RAFT to provide prototyping resources for upcoming Big Ideas Fest Action Collabs
San Jose, CA (November 29, 2011) – “Whatever creativity is, it is in part a solution to a problem.” – Brian W. Aldiss
Martha Kanter, Under Secretary U.S. Department of Education - one of the speakers at the 2011 Big Ideas Fest
Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) and Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) join hands to focus on transformational change in K-20 education at the annual Big Ideas Fest, December 4th-7th, 2011. The conference gathers top minds, from innovators, speakers, students, to people from foundations and text-book companies, to share their work and ideas in an environment that encourages risk-taking and overall imagining of the impossible.
Big Ideas Fest’s unique format includes RapidFire talks from leading innovators like Martha Kanter, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Danny Hillis, Chairman and Co-founder, Applied Minds and Georgette Yakman, Founder, STEAM Education; interactive networking with education’s movers and shakers; and Action Collabs which are design-thinking labs that engage groups to brainstorm, prototype, and ultimately create scalable solutions to cumbersome issues in education.
A Big Ideas Fest attendee at the last year's event holding up a model made out of RAFT materials.
Greg Brown, Director of Education at RAFT, will facilitate a multi-day Action Collab at this year’s Big Ideas Fest. According to Greg, the Action Collabs protocol is very similar to the creative product development process used every day at RAFT. “The same hands-on approach will enable Big Ideas Fest participants to create and test ideas quickly, and will open the door for exciting products to emerge. I’m confident we will see some powerful and practical solutions come out of these sessions.”
Since its inception, RAFT has focused on helping educators transform a child’s learning experience through ‘hands-on’ education that inspires the joy and discovery of learning. By partnering with Big Ideas Fest, RAFT is further strengthening this focus.
RAFT has also donated the materials for the Action Collabs prototyping sessions this year. Megan Simmons, ISKME Education Program Director, adds, “I’ve been a RAFT fan even before I became the Education Program Manager at ISKME. The materials are awesome at RAFT! I really appreciate how many resources RAFT provides educators. We are very excited to partner with RAFT for the Big Ideas Fest Action Collabs.”
The conference is held at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Half Moon Bay, CA. For more information, please visit www.bigideasfest.org
