Crowdsourcing my conference choice
I’m lucky to have been provided significant funding by my school division to attend an educational technology conference sometime between now and the end of August. This is provided as an opportunity to have teachers from the school division to attend conferences that are farther away than we would normally be able to go to, giving us a chance to be exposed to new ideas and connect with educators we might not otherwise be able to meet. I’m not familiar with a lot of the conferences that are available, so I’d like your input. Here are some of the topics I’m interested in:
- pedagogical changes resulting from ubiquitous computer access by students (like 1:1 laptop programs or similar initiatives)
- supporting teachers as they change teaching methods to meet increased access to technology (especially high school teachers)
- some hands-on “you can do this on Monday morning” sessions that provide some ideas for lessons that work in real classrooms with real students
- success stories – what has worked for using technology to improve student learning
- online learning
- media production
- integrating high school science courses and technology
- big trends to watch for – what innovations or new ideas will be affecting teachers over the next 1 to 5 years?
- connecting with other educators who have similar interests
If you have any suggestions and are willing to give me some recommendations, I’ve put up a Google Form for 2010 Educational Technology conference recommendations. If I get some feedback, I’ll share some of the recommendations and reasons.
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I’ll be honest, having been to about a dozen different state level EdTech Conferences…. there aren’t many things from a SESSIONS perspective that distinguish them. Some are larger, some are smaller. Others do a better job of hosting social events and building community. But if you look at the state level EdTech conference programs, most of them are fairly similar.
Then there are a few independent ones that stand out, like Building Learning Communities, EduCon, Tech Forum and a few others. While they’re a completely different model, they’re also smaller and generally more focused.
Don’t know if that really helps you or not. But in general, if I had to recommend one, it would be the big mama…. ISTE. Just because of it’s sheer size, you wind up getting a little bit of everything. It’s the Super Walmart of conferences. If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, you probably aren’t looking hard enough.
teach42 - 2009/12/17 at 16:57
Thanks for the advice, Steve. BLC and ISTE are two that are on my short list so far so I’m glad to hear them mentioned – it’s a sign I’m on the right track. I’m not a big fan of Walmart in general, but I take your point about ISTE. My hesitation about ISTE is that because of its size, it might not be as conducive to the community building that is such an important part of attending a face to face conference. Perhaps its just a matter of seeking out the community for myself.
Rob Wall - 2009/12/18 at 10:25
Here in BC we have an annual Spring Workshop organized by the Educational Technology Users Group. It’s a smallish gathering of 100-120 people and is hosted at a different post-secondary each year. This year it will be held June 7-8 at the University of Victoria. The theme is “3 Cups of T: Teaching, Technology, Transformation”. The fee is next to nothing (maybe $60 if that) so you’d have to spend your funds on a nice hotel! Useful sessions and guaranteed fun.
Sylvia Currie - 2009/12/18 at 10:53