Tomorrow, thousands of school leaders, administrators, educators, technologists and other education professionals will gather in Orlando for the 38th National Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) to learn about the latest advancements in edtech. Through more than 600 sessions, keynotes, workshops and skill-building demonstrations, attendees will learn about the best practices, new ideas and success stories on how cutting-edge technology can improve education at their schools and districts.
The value of attending FETC 2018 is clear. Attendees get a front row seat to the new tools and solutions transforming education, hands-on presentations on how they can be used to maximum benefit and a look at the industry’s newest and most transformative solutions. And while the information presented throughout the conference is designed to provide actionable insights and strategies attendees can bring back to their districts, making sure those lessons stick and improvements are made can sometimes be a challenge.
So what can you do to ensure you not only take back your FETC learnings, but implement the knowledge gained to drive improvement throughout the year? Consider the following strategies to help you get the most during the conference – and long after.
Spend your time wisely: With over 600 sessions, there is a lot of information to learn at FETC; but it’s important to attend those specific to your district’s unique challenges and what you’re trying to change. Before heading to Orlando, browse the session agenda, and with the My Sessions tool, you can create your own schedule to make sure you attend those sessions that are most relevant and insightful.
Take notes…or tweet or blog: Key to implementing new ideas from the conference is to make sure you keep track of what you learn. Whether typing away notes on your phone or tablet or with a pen and paper, live-tweeting key points or writing a blog at the end of the day, recording what you learn, how it will help drive improvement and the steps to make it happen will keep those lessons from FETC front of mind and actionable post-event.
Share what you learn: To make any change at your district, you’ll need to proactively share the transformative strategies picked up at the conference with district leaders, colleagues and other stakeholders. Whether giving a presentation to the board or setting up training or knowledge transfer sessions, it is important to pass the new information learned at the conference to those who can help implement those critical initiatives.
Make a plan: To turn those learnings into action, it is important to create a plan of actionable steps that can be taken following the conference. From the small things that can be implemented immediately, to creating a strategy for rolling out new initiatives in the next 3, 6 or 9 months, laying out the steps is key to turning the lessons from FETC into real improvement.
Stay connected: During the conference, you’ll meet peers from schools across the country trying to solve the very same challenges you have. With ample opportunity to network during the conference program and plenty to do at night, you can build connections with fellow attendees. By staying in touch with them afterwards, you’ll learn how they are implementing key changes, and get new ideas for what may work at your own school or district.
Stay informed: Adopting technology to improve how students learn is never a one and done deal, it should be ongoing, and so should the way you learn. FETC is committed to providing the latest updates and information about edtech. Even after the conference is over, we’ll still be sharing news, pushing out our Future of Ed Tech newsletter and updating the blog. So make sure you come back to our website – you’ll also get the first look at the 2018 event!
FETC 2018 is right around the corner – and you’ll want to get the most out of this unique event to gain new insight to use at your school or district. Using the above tips, you can make sure you leverage your FETC learnings to drive improvement immediately following the conference, and throughout the year ahead.
The Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC), the largest, national, independent education technology conference, annually attracts thousands of education and technology leaders from around the world. Delivering strategies and best practices for student success and schoolwide advancement, FETC is known as one of the nation’s premier education technology events! Recognized for its outstanding program year after year, FETC provides CTOs, CIOs, Innovation Directors, Special Ed/Pupil Services Directors, Early Childhood Directors, Media Specialists, Technologists, Administrators and other Educators, the opportunity to explore the most effective integration of technology across the curriculum — from preK-12 — through premium sessions, intensive workshops, various concurrent sessions, live demonstrations of several hundred hardware and software products, plus much more. Visit www.FETC.org more more details