iED K12 SUMMIT CALL FOR PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS, DEMOS & OUTLIERS

First annual K12 SUMMIT announced by Immersive Education Initiative

BOULDER, CO - April 23, 2013 - The Immersive Education Initiative today issued an open call for iED K12 Summit papers, posters, workshops, panels, general presentations, demos, and outliers (novel late-breaking research, technologies and techniques).

August 20 is the abstract deadline for papers, September 15 is the abstract deadline for general sessions (posters, workshops, panels, general presentations, and demos) and October 1 is the abstract deadline for outliers. Details are available on the official Immersive Education (iED) K12 Summit website at http://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org/K12

The University of Colorado Boulder will host the first annual Immersive Education K12 Summit from October 24-26, 2013.

Organized specifically for K12 educators and researchers, and businesses specializing in K12 education, the iED K12 Summit will provide attendees with: an in-depth overview of immersive teaching and learning technologies; an exploration of the range of student learning activities using virtual worlds, learning games, augmented reality and other immersive technologies; teacher professional development (PD) and learning; hands-on collaboration and co-creation using immersive platforms; an understanding of the potential for Immersive Education to transform educational opportunities and learning outcomes.

Building on the success of the previous seven years of Immersive Education conferences, the three-day event is organized and sponsored by the MidAmerica Chapter of Immersive Education (iED MidAmerica), iED K12 Technology Working Group (K12.TWG) and iED Scratch Technology Working Group (SCR.TWG).

The iED K12 Summit is open to the global academic and business communities, and experts in immersion, learning games, simulation, virtual reality, augmented reality, creative computing and 3D printing.

About iED Summits

iED Summits are official Immersive Education Initiative conferences organized specifically for educators, researchers, administrators and business leaders. iED Summits consist of presentations, panel discussions, break-out sessions, workshops and demonstrations that provide attendees with an in-depth overview of immersive learning and training platforms, technologies and cutting-edge research from around the world. iED Summits feature new and emerging virtual worlds, virtual reality, learning games, simulations, and related teaching and training tools, techniques, technologies, standards and best practices.

Speakers at iED Summits have included faculty, researchers, and administrators from Boston College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT and MIT Media Lab), The Smithsonian,  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Federation of American Scientists (FAS),  U.S. Department of Education (ED), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Stanford University, Cornell University, Amherst College, Duke University, Oracle Corporation, Turner Broadcasting,  Keio University (Japan), National University of Singapore (NUS), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), University of Oulu (Finland), Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD; France), Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Israel), Graz University of Technology (Austria), University of Essex (UK), University of Vienna (Austria), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS; Brazil) and many more world-class organizations.

iED K12 Summit Topics of Interest

The world's leading K12 experts in virtual worlds, learning games, educational simulations, virtual reality and augmented reality convene October 24-26, 2013 in Boulder, Colorado, USA, for the first annual Immersive Education K12 Summit.

Topics of interest for the iED K12 Summit include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Understanding the range of Immersive Education technologies and platforms

• Virtual Worlds, Simulations, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR)
• Full-body Immersion (e.g., caves, domes, body interfaces, XBox 360 Kinect, Leap Motion, etc.)
• Google Glass, Oculus Rift, Wearable Computing, etc.
• Learning Games, Serious Games and Game-based Teaching &Training
• Creative Computing, 21st Century Skills and Computational Thinking & Learning Systems (e.g., Scratch, Alice, Greenfoot, AgentSheets, etc.)
• Robotics, LEGO Mindstorms, Parrot AR.Drones, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.
• 3D Printing, Design & Rapid Prototyping (e.g., MakerBot, Shapeways, Materialise, Sculpteo, etc.)
• Haptics, Natural Interfaces, Touch Interfaces (e.g., iPad, iPhone, Tablets, Android devices, etc.)
• Immersive production (cave, dome, CGI, etc.) and digital content production
• Web Real Time Communication (webRTC)

