AUGUSTA – Imagine! Learning by making and doing, storytelling, programming and coding; that’s what students love and there is a hands-on learning conference designed just for them. Maine’s Learning Technology Initiative is holding its 2016 MLTI Student Conference on Thursday, May 26 at the University of Maine, Orono. Students from over 50 schools across Maine will gather for experiential, hands-on sessions for students to learn with their MLTI devices.
Story telling will be a prominent component for these students and a Maine historical icon and well-known Maine author will attend, together with those responsible for an artist’s rendition of the author’s true-life story. Donn Fendler will join the conference. His story of survival captivated Maine and the nation for nine days in 1939 and became the best-selling book Lost on a Mountain in Maine (required reading in most of Maine’s 4th grade classrooms). He, along with children’s author Lynn Plourde and artist Ben Bishop, authors of their graphic novel version based on Fendler’s original story will be featured guests at the Student Conference and Lost on a Mountain in Maine will be the theme of the Uber Session, which will be attended by all 1000 participants.
“The MLTI Student Conference, a first-of-a-kind opportunity for students is now in its 13th year. As far as we know, Maine is the only state offering statewide, hands-on, one to one student technology conferences. We are already hearing about students who are excited about this year’s focus on learning by making and doing, and the opportunity to meet Don Fendler, Lynn Plourde, and Ben Bishop is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Maine’s students,” says Mike Muir, MLTI Director.
You can read more about the conference here. The agenda is available here: http://maine.gov/doe/mlti/student/studentconference/schedule/index.html
One of the goals of the MLTI Student Conference is to get students on a college campus. This year’s Conference will be located on the UMaine campus in Orono. Headquarters and whole group sessions will be at the Collins Center for the Arts.
Members of the media are invited to join the conference. Suggested times for Conference activities include: Welcome & Student Keynote from 8:45 – 9:30 a.m., Hands on breakout sessions from 9:40 – 11:55 and Uber Session from 1:10 – 2:10 p.m.
Team members would be available for interviews at 8 – 8:30 a.m., 10 – noon and after 2:45 p.m.
For more information contact, Director of Maine Learning through Technology Initiative Mike Muir, at mike.muir@maine.gov or Director of Communications Anne Gabbianelli at anne.gabbianelli@maine.gov or call 624-6747/ 592-4439.
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