Dates: January 23^rd – 26^th, 2012

Orange County Convention Center

Orlando, Florida

What is  FETC?

Florida Educational Technology Conference.  FETC is a massive technology conference where people from all over the world come to learn about some of the latest and greatest trends, philosophies, and best practices dealing with Educational Technology.  Vendors from all over come and show case the latest technology resources that can be used in the classroom. As a participant you will be able to network with thousands of teachers, school administrators, technology coordinators and directors.

What do I need to bring to FETC?

First of all make sure that you are registered for the conference. You can register at
http://fetc.org/events/florida-educational-technology-conference/information/registration-information.aspx
. If at all possible, don’t come alone. Many schools and school districts come in teams. It is impossible to see everything at FETC. So schools and districts use the divide and conquer philosophy that will allow your team to go to different presentations and then come back and share your knowledge and resources with each other.

What to wear:

FETC is HUGE! Lots of walking, so you want to be comfortable.

I would say that the majority of attendees dress in a casual professional way and others wear jeans and stay comfortable. FETC is all about learning and networking.  Dress however you feel comfortable to accomplish those tasks.

Backpack – I strongly recommend that you bring a backpack. You will be getting lots of materials from vendors and you will need a place to store this stuff.

Where can I find the Conference Schedule?
http://fetc.org/events/florida-educational-technology-conference/information/conference-at-a-glance.aspx

Where can I find the Agenda?
http://fetc.org/events/florida-educational-technology-conference/information/concurrent-sessions.aspx

Where do I start? Do I go to Vendor sessions, Exhibit Hall, or  Workshops?

This is where I tell my friends when you go to FETC you need to have a purpose.  What are you trying to get accomplished?

Events that you do not want to miss:

1) Opening Keynote

2) Clossing Session

3) Tweet Up – for Networking

4) Concurrent Sessions

5) Exhibit Hall

Exhibit Hall - I have seen schools in desperate need of some technology and they spent the whole time at the vendor exhibit hall and won loads of free technology resources (May I add that they had a lot of luck). They later learned that although it was great to win stuff, they didn’t learn anything because they did not go to any workshops (concurrent or paid). Its important to go to the vendor exhibit hall and get some freebies – talk to the vendors and see what is the latest greatest technology resources out there and compare them to what you are currently using. You will leave FETC with a better perspective of where your school stands with technology. If you are in the position to upgrade technology with in your school FETC is the time to purchase it. Vendors have  FETC conference deals that are usually better than the deals they have going on yearlong. If you are thinking about purchasing something – DO NOT PURCHASE IT right away. Walk that exhibit floor; you will see that there are 20 other versions of the same style of product. Vendors will let you test their product out so you can have a better idea of which product best fits your needs.

Concurrent Sessions – In concurrent sessions, this is where you divide and conquer. They are usually 30 – 45 minute sessions. Space is limited so you want to make sure that you get to the workshop room ASAP. You will be shocked at how many resources these presenters throw at you within a 30-45 minute span.  Have a plan, take out the agenda before FETC, and highlight the concurrent workshops that you find interesting.  Warning – as I said before, they do fill up fast, so always have a plan B and Plan C incase you cannot get into the workshop session you planed on attending.  There are many concurrent sessions to choose from but its important to remember that your time is valuable. Do not hesitate to leave a concurrent session. If you sit in that session for 5 minutes and you realize this is not what you were expecting, just quietly stand up and leave. Go to your plan B or Plan C. Remember that you are there to learn.

Paid workshops – These workshops are worth every single penny. Concurrent sessions are phenomenal because they are free.  Having said that you will learn lots and lots of resources but not necessarily how to navigate or use them effectively in your classroom due to time constraints within a concurrent session. Because of this you will have some Home Work to do. Paid workshops are usually 2, 3, 5 or 7 hours long. Paid workshops are usually hands on workshops. They are much smaller, intimate, and they will walk you through their presentations making it a memorable hands on experience.  There is no guessing in these types of workshops. You will leave knowing how to use that product, resource, or understanding that philosophy.

Be Prepared – Know Your Agenda:

There are so many workshops to choose from. This is where the overwhelming part comes in. As stated earlier, make a plan, have some back up workshop plans, and make the most of your experience. If you look at your agenda two minutes before the workshop starts, and try to figure out where you want to go, it will be to late. That workshop might have gotten filled.

