Montgomery, Ala. – More than 1,600 career and technical education (CTE) teachers, administrators, and counselors from schools all across the state will travel to Birmingham next week to attend the 2009 Alabama Career and Technical Education Professional Development Conference, July 20-22. Educators attending this conference at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) will have an opportunity to participate in more than 100 different workshops, awards programs, and work sessions.
CTE is a statewide program designed to prepare students for college and a variety of career opportunities in the fields of:
· Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
· Architecture and Construction
· Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications
· Business, Management, and Administration
· Education and Training
· Finance
· Government and Public Administration
· Health Science
· Hospitality and Tourism
· Human Services
· Information Technology
· Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security
· Manufacturing
· Marketing, Sales, and Service
· Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
· Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
Conference co-sponsor, the Alabama Association for Career and Technical Education (AACTE), is affiliated with the National Association for Career and Technical Education. It serves as one of Alabama’s key education resources in Washington D.C., the state legislature, and on Capitol Hill.
Conference Highlights:
Monday - July 20
· Exhibitors Exposition – 11:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
· Opening Session (keynote speaker: Sandy LaBelle) – 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
· Concurrent Workshops – 12:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday - July 21
· Program Specific Sessions and Workshops – 9:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
· Exhibitor Exposition – 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
· General Session – 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday - July 22
· AACTE Annual Business Meeting and Awards Program – 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
· Additional Professional Development Workshops – 9:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Some of the workshops that teachers will have an opportunity to participate in during this year’s conference include:
· “Got Something to Say: Blog it! Updating Your Curriculum Using 21st Century Skills”
· “Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners”
· “Using Technology in the Classroom to Meet the Learning Needs of Students”
· “Online and Free: Resources to Assist in Career Development”
· “Going Paperless! – The Benefits to You, Your Staff, and Your Students”
Conference keynote speaker, Sandy LaBelle, is one of America’s leading experts in combining successful business practices and teaching methods. LaBelle, a 30-year veteran educator, combines a fast-paced motivational presentation with relevant classroom samples, exciting video clips, and her own personal stories to demonstrate the importance of “teaching smarter.” LaBelle’s methods have helped school systems nationwide to improve their students’ classroom behavior and aided teachers in finding a true balance in managing their professional and personal lives.
Currently, one out of every two high school students in Alabama participates in a CTE program. These students explore career options in more than 300 courses, earn advanced diplomas and industry-recognized credentials, receive college credit, and have an opportunity to participate in seven different CTE student organizations.
To learn more about this annual event or any of the other professional development and educational opportunities offered by Alabama’s CTE programs, contact Education Specialist, Dawn Morrison, at (334) 242-9115 or dmorrison@alsde.edu, or visit www.alacte.org.