Eight Steps to the Symposium
A nice list that enables you to get the most out of the 2009 Penn State Symposium on Teaching and Learning with Technology, plus how you can still participate even if you can't attend in person.
Jeff Swain, coordinator of the 2009 Penn State Symposium on Teaching and Learning with Technology, recently sent out to Symposium attendees "Eight Steps to the Symposium" and the TLT Daily Buzz will share them with you here. Also, if you can not make it to this year's Symposium, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this article for a way for you to still participate!
1. REGISTRATION IS FULL: Although we made room for 100 more attendees at this year's Symposium, we are filled to capacity and we have about 50 people on the waiting list. If you are no longer planning to attend the Symposium, please cancel your registration. Since we are at capacity, we will not be able to accommodate walk-in registrations or allow unregistered people who may be traveling with you (e.g., spouses, children, etc.) to attend meals or sessions. Thank you in advance for your understanding on this issue.
2. SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY: The schedule for the day has been posted at the Symposium Web site, so you can get an overview of the day. We also have the complete Attendee Guide available for download in PDF format. You will be given a copy of this guide when you go to the Blue Conference Registration Desk located next to the lobby by the courtyard on April 18 but the PDF version may help you plan your day. Registration opens at 7:30 AM.
3. WATCH THE VIDEOS: In preparation for the Symposium, we profiled several faculty and students who are working together to reimagine the possibilities of education. Their stories are on the Symposium Web site.
4. BRING A LAPTOP: If you have a laptop, you may want to bring it to the Symposium so you can write down some ideas and visit Web sites that are recommended by the presenters. A laptop may also help you participate in the other activities going on at the Symposium, such as photo sharing, blogging, and Twitter (see below). Make sure your laptop has a full charge at the beginning of the day and you may want to bring a spare battery. During the Symposium, please keep an eye on your laptop, just to be on the safe side.
5. SHARE YOUR PHOTOS: Last year, several attendees brought their own digital cameras, took pictures, uploaded them to Flickr (a photo-sharing Web site), and tagged them with the term "tltsymposium2008". As a result, we created a collection of 525 pictures that recorded the day's activities and related topics. We would like to do that again this year and use the tag "tltsym09".
6. BLOG THE SYMPOSIUM: Although we will be recording most of the sessions at the Symposium, it is always interesting to read attendees' reactions to presentations and the other Symposium activities. If you would like to create blog posts about your Symposium experience, you have a few options. 1) You can log into the Symposium site and create a new blog post. 2) You can get your Penn State blog so you can write about the Symposium and anything else you like. 3) You can write about the Symposium on an existing personal or departmental blog site. In all of these cases, please use the tag "tltsym09" if you would like others to find and read what you have written.
7. TWEET YOUR ACTIVITY: The social Web site Twitter helps people see what their friends are doing by having them answer "What are you doing?" in 140 characters or less. During the Symposium, attendees will be using this site to make short comments about what they are seeing, doing, and thinking. If you would like to participate, go to Twitter and create an account and then follow "TLT Symposium". Remember to tag any Tweets related to the symposium with the "#tltsym09" hashtag.
8. COME PREPARED: They symposium provides plenty of opportunity for participation and networking. Remember to bring extra batteries and/or power cords for your devices. You may also want to bring your business cards to pass around. Please note, we are unable to store or hold equipment and belongings so please do not ask to keep personal items behind the registration desk or in any of the other breakout rooms. Thank you for understanding.
If you are looking for some additional ideas, you may also want to read about our keynote and featured speakers. But what if you can't make it this year? Well....be sure to view the videos, follow the goings-on via Twitter, check out photos in Flickr, read the blog posts, and by all means, offer your comments and thoughts!
