THURSDAY, APRIL 28
CONFERENCE OPENING
8:45 am
RACE TO THE BEST
Gordon Jackson, Assistant Superintendent
California Department of Education, Sacramento, CA
Gordon is the Director of the Learning Support and Partnerships Division (LSPD). His Division coordinates funding processes and provides technical assistance for a wide array of programs, which include Healthy Start, After School Programs, School and Community Violence Prevention, Counseling Support Services, Tobacco Use Prevention, Foster Youth Services, Mental Health Services, Service Learning, educational options, and more.
Gordon completed his undergraduate studies at the California State University, Chico and completed his senior year at the Universite d’Aix-Marseille in Southern France. He returned to Chico to complete graduate studies and student teaching at the secondary level in Paradise, California. Gordon enjoyed ten years as a high school English, French, ESL, speech and drama teacher and another ten years as a high school administrator. Gordon had the opportunity to open the then new Natomas High School in Sacramento in 1994, and he worked tirelessly to build a high school like none other with a clear focus on the well being and full engagement of its students. Gordon came to the Department in 1999 and served as the manager of the District and School Program Coordination Office, which provided technical assistance to schools and districts in NCLB’s Program Improvement status, for eight years.
SPACE SCHOOL MUSICAL
9:15-9:45 am
KidTribe has teamed up with NASA to create an entertainingly educational "hip-hopera" DVD series called "Space School Musical." Featuring the ultra-talented kids from Los Angeles' Hamilton High School, get ready to go on a roof-raising tour of the solar system in an out-of-this-world live performance. Who knew science could be so cool?
Check out the Space School Musical Trailer
COLLECTIVE PURPOSE
12:30 pm
Collective Purpose is a group of performing artists whose mission is to elevate, ‘edu-tain’ and enlighten others through their words and work. Through a gritty delivery of poetic lyrics of inspirational realism, this trio of poets, continue to grow and develop an authentic sound accented with the synergy of Hip Hop Soul with witty, metaphorical and melodical twist. Collective Purpose understands the transformative power or art. As artist, they are committed to utilizing creative expression as a means to inspire others to become truth seekers, truth speakers and positive change agents.
The work of Collective Purpose is centered on connecting and strengthening the community through providing opportunities for people to engage in dialog. Their hope is for people to gain an appreciation and understanding of the arts not just entertainment, but as a movement that has the power to effect, heal and transform our community. Together and with close associates, they created and produce the most popular spoken word/poetry venue in San Diego, ELEVATED!!! For almost 4 years they have provided a space for up and coming artists, new writers, and community activists to share their words and art.
Instrumentation
Kendrick Dial- Poet
Ant Black-Poet
Rudy Francisco-Poet
Jason Bennett-Bass
Kevin Henderson-drums
Roger Smith-Keyboards
www.sonicbids.com/collectivepurpose
ADORA SVITAK
1:00pm - 1:30pm
Called a "tiny literary giant" by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, twelve-year-old Adora Svitak is the world's youngest teacher and the published author of two books. She explores new technologies and their possibilities in education through her teaching and speaking. Adora's daily video conferences with students from around the world have earned her Berrien RESA's "Best Author and Expert" award for distance learning two years in a row. Adora's books are Flying Fingers, an engaging how-to handbook on writing for teachers, parents, and kids from a student's point of view, and Dancing Fingers, a collection of poetry she co-authored with her sister Adrianna.Adora teaches students every day and posts her teaching videos online for educators and students to watch and learn. She also works with school districts and schools to present to teachers on technology integration and best practices. Adora travels around the country, giving keynotes and featured speeches to share her kids' eye view of learning and teaching. Adora frequents national and international media outlets including NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and CNN to advocate for education innovation around the world. A prolific writer on education and education technology, Adora has written for EdTech Magazine and the New Oriental Magazine (China). A prodigious blogger, Adora writes frequent posts on 21st-century learning at The Educators' Royal Treatment, a blog dedicated to education. She was nominated in 2009 for the Edublogs Student Blog Award.
To watch her daily teaching, please visit www.youtube.com/adorasvitak and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/adora-svitak.
For more info about Adora, please visit www.adorasvitak.com
BOOST BREAK WITH EXHIBITORS
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
VILLAGEFEST- STREET FAIR
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Locals and tourists happily mingle at the Palm Springs Villagefest held year round every Thursday evening on Palm Canyon Drive. An open-air street fair with more than 200 booths offering live music, fresh fruit stands, artists, craftsman, unique foods, and street entertainers to charm the crowd is a must for conference-goers. Admission is free and within walking distance from all of the BOOST conference hotels!
The Palm Springs Art Museum offers free public admission every Thursday evening from 4-8pm during downtown Villagefest! The Art Museum currently has 28 galleries, five art storage vaults, two sculpture gardens, four classrooms/resource centers, a 90-seat lecture hall, the 433-seat Annenberg Theater, a Museum Store and a Café in an architecturally significant building designed by architect E. Stewart Williams at the base of Mount San Jacinto. An adjacent Administration building contains offices and a 12,000-volume Library.
