"The idea of the Educator's Forum was to recognize that education was an important factor in the SIGGRAPH universe and needed to have its own track," William Joel, SIGGRAPH 2024 Education Chair, said. "The Educator's Forum started more than five years ago and continues to provide an important avenue where educators and businesses can present material that is specifically relevant to other educators."
The goal of the Educator's Forum is to allow teaching professionals to connect with a diverse, welcoming, and dedicated global community of educators to elevate their professional development and discover innovative approaches to education in order to teach for tomorrow. Educators across all levels will be enlightened by imaginative outcomes while engaging in the exchange of new ideas.
This year, the Educator's Forum requested submissions that serve a unique way of teaching complicated subjects or prove groundbreaking curriculums. Those interested in submitting were requested to submit Engaging Education Techniques and Assignments (EETA), peer-reviewed course assignments focusing on computer graphics and interactive techniques. Educators, researchers, and industry professionals were all welcome to submit entries, all of which are designed and tested for classes at any level. After the conference, the accepted submissions will be available for educators to easily search, download, and use in their own classrooms.
An example of panels and sessions in the Educator's Forum this year includes:
- "Inclusive Community: Accessibility and Neurodiversity in Classroom, Industry, and Academia" — Neurodiversity, accessibility, and inclusive classrooms and workplaces are essential for the success of the individuals affected by various challenges and the entire SIGGRAPH community. This panel will discuss the current state of the issue, different types of accommodations, and helpful ideas to make the learning and working environment more inclusive.
- "Student / Futures: Creative Careers in Animation, Computer Graphics, and Interactive Techniques" — Industry panelists share perspectives and insights for students, educators, and creative professionals who are considering careers in animation, computer graphics, creative technologies, and interactive techniques. Represented industry segments include animation and VFX, computer graphics and information systems, themed entertainment, and interactive educational technologies.
- "Empowering Creativity With Generative AI in Digital Art Education" — Given the significant impact of artificial intelligence on creative processes across various art disciplines, we are dedicated to exploring AI as a creative tool within educational environments. Beyond mere experimentation, our objective is to delve into the outcomes of this integration and its implications for both education and creativity.
- "CG Animation, Neurodiversity, and Autistic College Students" — With 40% of our Animation + VFX students registered with the Office of Disability and Accessibility Services, it is often challenging for students to meet the course requirements in the 3D animation courses. How can we as CG artists and educators do a better job of supporting this large population?
"Educators are not just interested in the latest bells and whistles of the software technology. They want to know, 'How can I use it in the classroom? How can I work with students with these products? What can it do for me as an educator? What can it do for my students in the classroom? Not in their careers later on, but right now in the classroom,'" Joel noted.
This is where the Educator's Day comes in. Introduced at SIGGRAPH two years ago, this is a day of sessions that serves as an opportunity for companies to present to educators and features talks geared specifically for educators, going beyond what attendees would find on the exhibit floor. This year, Educator's Day will be held on Monday, 29 July and includes eight sessions featuring companies from Adobe, NVIDIA, Epic Games, Epic ArtStation, PixelLightEffects, Foundry, SideFX, and Electronic Arts. Click here to see the session schedule.
This year will also feature an Educator's Day Q&A on Tuesday, 30 July at 2 pm MDT, where companies will sit with the educators and answer any questions about the industry. This will serve as a deep-dive session where topics in the sessions can be explored in further detail. After four days of education focused presentations, attendees are invited to join an invigorating, open discussion on such hot topics as generative AI and neurodiversity in an Educator's Forum Town Hall on Thursday, 1 August at 2 pm MDT.
"Educators get to meet other educators worldwide who are doing the things they're doing or, better yet, doing what they would like to do in their courses. Educators come and really get immersed in the world of SIGGRAPH as a whole. I say the world of SIGGRAPH because, for me, people would say the industry. SIGGRAPH is way beyond the industry because there's a huge portion of what SIGGRAPH does that's all about education and undergraduate-level research. The world is much larger than just industry, but it opens up the eyes for educators to see what is possible," Joel added.
Learn more about how SIGGRAPH 2024 is cultivating the minds of tomorrow here and view the full Educator's Forum program here. ACM SIGGRAPH's In Good Company series features speakers from various organizations having conversations or giving presentations with and specifically for educators.
About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2024
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges.
ACM SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world's leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques.
SIGGRAPH 2024, the 51st annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place live 28 July–1 August at the Colorado Convention Center, along with a Virtual Access option.
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