Making the Most of Any Educational Conference Experience

“Think and wonder, wonder and think.” – Dr. Seuss

I have a few confessions to share before I talk about making the most of any educational conference experience. I am not shy, I don’t think I am too socially awkward, but I am an introvert. Don’t get me wrong, I love to collaborate and make new connections with educators. The problem can be that these social interactions are exhausting for me. I enjoy the moments of collaboration and connection, but sometimes by the end of a busy day at a conference, I feel completely drained and desperately need some downtime. 

During my first 10 years as an educator, I rarely felt the need to attend educational conferences. I never really felt the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. When I was asked to attend a conference, I was the guy who found a seat in the back of the room and kept to myself. I took notes and answered questions, but this was mostly done in isolation. I enjoyed the learning experience but I mostly kept the learning to myself.  

I learned a few years ago that the best conference experiences are best when not done in isolation. I have attended quite a few conferences as both an attendee and presenter and I am writing this post to share some of my tips about making the most of the experience. Take it from me, you don’t be the teacher sitting in the back of the room disengaged from a greater learning experience. 

Plan Your Day in Advance

This seems like a no brainer, but I am always amazed by the number of teachers frantically flipping through a paper program each morning or between sessions at a conference. Planning in advance is more than just picking sessions based on titles or presenters. 

Start by exploring your why. Knowing your why before exploring the sessions is a great way to set the stage for an awesome learning experience. I always start with the mindset that everything I do starts with students in mind. 
It is always good to have a backup plan. Pick 2 or 3 sessions during each session time frame that connect to your why. You might arrive and find a session full, or maybe a session just isn’t meeting your needs. It is ok to switch sessions, really it is. 
If you are attending with other educators from your school or district, have a plan before the conference. Attending sessions together is a great way to collaborate, but sometimes a bit of divide and conquer can lead to some great reflective sharing after the sessions. 
Know how you are going to take notes and have a plan to share those notes. If I know that someone else will be seeing my notes it helps keeps me accountable and I am less impacted by other digital distractions. I personally love Google Docs for notes. If you are curious about what my notes look like, here is a sample from the upcoming 2019 ASCD Empower19 conference. 
Dive into the conference website and explore other opportunities at the conference outside of the schedule of sessions. If available, find and explore the exhibitors list and the presenter resources before attending the conference. 
If one is available, download the Conference’s App. 
Have a plan to bring something back to your school or district. The more you share the more you learn!