The Education Fund will host the 2018 Idea Expo – The Teacher Conference Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Miami International Airport Convention Center, 711 NW 72 Ave., with 95 workshops showcasing many of the teachers who helped earn Miami-Dade County Public Schools its first “A” rating from the state.
The Idea Expo is the largest teacher’s conference in South Florida, drawing the region’s most talented educators to showcase their best practices. Teachers will share their work in every subject area including STEM, language arts, history, social studies and finance with their colleagues across the school district.
“Our local teachers are doing great work and the Expo allows them to share their successes and learn from each other,” said Linda Lecht, president of The Education Fund.
Here is a look at some of the innovative teachers showcasing their work at the year’s Expo.
• Susanne Banas, South Miami Middle School, teaches coding by having her students orchestrate an aerial ballet using drones.
• Zeny Ulloa, Kendale Lakes Elementary School, showcases how to use Amazon’s Alexa as a teaching tool and a teaching assistant.
• Ileen Martin, Southwood Middle School, sparks her students’ interest in reading the classics by pitting Macbeth against the galaxy’s great villain, Darth Vader.
• La Shanda West, Cutler Bay High School, hosts an entrepreneur competition like Shark Tank for students to test their entrepreneurship skills and challenge their perceptions of the business world.
Nationally renowned STEM Educator Fredi Lajavardi, whose robotics high school team took the top prize in a collegiate competition, begins the teacher workshop with his stories from the classroom. Lajavardi’s accomplishments inspired the motion picture Spare Parts, the documentary Underwater Dreams and the IMAX film Dream Big.
The annual Idea Expo, with major sponsorship from TD Bank, Ford Motor Company, Assurant, Verizon Foundation, FPL and Learning A to Z, is part of The Education Fund’s efforts to strengthen curricula, student achievement and teacher leadership by identifying and connecting teachers who exemplify professionalism and creativity in their classrooms.
The Idea EXPO is open to the public and is geared to teachers working with students from elementary through high school.
Teachers receive eight master plan points. Tickets are $79 and include breakfast, lunch and curriculum how-to packets.
Cost is $79 per person at the door (credit cards only).
The Education Fund’s current initiatives, including Food Forests for Schools, Ideas with IMPACT, Teach-A-Thon, Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials, SmartPath, For The Love of Art Annual Charity Auction and Taste of Education, bring innovative methods to our schools, inform the community about public education, and encourage private sector investment in public education. A winner of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s NOVO Award for non-profit excellence, The Education Fund’s investments to improve public education have totaled more than $52 million. The Education Fund’s goal is to ensure all students succeed.
Visit www.educationfund.org.