FETC Highlights:

Edmodo is a secure social learning network for teachers and students.  It is also an amazing web based classroom platform where you can post assignments, give student polls, exams, and flip your classroom into a virtual paperless classroom.  Edmodo will be heavily involved in FETC. By signing up for Edmodo you will be able to join “groups”/presentations and access all of the presenters resources from the presentations that you attend.

iPhone and Android  FETC- APP:

FETC is going to launch a new app for the conference. The APP will have lots of useful information as well as an up to the minute agenda for participants to pick and choose which presentations/workshops you would like to attend. Strongly recommend that you download their app as soon as they release it. COMING SOON!

Social Media:

The beauty of FETC is the truly within the participants and Social Media. If you are not yet on twitter you are missing out. If you follow the hashtag #FETC through out the conference you will see people tweeting and sharing resources non-stop through out presentations. Its what many participants do in order to not only share the amazing information they are learning in a presentation, but also read and keep up with some of the other presentations that you could not attend because they are going on simultaneously.

Tweet-Up: 

You will find several tweet-ups at FETC. This is a set time and location where educators and conference attendees get together and network. You will often find lots of presenters at tweetups and this would be a great way to ask more questions that you might have not had the chance to ask earlier. Tweet-ups are very informal. Last year I met another technology director and we actually shared notes from our sessions with each other that we took on Evernote. A friendship was formed and we are now constantly communicating and sharing resources with each other via twitter. Here are two excellent places for an FETC tweet-up.

Wednesday January 25^th, 2012 PLN Tweet and Greet

Location: TGI Fridays on 8955 International Drive

Starts at 6:30pm

Sign up at:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AolL0gtED_t6dEJfRTVPZmdTdkR4N1R1Szl2eExya2c#gid=0

Here is a link to a YouTube video from a previous years tweet up: –

or

Tuesday, January 24^th,  2012 Live Tweet Up @FETC

Location: Exhibit Hall at the Social Media Lounge Booth 1261

Starts at 5:30pm

Should I bring my Computer/some form of technology? 

YES! You are going to be overwhelmed with information. This is a good thing. You will see people with their laptops, typing away taking notes. Last year participants had iPads, others had iPhones or Android smart phones. Some just bring a note pad and hand write a million notes. Bring what ever it is that you feel comfortable using to take notes.

FETC iPad Apps Survival Guide : 

Last year it was no secret that the iPad was the technology choice of many to attend workshops, take notes, and stay connected to social media. The Smart Phones were a close second. Here I thought that I would cover the basic must have iPad apps for FETC, since I have a feeling we will see even more iPads at FETC than ever before.

FETC (App) – Keep in touch with everything FETC through the FETC app. App is COMING SOON!

Evernote (App):

this is my #1 app. You can take notes on your ipad, computer, or smartphone using Evernote.  All of the text and pictures that you may take using Evernote is searchable. This will become extremely useful when you go back to your hotel or classroom after the conference and organize your notes. Evernote is just that, and organizational tool for your notes. For more info on Evernote: go to  
http://www.evernote.com/evernote/

 

 

Edmodo (App)

Being that presenters are going to be putting their presentation resources in Edmodo, its important that you can access this information. Make sure that you download the Edmodo App, create an account, and join the group of the presentation you are attending. For more info on Edmodo:  go to 
http://www.edmodo.com/mobile/

 

 

 

i-nigma (app) (QR Code Reader)

In a technology conference you will find so multiple QR Codes and you will want a QR code reader on your phone or iPad. QR codes will give you information , and in many cases allow you to win some free prizes for just scanning.  There are so many different kinds of QR Code Readers out there, use the one that you like the most. For more info: Go to 
http://www.i-nigma.com/Downloadi-nigmaReader.html

 

 

 

Dropbox (App)

Free cloud based storage. As presenters share files with you, you can store them in Dropbox for later use and share them with someone else. For more info: Go to 
https://www.dropbox.com/home#:::

 

 

 

 

Camera (App)

Take pictures at the conference. Using your iPad or phone. Document where you went, where you want to go back, what products from vendors you really liked and why. You can do this using your camera app or do this within Evernote as well. After that first day, you are going to be exhausted, and wont believe all of the great resources and vendor booths that you saw. Why not reflect a bit, look at the pictures that you took, and make a plan for the next conference day. For more info: Go to 
http://www.apple.com/ipad/built-in-apps/camera.html

