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Record Attendance at Our Annual Conference

Written by Bill Laurienti

More than 100 SmartLab Facilitators attended our annual conference this year in Englewood, CO.

Educators from around the country (and as far away as El Salvador) took time from their summer break to attend our annual week-long workshop.

This year’s theme was 30 Years of Making Makers, which helped us celebrate the anniversary of our first SmartLab in 1987.

We were excited to welcome Ray Ramadorai as our keynote speaker Ramadorai was a middle school student in the first SmartLab and is now a successful aerospace engineer.

His address inspired the attendees and provided a glimpse into the long-term impact of our SmartLab Facilitators’ work.

Attendees learned about the latest in STEM technology and project-based, student-led facilitation techniques.

In addition to a wide range of hands-on workshops and seminars, the daily “Share Fair” provided an opportunity for facilitators to share student work and learn best-practices and management strategies from their peers.

Thanks to all who attended, our staff, and to Englewood School District for hosting this years’ conference.

SmartLab Facilitators show off their Zometool mega-dodecahedron project
SmartLab Facilitators show off their Zometool mega-dodecahedron project

 

Bill.Laurienti
Bill Laurienti

Bill Laurienti is a Content Marketing Specialist at Creative Learning Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education (English) from Colorado Mesa University and a Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching from the University of California's Rossier School of Education. Bill came to CLS after 10 years in the secondary classroom. He believes SmartLabs are important tools for engaging unengaged students and helping them access careers they might not otherwise have imagined.

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