Hunting for Innovative Teaching Tools- 11 Tips for your Next Educational Conference

Teacher Resources

May 4

Written By Cassie Frost

Inside: 11 quick tips to make the most of your next professional conference.

Oh no! My heart sank as I looked through the schedule for the conference I was attending. The session I was so excited about going to next just finished.

Despite my best planning, I always miss at least one session I hope to attend at every conference.

Things always seem to come up:

The session before it runs late
I get distracted in the vendor hall
I discover I need to eat lunch before my growling stomach gets any more strange looks from the guy sitting next to me. “Sorry- I forgot my granola bar this morning.”

Taking a deep breath, I sigh and realize the show must go on, and I check out what session I am headed to next.

My spirits lifted as I realized I had made another excellent choice. The hunt for more innovative teaching tools and techniques was back on!

This isn’t a comment about my outstanding choice-making skills. Instead, it is a high-five to the fantastic conference planners who put so many excellent sessions all in one conference.

Each time I register for a conference, I spend some time reflecting on past conferences- what went well, what I should do differently, and how to gain the most knowledge and benefit from these short few days of professional development.

Are You Overwhelmed Yet? If Not- You Will Be!

If you have never attended a large education conference and will be attending one this school year, hang on to your hats and prepare for an overwhelming amount of information. Also, make sure you continue reading because there are absolutely ways to make more of your conference time.

If you have attended such conferences, think back- what worked for you? Do you remember your first? Do you recognize that glazed look you see on some of your fellow conference attendees that marks a first-time large-scale conference visit?

I will be forever grateful for the advice given to me the first time I attended one of these large-scale national conferences. And that brings me to Tip #1…

an image of a conference room with a speaker standing in the front

#1 Do NOT try to do it all!

It is very, very easy when you attend these conferences to pack into your schedule absolutely everything that looks interesting… and there is going to be a lot that does.

However, by the end of the first day, your brain will be full. You will have so many ideas and have learned so many things. Not to mention the swag bag you will carry with handouts, demo products, and notes you desperately want to look through but are way too tired to do it now.

Pace yourself and give yourself the grace to take a session off from time to time to gather your thoughts, write a few notes about important things, and find something to eat.

#2 Stay hydrated and bring snacks.

While you want to make sure you follow #1 above, there will be times throughout a multi-day conference when you find yourself going into a session you are super excited about:

Then realize you have entirely missed lunch
You haven’t made it to the bathroom
And you haven’t filled your water bottle since… um… huh… when did you fill it last?

Nothing makes it harder to focus on a session of amazing innovative teaching tools and techniques- than your stomach growling and your head feeling fuzzy from dehydration.

Make sure you bring simple snacks and fill your water bottle often.

One side note- try to bring snacks that are not loud and avoid:

Chip bags that crumple
Items that have a significant smell.
The bag of nuts that only opens by pulling with great force… and then spreading the nuts across the entire table.

Even if your neighbors don’t notice the smell of your beef jerky or the sound the chips make while you chew, you will be convinced they can and will be more focused on chewing quietly and eating quickly than you will the information being presented to you.

If you have a favorite conference snack, stop by our Instagram and share your favorite snack!

#3 Get Up And Leave!

This was a shock to me when I attended my first national conference.

The presenter told me… to get up and leave!

If I wanted.

(Thank you, Mike!)

At big conferences, it is crucial to focus on your goals.

If you are not gaining information that pertains to your needs or information that is new or valuable to you… get up and move- to a new session.

This is incredibly important when you are at a conference that caters to professionals with a wide range of experience with each topic and has many sessions running simultaneously.

Presenters understand that you may be incredibly interested in their topic and think they are an amazingly charismatic presenter… but the information they are giving is something you have

already heard
already use
are not ready for… yet
or your brain is simply too overloaded to process right then.

As a presenter, I would much rather you leave my session to move to one that is a better fit than waste an entire session listening to information you are not going to use with your students!

#4 Networking

This was hard for me when I first started attending conferences.

I enjoyed the conference… and the quiet time back in my hotel room, processing the day.

