Planning your conference

Why attend conferences?

Conferences such as ULearn provide a excellent opportunity for teachers and educational leaders to participate in high-quality and appropriate developmental professional learning experiences. They should not be seen as a one-off, stand-alone event. Instead, conferences are part of an ongoing cycle of development over several years and help to build a national professional learning community among the education sector. This is critical for developing and extending the vision and capability of school leaders and teachers.

Any conference or professional learning opportunity must provide elements which allow delegates to find solutions to the outcomes they wish to achieve, both personally and as a part of their wider school or cluster.

Conferences provide:

  • a forum to exchange ideas, best practices, and expertise on school cluster or national education-related issues;
  • a range of perspectives on global and local issues affecting education in New Zealand by offering sessions delivered by prominent speakers, ie keynote and spotlight presenters;
  • opportunities to engage in, and directly contribute to, the future of New Zealand education by sharing ideas with others through presenting and other discussion opportunities;
  • access to workshops that showcase new ideas, tools, and the resources most commonly used by NZ teachers;
  • an environment which encourages networking and exchanging ideas with fellow educators from around New Zealand;
  • access to practical knowledge, examples, case studies, and success stories that directly impact on the teaching profession and education sector;
  • a forum which encourages contributions and provides opportunities to reflect, while making sure attendees feel supported by a wider group of educators, all of whom are striving for similar goals;
  • exposure, via the trade exhibitions, to the latest resources and tools necessary to actively engage with and meet the changing needs of 21st century learners;
  • a chance to reflect on progress made over the year.

How can I get the most out of attending a conference?

There are many ways that conferences can contribute to professional learning, both for individuals and for your whole staff. Some ideas you might consider are:

  • selecting workshops according to your school's needs and/or professional learning goals;
  • holding pre-conference discussions in your staff room based around key points of interest or readings from keynotes and spotlight presenters, then following up these discussions once the conference has finished;
  • setting up a personal or joint action research project using the conference themes as a starting point for building and developing understanding that are relevant for your school.

Find out more about planning and preparing for ULearn10

What tools are available to support my professional learning?

ULearn offers the ability to utilise a range of web 2.0 tools before, during, and after the conference, including videos of many of the keynotes and spotlight presenters. Engaging via these web 2.0 tools can help delegates gain a more in-depth understanding of the knowledge and content presented during the conference. They can also be used to help delegates and presenters to engage in ongoing dialogue and discussion, as well as the sharing of resources and presentation materials, well beyond the end of the conference.

Find out more about how media and web 2.0 tools can support your ULearn conference experience.