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#TCEA17 Prep

I haven't been to TCEA in a couple of years.  I have been to Tots and Tech in between.  Regardless it has been several years since I have attended just as a conference attendee.  I have enjoyed presenting the last several times that I have been there. This year I look forward to just absorbing as much as possible.  Those of you who have attended before know this is an overwhelming task.  If you sign up for premium registration and attend any of the academies, you are already overloaded before you get to the first regular day of the conference.

How am I planning to do that you ask?  Well, I intend to be intentional about the choices I make for the sessions.  I don't plan to attend a session just because I couldn't find anything else for that time slot.  If that is the case, then I need to spend some time networking, debriefing, writing, or visiting the expo floor.  Here are the criteria I plan to use when choosing sessions.

  1. Benefit-How will this session benefit my personal growth?  How will this session benefit my district?  Does it line up with our district's strategic plan?

  2. Support-There are several teacher's attending with me that are presenting this year.  I will attend as many of their sessions as I can to support their efforts.  I have friends in other districts that will be presenting as well.  I always enjoy supporting those in my network of professionals.

  3. Trust-Is the presenter someone I have viewed before and know they provide quality content?  If so, they may be chosen before a person that I have not heard of before.  But then again, sometimes a risk on an unknown can pay off in a big way.

  4. Popularity- I know what you're thinking, if everyone else is going it must be great.  I actually take a little different approach. If all the other members of my team are attending this session, I am likely to choose something different.  Why? Increase our footprint.  I want to get the biggest bang for buck I can.  If five other people are in the session already, they can tell me what they learned later and I can do likewise.

I know these are pretty basic, and probably some version of these are running through your mind as you prepare.  I also plan to schedule some intentional time in the expo hall spending time with vendors and gathering ideas to take back with me.

At the end of each day, some intentional debriefing is important.  Blogging, rewriting notes, or sharing with colleagues is a vital part of wrapping up each day and solidifying the knowledge.

With that said, I am looking forward to a great conference.  See you in a couple of weeks.
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