Schools MUST have effective leaders that can facilitate their transformation from an industrial-age orientation. Unfortunately, the people in charge of leading schools into the 21st century often are the least knowledgeable about the 21st century. What does effective leadership of digital, global learning organizations look like? The answer to this question is critical for the future of schools because if the leaders don't get it, it's not going to happen.

Today's educators have amazing tools, nearly at their fingertips. How do we put them in the hands of learners so they'll be ready for the world that awaits?

Pete Cashmore is the founder of one of the hottest and profitable Social Media News Networks - Mashable. It would be interesting to hear his take on the trends and tools for 21st century learning.

Through the Use of Technology :
* Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,
* Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
* Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

Despite the millions (billions?) of dollars spent on instructional technology over the past decade, most classrooms look and work very much the same as they did 50 years ago. Why? What did we do wrong? What can we do to make it right?

What will it take for 21s Century tools to be considered a critical component of education to help more students learn, achieve and reach their potential?

What is the role of architecture in 21st century teaching and learning? How does educational technology fit into contemporary school design? What do modern learning environments look like? What's the impact of one's surroundings in the learning process?

Students have an opportunity to learn in unprecedented ways by using new social networking tools. However, they are unavailable in many districts. How can these tools be leveraged to revolutionize the learning process?

*raising expectations
*moving to problem-based learning
*using higher-order thinking skills with technology (away from the computer skill basics)

Over the last 30 years, neuroscience research has led to a better understanding of the processes involved in effective reading and learning. How can we use these findings to boost brain processing efficiency and accelerate learning to help all students reach their academic potential?

ELL students—the nation’s fastest growing K-12 population—are challenged to learn both the English language and academic content at grade level simultaneously. Who are the ELLs in our schools? (The vast majority are born in the U.S., are U.S. citizens, and begin school in kindergarten and first grade with their monolingual English-speaking peers.) What types of language education programs work, based on scientific research? What funding and resource opportunities exist? What can schools do to close the achievement gap and raise the graduation rate among ELL students?

Educational computing used to be rooted in powerful ideas about learning and traditions of progressive education. Isn't it high-time that the ISTE conference situates edtech in a larger context of powerful ideas, social justice and progress?

NECC has featured lots of schtick for keynotes, but never a Charlie-Rose or Meet the Press-style keynote with smart folks having a serious discussion.

It's also worth noting that Seymour Papert, the father of the field, never keynoted NECC.

Ok, so we are all connected and can tweet and share until we are stuffed, we have tools and spaces and wiki/blog/board/courses, but where does the web go next? What are the leading edges of this metamorphosis? When do we get there?

K-12 online learning is growing at a phenomenal rate in the United States and worldwide. Research has shown that one of the key factors in student success is support at the local school level. What do teachers need to know and be able to do to help support students in their locals school to succeed in this largely independent learning environment.

Let's move past talking about differentiated instruction and hear more about specific ways to work through student strengths using 21st century tools. MI Theory has been consistently shown as increasing engagement- couple this increased engagement with the right tools for today and students will respond in force!

In the last few years, neuroscientists have begun to unravel the enigma surrounding struggling readers: why they continue to struggle despite appropriate curriculum and excellent interventions. The answers are in the way the brain organizes. For some students, attention, processing speed and working memory skills lag behind other skills and interfere with academic achievement in many areas.

The priorities of IT staff/personnel and school instructional leaders focused on student learning are often different. How do we bridge this divide? How can we make student learning the top priority, and support creative uses of educational networks and digital technologies in our schools?