will.i.am, Angela Duckworth, Dr. Knatokie Ford, Lauren Bush Lauren to Headline InstructureCon 2021 Virtual Conference

Thousands of Educators and Edtech Users Gather Each Year to Share Canvas Tips and Insights at Instructure’s Annual Event

SALT LAKE CITY — Sep 30 2021 — Instructure today announced the lineup for its annual conference, InstructureCon 2021. This year’s virtual event for educators and edtech users will take place on Thursday, October 7th and be presented in a global format to support attendees in various time zones. The free professional learning event features headline speakers and customers including will.i.am, Angela Duckworth, Dr. Knatokie Ford, and Lauren Bush Lauren. Instructure partners presenting include AWS, Microsoft and Google. The yearly conference attracts thousands of attendees representing educators, administrators, and technologists sharing tips, solutions, and edtech insights. To register, visit www.instructure.com/events/instructurecon21.

“The best part of my job is being surrounded by so many incredible Instructure customers, partners and product enthusiasts, and InstructureCon brings this whole group together in one informative and fun place,” said Melissa Loble, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Instructure. “Given the immense challenges COVID-19 continues to cause for our school communities, our educators and administrators deserve a place to feel connected and recharge. InstructureCon 2021 will be a powerful moment to amplify teaching, elevate learning and intensify our impact.”

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, last year Instructure held its first ever virtual conference. Over 20,000 participants attended, with special presentations by inspiring figures in education including Sal Khan and LeVar Burton. This year’s event will once again be held online to protect the safety of the thousands of educators and school professionals in attendance. To make the experience even more engaging and make interactions easier, Instructure will offer a centralized conference platform where attendees can do everything from watching keynotes to chatting with colleagues. 

Attendees will hear from Instructure executives and education experts including CEO Steve Daly,  Chief Product Officer Mitch Benson, and Chief Customer Experience Officer Melissa Loble. Between keynote sessions participants can attend networking sessions or product showcases to see the latest and greatest on Instructure Learning Platform solutions.

Nearly 50 Instructure partners will host virtual booths for attendees to stop by and learn about their tools and services. Attendees can video and chat with partner representatives, as well as schedule follow up conversations. Platinum and gold sponsors from Adobe to InSpace will offer breakout sessions throughout the conference on topics like Tableau’s “Why you need Data Literacy in your Classroom'' to “Create an engaging online learner experience” from Cambridge University and Drieam. 

Featured speakers include:

will.i.am will be speaking about his work to support disadvantaged youth in their in-class and after-class STEM pursuits through his i.am.angel foundation. He has been recognized by seven Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a CLIO Award, the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, and an Honorary Fellowship by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Advisory Committee and Global Artificial Intelligence Action Alliance that monitors the impact of technology on society, people and work. 

Dr. Knatokie Ford will be speaking on using educational technologies to foster empowering learning experiences and how to make student success more equitable. She is founder and CEO of Fly Sci Enterprise. A biomedical scientist and former White House senior policy advisor, today Dr. Ford leverages the power of storytelling to promote social change, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. She previously served as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at OSTP from 2012-2014 with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Dr. Ford completed her PhD in Experimental Pathology at Harvard University.

Lauren Bush Lauren will be speaking about the founding of the FEED Project and its impact on providing school meals to underprivileged children around the world. In 2004, Lauren traveled with the UN World Food Programme in Central America, Asia, and Africa as a Student Spokesperson and was impacted by the realities of poverty and hunger faced around the world.  Lauren conceptualized the idea for FEED by designing the initial FEED 1 bag which, when purchased, feeds one child in school for one year. Since then FEED has helped provide over 120 million meals globally through non-profit giving partners globally and in the U.S.

Angela Duckworth will be featured in a new Instructure customer story about the application of her adolescent psychology research in Grit Lab, and the roll out of Grit Lab 101 to high school students through Canvas. She is founder and CEO of Character Lab. She is also the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and faculty co-director of Wharton People Analytics. Angela completed her PhD in Psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Angela’s TED talk is among the most-viewed of all time. Her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is a #1 New York Times best seller.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

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