Letter from the CEO

Dear IGNITE Innovators and Educators:

Did you know that the United States ranks below the OECD average in math, reading and science? The results from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics show that teenagers in the U.S. slipped from 25th to 31st in math since 2009; from 20th to 24th in science; and from 11th to 21st in reading. To address this decline, President Obama has proposed a reorganization of STEM education programs in his FY2014 budget request, and he stated the following at the launch of the Brain Initiative in April 2013:

Ideas are what power our economy. It’s what sets us apart. It’s what America has been all about. We have been a nation of dreamers and risk-takers; people who see what nobody else sees sooner than anybody else sees it. We do innovation better than anybody else -- and that makes our economy stronger. When we invest in the best ideas before anybody else does, our businesses and our workers can make the best products and deliver the best services before anybody else.

I personally believe that students who pursue our DI Challenges score higher than the OECD averages. This is important to know since STEM-related careers will increase in demand from 20% today to 50% in the next few years. At IGNITE you will have the opportunity to network with our global partners and educators to learn about the skills and knowledge students must have to become the next generation of innovators and leaders in STEM fields. This is a must attend conference for those of you that work in STEM education.

See you there,Dr. Chuck CadleCEO

Thursday, July 24, 20146:30 PM - Welcome Reception

Friday, July 25, 20147:30 AM - Breakfast8:30 AM - General Session - Cheryl “Action “ Jackson10:00 AM - General Session - Audio Video Adventure11:30 AM - Lunch1:00 PM - Breakout Session 12:30 PM - Breakout Session 24:00 PM - Breakout Session 36:00 PM - CSOIC Launch Reception7:30 PM - Affiliate Awards Dinner

Saturday, July 26, 20147:00 AM - Breakfast8:00 AM - General Session8:30 AM - Breakout Session 110:00 AM - Breakout Session 2 11:30 AM - Lunch12:30 PM - Keynote - Bernie Trilling 2:00 PM - Breakout Session 33:30 PM - Breakout Session 45:30 PM - Evening Shuttles

Conference Agenda

Workshop Schedule

Friday, July 25

Using Roadmap to Train New Team Managers

Sheila Swanson & Andrew Whitmire

Friday - 1:00 - 2:30 PM

The Destination Imagination resources Roadmap is the central document to guide Team Managers through

the Challenge season. This session will demonstrate techniques and strategies for utilizing Roadmap in

training Team Managers throughout the program year.

Speaking "Educationese": Being Informed with Educators

Ben Jones

Friday - 1:00 - 2:30 PM

This session is designed to cover the important educational language used to discuss the Destination

Imagination Program with educators. Intended for Affiliate Directors and representatives, this session will

help add the language of education to your marketing toolkit while increasing your comfort with approaching

educators about Destination Imagination.

Storytelling 101: Ideas & Structure

Adam Stackhouse

Friday - 1:00 - 2:30 PM

Everyone is a storyteller. From dinner table conversations to meetings in the workplace to DI Challenge

performances, stories impact many aspects of daily work and play. This workshop will include exercises and

group games on idea generation, story structure, and character building for storytellers of all levels.

Participants will also practice public speaking through performance, working with others to deliver their

stories to an audience.

Getting Your Team to WOW!

Barbara Magee Friday – 1:00 – 2:30 PM

Truly creative teams are able to WOW the Appraisers with their solutions. In this session, Barbara McGee

will help provide strategies for Team Managers to help guide their teams to those moments of WOW within

their Challenge solutions. Be prepared for a fun, interactive experience sure to knock your socks off!

DI as a Business: Preparing for Growth

Li Xiao

Friday - 1:00 - 2:30 PM

DI China has seen an explosion of team interest in recent years. In this session, Affiliate Director, Li Xiao,

will discuss the ways in which he has been able to leverage resources to prepare for and continue to expand

on this growth.

The Wells Approach to Team Managing

Johnny Wells

Friday - 1:00 - 4:00 PM

In this session long-time Team Manager, Regional Director and Team Manager, Johnny Wells, will share his

approach his to training a team to excel at learning through their solutions to Destination Imagination

Challenges. He will share strategies for developing creative thinking skills, building stronger collaboration and

producing solutions that truly reflect a team’s creativity and spirit. Whether you’re a veteran volunteer or

someone new to the DI program, you will not want to miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best!

