How To Present At Educational Conferences
If you have a teaching technique, a collaboration methodology, or a particular way to use media, or anything you feel is valuable to share, these could be things that other teachers may want to hear about.
There are a variety of educational conferences and events where you may have the opportunity present unique practices and inspire other educators, as well as be inspired and energized from the work others do.
Step 1 — What To Present About
The first thing is to have something to share. Whether it is a new model that you have created for assessment, a tool that you have successfully implemented that dramatically reduced costs for your school, or a system you have implemented that improved the communication between school and parents, you will need to have something to present.
Step 2 — List Up Some Relevant Conferences
There are some major edtech conferences that are well known, as well as smaller events or even events hosted by your school or district that may be linked to what you would like to share. Major conferences could be found in lists such as https://go.edsurge.com/rs/590-LFO-179/images/EdSurge-2018-Edtech-Events-Calendar-K-12_v3.pdf that tell you when they occur and where.
Step 3 — List Up Proposal Deadlines
Many conferences require you to submit a proposal well in advance of the conference. Some proposals are due 5–6 months before the conference, whereas some proposals are due only a few weeks prior. Either way, submitted proposals are reviewed by a group of people who decide whether they want to have the proposal included as part of the conference. The calls for proposals (CfP) will include information about the format of submission, deadline, requirements etc.. You will need to find the deadline for the CfP to determine whether you can complete a submission by the deadline. If the deadline is gone, you might be able to negotiate having your proposal considered by directly contacting the conference organizers. Deadlines are often extended to allow more latecomers to submit, so you should keep checking the website for submission deadlines.
Step 4 — Decide On Presentation Type
There are a variety of ways you can present. Proposals can be in the form of full research papers, short papers, roundtable discussions, poster presentations, panel discussions, workshops, virtual presentations, and many more. Submission requirements vary depending on the proposal type. Some require 10 page research papers, whereas some only require 1 written paragraph. Some conferences are more academically oriented, whereas other conferences are more for practicing teachers/educators, others may be more industry and product oriented. Either way, there are a variety of options to choose from, and if you have already attended some, you probably noticed the variety of offering by differing conferences.
Step 5 — Make A Submission
Many conferences use an online system for submitting proposals. You usually need to make an online account in the system that the conference uses, and you will need to fill out the relevant information, upload relevant files, and you can add multiple authors if you are going to co-present with other teachers. There is no payment for submitting a proposal. Once the proposal is submitted, it is either rejected, accepted, or placed in a pool for further consideration. Payments are only made when you register to attend the event, either as a presenter or a participant. Even if your submission is accepted, you can still decline the invitation and not attend the conference. Sometimes there are options to present virtually, meaning you can still attend and present without physically being at the event. These usually require a registration fee, but there will be no travel costs.
Step 6 — Make A Payment
There is no cost in declining an invitation. For some proposals, such as a workshop, you can get paid to hold the workshop. There may also be instances where the registration fee is waived for certain applicants at some conferences. Whatever the case, there are some out of pocket costs whether your school or district is willing to sponsor you or not. In addition, there are travel scholarships offered to K-12 teachers, so you can search for such programs if you meet the criteria.
Step 7 — Schedule and Attend
If you are able to attend the conference and can fund the various costs, you will need to figure out your mode of transportation (such as booking a flight or driving your own car). If necessary, you may ask for accommodations or arrange for your absence from school etc.. It is important to learn new information and network with different people attending the conference to see what is out there!