2. Delivering improved student learning using Immersive Education technologies, platforms and techniques

• Managing mobile devices, tablets and BYODs (Bring Your Own Devices) in the classroom (e.g., iPad, iPhone, Tablets, Android devices, etc.)
• Differentiating the curriculum to meet individual student learning needs
• Making learning content engaging using virtual worlds, simulators, games, augmented reality and other Immersive Education technologies and platforms
• Adaptive learning platforms and big data in education
• Game-based learning and serious games in the classroom
• Stealth learning through commercial “off the shelf” video games, virtual worlds and other immersive technologies
• Social learning and collaboration between classes and schools
• Distance learning using online learning technologies
• Child-driven learning (autonomous, computer-mediated learning)

3. Enhanced teacher professional networks and collaboration using Immersive Education technologies and platforms

• Immersive Education Certification (iED CERT) and Professional Development (PD) programs
• Teacher exchange and collaboration across school districts and state and national borders
• Online teacher professional development (PD), learning and compliance training
• Professional teacher portfolios and maintaining accreditation standards

Abstract Deadlines

August 20 is the abstract deadline for papers, September 15 is the abstract deadline for general sessions (posters, workshops, panels, general presentations, and demos) and October 1 is the abstract deadline for outliers. Details are available on the official Immersive Education (iED) K12 Summit website at http://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org/K12

Thousands of Members Worldwide

The Immersive Education Initiative is a non-profit international collaboration of universities, colleges, research institutes, consortia and companies that are working together to define and develop open standards, best practices, platforms, and communities of support for virtual reality and game-based learning and training systems. Thousands of faculty, teachers, researchers, staff, administrators and students are members of the Immersive Education Initiative.

About Immersive Education
Immersive Education (ImmersiveEducation.org) combines interactive 3D graphics, commercial game and simulation technology, virtual reality, voice chat (Voice over IP/VoIP), Web cameras (webcams) and rich digital media with collaborative online course environments and classrooms. Immersive Education gives participants a sense of "being there" even when attending a class or training session in person isn't possible, practical, or desirable, which in turn provides educators and students with the ability to connect and communicate in a way that greatly enhances the learning experience. Unlike traditional computer-based learning systems, Immersive Education is designed to immerse and engage students in the same way that today's best video games grab and keep the attention of players. Immersive Education supports self-directed learning as well as collaborative group-based learning environments that can be delivered over the Internet or using fixed-media such as CD-ROM and DVD. Shorter mini-games and interactive lessons can be injected into larger bodies of course material to further heighten and enrich the Immersive Education experience.

Immersive learning and immersive teaching ("Immersive Education") are enabled by the Media Grid.

About the Media Grid
The Media Grid is a public utility for digital media. Based on new and emerging distributed computational grid technologies, the Media Grid builds upon existing Internet and Web standards to create a unique network optimized for digital media delivery, storage, and processing. As an on-demand public computing utility, a range of software programs and Web sites can use the Media Grid for delivery and storage of rich media content, media processing, and computing power. The Media Grid is an open and extensible platform that enables a wide range of applications not possible with the traditional Internet alone, including: Massive Media on Demand (MMoD); Interactive digital cinema on demand; Immersive Education (immersive teaching and immersive learning); Truly immersive multiplayer games and Virtual Reality (VR); Hollywood movie and film rendering, special effects, and composition; Real-time rendering of high resolution graphics; Real-time visualization of complex weather patterns; Real-time protein modeling and drug design; Telepresence, telemedicine, and telesurgery; Vehicle and aircraft design and simulation; Visualization of scientific and medical data.

The Grid Institute leads the design and development of the global Media Grid through the MediaGrid.org open standards organization in collaboration with industry, academia, and governments from around the world.

To learn more about the Media Grid, Immersive Education or the Education Grid visit:
MediaGrid.org, ImmersiveEducation.org and TheEducationGrid.org