Edubloggercon West at CUE & An Edublogger Meetup at CLMS

Every year at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), a group of educational bloggers (or edubloggers) gathers for a full day edubloggercon, an “unconference” where the sessions and topics are decided by the participants. It’s an exciting and high-energy social learning experience.

A west coast version of the edubloggercon takes place each year at the CUE conference in Palm Springs. Steve Hargadon, Jen Wagner, and I have begun talking about planning the event. Please add your name to the “I’m Attending” page if you’ll be at CUE (or in the area), and please join us in planning the event.

Edubloggercon – WEST

  • Palm Springs, Ca
  • March 4, 2009

Smaller more informal edublogger meetups take place at many other smaller (or non ed tech) conferences throughout the year. An edublogger meetup has just been added for the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) conference in San Diego this March. This event is a great opportunity to get “outside the echo chamber” of ed tech. We hope that any of you who will be in attendance (or in the area) will join us for fun and inspiring conversation about technology, learning, and life.

Edublogger Meetup – CLMS 2009

  • San Diego, Ca
  • March 13, 2009

NOTE: It’s not too late to register for the CLMS conference and receive the early-bird discount. Also, in light of state budget challenges, CLMS is offering special discount rates. Get the special two-day pass for $165 and come to the edublogger meetup on Friday night! See the CLMS website for details:

http://www.clms.net/conferences/clms.htm

I hope to see you at one of these events soon – or at the edubloggercon in Washington, DC in June. :)

Google Learning Institute in Monterey, Ca

I’m happy to be announcing this. The “civilian” version of the Google Teacher Academy (no application necessary) is coming to the CLMS/CLHS/NHSA and CUE Technology Conference in Monterey, Ca this December 4th. Here’s the description and registration link from the conference website:

Google Learning Institute (Bring your own laptop)
9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Special All-Day Class!

This is a high-energy professional development experience that introduces participants to innovative ways free Google tools can be used in education. A full-day of fast-paced presentations and hands-on activities includes experience with advanced search techniques, collaborative web-based applications, and inspirational instructional strategies. Google Certified Teachers share the ways they’ve implemented tools such as Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Sites, and… even more. Participants who complete the workshop are given access to the Google Learning Network (GLN), an online group focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to support learning. Fee: $250

IMPORTANT
Enjoy extended, hands-on workshops on the practical educational uses of each tool or concept. Advanced registration required, extra fees apply, no refunds provided, sessions/equipment subject to change. These sessions are first-come, first-served and usually sell out. Submit payment with REGISTRATION ASAP and call to ensure your space is reserved.

I hope to see some of you there! And if you’re planning on coming, don’t miss the (free) edublogger meetup the following night – sign up now so we can all get excited about you coming: http://www.edubloggercon.com/monterey2008

Bloggers Discount for ILC 2008

I just received an email from the ILC staff offering edubloggers the opportunity to extend a discount to their readers. Here’s the text of the offer:

The Innovative Learning Conference (ILC) 2008, will be held October 14-16 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, Calif., and is devoted to sharing innovative educational strategies for advancing K-12 student achievement.

Registration is taking place NOW, with an early-bird discount available through Oct. 6. In addition, readers of this blog can get an extra discount of $40 by registering online by Oct. 6 at www.ilc2008.org and typing in the promotional code ORG40.

This conference is a “must-attend” professional development opportunity, offering educators, administrators and technology leaders a chance to experience first-hand the latest innovations in classroom technology. More than 150 concurrent sessions and over 60 workshops will provide thought-provoking strategies, applications and practices. ILC 2008 will also feature an expansive exhibit hall where attendees can view the latest products and services from some of the nation’s leading technology companies, with more than 100 top solution providers in attendance.

For more information on the conference, please visit www.ilc2008.org.

If you attend the conference, be sure to also drop in on the edublogger meetup at 7 pm on Wednesday evening at the Gordon Biersch: http://www.edubloggercon.com/ilc2008

NOTE: ILC is produced in partnership between CUE and FETC.

Edublogger Meetups and Edubloggercon WEST

I just posted this to the edubloggercon group:

Hey, all. I just started a new page at the edubloggercon wiki for a meetup at the Innovative Learning Conference put on by CUE and FETC in San Jose this October 14 through 16. I’m planning the meetup on Wednesday the 15th at 7 pm.

The Conference:
http://www.ilc2008.org/

The Edublogger Meetup Page:
http://www.edubloggercon.com/ilc2008

If you’re planning to be there – or to be in the area, please sign up. I look forward to hanging out with and learning with any of you who can make it.

And then, I thought I’d take advantage of my momentum and go ahead and create a similar page for the technology conference in Monterey this December:

Hello again. I went ahead and created a page for a similar edublogger meetup in Monterey, Ca on December 5th during the Learning to Network, Networking to Lean conference put on by CUE and CLMS/CLHS/NHSA.

The Conference:
http://clms.net/conferences/tech.htm

The Edublogger Meetup Page:
http://www.edubloggercon.com/monterey2008

Again, if you’ll be at the conference or in the area, I hope you’ll sign up to hang out and learn with us. :)

-Mark

Finally, I continued right on with this:

I decided to ride my momentum… I jumped in and created a place holder for the Edubloggercon-WEST at the CUE conference. But, I haven’t talked to Mike Lawrence or Steve Hargadon about this, so it may evolve a bit in the coming months. In the meantime, feel free to jump in and help create the organizing pages on the wiki:

The Conference:
http://www.cue.org/conference/

The Edubloggercon:
http://www.edubloggercon.com/cue2009

Hopefully I’ll see each of you at one or more of these events – at least if you live in California. :)