Kappa Delta Pi

Keynote Speakers

We listened to your suggestions and invited the keynote speakers of your choice! KDP is proud to present three nationally renowned educators who will captivate Convo 2011 attendees with their uplifting message, innovative vision, and inspiring philosophy.

After October 15, 2011, you must register onsite in Indianapolis or by phone at 800.284.3167.

This includes author and Louisiana State Teacher of the Year, Dr. Debbie Silver, who kicks off the conference with a funny and heartfelt reminder of the importance of teachers in the lives of children; best-selling author and illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds, who is on a mission to inspire learners to dare express who they are and aspire to become; and writer, teacher, and digital humanist Jason Ohler, who combines innovation, creativity, and digital know-how to help reinvent teaching and learning. Also featured is a distinguished panel of KDP Laureates who will discuss the topic “Teaching as Profession: Looking toward the Future.” Moderator and panelist Marilyn Cochran-Smith will present, along with Deborah Meier, Gloria Ladson-Billings, and Ann Lieberman.

Featured Speaker: Debbie Silver	KDP Laureate Panel
Featured Speaker: Peter H. Reynolds	2011 National Teacher of the Year: Michelle Shearer
Featured Speaker: Jason Ohler	See complete schedule

Debbie Silver “The Art and Heart of Teaching”
Opening Session – Thursday, Nov. 3, 2:00 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

Debbie has “Passion”

Kicking off Convo 2011, Debbie Silver presents a funny and heartfelt program to remind attendees how important teachers are in the lives of children. Dr. Silver, author of the book Drumming to the Beat of Different Marchers: Finding the Rhythm for Teaching Differentiated Learning and Louisiana State Teacher of the Year, has taught almost every grade level and most every kind of student. In this address, she shares her belief that all children have gifts and that teachers hold the key for getting their students to open them! Get inspired by her new ideas for creative instructional and assessment strategies.

Peter H. Reynolds “Drawing Out the Best: From Our Students, from Ourselves”
General Session – Friday, Nov. 4, 10:30 a.m.—12:00 noon

The Wonderful Classroom™

Creativity champ Peter H. Reynolds is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, and founder of FableVision® Learning, creating technology tools to inspire young writers, artists, and thinkers. He is known worldwide for illustrating the Judy Moody series (soon to be released as a feature film). His “classroom classic” books, The Dot, Ish, and The North Star, embody his mission to inspire all learners to bravely express who they are—and their vision who they hope to become. Join him as he shares his uplifting message and hear more about how you can inspire learners through his philosophy and vision.

Jason Ohler “New Media, New Students—New Literacies, New Citizens"
General Session – Friday, Nov. 4, 4:30 p.m.—6:00 p.m.

Excerpts from NETA Keynote 2006

Writer, teacher, researcher, and lifelong digital humanist Jason Ohler is a passionate promoter of combining innovation, creativity, and digital know-how to help reinvent teaching and learning. Showcasing technology and digital media examples at this general session, Dr. Ohler discusses key issues that define leading and learning in the digital age, and tells us why we need to help students become truly literate in the digital age and how we can help them become active media creators and critical media consumers. Get inspired about new ways of creatively working with your students to help them imagine the world they want to create.

KDP Laureate Panel “Teaching in Today’s World: Four Things You Better Know How To Do”
Saturday, Nov. 5, 10:30—11:45 a.m.
Yes, you are accountable for the success of every one of your students. And, yes, people do and will question your professionalism and the quality of your teaching. But you know that teacher quality is the determining factor in the overall quality of schools and the readiness of your students to compete in the global economy of the 21st Century. So be a “real” professional. Learn what’s most important from four distinguished Laureates who know the issues, know what it takes to be a teaching professional, and can be your role models on the way to a successful career.

Moderator and Panelist: Marilyn Cochran-Smith
Panelists:
     Gloria Ladson-Billings
     Ann Lieberman
   Deborah Meier

	Gloria Ladson-Billings is Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is a former president of AERA. 1. Prepare to be excellent in our diverse society. “Am I really prepared to be a high-quality teacher and to reach every student? If not, here’s what I need to do.”
	Ann Lieberman is an Emeritus Professor from Teachers College, Columbia University, and currently is a senior scholar at Stanford University. She is former president of AERA and formerly a senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 2. Develop yourself into a teacher leader. “To do what’s best for my students, I need to grow as a leader. Here’s why.”
	Deborah Meier is currently at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education as a senior scholar as well as Board member and director of New Ventures at Mission Hill, director and advisor to the Forum for Democracy and Education, and on the Board of The Coalition of Essential Schools. 3. Promote democracy in your classroom. “To prepare my students for the 21st century, I model fairness and practice democracy in my classroom.”
	Marilyn Cochran-Smith, KDP Laureate Representative on the Executive Council, is John E. Cawthorne Chair in Teacher Education for Urban Schools at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and immediate past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). 4. Keep learning throughout your career. “What worked yesterday won’t necessarily work today, so I use inquiry and reflection regularly to improve my practice.”

2011 NTOY Michelle Shearer
“Teaching, Learning, and the Power of the Human Factor”
Closing Banquet – Saturday, Nov. 5

Education at any level is a dynamic responsibility because children of all ages are complex human beings with dreams, goals, talents, flaws, and needs. In her work as an educator, Michelle Shearer, 2011 National Teacher of the Year, believes that everyone with a stake in the success of students must always be conscious of their profound power as people to influence the lives of children. Her teaching philosophy, based on the belief that an educator’s strong positive connection with students is essential to their academic success, centers around a theme she experiences constantly as an educator: when students feel that a teacher is genuinely invested in their progress, they become eager to invest in themselves and take ownership of their educational efforts. America’s education system may search for a novel strategy or technological advancement to ensure academic success for all learners, yet what students most need is to experience positive rapport, high energy, and high morale within every classroom, much of that through interaction with a teacher who understands that human beings are the ultimate inspiration for passionate, productive, life-long learning.