Getting to Know You: Building Community Relationships

Dana Riley

Friday – 1:00 – 4:00 PM

This fun, interactive session will show you all the many ways you can connect with local agencies,

government and others who can help you achieve your DI goals. We will participate in activities that will

open your mind to who you need to add to your “Friends” list and demonstrate how to work together toward

a common goal.

Getting Your Team to WOW!

Barbara Magee Friday – 2:30 – 4:00 PM

Truly creative teams are able to WOW the Appraisers with their solutions. In this session, Barbara McGee

will help provide strategies for Team Managers to help guide their teams to those moments of WOW within

their Challenge solutions. Be prepared for a fun, interactive experience sure to knock your socks off!

Improv for Beginners: Warm-ups & Exercises

Adam Stackhouse

Friday - 2:30 - 4:00 PM

In this highly interactive workshop, participants will learn and play a variety of improv warm-up games and

exercises while being introduced to the basic rules of improvisation. From communication and creative idea

generation to group support and self-confidence, these improv activities will provide you with the basics

needed to enhance any DI team meeting!

Social Media 101

Max Kringen & Tina Shaffer

Friday – 2:30 – 4:00 PM

Social Media platforms are a key way to extend the reach of any organization. This session will present the

basics of creating and managing organizational accounts on several of the most popular social media

platforms. Participants are encouraged to bring their computers for this session.

Participation Trends in the US- Turning the Tide

Kris Beisel

Friday - 2:30 - 4:00 PM

Kris Beisel will address the current Destination Imagination Affiliate growth trends in this session designed

for Affiliate Directors and Affiliate Growth Directors.

Engaging and Keeping Your Volunteers

Robin Popik

Friday 2:30 – 4:00 PM

Volunteers are key to keeping our Affiliates up and running. During this workshop you will learn recruitment

techniques; how handle those challenging volunteers; how to build a succession plan; and the importance of

volunteer recognition.

Creating Strong School Partners

Panel Discussion

Friday - 4:00 - 5:30 PM

Hear from Affiliate Directors and their school partners on forming a strong partnership that benefits the

students and teachers within the district. Hear how these Affiliates have successfully partnered with schools

to create growth in the Affiliate ain order to impact more students.

Using Pathways to increase Revenue and Participation

Ben Jones

Friday - 4:00 - 5:30 PM

In Affiliates that have embraced the Pathways program, growth in both team count and revenue has been

demonstrated in just the first two years of roll-out. In this session, you will learn how Affiliates can utilize the

Pathways program and resources from Destination Imagination, Inc. headquarters (DIHQ) to create another

significant source of growth.

Social Media 301

Max Kringen & Tina Shaffer

Friday – 4:00 – 5:30 PM

Now that you’ve mastered the art of establishing a presence on the social media networks, it’s time to take it

to the next level! In this session, you will learn about social media advertising and how to approach social

media in a strategic fashion, including using the free Hootsuite tool to monitor and manage all of your

accounts in one place.

Evaluating Creativity

Ellie Stetson & Carrie Thompson

Friday - 4:00 - 5:30 PM

This “train the trainer” interactive session will focus on the methods of evaluating creativity using new

creativity rubrics as guidelines to help Team Managers understand and appreciate the levels of creativity to

help their teams succeed as well as to help Appraisers with scoring. We will examine the new rubrics and

discuss why rubrics are important for the entire DI community—teams, Team Managers and Appraisers! We

will also explain how we used the rubics this year to expedite the Awards Process. We hope to have an

extended Q&A to ensure everyone understands the material.

The Importance of Instant Challenge in Training a Team

Andrew Whitmire & Sheila Swanson

Friday - 4:00 - 5:30 PM

Instant Challenge is not just a part of the tournament. Teams can use Instant Challenge to learn new skills

which transfer to Team Challenge and beyond. Participants will learn how to adapt and use Instant

Challenges as tools for building a team's skills in several areas essential to a successful Challenge solution.

