[Opensource] Conferences and Conferences

Fri Nov 6 12:36:05 EST 2009

Well - I have $100 per year to spend on PD and puts many conferences  
out of reach. This year is the last year that people at this school  
will get any flexibility in what they choose to go to. All  PD  
requests will now have to align with our strategic plan and be more  
rigorously vetted. For me the VITTA conference is simply way too  
expensive and have had to unsubscribe from email list to stop getting  
pestered. If they really wanted me to go then they have to make it  
affordable.
We have also started to really question the value we get from this  
style of conference /PD. People may be exposed to new and exciting  
ideas (excellent) but quickly come back to earth when what they have  
seen does not fit in with school priorities. We are now focusing on  
"just in time" pd on projects that are home-grown and fit into the  
school strategy. For example I got special dispensation to attend a  
skills session on using and administering our attendance program.
In recent years I personally started to find that there wasn't a lot  
at the conferences that I hadn't come across online or discussed  
online at some stage. Some sessions on Exam feedback and course  
outlines etc were valuable, but you shouldn't have to pay for that  
sort of thing - it should be an open resource for anyone teaching the  
course IMHO.
But have fun!  :)

Cheers
Cameron

On 06/11/2009, at 12:04 PM, Roland Gesthuizen wrote:

> Yeah, it is far enough away but Iike the commedy festival and local  
> farmers market, I know how these things creep up on us until we are  
> too late and all the fresh fruit is gone. One my friends has already  
> booked accomodation for the ISTE conference in Denver June 2010!  
> Geeze, I have barely remembered where I have hung the christmas  
> lights.
>
> Registrations are open for the ACEC2010 national conference in  
> Melbourne - if you take advantage of the Early Bird rate you can  
> enter the draw for a dinner for two! Details below http://www.acec2010.info
>
> Closer on my radar is the VITTA conference. Check out the website  
> for the list of keynote speakers and latest changes. See you all  
> back at Flemington Racecourse this November! http://www.vitta.org.au/conferenceinfo
>
> I am hoping to sneak off to STAVCON, probably hiding in the  
> inflatable planetarium wearing a disguise and carrying a cardboard  
> satellite. That time of the year. Good luck with the start of your  
> next report cycle. :-D
>
> Regards Roland
>
>
>
> A reminder to register for ACEC2010 before 13 November to be in the  
> running for winning two conference dinner tickets.
>
> Hopefully, you should  have received the latest conference brochure  
> in the mail. You will know then, of the great early bird rate of  
> $660 for the full conference which works out at $220 per day for an  
> international conference - excellent value you will agree!
>
> BYO your wireless device, connect to the world and lead your  
> students into the digital sphere. Discover ways to improve learning  
> for students, tune up your professional resume, and inspire staff  
> through over 250 interactive sessions, workshops, networking  
> lounges. Engage in the leadership forum which has become a beacon  
> for political decision makers at both state and federal levels, and  
> browse countless cutting-edge exhibits.
>
>
> Early Bird Ticket $660
> (Includes Wed 7 Apr, Thu 8 Apr, Fri 9 Apr - Early Bird ends 28 Feb  
> 2010)
>
> Late Registration Conference Ticket $990
> (Includes Wed 7 Apr, Thu 8 Apr, Fri 9 Apr - Late Registration starts  
> 1 Mar - 6 Apr 2010)
>
> Pre-conference Workshop Ticket $99
> (Tue 6 Apr)
>
> Leadership Forum Ticket $99
> (Tue 6 Apr)
>
> Conference Dinner Ticket $100
> (Thu 8 Apr)
>
> Early Bird Day Ticket - Wed 7 Apr $250
> Early Bird Day Ticket - Thu 8 Apr $250
> Early Bird Day Ticket - Fri 9 Apr $250
>
> Purchase Tickets from www.acec2010.info
>
> How about this for starters!
>
> Sylvia Martinez
> Sylvia is President of Generation YES,  evangelizing student  
> involvement in education reform through technology. Generation YES  
> helps schools through a change process that includes student- 
> centered teaching practices,  encouragement of student voice,  and  
> technology combined with service-learning.
>
> Alan November
> Alan is an international leader in education technology. He began  
> his career as an oceanography teacher and dorm counselor at an  
> island reform school for boys in Boston Harbor. He has been director  
> of an alternative high school,  computer coordinator,  technology  
> consultant,  and university lecturer
>
> Adam Elliot
> Adam is an Academy Award® winning director and has become one of the  
> worlds most celebrated animators. For almost a decade,  his films,   
> Uncle,  Cousin,  Brother and Harvie Krumpet,  have been viewed by  
> millions of people around the world and have participated in over  
> five hundred film festivals.
>
> Gary Stager
> Gary is Executive Director of The Constructivist Consortium. For 27  
> years,  Gary Stager,  an internationally recognized educator,   
> speaker and consultant,  has helped learners of all ages on six  
> continents embrace the power of computers as intellectual  
> laboratories and vehicles for self-expression. ACEC2010 marks Dr.  
> Stager's 20th anniversary of working in Australia. He considers  
> Melbourne his second home and first keynoted ACEC in 2004.
>
> Chris Rogers
> Chris Rogers, Tufts University has started a number of new  
> directions, including learning robotics with LEGO bricks and  
> learning manufacturing by building musical instruments. He was  
> awarded the Carnegie Professor of the Year in Massachusetts in 1998  
> and is currently the director of the Centre for Engineering  
> Education Outreach (www.ceeo.tufts.edu). His teaching work extends  
> to the primary school, where he talks with over 1,000 teachers  
> around the world every year on ways of bringing engineering into the  
> younger grades. He has worked with LEGO to develop ROBOLAB, a  
> robotic approach to learning science and maths.
>
> Tom March, 'Bright Ideas for Education'
>
> And 'On the Couch with Jeff Richardson' (ABC - The Coodabeens)
>
> Want to get all the inside info?
> Create a profile on the ACEC2010 website, www.acec2010.info on the  
> top right hand side of the conference website, there is a sign up  
> button. This is not conference registration and does not cost.  
> Creating a profile ensures you get the latest conference  
> information, and full program access through email.
>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
> http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au
>
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens  
> can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." -- 
> Margaret Mead
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Cameron Bell
Mooroolbark College

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