Showing posts with label conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conference. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Conference Take Aways
You’ve probably had this experience: there is a conference that you’ve been looking forward to attending. There are speakers that inspire you, workshops that are invigorating, networking with colleagues from across the state or country. You come back refreshed with dozens of ideas that you want to implement right away! And then you see that pile of exams to grade, emails to answer, prep to do, and suddenly the tyranny of the everyday life of a teacher takes over.
What to do?
Some of my favorite conferences have been the ones where I am asked to reflect deeply on my role as an educator, especially how I address issues of equity in the classroom and on campus. In sessions like this I often walk away with ideas that I grapple with for a while, continuing to think about, and usually have an a-ha moment later in the conference or even when I am back on campus. The same kind of thing can happen in one-on-one conversations with colleagues from other institutions (why networking is so important!!) As an example, it was over breakfast one time that a colleague shared her research findings (primarily dealing with new college students who are not well-prepared for what we often call the rigor of college, but many are now calling the unwritten rules of college). She said that students ask 3 questions when they walk into your classroom: Can I do this? Is it relevant? Do I belong here? That very brief conversation stuck with me, and has become the focal point of my conversations with faculty. And it all happened in 15 minutes.
So my big conference take-away to share with you is that while you may learn new activities to implement in your classes, it’s often the conversations before, after or between presentations that have the biggest impact on the way we think about teaching. At your next conference, invite a new friend to coffee!
Friday, April 7, 2017
You Should Be Here: 2nd Annual EvCC Mentoring Conference
The Disruptive Innovation Mentoring group from EvCC has an entire day full of sessions to encourage, motivate and engage everyone attending today! There are opportunities to network, a phenomenal keynote speaker, and of course lunch!
YOU SHOULD BE HERE!
Friday, March 31, 2017
Don't Forget: 2nd Annual Mentoring Conference
The 2nd Annual EvCC Mentoring Conference is only 1 week away!There's still time to register.
Click here to reserve your spot today!
Friday, March 24, 2017
Q&A about the EvCC Mentoring Conference
April 7 marks the 2nd Annual Mentoring Conference hosted by Everett Community College in Everett, WA. The Mentoring Conference is a full day of networking, speakers and workshops focused on sharing best practices, bright ideas and both individual and institutional experiences with mentoring.
Because mentoring focuses on the future, we believe that the more successful a mentoring program is, the more successful an institution can be. A strong institution supports both students and staff to achieve their goals, and mentoring can contribute to helping a person reach those goals.
Q: Who will be at this year’s conference?
A: We are proud to have Brandy Brown, PhD. as our keynote speaker. Brandy is an Assistant Professor and Program Director in the Organizational Leadership program at University of Arizona South. Her keynote presentation will be: Unlocking the Power of Cultural Intelligence in Mentoring. Brandy will also be presenting a session during the conference. We’re so lucky to have her!
Q: What are some session titles?
A: Here’s a short list of some of the exciting sessions at the conference (and there are many more!):
A: This year we have a special workshop on Designing a Successful Mentor Training. What are the keys to a successful mentoring partnership? The first step is a training to provide mentors with the necessary tools to create quality mentoring relationships and programs. This workshop will guide participants in developing a training for potential mentors in their organization. Note: the pre-conference workshop is now sold out.
Q: Will I have a chance to network at the conference?
A: You bet! We have registrations from CTCs across the state as well as various agencies such as DSHS. We will begin the day with an opportunity to network and meet lots of new friends over coffee and a light breakfast, and continue those rich conversations at lunch (and afterwards at the Mentorium!)
Q: Mentorium? That sounds interesting. What is a mentorium?
A: At the end of the day, the MENTORIUM is your place to dream, explore, connect with your peers, and reflect on All Things Mentoring. We will model a mentoring icebreaker using a fun tool. Then, there will be opportunities to have informal conversations with mentoring groups focusing on faculty, women, men, students, and perhaps a wild card group! This is also an opportunity to bring your own table topic to find like minds for a discussion, or you can talk shop with your colleagues and new friends. We will help you activate your imagination with light snacks and beverages. Join us at The MENTORIUM for a meaningful and joyful end to your conference experience.
We hope to see you on Friday, April 7th for the Mentoring Conference, or at the pre-conference workshop on April 6th. Want to know more? Visit the conference website or email us at mentoring@everettcc.edu.
Because mentoring focuses on the future, we believe that the more successful a mentoring program is, the more successful an institution can be. A strong institution supports both students and staff to achieve their goals, and mentoring can contribute to helping a person reach those goals.
