Whoa! We are just two weeks out from the annual Lake Michigan Technology Conference! Can you believe it? With that, it is time for the annual post about how you can start gearing up and getting ready for this year’s amazing event!
First, if you have not had a chance to register, please do so! You can do that here. The sooner that you get registered, the sooner we are able to ensure that lunches and lunch counts are set! Now, on to some of the top tips for planning for this year’s event.
- Check out of Grid! Our grid is not only the schedule for the day, but also a collection of resources available to you to take with you, to bookmark, and to share! If you are on the fence, you can check out what we had to offer last year and see all of the awesome. This is year is going to be better because…
- The Strands! This year, we added strands to our offerings. These areas of focus are color coordinated on the above grid. The yellow boxes indicate a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), the blue boxes are Assessment, and the orange boxes are K-8 Literacy. The other colored boxes correspond with other sessions that we, as a planning committee, believe would still be extremely beneficial for our attendees.
- Check Your Email. Over the next few weeks, our team will be sending out important details about doors to enter, where to check in, and more via the email that you used to register. Please be on the lookout for that information. We will also share it via Twitter and Facebook, so give our accounts a follow to stay in the loop.
- Make Friends! Yes, many attendees are from the southwest corner of our state. Yes, athletic rivalries and town rivalries can be emotional. Don’t lose sight of the fact that we are trying to do the same thing for our students. Make friends, collaborate, and realize that the smartest person in the room is the collective knowledge of the room!
- Participate on Social Media! While there is not a “Twitter 101” session this year, I still encourage you to post to your favorite social media websites using #LMTC19. One of our staff members will be watching and responding and sharing your posts. It also helps us know what you like and what you do not like for future events! Not sure how to do it, see number 3 above and ask for some help!
- Be Open! While the Go Open Michigan is a session that you should check out, that’s not what we mean. Be open-minded to different ideas, techniques, and strategies that you are here to learn. Know everything you need to know about formative assessment? Try a different session. You get to pick and make the conference what you want! Choose wisely!
- Share this Conference with Friends and Co-Workers! One of our goals, as a conference, is to help impact education for as many students as we possibly can. So, if you have friends that are in education and share the mission of making positive impacts, please share this conference with them!
- Bring a Sweater. Yes, the event is in July in Southwest Michigan. But the air conditioning is icy cold! Each year we have had the event, I have encouraged attendees to bring a sweater.
- Dress Comfortably! See above. Again, we are serious. The rooms get super cold! Bring something to throw on just in case you get chilled! But wear some comfy shoes, some comfy clothes, and just be comfortable!
- Have Fun! Another one of the goals of our conference is to have fun! So many times professional development can be boring, we want our conference to be fun! Come out and have a good time! Learn some new things! And then get back in summer vacation mode! Stop at the beach on your way home for a wonderful swim in Lake Michigan. Just have some fun!
If you have any questions in the coming days or weeks, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below or email us at lmtc[at]berrienresa.org