On November 12 and 13, 2015 the first Caribbean Technology & Education Conference (C-TEC) will be held on Sint Maarten. The goal of the two-day conference is to bring together the educators of all schools on our island, administrators and education experts and policy makers from our region to exchange experiences on the use of ICT, technology and 21st century learning.
The conference is organized by The Foresee Foundation (4C-Foundation) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Since its start in 2013, the foundation has launched DigKidz@St. Maarten, a program that has since financed the construction of the DigiKidz Media Lab at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library and rocketed the Hillside Christian and Seventh Day Adventist schools’ technical infrastructure into the 21st century. The foundation and its numerous partners have provided the schools with wide wired and wireless network supported by an IT management software program, laptops, charging carts and several hardware items like photo-, video, document- cameras; headphones, LCD projectors and printers.
Now the foundation wants to create a platform that brings together educators region-wide to exchange best practices, expand their networks, learn and create ideas on bringing 21st century learning into more classrooms.
At the C-TEC conference participants will have the choice of dozens of workshops in which they will learn innovative, challenging and student-centered learning activities related to ICT and receive information and acquire skills on the use of technology in classrooms from peer educators, locally and regionally. Plenary sessions headlined by notable keynote speakers, panel discussions on ‘hot topics’ like “Should students bring their own devices to school?” and hands-on tech learning sessions that feature particular apps or devices and networking sessions to connect educators locally and regionally . On both days the conference hours will be from 7:00 am until 4:00 p.m.
The conference, held at Milton Peters College, will also feature an ‘Innovation Lab’ and Technology Expo. The ‘Innovation Lab’ will showcase all the newest technology and software for education facilities. The Expo will be a platform for various businesses to showcase their products and help consumers with finding the right products to incorporate 21st century learning into their lifestyle and classrooms. Businesses interested in being part of this Expo should contact the Foresee Foundation as soon as possible, as space is limited.
José Sommers, John de Vroom, Peter Mazereeuw, John Schaminee, Grace Brissett, Marcus Nicolaas, Georgiane Ariana- Henriquez, Alston Lourens, Kevin ‘Suppa’ Petrona, Patricia Philip-Lourens, Arjen Alberts, Laura Bijnsdorp, Maya Snijders and Marcellia Henry are all part of the motivated C-TEC team. To offer all interested parties the opportunity to attend this important and innovative conference the Minister of Education has ensured that all primary schools will be closed on November 12 and all secondary schools will be closed on November 13. Sponsoring by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education has made this conference possible.
C-TEC members urge educators to attend the conference stating that: “The Caribbean Technology & Education Conference will help you create a better learning experience for your students and a rewarding teaching experience for yourself. It is fair to say technology leads the way to improve teaching and learning in our schools!”
For more information about The Caribbean Technology & Education Conference, including the conference schedule, session descriptions, registration exhibitors, and details about the host country, visit http://www.ctecconference.com or email: info@ctec-conference.com.
