In 2018, iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) celebrates 30 years of connecting educators and students around the globe together in shaping a more peaceful, just and inclusive world through global citizenship education. Founded in 1988, iEARN begin with connecting a handful of classrooms in the U.S. and Russia through early video conferencing technology. Today, iEARN spans a network of 140 countries, with more than two million students and thousands of educators having participated in iEARN Global Projects.

To celebrate 30 years of global friendship, iEARN-USA will be hosting the 2018 iEARN International Conference and Youth Summit in Winchester, Virginia, July 8-14. Official programming details are available on the conference website at iearn2018.org. Registration will officially open in February 2018.

The theme for this year’s conference is Global Collaboration for Sustainable Development. This conference will celebrate iEARN’s 30-year history of people and projects that have changed the world while also envisioning a future where educators and youth work together to build a more peaceful and sustainable world. The 2018 conference will bring together educators, students, and partners from across the globe to meet and discuss how they will continue to achieve SDGs through global, collaborative project work.

iEARN-USA aims to curate an innovative and engaging conference experience. Interested presenters are encouraged to submit session proposals for any of the following session formats:

Tech/Innovation Lab: The Tech Lab is a space to explore new technology tools to use in the classroom. Presenters will be stationed around the room and share their favorite tool (like Zoom, FlipGrid, Padlet). Attendees will walk around and ask them questions to get hands-on experience and learn how to use new technology tools.

Ignite Talk: Presenters get 5 minutes and must use 20 slides with each slide advancing automatically after 15 seconds, forcing speakers to quickly and succinctly deliver their message. Ignite talks can be about a project experience, an idea for a new project, exploration of a tool, or strategies for collaboration.

Interactive Workshop: Interactive workshops engage participants actively in learning new information or techniques. These workshops are hands-on and activity-based.

Roundtable: These sessions are set in an informal environment. The facilitator introduces a topic and then he/she facilitates a discussion. Attendees engage in discussion, collaborate, and learn from one another.

Poster: Create a display that shares your project, training, or global education work. Posters summarize information or findings in a creative, visual format and generate discussion among viewers.

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