NETA Conference

Updated Itinerary

Wednesday, 4/20/16:

• Depart from West HS parking lot (2 vans) no later than 4 PM.
• Arrive Chances R in York approx 6 PM.
• Depart York approx 7:00 PM
• Arrive at Courtyard Marriot approx 9 PM

Thursday, 4/21/16:

• Conference Schedule Overview
• Please take notes, pictures, etc. and be prepared to share your workshop experiences and resources with other staff when we return!
• Breakfast on your own.
• Final session ends at 4:15, we can dine or go out together as each chooses.

Friday, 4/22/16:

• Breakfast on your own.
• 7:45 AM - Load luggage in vans.  Don't forget to keep a change of clothes if you prefer for the trip back. 
• Final session ends at 4:15, meet in Meet in hotel lobby for departure.
• We will stop for gas on the way home, possibly at the Aurora interchange where you can pick up a meal or snack.
• Arrive in Cozad approx 8 - 9 PM.

• We ask that each attendee post a reflection or summary of their conference experience here as a way to share thoughts and resources with others.  Please have this done by Friday, April 29.  Links to other resources are welcome!

NETA 2016 Conference Program

We are excited to have 8 staff members attending the Nebraska Educational Technology Association conference in Omaha April 23 and 24, 2015.  Those attending the conference are:

Elementary

• Teresa Barnett - Second Grade
• Theresa Lemmer - Fourth Grade

Middle School

• Barry Mraz - Social Studies
• Carly Rexing - Math

High School

• Logan Morris - English
• 
  

District

• Patty Wolfe - Tech Integration (Presenter and NETA board member)
• Dave Evertson - Tech Administration (Presenter)

Information for Attendees

NETA is a large conference and there will be several thousand attendees from all across the state.  We will be staying at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Omaha, and the conference is moving this year to the CenturyLink Center.  There will be a lot more space!

Hotel Information

Courtyard by Marriott-Omaha Downtown/Old Market Area, Omaha, NE 68102 (402) 346-2200

Departure & Return

• We will depart at approximately 4 PM from the East parking lot of the High School.  We will be traveling as a group in one large school van.  You may arrange your own travel if you wish, but the district will not reimburse travel expenses.
• We will return immediately after the end of the conference (approximately 4:30 PM) on Friday.  We should arrive back in Cozad by 8 or 9 PM.

Meals

• All attendees will receive a $62 cash meal per Diem at departure time.  That probably won't cover all of your meals, so you may want to bring some extra cash.  No other meal expenses will be covered by the district.
• For those traveling with the group in school vehicles, we will stop in York at Chances R for Dinner on Wednesday evening.  If you are providing your own transportation, please feel free to join us!  Time will be at approximately 6 PM.
• Lunch - You can purchase lunch from vendors at the conference (kind of pricey) or you may walk off-site to the many downtown options available.  There is no lunch break, sessions run from the keynote at 8:30 through the end of the final session at 4:15.  If you are going off-site for lunch, you'll have to miss a session.
• Dinner - We will go to dinner together as a group on Thursday evening (optional).  All are welcome!  We will not be stopping for a formal dinner on the return trip Friday, but will likely stop for gas some place where you can get a meal or snack.  

Dress

• While you will see some people dressed in jeans and shorts at the conference, we ask that you dress professionally, as you would at school.  Please remember that you are representing our entire school district.
• Note that we will need to check out of our rooms on Friday morning.  Plan to take your bags to the vehicle before Friday's keynote.
• If you plan to change to jeans or something more comfortable for the trip home, plan ahead and carry a bag with a change of clothes on Friday.  It's difficult to find the person with the keys during the conference, so don't plan to be able to get to your bags in the vehicle.

Keynotes and sessions

• Conference Schedule & Map
• Each day begins with a keynote, and everyone is expected to attend.  There will be one large keynote session at 8:30 each morning.  There should be a lot more space this year.  We do not all have to sit together as a group, but you might save seats for a few if you have made arrangements ahead of time.  You will want to be in the hall early if you want a good seat. 
• After the keynote, sessions begin at 10:30 and run every hour until 4:30.
• Please look over the session descriptions ahead of time and plan which you might like to attend.  This year NETA is using a program called SCHED.  You should have received an email about this.  If you don't already have a login, please create one.  This looks like a great tool for planning your conference experience.
• Session room locations should be easier to find this year.  The map printed in your conference guide will help.  There are many volunteers who will be happy to guide you as well.

Technology

•  You may bring your iPad, computer, phone or all three.  You will receive a bag during registration with the conference guide and many other flyers and goodies, but I usually carry a backpack.  Note that charging a device during the day is difficult, so you may want to leave your computer at home.
• Some prefer paper and pen for notes.  If you are looking for good note-taking apps, I personally recommend Evernote, but there are many others.  Whatever your preference, you should plan on being able to take notes without a WiFi connection (so a google doc is probably not the best choice).
• WiFi is available in the conference center all day, but there are thousands of people connecting multiple devices, so don't plan on speedy internet!
• Etiquette dictates that each person limit the number of devices they connect to the WiFi.  Please stick with just a single device on the WiFi network.

Post-conference

• We ask that each attendee post a reflection or summary of their conference experience here as a way to share thoughts and resources with others.  Please have this done by Friday, May 2nd.