FETC 2023

Tues, January 24, 2023
9:30am – 10:15am
Room R4

Surfing the Esports Wave for Better Schools

Rich Nedwich

In just three years—including the pandemic lockdown—the number of gamers in high schools and middle schools has quadrupled. Almost half of the participants today are elementary school students. The impact of esports has been far reaching, contributing to digital equity, inclusivity, attendance, mental health, leadership and collaboration, and a new path to STEM careers. In this session, the speaker will present a real-world case study showing how a school district launched a successful esports program. Topics will include developing an esports curriculum development with STEM integration, linking pedagogy and esports gaming to spatial settings (flexible classrooms), navigating public funding for esports and related technology, and preparing the Wi-Fi network for increased traffic from esports.

Weds, January 25, 2023
4:00pm – 4:45pm
Room 228-229

Smarter Network Visibility Simplified with AI and Machine Learning

Rich Nedwich

Most districts can’t afford onsite IT staff to manage their increasingly important Wi-Fi networks, but those networks must be ready at all times to support the educational mission. During high stakes testing periods in particular, the network has to support every student and application, but there are seldom onsite personnel to closely monitor and manage the network.  Now, networking companies are incorporating AI and machine learning into their network management products, enabling schools to continually monitor and manage their networks with little or not technical staff. The speakers will present case studies that show AI-enabled network management tools are being used by nontechnical personnel to keep Wi-Fi networks in peak running condition, often by pointing out issues and showing how to remedy them before they affect network performance.