2013 MACUL Conference Tipsheet #3

By -


The MACUL Conference is 5 days away!  This is the third tip sheet in a series of 4 to help you get ready for Michigan’s largest education conference.

Today I'm sharing some general tips for getting the most out of the conference.

Checking In: Checking in on Thursday morning can be overwhelming!  Here are some bits of advice to avoid missing the opening keynote session (you don’t want to miss Kevin Honeycutt - he will truly inspire you!):
  • If you come into Detroit Wednesday prior to 5pm, go to registration then instead of waiting until Thursday
  • If you come into Detroit Thursday morning, registration opens at 7 am Thursday - plan to get there around that time to avoid long lines

Getting Help: There are over 100 volunteers (including myself!) available to help you if you have questions during the conference.  If you are unsure of anything, please ask!  Ways you can identify people that can help:
  • People carrying around “Ask Me” signs
  • People wearing shirts that have the MACUL logo on them
  • People with lots of ribbons attached to their name badges (not all of these people are official volunteers - but they probably have the experience to direct you to the right place!)

To Stay or Not To Stay?:  You may get into a sessions and 5 minutes in know that it really wasn’t what you thought it was about.  At this conference we ENCOURAGE you to quietly get up, exit and make your way to another session you had targeted. This conference is about your learning - do not be held hostage by politeness into losing 60 minutes of your precious time!

Network, Network, Network: Take time to connect with others!  It may be hard for you, but it is so worth getting to know many of the great educators there are in our the state. When to network?:
  • There is always a half hour between sessions - part of this time can be used to chat with other people are attending the same session, even the presenters.  I don’t even know of a featured speaker that doesn’t enjoy talking to conference participants!
  • Thursday’s lunch is a longer period so you can go through the exhibit hall - and for the SIGs (Special Interest Groups) to have their annual meetings & lunch.  Look up the SIGs and see if one fits your interests - it’s a great way to meet new people!
  • Use the social events - the party at the Roostertail, the spur of the moment Tweet-up gatherings (follow #MACUL13 on twitter for these!), and vendor sponsored events are all great ways to connect with each other.

Be Comfortable: You will probably do LOTS of walking during this conference.  Please dress comfortably so you can fully enjoy it!  Many of us will be wearing comfortable pants - like khakis - with comfortable shirts - such as polos.  Most importantly - wear shoes that stay comfortable on your feet for the full day.

Looking forward to seeing you at the conference!

Popular posts from this blog

Google Script - Create a Drop-Down List from Spreadsheet Column

By -
Image
(Updated on 3/21/2017 - triggers have been moved!) ( I just created a new related post on how to create a multiple choice  question on the form that a bit simplified - takes the "other" answers in a multiple choice question on a form, and updates the multiple choice options with those as options.) I guess it was only a matter of time before I ended up dabbling with Google Scripts.  Today I was asked by a teacher how he could populate a drop-down list on his Google Form from data on a spreadsheet - and have it update as he changed the data.  Not finding an add-on for this (why recreate the wheel? :-)  I explored creating a script.  And...discovered that this task is not too hard! To do this yourself - 1. Create your form.   Really important step.  Make sure to create your drop-down item and give it a title, but you do not need to add any options to it (because later you will populate it from the spreadsheet). 2. Create the spreadsheet where your list will reside. Yo
Read more

Google Calendar - How to Share Your Calendar Via Link

By -
Image
Google Calendar provides a couple ways you can share your calendar.  The first way you will see below provides a link that lets another person subscribe to your calendar.  They will need to be logged into their Google account, and it will display YOUR calendar along with their own. (Personally, I find this method the best for adding my kids' and husband's events so I see our families events all in one calendar.)  The second method displays your calendar in a browser window.  This is probably the preferred Teacher method for sharing with parents. (Here is a video on How to Share Your Calendar Via a Link .) When in your Google Calendar: Click on the Options menu (stacked dots) for the calendar you want to share - Select Settings and sharing - Click on Access permissions on the left side - Click on the Get shareable link - Note that who can see the calendar with this link depends on the access permissions you have set right above.  For example, with the setti
Read more

2019 MACUL Conference Tipsheet #1 - Food Tips & Special Events

By -
Image
(This is 1 in a series of 4 to help you get ready and excited about going to this year's conference.) Yes, you are attending the conference for all the great learning and networking.  However, eating is still a necessity and it is important to know where to find food while in Detroit...especially food that you can get quickly, without waiting in long lines!  Here are some tips and hints for dealing with that while at Cobo, along with some special events you should know about: Staying Hydrated : make sure you stay hydrated! there are several fountains and water coolers provided throughout the venue to get water - bring along a refillable cup/mug and keep filling it all day instead of purchasing expensive bottles of water Food at Cobo : there are several food vendors right in COBO; some tips about these: there will be around 4000 attendees AND hundreds of additional vendors at the venue, and everyone will be taking about the same meal breaks - either pick up food at
Read more

Google Contacts - Newest Area to Get Some "Google Love"

By Anonymous -
Image
Be ready!  Your Google Contacts is about to update its looks.  I don't know about you, but I don't go to Google Contacts often.  I just don't like it.  If you need a refresher, this is what it looks (looked) like - Looked & felt very...dated.  This morning in going to one of my Google accounts, I got the pop-up window in my contacts.  Here is a screenshot of the new look - Hoping that the Google Love includes more than just the interface.  If there are any big changes that make Contacts more easily managed & navigated, you can be sure to see another blog post or two about it!
Read more

Google Slides - Rulers & Guides

By -
Image
A menu change happened for me this morning in Google Slides (on just my work account, not on my personal account yet).  The addition of both turning on/off a ruler, and adding guides onto the slide to help with placement if you are varying from the pre-built theme layouts. Here is the menu change showing the additional options - RULER The ruler works as you would expect it to.  When you select it from the View menu, it displays a horizontal and vertical ruler at the top and left of the side - When you are moving an object on the slide, you will see blue lines marking the location of the ends and middle of the object on both toolbars - GUIDES When you select to view the guides, you see the midpoint guides on the slides -  Guides do have some more flexibility as you can add additional guides on the slide, and drag them to the location of your choice - There is also the option to "Edit guides" and enter them in a window, as well -
Read more