Project-Based Learning conference to draw more than 300 teachers to Syracuse

The Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES) will be hosting the 2015 Project-Based Learning New York (PBLNY) Conference on August 3-5, 2015 in Liverpool, NY. The three-day event will feature inspiring keynotes, engaging workshops and practical advice for educators and school administrators who want to learn about all aspects of project-based learning.

The PBLNY Conference is for those new to PBL, as well as experienced practitioners. Sessions are targeted to help educators, at any stage of their career, take it to the next level. Administrators, too, will find the support and training they need to ensure implementation of high-quality PBL in their school. This conference, the only one of its kind on the East Coast, is a premier opportunity to engage with national leaders and thinkers and discuss PBL with one’s colleagues in education.


“Our goal for PBLNY is to bring educators together for deeper learning about a method of teaching that is engaging to students,” says Joanne Keim, OCM BOCES PBL coordinator. “Last year’s conference was energizing—over 300 teachers and administrators came together for three days to learn more about PBL as they listened to nationally known keynote speakers, attended workshop sessions and shared experiences. As a PBL trainer and coach myself, I can’t wait to attend this year and deepen my understanding of PBL.”

In addition to keynotes by several well-known professionals in PBL, education and leadership (see bios below), additional guest presenters for the event are Rody Boonchouy and Matt Best of the Buck Institute for Education (BIE); Michael Gorman of 21centuryedtech; Stacia Snow of Tech Valley High School; Suzie Boss of Edutopia & BIE, and; Lee Fleming of New Tech Network. Breakout session titles include “Online Resources that Amplify PBL in a Blended Environment,” “Engaging Students with Disabilities through Project-Based Learning,” “PLC and PBL: Learning to Learn Together,” and “Problem-Based Learning (PrBL): A Smaller Approach to a Large Problem.”


Registration is now open for individuals in New York state. Registration for out-of-state attendees will open soon. For more information and to register, click here: http://www.ocmboces.org/pblny. Three-day admission fees for attendees from OCM BOCES component districts is $450; $550 for attendees from non-component NYS districts; and $650 per person for attendees from non-NYS districts.

The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn, 441 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool, NY.

Keynote Speaker Bios
Dr. Milton Chen - George Lucas Educational Foundation
Chen is senior fellow and executive director emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a San Francisco Bay area-based non-profit that utilizes its multimedia website, Edutopia.org, and documentary films to communicate a new vision for 21st century schools. He served as executive director of GLEF for 12 years. During his tenure, GLEF and its media brand, Edutopia, greatly expanded their editorial publishing efforts, including the award- winning Edutopia magazine. Edutopia.org is known as a destination website for educators and others interested in educational innovation and has won numerous honors, including the 2009 Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Education Website. Chen received an AB in social studies from Harvard College and an MA and PhD in communication research from Stanford University.

Sam Seidel  - Author, HipHop Genius

Seidel is the director of the Student Experience Lab at the Business Innovation Factory and author of Hip Hop Genius: Remixing High School Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011). He speaks internationally about innovative solutions to challenges facing schools, community organizations and prisons. He is a passionate and experienced leader in education transformation. Seidel has keynoted for three years at PBL World in Napa California. He has taught in a variety of settings from first grade to community college. Seidel graduated from Brown University with a degree in education and a teaching certification. He was a scholar-in-residence at Columbia University's Institute for Urban and Minority Education and a community fellow at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Kippy Smith - Expeditionary Learning

Smith is the Northeast region associate regional director for Expeditionary Learning (EL). With more than 20 years of experience helping new and veteran teachers in all settings, EL builds their capacity to ignite each student’s motivation, persistence, and compassion so they become active contributors to building a better world and succeed in school, college, career, and life. EL’s innovative curriculum, teacher-created resources, and model of professional coaching and support are anchored by a vision of student success that joins academic achievement, character, and high-quality work. EL partners with more than 160 schools and 4,000 teachers, serving 53,000 students in 33 states, and thousands of other teachers through its professional services work in New York and other states.


Sarah Brown Wessling – The Teaching Channel

Brown Wessling is the Teaching Channel’s first “Teacher Laureate.” In this role, she helps shape the content on Teaching Channel, where she is a regular contributor to the Tchers' Voiceblog and is often featured in regular video segments filmed inside her classroom. Brown Wessling teaches English and is the department chair at Johnston Senior High School in Johnston, Iowa. She is a national board-certified teacher in English language arts/adolescence and young adulthood. In 2010, the Council of Chief State School Officers honored Brown Wessling as National Teacher of the Year. In that capacity, she was responsible for being the nation's teacher ambassador for education and took part in more than 240 appearances, speeches and workshops in 37 states as well as Japan and Finland.

Ed Griffin – Fleet Feet Sports
Griffin is co-owner of two Fleet Feet Sports shoe stores in Central New York. Griffin speaks around the country on motivation and small business leadership. He brings an authenticity to the conversation about the world of work. He and his wife Ellen opened their first Fleet Feet store in Dewitt in 2000. It was named the best running store in America by Competitor and Running Insight magazines in 2012. They opened a second location in Clay in 2013. The business caters to runners, and about half of their customers are medical referrals for foot problems that require high-quality footwear and custom fitting.

Tony Wagner - Harvard University Innovation Lab
Wagner currently serves as an expert in residence at Harvard University’s new Innovation Lab. Prior to this appointment, Wagner was the first Innovation Education fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, and the founder and co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for more than a decade. His previous work experience includes twelve years as a high school teacher, K-8 principal, university professor in teacher education, and founding executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility. Wagner is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and a widely published author. Wagner also recently collaborated with noted filmmaker Robert Compton to create a 60-minute documentary, “The Finland Phenomenon: Inside The World’s Most Surprising School System.”