Attendees at ACU’s Connected Summit plan to take what they’ve learned back home to their classrooms.

Jackie McBroom, assistant superintendent  for the Sanger Independent School District, said it was important to take information learned at the conference and make it work for individual schools and districts.

“I came so I could share with other public schools about technology and how we may be able to meet the challenges our students are facing with this impending budget crisis,” McBroom said. “We want to be able to engage them in ways they need.”

For those in higher education, the conference was a chance to learn how to be competitive in a rapidly developing mobile education age. Candice Scott, chief information officer at Schreiner University in Kerrville, said her campus is looking for ways to meet new wireless demands.

“A lot of us are in the same position trying to see what future steps should be, but the crystal ball is cloudy,” Scott said.

The conference also provided an opportunity for those who work in non-traditional education settings to learn about how technology can play a role in their fields.

Mark Rawlinson,  curriculum writer for the Defense Language Institute English Language Center in San Antonio, said the possibility of using technology like iPods in professional education is the future. DLIELC works to teach U.S. allies English.

“They are putting a lot of technology into our learning,” Rawlinson said. “Our students and teachers have wireless laptops, but we still feel a little behind. The logistics are logging us down.”