Billy Collins is an American phenomenon. No poet since Robert Frost has managed to combine high critical acclaim with such broad popular appeal. His work has appeared in a variety of periodicals including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The American Scholar. He is a Guggenheim fellow and a New York Public Library “Literary Lion.” His last three collections of poems have broken sales records for poetry. His readings are usually standing room only, and his audience – enhanced tremendously by his appearances on National Public Radio – includes people of all backgrounds and age groups. The poems themselves best explain this phenomenon. The typical Collins poem opens on a clear and hospitable note but soon takes an unexpected turn; poems that begin in irony may end in a moment of lyric surprise. No wonder Collins sees his poetry as “a form of travel writing” and considers humor “a door into the serious.” It is a door that many thousands of readers have opened with amazement and delight.

photo by Steven Kovich

Thursday Morning: KATE Welcomes Wesley Fryer 2009 Conference Keynote

CCC in the 21C: Create, Communicate, Collaborate

U.S. educators in the early twenty-first century face formidable challenges, but are blessed with access to unprecedented tools and opportunities for blended (digital / face-to-face) learning. As teachers we must help our students master content area knowledge and skills, but also develop important 21st century literacy skills not measured on traditional, multiple-choice examinations. How can we effectively enable students and teachers to meet mandated learning requirements and simultaneously encourage the development of 21st century skills? A focus on the three C's of 21st century learning offers a compelling way forward: focusing on creating, communicating, and collaborating within a context of project based learning. Let's explore practical ways students and teachers are using digital tools to create, communicate and collaborate together, reaching new heights of student achievement and documentable learning. <http://handouts.wesfryer.com/ccc>

We are pleased to welcome our Thursday morning General Session keynote speaker, Wesley Fryer, who is a digital learning consultant, author, digital storyteller, educator and change agent – and also a product of our Kansas Public Schools! This fall, Wesley has presented and is presenting at educational conferences in Oklahoma, Ohio, Hong Kong, Xi Hu, China (near Shanghai), Maine, Texas, Illinois, and Kansas. Wesley Fryer graduated from Manhattan High School, in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1988. He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1992, and served in the US Air Force before becoming a 4th grade classroom teacher. Wesley studied in Mexico City on a Fulbright Scholarship, and earned his MA in Education from Texas Tech University in 1996. He is currently completing his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University. We are delighted to welcome Wesley back to his home state of Kansas, for KATE 2009.

. . . and other featured sessions including

Kim Barbieri, Eisenhower Presidential Library Director of Global Education Projects <http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/>.

Poetry Out Loud State Student Winners will present their recitations at the Thursday Reception