Attendees will be challenged to expand their understanding of professional development education at the annual conference of Learning Forward, December 6-10 in Nashville. The event will offer a mix of new, creative programming that emphasizes collaboration and technological innovation in professional development.

In the spirit of cooperative learning, the Redesign Challenge will bring teachers, instructional coaches, and district leaders together for a new crowdsourcing initiative. Attendees will learn more about a new online community that will launch a series of collaborative challenges over the next year. The project’s most popular ideas will then be tested in select schools.

Another special session, the PD Redesign Toolkit, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will help attendees evaluate the best tools and protocols for improving professional development.

Attendees will also get to see the latest in professional development tech up close. Education technology company edSurge will host a Cocktail Hour Conversation to help attendees find the right products and choose the appropriate technology to support professional development in their school districts. Keeping with the interactive approach, those attending the Learning Hangout are invited to “bring an open mind and your mobile device” to a series of short hands-on sessions to experience new digital tools, such as mobile apps for kindergarteners and a K-12 social learning network.

The Week Ahead

December 6-10: The 60th Annual Convention & Trade Show of the American Association of Equine Practitioners will feature information about virtually every aspect of equine care and management at this Salt Lake City event. The convention aims to balance sessions in horse health and wellness with the business side of the equine industry.

December 7-10: The Society for Risk Analysis will open the floor to a wide array of opinions at its annual meeting, with the theme The Common Denominator. The Denver event will provide an open forum on risks posed to human health, the environment, human activities, and more.

Down the Line

December 14-16: The Association for Jewish Studies’ 46th annual conference in Baltimore will look back through centuries of Jewish history while exploring issues currently facing the Jewish community. Discussions will range from Power and Knowledge in the Seventeenth-Century Portuguese Rabbinate to Contemporary Artists Exploring Women in Tanach and Talmud.

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