04/10/14
A high-intensity, one-day conference focusing on Google Apps for Education and other Open Education Resources to promote teaching and learning in classrooms across Kansas is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 21, in Fort Hays State University's Memorial Union.

Michael J. Graham, assistant principal of Westside High School in Jonesboro, Ark., will keynote the Wild West Cloud Fest conference, sponsored by the university's Kansas Center for Innovative Education.

"This event is put on for the purpose of teaching educators how to use these free, open source products and services," said Dr. Robert Moody, associate professor of advanced education programs. "Educators should not have to pay to harness the educational potential of these programs."

Graham is the author of "Google Meets Common Core" and a certified trainer for Google Apps for Education. He manages and develops technology related professional development that improves instruction for teachers at his school and around the nation.

Educators from across Kansas will host 45-minute round table discussions during breakout sessions on various topics from setting up a domain to using Google Hangouts.

Throughout the event, representatives from FHSU's Virtual College, KCIE, the FHSU Alumni Office, and the Science and Mathematics Education Institute among others, will have information on hand about products and services they offer.

The Cloud Fest welcomes anyone who is interested in finding out more about leveraging Google Apps for Education and other Open Educational Resources in order to compensate for declining budgets, increased accountability and rapidly developing technologies.

The fee for the event is $60 with registration due Monday, April 14. For more information or to enroll in the workshops for credit, visit www.fhsu.edu/kcie/events.