Global Community: A Milestone Year for the Fab Educators Summit

This year’s Fab Educators Summit marked a record moment for our community: 370 registrations from 79 countries, with educators and presenters joining from across the globe. What began as a small virtual gathering has grown into one of the most internationally represented practitioner events in the education landscape.

From Transition to Launch.

That growth did not happen by accident. eduFAB launched in November 2021 in response to a clear and growing need for connection among educators working with digital fabrication and emerging technologies in their classrooms. Through my doctoral research on teacher support for integrating new technologies, one theme surfaced repeatedly: educators learn best when they are part of an active peer network. Teachers navigating new tools do not just need equipment or training; they need colleagues to exchange ideas with, troubleshoot alongside, and reflect with in real time. eduFAB was built around that principle, intentionally cultivating a global practitioner network designed to support meaningful integration of technology into classroom learning.

Just two months later, in January 2022, eduFAB hosted the first virtual Fab Educators Summit, which has become our flagship event. It was designed to keep practitioners connected across borders and grounded in real classroom work. Since then, each year has expanded the reach, but the purpose has remained steady: educators learning from educators in a global community built on practice.

From the beginning, the summit has been intentionally practitioner-led and volunteer-run. Session proposals are reviewed by an educator committee made up of past presenters, ensuring that the program reflects real classroom experience and current challenges. This structure keeps educators actively involved in shaping the dialogue each year and grounds the event in practice rather than theory.

Deepening Global Engagement

In 2026, the impact of this model became visible in new ways. With 370 registrations from 79 countries, over 50 presenters participating from 19 different countries, and a dedicated Spanish-language session alongside our English programming, the summit reflected not just expansion, but deepening global engagement. The diversity of contexts, languages, and classroom realities strengthened the dialogue and reinforced what we have believed from the start: when educators are given space to connect across borders, the entire field moves forward.

As the summit becomes more global, access has to be intentional. Time zones are real, and a live virtual event will never be equally convenient for everyone. This year, we introduced a new pre-recorded proposal format, allowing educators to submit short spotlight videos that were curated into scheduled breakout sessions with facilitated discussion. This format lowered the barrier to presenting and is where we saw the most geographically diverse growth, with 11 videos submitted from 10 different countries, enabling educators who could not attend live to still share their work and contribute to the global dialogue. And of course, we also have the amazing dedicated educators who log in late at night or early in the morning from their locations to join us live.

2026 Summit Highlights

The 2026 summit also reminded us why this gathering matters. Our keynote speaker, John Maloney, gave live demonstrations using MicroBlocks and the Micro:bit, highlighting the concept of tinkerability and what it looks like when programming removes friction and invites experimentation. With over 20 sessions to choose from, there was truly something for everyone. We heard powerful stories of outreach in rural communities around the world, explored thoughtful practitioner-driven examples of AI in education, participated in hands-on workshops, and engaged in practical skill-building sessions, from paper-based CAD instruction to tools designed to support spatial learning for all students. And because none of us can be in two places at once (yet), all sessions were recorded and will be posted to eduFAB’s YouTube channel soon.

Looking Ahead

As the summit continues to grow, what stands out most is its tone. It remains a space where real practitioners share not only their successes, but also their challenges, how they access resources, build support networks, and navigate the realities of classroom implementation. This is not a top-down conference with curated themes and specialized tracks. It is educators openly sharing what works and what does not work in their classrooms, because at the end of the day, no matter what country or region we live in, we are all responsible for building meaningful relationships and learning experiences with our students. That same spirit now carries forward into our next chapter.

Join eduFAB in person on July 26 as we host a bonus, in-person Fab Educators Summit in conjunction with the Fab26 Conference in Boston.