SparkFun Educators Head to San Diego for ISTE 2012

Conference exposes international educators to potential uses of technology in the classroom

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Jun 19, 2012, 09:12 ET

BOULDER, Colo., June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 24-27, SparkFun Electronics (http://www.sparkfun.com), a provider of parts, knowledge and passion for electronics creation, is sending its Department of Education (http://www.learn.sparkfun.com) to San Diego, Calif., to participate in the 33rd annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference and exposition (http://www.isteconference.org/2012/). SparkFun will take its place among more than 500 top educational technology companies from all over the world. This year marks SparkFun's second ISTE attendance and the company is again excited about the unique opportunity to meet and share ingenuity with a new generation of international educators.

"SparkFun will be bringing several interactive products that educators can play with, and we want to keep it as simple as possible," said Lindsay Craig, one of the SparkFun educational outreach coordinators attending the conference. "Part of our goal at ISTE is to explain the basics in a way that helps teachers realize the potential to use this kind of technology in all areas of education."

Each year, nearly 20,000 professionals and corporate representatives from around the globe unite for four days of learning, collaborating and hands-on demonstration of the best new technologies for schools. In the past, attendees and presenters have encountered everything from robots and superboards to teachers who use World of Warcraft to present ideas to students.

SparkFun's booth (#5448) will offer educators the ability to get hands-on experience with the ProtoSnap Minibot, the Simon Says kit, a LilyPad development board and other SparkFun products with myriad potential uses in the classroom.

"We're hoping to get more teachers aware of both the tools available and the incredible volume of free information about educational technology," Craig said. "This is not just about tech in one class; this is about tech in schools. You can have a physics class, but we don't want it to just be about learning physics. We want students to have access to any available tool -- like physics, computer programming and creativity -- to understand concepts."

About SparkFun Electronics

SparkFun currently offers more than 1,800 products, ranging from simple components, like capacitors and resistors, to GPS units and Bluetooth modules. The company employs 140 people and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

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SOURCE SparkFun Electronics