With a little more than five weeks to go until the first ever Lake Michigan Tech Conference, we thought it was important to share some tips for starting the conference off right!
First, if you are not yet registered for the conference, get yourself registered! Registration is easy. You can pay cash or check at the door. If you have a credit card, call Sue Kruck at the Berrien RESA to pay that way! You can even bill your school district, with their permission, of course! Now, onto the list!
- Start to look over the schedule. Devise a plan with one or two sessions that you would like to attend during that time period. This will mean that if one session is full or not what you thought it would be, you quickly can head to a backup session and maximize your time at LMTC17. Share your schedule with your friends that are attending, not so that you can all sit together, but so that you can cover the maximum amount of topics and sessions.
- Take Notes! There are many different ways that you can take notes. You can tweet your notes out (be sure to use the hashtag #LMTC17), you can write them on a piece of paper, or you can start a Google Doc and share it with the room. Either way, have something to walk away with and reference at a later date. With rapid learning, you are bound to forget something. Find a way to look back and remember! Share your notes and your learning with others!
- Make Friends! We are all in this together. As educators, we should have each others’ backs. Put aside the athletic rivalries and find the common purpose of helping bring students the best possible learning opportunities. Connect in the collaboration zone with people that teach similar subjects or grade levels.
- Drink Water! Although there is a giant lake filled with fresh water just a few miles to the west, it is still July in Michigan. Be sure to pack a water bottle or two to stay hydrated. You should drink water anyways, not just at our conference.
- Participate on Social Media. There are numerous ways to stay connected to the sessions that you are not in, one way is Twitter. Follow the hashtag #LMTC17 on Twitter and Instagram to see updates and some of the fun that is happening!
- Be Open! While open educational resources are on the agenda, that’s not what I mean. We all need to be open to new ideas. Come to the conference with a growth mindset to learn new ideas and strategies to take back to your students and staff.
- Share this Conference with your Co-Workers and Friends! We have something for everyone! Share this out and bring a group to share your experience with.
- Have Fun! This is probably the most important one! This conference is supposed to be fun! So come prepared to have some fun! Plan for some relaxation as well! Here is an awesome list of things to do in beautiful Southwest Michigan!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! We are excited that you are going to be a part of our annual conference!