2019 MACUL Conference Tipsheet #2 - The Conference App & Picking Sessions

By -
The 2019 MACUL Conference is now less than a month away!

(This is the second in a series of 4 to help you get ready and excited about going to the conference. Tipsheet #1 contains information about hydration, food considerations and special happenings at the conference. )

The conference sessions are all locked and loaded...meaning you can peruse the list at your leisure.  Here are some suggestions that may help you feel more prepared when coming to the the conference-

Know What You Want: have some idea(s) of what you want to walk away from the conference with.  Use these ideas to help you plan your time so you meet those goals. It's easy to become overwhelmed with all the options, and identifying YOUR walk-aways will make sure you take back meaningful learning.  For example, you are looking for new uses of Google Apps in your classroom, look for sessions about that.  Or, if you are involved in looking for new school purchases make sure to block out some time to spend in the exhibit hall. 

Conference App: Check out the Conference app information - it includes downloads for your devices, along with a web-based online planner.

Some things to know:

When you first add the app to your phone (or other device), you will get this window and have to download information onto it to finish setting the app up -

When looking at a session, there is a bar across the left side -
 In order, these icons allow you to - 
  1. share the session with others (map icon)
  2. take personal notes on the session that are only seen by you (pencil icon)
  3. rate the session (clipboard icon)
  4. bookmark sessions to display them on your schedule (star icon)
  5. get help or more information (enclosed question mark icon)

Other app features beyond session and speaker information:
  • a local places icon - information on local restaurants and attractions
  • maps icon - maps of Cobo are uploaded to help you find your way
  • friends icon - connect with other conference attendees
At the top of the window, alerts are splashed across the page so you cannot miss them -

You will be able to access all areas after you create a login!

Some other tips:

Pick Multiple Sessions: It’s good to mark out several sessions for each time slot - some factors (such as an overcrowded room, or distance between sessions later in the day) may make it so you miss a desired session.  If you can’t attend your first choice, having a backup in mind ahead of time helps make your day go more smoothly.

Featured Speakers: Featured speakers are featured speakers for a reason.  If you are having a hard time finding a session to go to, look for featured speaker sessions.

Other Types of Speakers:  Sessions are marked with many pieces of information that can help you make smart decisions in your session choices.  Some pieces to look at:
  • Speaker’s organization - do they work for an educational institution? or a company? Sometimes this can impact both their purpose and approach
  • Speaker’s job role - there are a variety of job roles represented among the speakers.  Again, their role can impact both their purpose and approach
  • Session Strands - many sessions are marked with topical strands.  If a strand interests you, you can keyword search it to find sessions related to that topic.
And remember, the conference is about learning AND having fun... make sure to pick out one session that is "just for the fun of it."

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

Google Mail - Create Calendar Event that Includes Email Message

By Anonymous -
Image
There are many time I get an email that I want to make into an event on my calendar - both to make sure I block out the time, and to move the information out of an email in my inbox into the event.  There is a feature called "Create event" that let's you do this - it is available in the More options when you are viewing the message.  Once you select create event, Google opens up a new window, loads your calendar, and creates an event with the message subject as the name of the event, and the body of the message as the description within the event: You are then able to edit the date/time as needed to finish creating the event.  One caveat...it adds everyone that was part of the message to the Guest list (see above in red box), so unless you want it to be a group event you will need to click the x next to everyone's name but yours.
Read more

Google Documents - Creating Page Anchors (aka Bookmarks)

By -
Image
There are times in a Google Document you want to provide links to specific areas within the page and  a table of contents doesn't fit the bill. (See how to create & use a table of contents here .)  When this happens, you will need to employ the use of page anchors. Anchors basically make a linkable spot on the page.  They are pretty easy to create, and can be linked tho both within the page and from outside the page.  Within a Google Document these are called Bookmarks. Here is how to set them up: 1. Put your cursor where you want the anchor/bookmark 2. Go to the Insert Menu, select Bookmark - this will add a little blue flag to the location That's it!  You can create as many as you need in the document. To get rid of an anchor/bookmark that you no longer want: 1. Click in the location you added it.  A pop-up should appear 2. Click Remove To use an anchor/bookmark within the document: 1. Type the text you want linked to the anchor/bookmark 2. Hi
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