Unconference

If you are not sure what to expect for the ITSC Unconference, take a look at our inspiration:

• Edublogger Con
• BarCamp model (funny)
• BarCamp Official

The following guidelines that will be used at the ITSC Unconference come from a hybrid from two wonderful unconference sources: Creative Unconference and EdubloggerCon.

CONVENING A SESSION

There are several key points about an unConference:

• You do not need to do preparation in order to convene a session. If you get an idea the day of the event, call a session.
• There is no right way to lead a session. However, there is a bias towards interaction and discussion.
• Sessions start every 60 minutes. This does not mean a session should last 60 minutes. Sessions should probably last no more than 45 minutes. The balance of time is for networking, socializing, and taking breaks.
• Remember, sessions are facilitated discussions not presentations.

ADVICE FOR LEADING A SESSION

If you convene a session, it is your responsibility to “hold the space” for your session. You hold the space by leading a discussion, by posting a “first question”, or by sharing information. Be the shepherd – stay visible, be as involved as necessary, be a beacon of sanity that guides the group.

• Ask for help holding the space if you need it. You might, for example, put a session on the board and know that you are so passionate about the topic that it would be better if someone else, someone more objective, facilitates the discussion. Choose someone from your team, or another participant who is interested in the topic.
• Do not assume people in the room know more, or less, than you do. You never know who is going to be interested in your session. You might want to start by asking people to hold up their hands if they have been involved with the topic for more than five years, for one to five years, or for one year or less.
• Do not be upset if only two people show up to your session. Those two people are the ones who share your interest.
• Do not feel that you have to “fill” up an hour of time. If what you have to say only takes 15 minutes and the group has finished interacting, then the session can end. At the start of the conference, we will discuss guidelines for how this can happen.
• Do not feel pressure to have everything take “only” an hour. If you start with a short presentation, then a group conversation gets going, and your discussion needs to continue past an hour—find a way to make this happen. You might be able to keep talking for a while in the room you are in, or move to another part of the conference area.
• Be Brave! Others are interested in making your session work.
• Do think about the ideas that you want to cover in your session, and how you want to cover them. But do not feel as though you need to prepare a great deal. (If you are over–prepared, your session might lose energy.)
• Experiment with the kind of sessions you lead. There is no such thing as “failure” at an unConference.

ADVICE FOR EVERYONE AT UNCONFERENCE

• Go with the flow. This event is intended to help you find the time and space to talk with and learn from each other.
• Follow your passion. Go to the sessions that interest you.
• Apply the “Rule of Two Feet”. If a discussion is not of interest to you, or you do not feel you can contribute in a way that could help others, you are welcome (encouraged) to leave and find another session. No one’s feelings will be hurt. This unconference is for you, make the best of it.
• Take responsibility for your own learning. If there are topics you are really interested in that do not appear on the agenda at first, you need to put them on there.

Sign-In & Observe:

• Go to Collaborize Classroom Unconference site: http://bit.ly/itsc12
• Click on REGISTER NOW in Collaborize Classroom
• WAIT for your account to be approved.
• Look at was has been suggested for topics to discuss.
• Please do not vote or comment on topics as this will happen at a designated time!

If there is something you want to talk about:

1. Click “Start A Discussion”
2. Add a brief description if you feel it necessary.
3. Choose yes/no response option
4. Click Preview
5. Then Publish
6. KEEP REFRESHING TO SEE UPDATES
7. Repeat the process if you have another topic you are interested in discussing

• Go to Collaborize Classroom Unconference site: http://bit.ly/itsc12
• Click on Comment/Vote button
• Read Topics
• ONLY VOTE ON THE TOPICS YOU WANT TO DISCUSS! (Note: Voting on all topics (yes/no) will skew our results)
• TO VOTE Click “Yes” then look up and then click “Back To List”

ITSC 2012 Unconference Site

Program Schedule

Unconference Hashtag #itsc12un