 

 

Remember the Milk (App) or Reminders (App)

You can put your selection of FETC workshops free or paid in here. This way you have a check list of where you are supposed to go next and what time they start. For more info: Go to 
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/iphone/

 

 

 

 

Skype or Face Time (App)

Stay in touch with your group of choice. When going to FETC as a group you can communicate through these apps. In a large conference you will see that getting a hold of your friends is going to be a challenge. Try using SKYPE or FACE Time to tell them where to meet, or let them know that you are in an amazing workshop and they need to get to room 205E.  Every year I find numerous teachers Skypeing with their classes back in Illinois , Arizona,  Puerto Rico or wherever they may be from. Teachers will suddenly show their class the opening keynote or just chime in and say hi to their class and tell them that she/he misses them.  I had one teacher ask me to speak to their class and tell them where I was from and what I did for a living. – Love it! For more info: Go to 
http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home

 

 

Diigo (App)

Social bookmarking is amazing. You are going to run into a never-ending list of great online free resources. Use Diigo to save them all and access them later. While saving the bookmarks you can make notes to remind yourself what the bookmark was about. For more info: Go to 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/diigo/id417202559?mt=8

 

 

 

Bamboo Paper (app)

Lets be realistic here. Typing on the iPad takes lots of practice and some getting used too. One option is to purchase a Bluetooth keyboard and type using the keyboard. If you really want to use your iPad but write notes with your finger Bamboo Paper is the app for you.  Bamboo Paper is free, and allows you to send the  written notes to your email or convert them into a photo. For more info: Go to 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bamboo-paper-notebook/id443131313?mt=8

 

 

 

Hootsuite (app)

HootSuite is a great way to stay connected with Twitter. You can always just use the twitter app, but if you are going to follow #fetc and keep track of your twitter feed at the same time HootSuite is the app for you. It’s very important to stay connected in a technology conference to twitter and the conference feeds being that vendors do multiple free giveaways through twitter, and people are constantly sharing resources. For more info: Go to 
http://hootsuite.com/

 

 

Groupon HD (app)

Yes had to throw this in here. I would definitely search groupon in Orlando to see if there are any hotel or food specials. For more info: Go to 
http://www.groupon.com/mobile

 

 

 

 

Aroundme (app)

This app will give you a list of hotels, or places to eat near your current location. For more info: Go to 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aroundme/id290051590?mt=8

 

 

 

 

FourSquare (app)

Make sure that you get foursquare and check in at local hot spots like restaurants. You will often find discounts for just checking in. For more info: Go to 
https://foursquare.com/apps/

 

 

 

 

Safety: Conferences and Online Safety by Lee Kolbert - 
http://www.leekolbert.com/2011/12/conferences-and-online-safety-101.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope that this Survival Guide has helped you prepare for FETC. If you would like for me to add any other information please comment on this post – and I will gladly add it.

Where to find me at FETC:

Wednesday, January 25^th, 2012

Paid Workshop WW2442:  
https://www.xpressreg.net/register/fetc012/reginfo.asp?sc=&iq=&o=93091&aban=

Tech Tools to Simplify Your Life: Explore the full potential of Evernote, Dropbox, and Social Bookmarking sites that can cater to your personal needs in and outside of the educational world. Learn to use these tools to become a more effective teacher. Use the tools to simplify the way that you do things within your profession. Cut the frustration out of education and let your creativity and effectiveness develop.

Wednesday, January 25^th, 2012

Paid Workshop WW4493: 
https://www.xpressreg.net/register/fetc012/reginfo.asp?sc=&iq=&o=93091&aban=

Evernote in Education: Come and learn to use Evernote to its full potential. Bring your Laptop or iPad and you will learn how to make Evernote work for you. Learn to use it as a teacher tool, organizational tool, or student tool.

Wednesday January 25^th, 2012 PLN Tweet and Greet

Location: TGI Fridays on 8955 International Drive

Starts at 6:30pm

Sign up at:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AolL0gtED_t6dEJfRTVPZmdTdkR4N1R1Szl2eExya2c#gid=0

Here is a link to a YouTube video from a previous years tweet up: –