Training the Experienced TM

Johnny Wells

Friday - 4:00 - 5:30 PM

Being a Team Manager is an on-going learning experience. The ability to continuously offer fresh, relavant

training is essential to maintaining Team Manager retention as well as creating meaningful growth in your

Affiliate. Understanding the training needs of experienced Team Managers is an essential first step to creating

an excellent training program.

Non-profit Financial Health and Strategic Planning

Mike Judkins

Friday 4:00-5:30 PM

Planning and strategy are an important aspect of every successful business, non-profits should not be

excluded. This session will explore the ideas and best practices of strategic planning, budgeting, goal

setting/measuring, and financial planning and how they relate to running a DI Affiliate and Region. Learn

how to make planning and budgeting easy and fun so that these crucial business tasks are something that your

volunteers want to participate in! Utilizing the skills in this session will help your DI organization to focus,

grow, and prosper in an ever changing business landscape.

Saturday, July 26

The Reset Council: Interactive Challenges in the 21st Century Classroom

AudioVisual Adventure

Saturday – 8:30 - 11:30 AM

In this session participants will learn about the benefits of multi-platform, or "transmedia," educational

curriculum, including an introduction to The Reset Council, a challenge-based classroom activity launching in

the fall of 2014. Transmedia educational content combines established aspects of classroom teaching—

primary source analysis, student collaboration, and correlation-based lesson plans—with additional

interactive components including digital media and feedback from participants beyond the classroom. This

session will include both instruction and workshop content while providing new perspectives on

incorporating interactive learning into any classroom setting.

Exemplary 21st Century Learning: What Is it?

Helen Soule

Saturday - 8:30 - 10:00 AM

Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ (P21) Patterns of Innovation 21st Century Learning Exemplar Program

illuminates common practices among exemplar schools that bring 21st century learning to life. Designed to

showcase what exemplary practices look like in communities across the United States, and what it takes to

make exemplary 21st century learning happen, these case studies from P21’s pilot Exemplar Program

examine how schools and districts committed to working as a learning community can ensure that students

are ready for the real-world challenges of college, career, and citizenship.

Using Destination Imagination to Develop 21st Century Skills

Gerald Fussell

Saturday - 8:30 - 10:00 AM

In this presentation participants will look at the rhetoric around 21st Century Learning and explore how DI

develops the core skills our children need for success beyond school. Ideally, people will leave the

presentation able to articulate to educational decision makers why DI will help them to achieve many of the

goals they should be focused on and how to do it.

The Invention Experience

Josh Neubert

Saturday - 8:30 - 11:30

How do you inspire and excite students in the classroom? Use the Invention Experience! In this workshop,

teachers will be trained on the successful invention process used by startups and technology inventors across

the world. Each workshop is a hands-on guided tour through the process of invention and entrepreneurship.

Teachers will learn how to fit their existing lesson plans into an “invention mindset” and use the simple 6 step

process to engage students in any content area you’re teaching! At the conclusion of the workshop, teachers

will leave with an Invention Guidebook and a set of worksheets that they can use with their students that will

turn any lesson plan, into a hands-on, exciting experience for students of any age!

Create a Dynamic Classroom Environment that Ignites Imagination, Innovation and Collaboration!

Judith Ross

Saturday - 8:30 - 11:30

Explore research-supported ways to create a 21st century classroom environment that supports Common

Core standards, technology/interactive media, innovation, and collaboration– all within the context of play-

based teaching and learning! This interactive session features an engaging powerpoint, demonstrations, group

participation activities, and many opportunities for brainstorming and sharing ideas. Participants will receive

handouts that feature innovative ideas for creative room setup and organization, interactive bulletin boards,

team building activities, and much more.

Micromessaging to Reach and Teach Every Student

Tegwin Pulley

Saturday - 8:30 - 11:30

Micromessages are small, subtle, unconscious messages we send and receive in our communication with

others in the form of a gesture, word choice, treatment, or even tone of voice. These messages can be either

positive (micro-affirmations) or negative (micro-inequities). Without awareness, educators, parents and other

adults may inadvertently communicate micro-inequities that discourage students from engaging in courses,

and ultimately careers, in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The Reset Council

Audio Video Adventure

Saturday - 8:30 - 11:30

The Reset Council is an interactive, educational experience that empowers participants to make governing

decisions for a fictitious city. The results of their decisions are brought to life in the "real world" and city

website through news, radio reports, blog posts, personal testimonials, custom artistic works and much more.

