Beyond the Session Description
A new way to connect presenters and audiences
What is the first thing that most people do whenever they’re thinking about attending a conference? Or even once they arrive, how do they decide how to spend their time while there? My guess is that most either look at the conference website or the printed program, to find out the schedule and to explore the different sessions available. Typically this involves either looking at a thicker book format or more recently, some conferences have moved away from using paper and have gone digital. Instead of searching through the pages, attendees can access information more quickly through the use of a conference app, posts on the conference website, or even by following the conference hashtag. These digital options make the information more accessible than in the past.
If you have ever submitted a proposal for a conference, then you likely know that there is a lengthy gap in time between your submission of the proposal, its review process and then if it ultimately is selected for the program, when it is finally presented at the conference. For some conferences which I have applied for and presented at, the time period during which this takes place is usually anywhere from six to nine months, if not a bit longer sometimes.
We know how quickly technology changes and perhaps as time draws nearer to the conference, the specific methods or tools included in the proposal may change as well. For those looking for sessions to attend, the presentations may vary slightly from the printed description. Even though the program description may be mostly accurate, the way the presenter decides to present may change and there is no real way to convey this to attendees. Until now.
A new idea
Last month, as I was preparing to attend and present at iNACOL in Nashville, I wished there was a way that I could give some highlights of my session. I intended to share the link to the session description on social media as a way to promote it and encourage people to attend, but I also thought that it might be interesting to create a short promo about the session that I was presenting. In our classrooms, we want our students to be able to connect with us and the content, and it is easier because we are in the same physical space and have opportunities for those interactions. When it comes to conferences, It’s hard to connect with the presenter and the content simply by looking at a web page or a booklet description of a session. How can we really know anything about the presenter, such as why they are passionate about the topic and what they hope to do during the session? How could we offer more of an introduction to our purpose and presentation than the character limit on Twitter or the program apps and booklets allows for.
I had recently started using Synth and decided to try something different with it. I recorded a synth that I then shared out on Twitter and also linked within the app. In addition to attendees being able to see a written description, they could hear me give a very brief overview of what I was planning to cover in my augmented and virtual reality session, but that they could hear some of my other ideas. My hope was that by recording a Synth, my excitement for learning and my passion for using these different tools to engage students would come through, enabling those who were listening to better understand my why and hopefully be interested in attending the session.
Go for it
It can be scary to put yourself out there like that, to record and share your Synth on social media or different platforms, but I think it will be a really beneficial way to create more excitement for sessions at conferences and also to just help people connect with one another and the presenter. I truly believe that being able to hear and understand the why behind someone’s interest in presenting a session for example, or pursuing a certain area of work, will help us to better connect more with them. It is easier to recognize their authenticities and genuine interests and passions for what they are presenting.
A few ideas to start
Getting started is so easy with Synth. Besides just having a recording that gives an overview of your session, you can also have it be a video, and then add other links to it as well. A couple of ideas to try are to just create your own Synth with a short promo of your session and then share it out on social media using the conference hashtag or placing a link for it on the conference app or website. You can also encourage people to pose questions by adding a thread or comment to your Synth. To use multiple Synths, you might create one as an intro to the session and then can add to it by using threads during the conference or even after your session ends. Other than sending an email or message, it can be a better way to have a conversation and answer some questions that came up in the session and have it accessible to everyone.
Knowing that it worked
I knew using Synth like this was a good idea when I had several people come up to me during the conference who said they enjoyed hearing what the session was going to be about and not only were they interested in learning about my topic, they were excited to have found a new tool to use within their own classroom and schools as well. There are many different ways to use Synth whether it be for a podcast or a “podchat,” the idea is that it is free and accessible for everyone. Because time is always the one thing we need more of, this is a perfect choice for engaging in richer discussions and conversations that can occur anywhere and anytime, with less time needed to get started.
Rachelle is a Spanish and STEAM Teacher. She was selected as the 2017 Outstanding Teacher of the Year by PAECT (the Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications in Technology, the PA affiliate of ISTE) and by the NSBA as one of the “20 to watch” educators and received an award and met awesome educators and members of the #Edumatch PLN in Chicago at CoSn 2017. She is also a blogger, author and prolific Twitter community member.
