018, IS&T International Symposium on Electronic Imaging)

Hacking Formative Assessments / Hacking Homework

Starr M. Sackstein, MS

Massachusetts State Coordinator, Educator Rising, PDK International; Student and Family Advocate; Chief Operating Officer, Partner, Mastery Portfolio, LLC; Author, Student-Led Assessment: Promoting Agency and Achievement Through Portfolios and Conferences (2024), Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways To Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School (2022, 2nd Edition), Assessing with Respect: Everyday Practices That Meet Students’ Social and Emotional Needs (2021), and From Teacher to Leader: Finding Your Way as a First-Time Leader without Losing Your Mind (2019); Co-Author, Solving School Challenges: The Everything Guide to Transformative Change (2025) and Hacking Learning Centers in Grades 6-12 (2021)

FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scalable Formative Assessments

Monica Burns, EdD EdTech and Curriculum Consultant; Apple Distinguished Educator; Founder of ClassTechTips.com and Blog; Host of the “Easy EdTech” Podcast; Author, Using AI Chatbots to Enhance Planning and Instruction (2023), EdTech Essentials: The Top 10 Technology Strategies for All Learning Environment (2021), and Tasks Before Apps (2017); Co-Author, EdTech Essentials (2023), Engaging Students to Read All Types of Text (2020), and Taming the Wild Text: Literacy Strategies for Today’s Readers (2017)

Unleash the Science of Learning: Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies to Transform the Classroom

Pooja K. Agarwal, PhD

Cognitive Scientist; Associate Professor of Psychology, Berklee College of Music; Founder, RetrievalPractice.org; Former K-12 Teacher; Editor, Smart Teaching Stronger Learning (2025); Author, "Retrieval practice: A Power Tool for Lasting Learning (2020, ASCD) and "Retrieval Practice and Bloom's Taxonomy: Do Students Need Fact Knowledge Before Higher Order Learning? (2019, Journal of Educational Psychology); Co-Author, "Retrieval Practice Consistently Benefits Student Learning: A Systematic Review of Applied Research in Schools and Classrooms" (2021, Educational Psychology Review), Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning (2019), and "Benefits From Retrieval Practice Are Greater for Students With Lower Working Memory Capacity" (2017, Memory)

Learning Vocabulary from Educational Digital Media: The Role of Pedagogical Supports for Low-Income Preschoolers

Susan B. Neuman, EdD

Professor and Chair of Teaching and Learning, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University; Author, "Preschoolers' Story Comprehension Similar for Print and Digital Books" (2017, ScienceDaily), All About Words (2013), Giving Our Children a Fighting Chance (2012), Multimedia and Literacy Development (2008), and Nurturing Knowledge (2007)

Make Writing: A Writing Workshop Redesign with Making in Mind

Angela Stockman, MS

Fellow, New York Educator Voice; Owner/Director, WNY Education Associates and WNY Young Writer’s Studio; Former Christa McAuliffe Fellow; Author, Make Writing: 5 Teaching Strategies That Turn Writer’s Workshops Into a Maker Space (2015)

Connected, Digital, Different: Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write in a Digital World

Kristen Hawley Turner, PhD

Professor, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies; Director, Drew Writing Project and Digital Literacies Collaborative; Director of Teacher Education, Drew University; Director, Contemporary Learning and Interdisciplinary Research (CLAIR), Fordham University Graduate School of Education; Consultant, National Writing Project; Lead Editor, "Teachers, Profs, Parents: Writers Who Care" Blog; Co-Author, Argument in the Real World: Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts (2017) and Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in a Digital Age (2015)

The Hero's Journey: World of Warcraft and Tolkien Drive EPIC Learning for ELA

Peggy Sheehy, MLIS, MALS

Instructional Designer, GoGo Labs (3D Game Lab); School Library Media Specialist; Curriculum Developer; K-12 Teacher; Creator, "The WOW (World of Warcraft) in School" Project, which is designed to teach English Language Arts through the virtual game World of Warcraft; Developer, EXCALIBUR Project, which teachers STEAM skills through game design; Project Guild Master, Cognitive Dissonance Educator Guild; Founding Member, G.A.M.E

Mission Possible! Tips for Getting Students to Use Technology Purposefully

Shelly S. Terrell, MEd

eLearning Specialist; Author, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies (2017), Goals Challenge for Teachers (2015) and Learning To Go: Lesson Ideas for Teaching with Mobile Devices, Cell Phones, and BYOT (2013)