The citizens, stories, landscape, and challenges of Reset are constantly evolving in response to participant

decisions, in a real-time governance simulation blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

Project Management in the Classroom

Diane Fromm

Saturday - 10:00 - 11:30

The 21st Century Skills Map provides a crosswalk between project management skills, 21st century skills and

career pathways. The Skills Map not only shows which of the 21st century skills are learned through the four

stages of a learning project, it also provides tips, guidance, and example projects that incorporate methods

that make managing and leading learning projects more straightforward, more productive, and a deeper and

more exciting learning experience for both teachers and students.

Affirmation: A Relentless Focus on What is Going Right

Johnny Wells

Saturday - 10:00 - 11:30

In a culture often ruled by testing and how many questions a student got wrong, we often lose sight of the

things our students are doing right. Award-winning educator, Johnny Wells, will discuss his belief that the key

to a successful classroom is a positive environment, rich with encouragement and the recognition of success

whenever possible.

Instant Challenge: Rapid Project-Based Learning

Andrew Whitmire & Sheila Swanson

Saturday - 10:00 - 11:30

Project-based learning has been demonstrated to be an effective teaching method for many age levels, but can

be time-consuming to plan and carry-out. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use Instant

Challenges and tools for building project-based learning skills in much shorter timeframes than long-term

projects. These Challenges typically take 5-10 minutes to complete and can address a wide array of content

and critical thinking skills which can then transfer to other content areas and longer-term projects.

Deeper Learning through Global Collaboration Projects

Honor Moorman

Saturday - 10:00 - 11:30

Global collaboration projects are an authentic and meaningful way to engage students in deeper learning. By

working collaboratively with peers around the world, students are challenged to think critically and

communicate effectively while drawing on multiple perspectives to solve complex problems and addressing

real-world issues. In this session, you will participate in a simulation of a global collaboration project designed

to help you experience and understand how they contribute to students’ deeper learning. This session will

introduce you to the “what, why, and how” of global collaboration, including a comprehensive resource of

existing projects for every grade level and content area.

Playful Learning: Bringing Game-Based Learning to Your Classroom!

Peter Stidwill

Saturday - 10:00 - 11:30

Play is how we learn best. An entire world of games exists to support learning that hasn't been at a teacher’s

fingertips—until now. Playful Learning is a national initiative supporting educators using games in education.

We aim to introduce playful systems and engaging games that meet needs and ignite passions in the

classroom. Learn how to access free tools that help you find the games you need and plug them into a larger

professional community of educators using games in the classroom. Come play with us!

LED Pop-Up Cards

Marie Bjerede

Saturday - 2:00 - 3:00

In this workshop you will use low-cost materials, such as paper, LEDs, conductive tape and coin cell

batteries, to create electrical circuits. The technology work will be embedded in a craft project—creating pop-

up cards for any occasion. While creating our own masterpieces, we will discuss how this project can serve to

illustrate the basics of electricity and engineering (particularly debugging!) to young people.

Project Management in the Classroom

Diane Fromm

Saturday - 2:00 - 3:30

Have you been searching for a solution to help you and your students manage classroom projects better? The

solution is here: project management skills and tools. Whether you teach using a project-based learning or

other approaches, class projects can be a powerful learning method. Students can learn so much from leading

and managing their own projects with guidance and support of teachers familiar with the common principles

and practices of successful project management.

Games and Inventive Technology: A New Day for Learning

Briana Pressey & Anna Li

Saturday - 2:00 - 3:30

The growing access to and use of technology in the home and in the classroom is undeniable. As technologies

gain an increasingly strong foothold in the classroom, there are more surveys seeking to gauge teachers’

practices and attitudes towards integrating devices, software and tools into instruction. The Joan Ganz

Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop will present themes from their Comparative Analysis of Teacher Surveys

report, which stitches together findings from five national surveys of teachers on their technology practices,

perceptions, and attitudes. They will also discuss ideas in game-based learning, the research-based game

landscape, and some current practices of teachers who do use digital games in the classroom.

