8 Ways to Prepare & Connect at Conferences: #NYCSchoolsTech Summit

The #NYCSchoolsTech Summit is the largest annual #EdTech conference in New York City. At the conference innovative educators from across NYC Schools share their knowledge and expertise with other educators from NYC, surrounding areas, and even around the world thanks to social media. The conference is so popular, it trends on Twitter.  

There are dozens of workshops, lunchtime activities, and school reimagineer Jason Green is our keynote speaker. It makes it hard to choose and even harder to stay informed of all that is going on. But don’t despair. When educators connect, everyone benefits and learns even if they aren’t able to attend a particular session in person.  

Here is how participants (live or remote) can do just that at this year’s #NYCSchoolsTech Summit.

Tip 1 - Check out the Agenda

At the #NYCSchoolsTech Summit all workshops have a link to an agenda which you can find by viewing any session in Livecube. #NYCSchoolsTech teacher and all around nerd, Eileen Lennon offers a hint that she has used before. “Scour the agenda beforehand for questions and discussion points. If you’re ahead of the game, you get the most out of the workshop and may even help steer the conversation in helpful ways.”

Tip 2 - Participate in Backchannel Conversations

You can see where and when all the backchannel conversations are taking place in Livecube right here.  Introduce yourself and jump into the conversation.

Tip 3 - Moderate

Ask the presenter if s/he would like you to moderate backchannel conversations and/or comments on the livestream. Whether you're there f2f or remotely, just message the presenter of a session you are interested in and offer your help.

Tip 4 - Hashtag Happiness

Follow the hashtag for the conference (#NYCSchoolsTech) and session you are interested in. You can see the hashtag for each session in Livecube when you “Join the Conversation.”

Tip 5 - Follow the Livestream

Presenters are encouraged to livestream.  When they do, we want them to post the link to the workshop in Livecube. After the Summit you can visit the workshop schedule. There we encourage presenters to update the sheet with a link to their livestream. If you're presenting or helping the presenter, you can read this for some strategies to keep in mind.

Tip 6 - Follow The Presenters

It goes without saying to follow the presenters on Twitter and any other social media. They may have a blog where they have shared their expertise in more detail. As innovative educator Eileen Lennon says, “Learning doesn’t happen all in one day in a classroom, neither should it from a one day summit. It’s the start of a journey. You might as well take a map and a guide with you.” To make this easier you can visit the #NYCSchoolsTech Summit presenters list.

Tip 7 - Session Summary

Offer to capture the session you attended via Wakelet. The moderator will be thankful.

Tip 8 - Share on Social Media

Share what you are learning using the session hashtag (found in Livecube), the conference hashtag #NYCSchoolsTech, and your name. 

What do you think? How do you plan to connect at this year's #NYCSchoolTech Summit? We can't wait to share and learn with you.