Great stuff worth sharing from:

Howie & Joan DiBlasi

Ready – Set – GO !!!! Call for participation

Starting September 9, 2009.

I have reviewed conference submissions for a number of years and it amazes me how many of the proposals need a lot of work to be considered.

I am going to give you several tips on how to make sure your proposal “Stands Out” and how to have a better chance of being selected.

A great proposal can be decisive in securing a presentation slot at NECC, while a poor one can cause your submission to go into the “reject” box.

———————————————-

From the ISTE WEBSITE:

All proposals must be submitted online. The online submission form, including complete details and instructions, will be available starting September 9, 2009.

The firm deadline for proposal submissions is October 7, 2009.

Final acceptance and regret notifications will be sent by mid-December.

Proposal submissions are reviewed by independent committees of content experts, and evaluations are based primarily on:

• relevancy of topic to the field of educational technology
• educational significance and contribution to the respective theme and strand
• degree to which higher/second-order applications of technology are addressed
• ease of replication
• value to participants
• presenter knowledge and experience

Multiple proposals may be submitted, but typically only one presentation per person is accepted. Presenters are required to register for the conference and pay the registration fee.

——————————————————————

Follow these 12 tips to a write a “GREAT” NECC proposal every time.

1. Create a powerful, but concise 25-30 word summary Decision-makers start with and focus on the opening statement and summary, so create this section with that fact in mind. When writing the summary, assume that the reader knows little or nothing about the proposed project.

2. Be generous with your ideas Share your expertise. Attendees are looking for solution and new ideas to use in their districts or classrooms. Use your ideas and solutions to show conference attendees your approaches to problems in creative and innovative ways.

3. Quantify the results that the attendee can expect from your conference presentation. Be specific on the results in the form of performance objectives. List the process, solutions and methodologies.

4. Size does matter Keep your proposal submission as short as possible, while meeting the conference requests and requirements. Think quality, not quantity.

5. Focus on the individual attending your session at the conference. Many proposals begin with a long discussion of the individual describing their qualifications and history. There is usually a place for that at the end of the submission. Focus your proposal on the ” INDIVIDUALS NEEDS” first.

6. Remember, conference attendees care only about how you’ll address their issues, so show them how you’ll do that.

7. Beware of best practices. Instead of relying on answers that worked for a previous conference, find a blend of outstanding practices and innovative solutions that fit the individuals attending the conference.

8. Be accurate and “Sweat” every detail Double-check and triple-check the information. Spell check the submission at least 3 times. You’ll risk turning a winning proposal into a loser if you present inaccurate data and/or misspelled words.

9. Rewrite your resume for every proposal. Some conferences require a resume. Highlight the skills in your resume that demonstrate your qualifications for the presentation at hand. A boilerplate resume is rarely up to the task.

10. Finish early Let your proposal sit for a day after you’ve completed the final draft, and then reread it completely before sending it to the conference committee. You’re likely to come up with some new ideas that enhance your work, and you may find errors that you missed earlier.

11. Let your personality shine through. Give the review committee a sense of your culture and your style of standing in front of the group and making the presentation. What will it be like to attend this session at the conference?

12. Winning proposals have clearly defined needs and describe how those needs were identified. Winning proposals define programs to meet the identified needs.

———————

From the ISTE WEBSITE:

ISTE is seeking proposals across all themes & strands for the following session categories:

Concurrent Session—takes place in a meeting room with a formal presentation station and a seated audience. Length is one hour unless otherwise noted.

• Lecture—one or more presenters, each of whom address the audience independently. Content should be of high interest and widely applicable to the broader NECC audience. Content should educate, inspire, challenge, and/or provide specific implementation ideas. The focus should be on evaluation and synthesis rather than the history/details of a specific project or initiative.
• Panel—main presenter serves as moderator for his/her co-presenter panelists. Content should lend itself to a variety of perspectives with the moderator focused on creating a cohesive presentation.
• Model Lesson (in a Model Classroom)—requires two presenters. First teaches an actual lesson to 20 attendees playing role of students. Second acts as emcee, simultaneously explaining the lesson and the classroom management/instructional strategies being implemented to the remainder of attendees observing. Content should demonstrate taking advantage of technology and the latest learning theories such as project-based learning and differentiated instruction.
• BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop)—hands-on exploration of software or resources via participants’ own laptops. Plan for an interactive, hands-on environment similar to workshops and a reasonable amount of content to cover in the one-hour time frame. (Note: Not suitable for sessions requiring specialized software that isn’t widely available or can’t be downloaded from the Internet.)
• Open Source Lab—teach, show, or demonstrate open source software in an environment of thin client, Linux-based machines for individual exploration and practice.
• IVC Showcase—30-minute presentations by interactive videoconferencing (IVC) leaders and innovators showcasing their programming content and classroom initiatives via videoconferencing from their home locations.

Poster Session—takes place in an open, public environment. Presenter(s) interact informally with attendees who visit their station. Length is two hours unless otherwise noted.

• Traditional—content should focus on the implementation of a lesson, curriculum, technology, model, or project, or demonstrate a good electronic resource/tool or practice in teacher education or for securing or maintaining the technology infrastructure.
• Global Gallery—content should focus on the curriculum/projects of specific non-US countries or global curriculum/collaborations.
• Student Showcase—content should focus on student work with K-12 students presenting their projects.

Research Paper Session—features original research on the general theme of using technologies to enhance education. Proposals are double-blind peer reviewed. Presenters retain copyright privileges.

• Discussion—six papers presented concurrently in an informal table discussion format in the same room during each one-hour time slot. No presentation equipment or electricity will be provided. Presenters may elect to bring their own laptops to present key findings in their research, if needed. Each roundtable will accommodate up to nine people.
• Presentation—two papers presented consecutively in a formal lecture format in the same room during each one-hour time slot. Each presenter will have 30 minutes to present his/her paper, including questions and comments.

Ticketed Workshop—3-, 6-, and 12-hour presentations featuring a more focused, in-depth exploration of content. Enrollment is limited and preregistration and additional fees are required.

• Hands-on—participants are actively engaged with computers or other equipment (e.g., iPods, digital cameras, GPS units) as the primary focus of the workshop.
• Seminar/Demo—primarily delivered in a demonstration, panel discussion, or lecture format with some activity-based content.

Subscribe to Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org

Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure