What it is: Recently I received a free year long pass to the EdTech UNconference from Simple K12 to review. Not only did they offer me a free pass, they offered me a free pass to give away to a lucky reader, very generous! After spending a few days learning and playing around in the EdTech UNconference, I am impressed! The EdTech UN conference is a year long, 100% online all-inclusive resource to help educators learn about and use technology in an “UNintimidating” way. It is professional development that works the way you need it to. Teachers are some of the busiest people I know. We constantly work, think about our students, and strive to make ourselves and our classrooms better. The problem: because we are so busy, professional development can be an after thought or put off all together. It isn’t convenient to leave your family and travel across the country for a 4 day conference…not to mention the expense. The EdTech UNConference has a low admission fee $199.99 (or free for a lucky iLearn Technology reader), lasts 365 days, has a recording of ALL sessions, is online and on demand which means no travel, no sub plans, and no rearranging your schedule. In addition to the great sessions, EdTech UnConference will send regular email updates, twitter updates, offers a private social networking site, 500+ hours of learning programs, and online support. That is a lot of professional development for your school $$. Learn about Internet safety, technology integration through podcasting, wikis, interactive whiteboards, Microsoft Office (for both Mac and Windows), iMovie, monthly live edtech sessions, live follow-up Q&A, ongoing collaboration with other educators from around the world, your own blog (so easy it is already set up!), 2 min. edtech talks (professional development in those spare 2 min!), and printable reports of training time that you can share with your supervisor. And that is just the beginning 🙂 Presentations come from some of the best in education including Steven Anderson, Kyle Pace, Richard Byrne, Shervette Miller, Cory Plough, Adam Bellow, Kim Munoz, Steven Katz and more! If some of those names seem familiar, they probably are, a few are members of the iLearn Technology Edublogger Alliance. The kickoff session for the conference starts today, October 1. Online Professional development is amazing, it is there when you need it, available any time, and in a manner that works for your schedule. What can you learn in 365 days?
How to integrate EdTech UNconference into your classroom: The EdTech UNconference is sure to launch your classroom into the 21st century with practical professional development that you can implement into your classroom right away. One of the difficulties of a regular conference, is hearing a new idea, getting excited about it, only to have it fizzle out when you try to implement it because there is no one to talk to, no ongoing support when you hit a roadblock. Not so with the EdTech UNconference. This is professional development that you can really use. The recorded sessions mean that you can review a topic as many times as you need to. Still need some help, head over to the forum and get on demand help from other educators from around the world. How cool is that?!
How to register to win the iLearn Technology EdTech UNconference pass: There are two ways to enter to win the iLearn Technology EdTech UNconference year-long pass. 1. Tweet about why you need free professional development using the hash tag #iltUNcon or 2. Leave a comment below about how much you would love some free professional development. You have until Oct. 4, 2010. On Monday, I will put all of the entries into a Google Doc and use a random number generator to choose the winner. Good luck!
Please leave a comment to enter the EdTech UNconference contest!
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You hit the nail on the head — we *are* busy! And prof. dev. resources such as EdTech’s Unconference are ideal for us. Looking forward to winning! 😉
I need free professional development because my school simply can’t afford it. I work at an all-boys private, preparatory middleschool called Durham Nativity. Within our mission here, is to help to close the achievement gap among minority students in the country. I believe we can help close the achievement gap by exposing students to technologies that serve and engage them, enhance their learning experiences, and push them out of their comfort zones. As I learn, I teach. As I teach, I also learn. Attending this conference would be a great opportunity for me to learn more, so that my students can learn more. Through my students, I believe I can reach the masses, but I always need to be learning as I’m reaching…
Don’t hesitate to check out my school and my classroom. I’m still new to the computer technology game–I have recently started using blogs, twitter, facebook and other social media and web 2.0 tools that enhance instruction. I see a huge difference in my students’ performance and engagement in my foreign language and computer technology classes! I would love to learn even more.
Angel Dozier
http://msdozier.blogspot.com (See Twitter and Facebook Badges)
http://durhamnativity.org
I know something about teaching. I know something about technology. I know almost nothing about how to combine the two. I’d love to learn new methods and suggestions of how to integrate technology into the curriculum to enhance learning so that it is an effective & fun tool and not just this year’s gimmick. The opportunity to ask questions of more experienced educators is the icing on the cake!
We’re a small school in rural MN working to implement technology effectively in to our curriculum. As the Training and Development Coordinator for the district, it’s my job to work directly with the staff to identify effective use, (vs using technology for the sake of using it) and then teach them the tools they need to learn. There aren’t many schools around here doing what we do and it makes networking difficult. This membership would be a great way to connect our teachers with other staff, learning as well as sharing what we’re already doing.
Thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
Like many others, my school does’t have money to send me anywhere or pay for anything this year. All of the PD that I learn I try to pass on to my teachers. And I am a nerd that enjoys learning more all the time.
I’ve been looking at the UNconference, but can’t afford it this year! I am trying to do more to meaningfully integrate technology into my music classroom and help out teachers at my school. This pass would be so helpful!
I would love some free professional development. As a Tech Instructional Specialist, PD is my job!
Our school is making great strides toward being “tech savvy”. This type of PD would just be one more step in our path and since we are a private, christian school….the “free” makes it even better!
What a great opportunity! With our district expecting more and more integration of technology in the classroom — yet having no money to pay for us to attend professional development, this would be great! And I love the year-long concept rather than a one-time event. Much more manageable in real life!
I need professional development because like all devoted teachers, I am a life-long learner. Plus, I live in Mexico City where quality PD (and in English) is difficult to find and expensive if found.
Plus, I rock! 😉 I love taking my learning and not only applying to my classroom, but also sharing it with my colleagues so that the benefit multiplies.
Thanks for the opportunity and for the heads-up about such a great resource.
…dixie
I am so addicted to finding websites on the Internet to enhance my teaching and to enhance the lives of my students – both educational and personal. I love sharing fun and educational sites with my students.
Web tools that are available on the Internet are ENDLESS…making it so very overwhelming at times trying to decide which web tools I should be introducing to my students. Therefore, being a part of EdTech UNconference I feel can help me become even more focused. I created a new course this semester – Social Media – Exploring Web Applications at the high school level. Students are having a blast (and not to mention myself exploring the Internet) Students are seeing that there is more out there than Facebook, Search Engines, Games on the Internet. Such as blogging, social bookmarking, avatars, wikis, presentation and picture tools. With EdTech UNconference I can become even stronger in this area being able to utilize their resources.
I discovered your website about a year ago, Kelly, and it has enhanced my use of technology in the elementary classroom. Receiving emails from Ilearn is like opening a birthday or Christmas present a few times per week! I teach in Spain, so PD opportunities are limited to the occasional workshop. Thanks for your inspiration!
One of my school division’s missions is to engage students with technology. To have this pass would be beneficial in providing me with the latest techonolgy programs and resources without spending extra time that I don’t have to find them. Thank you for the providing the opportunity for teachers. 🙂
We are among the luckiest teachers in the world in my county, but most of us have NO idea what to do with it! We could take our learning to the next level for ourselves and our students with this kind of PD.
I am a Spanish teacher who has recently caught the “technology bug.” I have become obsessed with discovering resources that I can use with my students to help aid them in learning the language and culture so they can become globally competent citizens. The incorporation of technology is a perfect way. The EdTech membership would be a great way to learn some new ideas.
I would turnkey all the new information I could learn with this year of professional development with 150 staff members of my school. We have taken some major hits in the financing area here in NJ and therefore, this is a huge need as well as would be a wonderful treat!
I am a Curriculum Specialist in rural Pa. More often than not , I am too far from the nregional, state and national professional development opportunities so I do miss out. I would love the chance to grow professionally with the advantage of a EdTech Unconference Pass!!!
How to register to win the iLearn Technology EdTech UNconference pass: There are two ways to enter to win the iLearn Technology EdTech UNconference year-long pass. 1. Tweet about why you need free professional development using the hash tag #iltUNcon or 2. Leave a comment below about how much you would love some free professional development. You have until Oct. 4, 2010. On Monday, I will put all of the entries into a Google Doc and use a random number generator to choose the winner. Good luck!
Wow! What a great opportunity. I am always looking for ways to integrate technology with my kindergarteners and they are such sponges for it! This year I am piloting an interactive whiteboard for our school so this opportunity would be incredible! Can’t wait to win! 🙂
Thanks so much for giving this opportunity to win!
I am always intrigued by learning new things. Professional development is essential to all (perhaps that is the secret to the European countries “out performing” the US on achievement tests), but it is so expensive. As teachers, we are also be inundated with too much paperwork and meetings. Gone are the days of leave at 3:30 p.m. and summers off. There isn’t much time left for quality professional development. Being able to do my professional development on my schedule would be fantastic!
There is so much to learn. I feel I learned a ton of information this summer. And my biggest aha is – I am still just a novice.
I just got an IPAD and have tried to down load itunes to my home computer only to learn I need to “update drivers”.
Question which drivers, Where are they, what do they cost? There is so much to learn. The scary thought is I am more technologically informed than many of my colleagues.
This sounds like a great opportunity.
Wow! Thanks so much for this opportunity! The EdTech UNconference sounds like a wonderful. I am currently working on the last half of a Graduate Diploma in Technology and am looking for ways to continue learning and growing as a teacher and learning in the 21st century! This would be an amazing resource for me and for me to share with my colleagues!