Q: Who will be at this year’s conference?
A: We are proud to have Brandy Brown, PhD. as our keynote speaker. Brandy is an Assistant Professor and Program Director in the Organizational Leadership program at University of Arizona South. Her keynote presentation will be: Unlocking the Power of Cultural Intelligence in Mentoring. Brandy will also be presenting a session during the conference. We’re so lucky to have her!
Q: What are some session titles?
A: Here’s a short list of some of the exciting sessions at the conference (and there are many more!):
- Reflective Practices in Mentor/Mentee Relationships
- Improv for Team Building, Creativity and Trust
- The Power of Staff Mentoring
- Peer Mentoring for Retention and Leadership Development
- A Guide by my Side: Reflections on Mentoring Throughout a Career
- Get That Group Going! Mentoring Tools for Teams
- Beyond Yoda and Luke: An Alternative Faculty Mentoring Model
- Mentorship for Faculty of Color
A: This year we have a special workshop on Designing a Successful Mentor Training. What are the keys to a successful mentoring partnership? The first step is a training to provide mentors with the necessary tools to create quality mentoring relationships and programs. This workshop will guide participants in developing a training for potential mentors in their organization. Note: the pre-conference workshop is now sold out.
Q: Will I have a chance to network at the conference?
A: You bet! We have registrations from CTCs across the state as well as various agencies such as DSHS. We will begin the day with an opportunity to network and meet lots of new friends over coffee and a light breakfast, and continue those rich conversations at lunch (and afterwards at the Mentorium!)
Q: Mentorium? That sounds interesting. What is a mentorium?
A: At the end of the day, the MENTORIUM is your place to dream, explore, connect with your peers, and reflect on All Things Mentoring. We will model a mentoring icebreaker using a fun tool. Then, there will be opportunities to have informal conversations with mentoring groups focusing on faculty, women, men, students, and perhaps a wild card group! This is also an opportunity to bring your own table topic to find like minds for a discussion, or you can talk shop with your colleagues and new friends. We will help you activate your imagination with light snacks and beverages. Join us at The MENTORIUM for a meaningful and joyful end to your conference experience.
We hope to see you on Friday, April 7th for the Mentoring Conference, or at the pre-conference workshop on April 6th. Want to know more? Visit the conference website or email us at mentoring@everettcc.edu.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Want to Attend a Conference?
By Peg Balachowski, Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning at EvCC
I recently returned from a national conference (League for Innovation) and am still thinking about the amazing presentations I attended and the incredible networking opportunities. I have a notebook full of ideas that I want to share with our faculty, and am already thinking about next year’s conference and the possibilities for my own professional growth.
I believe that attending conferences is important for all levels of our profession. We can not only learn about the most recent trends and best practices in teaching, but we can also see common issues that all colleges share through the eyes of others. Building community with teachers from not just your discipline but other areas (and not just teachers but administrators and students as well) is always good for getting perspective and helping us to understand everyone’s role in moving students to success and completion! And what’s not to love about visiting a new city?
Different colleges have different ways of funding travel to conferences. If you are at an institution that has an application process, consider writing a letter to those who hold the purse strings to explain why a particular conference is important for you to attend. Here is a modified sample letter that comes from http://www.magnapubs.com/.
Good luck in securing funds for travel – I hope you are successful in attending a conference where you learn and grow in your profession!
Dear (Dean/Department Chair):
To ensure that (your institution’s name) continues to be on the cutting-edge of the best pedagogical practices, I would like to attend (name of conference with description, such as how many days, location, dates – as an example, The Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference, Spokane WA, May 3-5 2017).
This conference features plenary sessions, workshops and non-stop networking through which I will discover research-based techniques on how to connect with today’s students, use new technology, and apply active-learning strategies from recognized experts.
By attending this conference, I will learn theoretically sound ideas covering topics such as:
- Course design
- Grading and feedback
- Student participation
- Learner-centered teaching
- Active learning techniques
- Assessment strategies
Please consider supporting my attendance at this conference. To learn more, please visit (link to conference website).
Sincerely,
(Your name)
You may also want to include comments from colleagues who have attended this conference. There may be quotes that you can grab from the conference website, things like “This is the best conference I have ever attended!” Is there other information about the conference that would convince someone to support this travel? Are the plenary speakers nationally known (maybe include info about them) or are there specific topics on the conference agenda that are of particular interest to your campus (social justice, diversity and equity, assessment, etc.).
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