#cozadMakers ISTE 2015

We are excited to have 11 staff members attending the ISTE 2015 Conference in Philadelphia this summer. This conference allows attendees the opportunity to collaborate with educators from around the world, explore current topics in education, and discover new strategies in education. The following staff members will be attending:

Elementary:

• Anngie Love
• Teresa Barnett
• Karen Berreckman

Middle School

• Barry Mraz
• Patty Margritz

High School

• Dustin Favinger
• Kyle Vincent
• Logan Morris
• Beth Carver

Technology

• Dave Evertson
• Patty Wolfe

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Information for Attendees:

Conference Dates (including travel): June 27th to July 2nd

Conference Location--Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hotel Accommodations--

• Holiday Inn Midtown in Philadelphia (5 rooms reserved) June 27th check in and July 2 Checkout

• Phone Number 215-735-9300

Flight Information:

• Depart Saturday, June 27th--NonStop Flight to Philadelphia. SouthWest airlines Flight #2506. Leave Denver at 11:35 am and arrive in Philadelphia at 5:10 pm 

• Return Thursday, July 2nd--NonStop Flight to Denver. SouthWest airlines Flight #175. Leave Philadelphia 7:10 am and arrive in Denver at 9:20 am 

Pre-Conference

• All attendees, please complete this contact and travel plans for by Friday, June 12.

Departure & Return

• We will depart at approximately 5:00 AM from the West parking lot of the High School on Saturday, June 27th. We will be traveling as a group in two large school vans. You may arrange your own travel to the Denver airport if you wish, but the district will not reimburse travel expenses. 
• We will return the day after the conference ends on Thursday, July 2nd. We should arrive back in Cozad by mid-afternoon

Meals

• All attendees will receive a cash meal per Diem at departure time. You will receive $108 for meals for the conference and travel. 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 for a short restroom break on the way to Denver and you will be able to grab a bite for breakfast at this time.
• The hotel offers a free "breakfast bar" which we assume is a continental breakfast with coffee and juice. Lunch will be available at the conference center or at a restaurant nearby. 
• Dinner--we will go to dinner together as a group each evening. This, of course, is optional but it is a great time to reflect on the day and plan for the next conference day.

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.
• While the weather in Philadelphia will likely be warm and muggy, it will be cool in the convention center, and sometimes downright cold!  You may want to carry a light jacket.
• Evening activities are very casual, feel free to pack shorts and t-shirts.  You may also dress casually but tastefully for travel days.

Keynotes and Sessions

• The conference will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Conference Schedule. A map of the convention center will be included in your registration packet.
• Opening Keynote is on Sunday, June 28th at 5:45 pm. ISTE has three Keynotes throughout the conference. We ask that everyone attend the Keynotes. 
• ISTE provides an on-line planner called My Favorites where you can save the sessions you are interested in and build your schedule. 
• Please look over the session descriptions ahead of time and plan which you might like to attend. You can search sessions by focus, presenters, date, format, etc. The Program Search also identifies those that have pre-requisites. 
• You may also want to make time to attend the Vendor Expo. This is a good place to see a demonstration of new tools or answer questions on existing resources. You also can sign up for prizes and/or grab some free stuff!

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 you will want a bag for the conference.  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).
•  If you need WiFi in your hotel room, you will have to pay for it.  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 e as a way to share thoughts and resources with others.  You may want to take some pictures and/or screenshots to document your learning and include in your reflection. Alisa had a unique reflection of NETA and it was very effective.  
• We expect all of our ISTE attendees to share their experiences and ideas with other staff through various channels.  This may include PLCs, staff meetings, or by helping to provide leadership through various staff groups and organizations.