EIE: Engineering is Elementary

Cynthia Holcomb

Saturday - 2:00 - 3:30

The EiE Curriculum is the nation's leading engineering curriculum for grades 1 - 5. This session provides an

overview of the engaging, project-based engineering activities that integrate creativity, critical thinking and

problem-solving skills with science instruction through research-based, teacher-tested lessons. Come see what

EiE is all about, and how it provides the foundation for a strong STEM education.

Pursuing Creativity through Meaningful Rigor

Ben Jones

Saturday - 2:00 - 3:30

Academic rigor has been a topic at the forefront of education for decades and it is only becoming more and

more important in the 21st century classroom. This workshop will focus on how teachers can achieve

rigorous learning through fun and creative learning experiences for students. By allowing students to generate

and interact with creative content, teachers can more effectively and efficiently explore deeper learning with

their students.

Create a Dynamic Classroom Environment that Ignites Imagination, Innovation and Collaboration!

Judith Ross

Saturday - 2:00 - 3:30

Explore research-supported ways to create a 21st century classroom environment that supports Common

Core standards, technology/interactive media, innovation, and collaboration– all within the context of play-

based teaching and learning! This interactive session features an engaging powerpoint, demonstrations, group

participation activities, and many opportunities for brainstorming and sharing ideas. Participants will receive

handouts that feature innovative ideas for creative room setup and organization, interactive bulletin boards,

team building activities, and much more.

A Guide to Academic Competitions

Josh Neubert

Saturday - 2:00 - 5:00

Learn how to take advantage of more than 2,000 academic competitions available to K-12 teachers!

Zozude.com has studied these programs to help teachers understand the 6 common models of competitions,

and developed a process to help make it easier to implement the best programs suited for your classroom. In

this workshop you will gain an understanding of all the common types of competitions. You will be guided

through creating a “Competition Roadmap” for your classroom, and you will be introduced to our “Strengths

Analysis” to help you identify the best competitions that are uniquely suited to you and your students! At the

end of this program, teachers will be knowledgeable about the entire spectrum of challenge-based learning,

and be able to put this knowledge into action by using more of these powerful programs at their school.

Flipping Creativity into Your Classroom: An Introduction to Flipped Learning

Kathryn Lanier

Saturday - 2:00 - 5:00

Do you want more class time for creativity and application of knowledge? Are you ready to try flipping your

class? We will look at best practices in the flipped classroom. Learn how to make most of the time you have

in class with students by rearranging your class structure. We will discuss the nuts and bolts of how to start a

successful flipped class. Learn how to transform one of your lessons into a flipped lesson from start to finish

using free resources. Participants will have the opportunity to create a video. Please bring a laptop.

Teaching STEM and Literacy to Early Learners

Ben Jones

Saturday - 3:30 - 5:00

With the rising expectations of content standards for the pre-K and kindergarten classroom, teachers are

searching for solutions to the "STEM" problem. In this session, STEM educator, Ben Jones, will demonstrate

how the STEM and Literacy Pathways program from Destination Imagination can be an affordable teacher

resource for addressing these learning needs for the early learner. This program uses short, creative activities

to engage students in a special brand of playful learning that has shown itself to be successful in schools all

across the country.

Playful Learning: Bringing Game-Based Learning to Your Classroom!

Peter Stidwill

Saturday - 3:30 - 5:00

Play is how we learn best. An entire world of games exists to support learning that hasn't been at a teacher’s

fingertips—until now. Playful Learning is a national initiative supporting educators using games in education.

We aim to introduce playful systems and engaging games that meet needs and ignite passions in the

classroom. Learn how to access free tools that help you find the games you need and plug them into a larger

professional community of educators using games in the classroom. Come play with us!

Innovations in Teaching and Learning

Holly Ludgate

Saturday - 3:30 - 5:00

In this 90-minute session, you will learn about new ideas, trends and technologies popping up in schools all

across the world. Explore innovative teaching approaches being implemented to encourage more effective

learning experiences and how it can apply to you and your students. Discover what has been realized about

these emerging trends in teaching and learning and what is on the horizon, utilizing the NMC K-12 Horizon

Report.