FETC, the Conference for Education's Game Changers

Cleverlike Studios is excited to present several sessions at the upcoming FETC event, the Future of Education Technology Conference. FETC 2026 is where K12 professionals like you come to build edtech proficiencies that will shape the future of education. This year’s theme is “Education's Game Changers, ” which is a perfect description of Cleverlike!

Our team was selected to lead workshops and present this material because we are leading experts in game-based learning and game-based creation using popular platforms like Minecraft and Unreal Engine. We’ll be sharing actionable insights that will engage your students and help you communicate important concepts in a fun way. Here’s an overview of the sessions you can join in Orlando. Even if you can’t make it to the conference, you can click here to book a meeting with our team if these topics look interesting and valuable to you.

January 11, 10:30 am

Building Futures with Minecraft: From Classroom Learning to Esports Competition

W231B; 120 min Workshop

We’ll show you how to leverage Minecraft as a classroom tool, club activity, and competition to engage students, keep them coming to school, and meet all the necessary language, math, science, creative arts, and digital standards while training students to become esports competitors.

• Julie Mavrogeorge, Esports Consultant - Jdogmav Consulting / California Esports Association

• Brian Dickman, President - Cleverlike School

• Erik S. Leitner, Education Content Producer - Cleverlike School

January 12, 11:00 am

Building the High School to College Pathway Through Scholastic Esports

W224 D; 45 min Concurrent Session

The University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) and Epic Games have been working together with Cleverlike Studios to use gaming as a catalyst to bring industry standard skills to the classroom. Several initiatives have enabled robust collaboration to bring opportunities to educators, students and university faculty. Learn about this program and how to offer something similar in your region.

• Ms. Sophia Priest, Assistant Director of Esports Innovation - UNC Greensboro

• Steven Isaacs, Director of Secondary Education - Epic Games

• Brian Dickman, President - Cleverlike School

January 12, 12:00 pm

Poster 9: The Video Game Skill Tree = Student Engagement and Career Readiness

EXPO: CENTER COURT; 60 min Poster Presentation

Students are gaining mastery of video games and traditional game-based learning focuses on the activities related to playing the games. Looking at popular video games as arts integration tools opens a new perspective that reveals a decade of dark ages in student growth during their education journey. This session introduces Game-based Creation as a new term so educators can discern if their game-based learning efforts are serving their standards or serving their students.

• Brian Dickman, President - Cleverlike School

• Erik S. Leitner, Education Content Producer - Cleverlike School

January 12, 3:00 pm

Game Jams: Kick Starting Your Students’ Career Exploration in Game Development

W224 D; 45 min Concurrent Session

There are many opportunities to help students on the path to developing their own games. Game Jams are one exciting way. Over the past 3 years, the Epic Education team, Cleverlike Studios and University partners like the team at UNCG and Full Sail have been creating these opportunities for students. This session will share how we take students with little to no experience and guide them in the process of creating playable games over the course of a weekend! 

• Ms. Sophia Priest, Assistant Director of Esports Innovation - UNC Greensboro

• Phoebe Elefante, Program Director, Game Design and Interactive Technology - Full Sail University

• Steven Isaacs, Director of Secondary Education - Epic Games

• Brian Dickman, President - Cleverlike School

January 13, 10:00 am

TABLE2: The Esports Construction Kit: By Students, For Students

EXPO BOOTH #1645; 60 min Leadership Round Tables

Creative video games, like Minecraft, offer exciting potential in the world of esports. Instead of designing a game from the ivory tower, we can empower students with a program that gives them the skills and the agency to create their own competitive experiences. The construction kit concept provides a functional game template where students only need to build the environment to have a full functioning game. This process places the emphasis on environment building skills and allows students to quickly iterate their designs by playtesting and incorporating feedback into their work.

• Brian Dickman, President - Cleverlike School

• Erik S. Leitner, Education Content Producer - Cleverlike School

  
  

January 14, 8:30 am

Esports Summit in Partnership with NASEF, EPIC, and Lenovo: Empowering the Future of Scholastic Esports

W415 VALENCIA B&C; 180 min Summit

Dive into the rapidly growing world of academic esports in K-12 education at the Esports Summit, presented in partnership with NASEF, EPIC, and Lenovo. Designed for school leaders, educators, and esports coaches of all experience levels, this event offers an immersive learning experience that goes beyond gameplay and equips you with the tools to start, manage, and elevate your own scholastic esports program.

During this summit, you will have the unique opportunity to learn from industry experts who have pioneered Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways for student success. These pathways immerse students in high-demand fields such as digital media, game development, and esports entrepreneurship—skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.

All-Access or Session+ Registration Permitted (Pre-registration required.)

• Etheard Joseph, Teacher - Jupiter Community High School

• Mr. Julius Edwards, Director Palm Beach Lakes Esports/ VP Sunshine State Esports League - Palm Beach Lakes Community High School

• Claire LaBeaux, Chief Advancement Officer - NASEF

• Steven Isaacs, Director of Secondary Education - Epic Games

• Mr. Chris Aviles, Product Evangelist - Gameplan

• Brian Dickman, President - Cleverlike School

We look forward to seeing education’s game changers at FETC this January!