{"id":2964,"date":"2012-03-16T17:32:10","date_gmt":"2012-03-16T17:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eltchat.com\/?p=2964"},"modified":"2012-03-16T17:32:10","modified_gmt":"2012-03-16T17:32:10","slug":"how-can-we-get-the-most-from-conferences-whether-we-attend-or-not-eltchat-summary-14032012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eltchat.org\/index.php\/2012\/03\/16\/how-can-we-get-the-most-from-conferences-whether-we-attend-or-not-eltchat-summary-14032012\/","title":{"rendered":"How can we get the most from conferences whether we attend or not? #ELTchat Summary 14\/03\/2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the summary of the first #eltchat<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on Wednesday 14th March 2012. To find out exactly what #eltchat<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is, click\u00a0here<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This summary was contributed by Sandy Millin – @sandymillin on Twitter – and was first posted on her blog<\/span><\/a>. It is reproduced here with her kind permission.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n


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With\u00a0IATEFL 2012<\/a>\u00a0fast approaching and in the midst of the spring conference season, this #eltchat was aimed at helping \u00a0both those who can and can\u2019t attend conferences to get the maximum possible benefit from them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

BEFORE YOU GO<\/span><\/h2>\n

Try to research the people and organisations who will be there. Find people on Twitter if possible \u2013 this should make it easier to recognise new faces.<\/p>\n

Research speakers you plan to see \u2013 this will help you to decide which sessions to attend.<\/p>\n

Make sure your bags aren\u2019t too full \u2013 there is always something which you must buy!<\/p>\n

WHILE YOU\u2019RE THERE<\/span><\/h2>\n

Go to sessions you\u2019re most interested in, not just because you feel you SHOULD go to a certain session. Do you really want to see big name presenters or are you just attending for the name?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t try to pack too much in.\u00a0Conferences can be very \u2018full on\u2019. Leave space for downtime and reflection; your brain needs a rest sometimes.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to go to every session. Make time to speak to people too!<\/p>\n

Watch out for signs of overload and skip a session if you need to recharge, especially when the conference is over a number of days.<\/p>\n

Ask other participants what they\u2019re going to see as well \u2013 weigh their recommendations depending on what you know about them!<\/p>\n

Find other people to share the conference with \u2013 you can see different sessions and compare notes, or see what you think about the same session: a bit like a scavenger hunt\u00a0\":)\"<\/p>\n

Look out for people promoting their sessions on Twitter: this can help you to make face-to-face contacts while at the conference.<\/p>\n

Get to sessions\u00a0that are likely to be popular early (especially ones in small rooms) to avoid missing out on them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably better not to talk to presenters just before their session, but afterwards it\u2019s normally OK, although you might have to leave the room so the next presenter can prepare.<\/p>\n

NOTE-TAKING<\/span><\/h2>\n

Notes may never be read again, but writing them can help you to process ideas.<\/p>\n

Notes don\u2019t have to be essays: they could just be marginal notes to yourself \u2013 whatever helps you remember. You could also try mindmapping or tweeting during the session, if wifi is available. Mike Harrison suggests this\u00a0mindmapping app<\/a>\u00a0for iPad and iPhone, and linked to\u00a0a guide about how to use it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many people post slides on the net after their presentations, or with permission you can take photos of slides during the presentation as notes.<\/p>\n

You could also write up key points after the session rather than during it or create audio notes rather than written ones.<\/p>\n

Evernote<\/a>\u00a0was suggested as a good way to synthesise your notes, as you can include\u00a0videos, audio, pictures and even text! It\u00a0is available on nearly all platforms and it uploads to the cloud, so you can organize your notes later on your computer.<\/p>\n

Personally, I believe that the most useful ideas will stick anyway!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s\u00a0an amazing example of notes<\/a>\u00a0based on a presentation.<\/p>\n

AFTER THE CONFERENCE<\/span><\/h2>\n

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You could provide a feedback session at your school, including some useful activities for other teachers, or sharing handouts and ideas with them. This might require you to take detailed notes during the conference.<\/p>\n

Try to include one or two of the activities you have seen in your classes during the following 2 weeks. This helps to fix the activities in your mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I say \u201cwow\u201d afterwards, it means I want to use that in class, want to learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n

IF YOU CAN\u2019T GO<\/span><\/h2>\n

Follow the associated hashtag on Twitter \u2013 this will give you many insights into the talks being held, and will also help you to find follow-up blogposts. You can still get a lot out of the posts, even if you don\u2019t attend the conference, because it gives you time and space to reflect on the ideas posted.<\/p>\n

You can often still download the conference timetable, and could plan your \u2018ideal conference\u2019, then try to find out about the sessions afterwards by searching for the presenters.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget there are many free online conferences and seminars too! In addition,IATEFL will be streaming<\/a>\u00a0many of the sessions. Last year over 50,000 people accessed the online conference area.<\/p>\n

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SUGGESTIONS FOR CONFERENCE ORGANISERS<\/span><\/h2>\n

It would be great for conference organisers to provide a webpage or wiki to collect all of the associated blog entries and other materials.\u00a0Ceri Jones<\/a>\u00a0says TESOL Spain already have links and handouts on their website.<\/p>\n

Another idea would be\u00a0an interactive agenda which could be designed much like a study guide, a blank template with \u201cbig idea\u201d notes and context and contact info.<\/p>\n

THE DOWN<\/span>SIDES<\/span><\/h2>\n

There can be quite a lot of work to catch up with afterwards.<\/p>\n

LINKS<\/span><\/h2>\n