Friday, August 4, 2017

Present at the San Diego CUE Tech Fair 2017!


Nanci Minicozzi speaking at SDCUE Tech Fair
Nanci Minicozzi speaking at SDCUE Tech Fair
The first time I presented at a San Diego CUE Tech Fair was in a classroom at CSU San Marcos. My topic was Google Hangouts, which had recently been released. I had prepared slides with screenshots on how to use the tools and all the functions. I had arranged with a colleague in northern California to join us remotely to demonstrate it. As the attendees filed in and my session started, I opened Google Hangouts to find… that Google had completely changed the interface literally the previous day. I believe I said something like, “I’ve never seen this screen before.” After a few moments of confusion, I said to the group, “OK, we’re all going to learn this together.” And we did! Comments from the group and evaluations at the end were positive, so I think the attendees learned something. I certainly did!

If you have anything that you think is cool that you’d like to share with others, San Diego CUE Tech Fair is the place to do it. Apply to present a session, either on your own or with a partner. The experience you gain will be invaluable.

Attendees at SDCUE Tech Fair 2016
Attendees at SDCUE Tech Fair 2016
But Kevin, I don’t have anything new to share. Everyone else already knows what I know.” - Nope. Every Tech Fair has hundreds of attendees for whom it is their first EdTech conference. You have experience that they don’t!

But Kevin, I’m not good at speaking in front of a group.” - OK, fair statement. But (a) if you’re a teacher, you do this every day, just with kids rather than adults. You could ask the adults in your session to act childish, if you like. (b) So don’t make it a “speaking” session with you in the front. Make it a hands-on, student-centered, activity-based session. And (c) the only way to get better at speaking in front of a group is to practice, and Tech Fair is a great place to practice!

“But Kevin, if I present in one timeslot, I won’t be able to go to other sessions then.” - True enough. However, I guarantee that you’ll learn from the people who attend your session as much as you would have learned in someone else’s session. Also, being selected to present means you get a free registration, and get to attend all the other timeslots for free. If you’re scheduled opposite a session you really want to attend, arrange to meet the other presenter at lunch and talk about your respective sessions!

San Diego CUE Tech Fair is coming up on November 4. Registration for attendees will open this week, when we reveal the new host site! Submit your speaker application with this form!

1 comment:

  1. So true... whether presenting for the first time or the 80th, it's always a win-win situation as I learn from my attendees just like they learn from me.

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