I didn’t realize for almost two years that some of the best professional development at a conference was making connections with other professionals. The people you meet at conferences can quickly become colleagues and friends. The group you turn to for answers. The group you turn to for

ideas
support
problem solving
and humor that only your fellow professionals will understand.

Formally these people can make up your PLN- Professional Learning Network.

Often, they simply become more like friends who are as interested in your growth as you are in theirs. So say “hi,” stay after a session to compliment a presenter, get emails and phone numbers, attend the networking events… be friendly!

#5 Unplug

This may seem obvious after #4, but especially when at a conference involving technology, it can be hard to do.

Look up from your screen. Don’t hide behind a laptop or iPad checking email. Take a few moments, write down notes about the session you were in and then get into the hallways between sessions.

Talk.
Smile.
Say “hi” to the person in the never-ending line for coffee.

Appear approachable. Fake it if you have to. This is the only way you will meet people.

#6 Organize.

Pick a method for keeping track of conference handouts and materials.

Make a folder with the name of the conference and save the PDFs, Google Slides, and Powerpoints you will get.
Make a bookmark folder
Better yet, use an extension like TabSnooze to save the tabs you have open for later. (Trust me, this extension is a conference lifesaver!)

If you need a starting place, here are some tools to help save time and stay organized.

On day 1, you will be convinced that you will still be able to remember where things are and find them again.

By Day 2, you will have given up all hope of remembering anything. You will be incredibly grateful you have your materials organized in a folder to pour over when you return to reality.

If your Google Drive or filing system is a mess and the idea of staying organized is just as overwhelming as the idea of going to the conference, you may want to sign up for our free e-mail course on Taming your Drive. Learn more about Taming Your Drive Here.

#7 Share!

Take a moment and send a link to a co-worker of something you think they would enjoy from the conference.

Organize your documents in such a way you can go back to share out what you learned.

A professional conference is huge and something not everyone gets to attend. The knowledge you gain is made even better with the conversations you start with your coworkers and PLNs.

#8 Don’t be afraid to go off on your own.

If you are attending a conference with coworkers, don’t feel the need to stay with them for every session.

You are there to get the best information you can for what you do every day.

Don’t waste time in sessions that are perfect for someone else just because you want to attend together.

Plus, there is always the concept of divide and conquer. With so many sessions running congruently, what better way to gain more than to split up and promise to share resources later?

#9 Take time at the vendor hall.

Take a deep breath. Maybe do some calming exercises.

Then walk into the vendor hall.

Typically, a magical sound barrier will break when you enter the room.

Suddenly there is noise, lots of colors and moving objects, and people everywhere wanting your attention.

Vendors come to these events to show off what they have- software, books, printers, or ideas. They want to show you every fantastic feature of their product because they compete with everyone else in that hall for your business.

This means it is a great time to learn about products that can help you in your profession and learn about them from the experts! Take time to talk to vendors, learn about their products, and ask questions. That is what they are there for.

Most vendors will have handouts that show what they are demonstrating- take one.

That may be the only way you remember what you see by the time the conference ends. Don’t feel pressured into making promises or signing up. The vendors know you aren’t the sole decision-making person in your district or business. So feel free to politely decline or say you are interested but need to talk to the right people.

#10 Plan ahead.

Take time before the conference to read through session descriptions. Highlight, circle, star, or design a personalized calendar to list sessions each hour you are interested in attending.

Yes, I said a list for each hour.

At many conferences, I will have four or more sessions during one period that call to me.

This is helpful when I have sat through two sessions on something I am passionate about but am getting burnt out on that topic. I can look at my list for the next session and choose to attend something with a different topic.

It also allows me to have sessions ready should I need to use Rule #3 from above. Another added benefit is you have sessions prepared and are not wasting valuable networking time reading through the descriptions and trying to pick a session.

#11 Don’t be afraid to eat alone.

When attending a conference by yourself, or perhaps even when you are attending with others, you will eventually reach the point where you need to walk into the prepared lunch room and find a seat on your own.

This is another deep breath moment.

While it feels a bit like the junior high cafeteria as you search for an empty chair, you are no longer in junior high. Find an open seat; if others are at the table, ask if it is taken and if not- sit down!