Previewing the 2nd Annual (and free) Civics of Technology Conference
By Marie K. Heath
A year and half ago we started the Civics of Technology with the hope of bringing together educators interested in interrogating technology. Over this time we’ve posted weekly blogs, shared curriculum, met for book discussions and monthly tech talks, and hosted our 1st annual Civics of Technology conference. Bringing people together in a common space to learn alongside each other and build community is central to the work of our project, which is why we are so excited to preview our 2nd annual Civics of Technology conference to be held virtually on August 3rd and 4th, 2023!
Last year the conference centered on Visioning Just Futures, and this year we'd like to turn toward the work of enacting these futures. This year’s theme of Liberatory Tech Action builds on our project motto, “Technologies are not neutral and neither are the societies into which they are introduced.” Many of our blog posts, monthly Tech Talk sessions, and book clubs have advanced liberatory tech action.. We hope the conference helps participants answer the question on our home page, how can we advance technology education for just futures?
Similar to last year’s conference, we’ve tried to reimagine what we want a conference to be.
First, we’ve made the conference free and open to anyone who registers and verifies their identity. Conferences don’t always need to be $500 and sponsored by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. (Here we need to give an appreciative shout out to our universities, Loyola University of Maryland’s Center for Equity, Justice, and Leadership in Education and University of North Texas, who have agreed to sponsor our keynote speakers this year.) All our sessions will be synchronous on Zoom and many videos will be posted on the conference page afterward. Second, we’ve told our presenters to be creative in their sessions. Some sessions will be informational and others may ask you to participate in a lesson or activity. We are of course VERY excited by our keynotes Drs. Luci Pangrazio and Roxana Marachi. We are also delighted that frequent CoT contributors Charles Logan and Michelle Ciccione will be leading a plenary session on Friday on Practicing Everyday Resistance and Refusal of Ed Tech.
We are finalizing the schedule, but I’d just like to take a moment to tease a few of the following session titles, which frankly, sound amazing.
Ethical AI and the Construction of Dis/Ability
Exploring the relationship between EdTech Teacher Ambassador and Multi-level Marketing Programs
Resisting Algorithmic Harm: Community Mobilization in Labor, Criminal Justice & Education
The Drowning of Teacher Voices by means of Techno-solutionism and Neoliberal Interference
Critical questions, speculative futures: Using speculative exercises to work against techno-inevitability in a First Year Seminar
We will have the entire conference schedule and sessions posted shortly. In the meantime, be sure to register so that you can join us on August 3rd and 4th!