For All the Ways You Learn: TCEA 2019

Attending an educational convention can be a mind-altering event. Listening to amazing keynotes, learning from innovative speakers, and viewing new products in the exhibit hall can all help to motivate and inspire us to become better. That’s why we go.

But sometimes “big box conventions” can also make it more difficult for attendees to conquer new ideas in the way that they learn best. The size and sheer scope of the conference can make you feel small and unimportant. Luckily, that’s not how TCEA does a convention.

What Makes a TCEA Convention Different

At the 2019 Convention & Exposition in San Antonio, TCEA will provide a wide variety of avenues for learning for its more than 8,000 attendees. Whether you love to learn in a crowd or want one-on-one attention, enjoy working in groups or by yourself, or want to lounge in a comfy chair or in a large ballroom, you will find that we have what you need for professional growth. So think about your particular learning preference and see how we can meet that need.

Learning Through the TCEA 2019 Sessions

A wide variety of session types will be available at the 2019 TCEA Convention, all designed to help you maximize your learning time and model what learning should look like in the classroom. Whether you are a superintendent, a campus administrator, an elementary or secondary teacher, a CTO or technology director, or another professional working in the education field, you will have the opportunity to experience several different learning events. And this year, your convention registration includes access to all of these opportunities!

• If you want to experience a topic fully, consider a comprehensive workshop. Immersive and in-depth, these 90-minute, three-hour, and six-hour workshops provide practical, evidence-based strategies and useful tools that allow participants to leave with a ready-to-implement plan in place. They go beyond what is presented in a regular session and feature a smaller presenter-to-attendee ratio so that you can receive more individual attention and help.
• If you want to gain more individual practice, take part in a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workshop. In BYOD workshops, the emphasis is on hands-on learning. Offered in 90-minute, three-hour, and six-hour segments, they are designed to be interactive and detailed. Bring your own device and learn exactly what you need to take back with you.
• If you want to hear from a variety of experts with different viewpoints on a particular topic, attend a panel discussion. Panel presentations provide an opportunity to hear about specific topics presented by several knowledgeable facilitators and will help you further understand and evaluate the topics being discussed. Panels are 50 minutes or 90 minutes in length.
• If you want to pick up as many ideas and new tools as you possibly can in the time available, attend presentation sessions. Presentation sessions are 50 minutes or 90 minutes in length and are led by experts in technology and/or pedagogy or a group of educators sharing tools and best practices as they have implemented them. Presenters will share proven strategies for successful curriculum integration from personal experience and research projects related to technology-based instruction.
• If you have a specific problem for which you need to find a good solution, take part in a solution circle. Build and expand your learning networks with peers taking on similar initiatives. In these intimate, 50-minute, facilitated, round-table conversations, you will discuss common problems, explore solutions, and share resources. Expand your network and continue working together long after you depart the convention.
• If you want to be inspired and recharged for the rest of the year, attend a keynote. Fun activities with your peers will set the mood for motivational learning and excitement.
• If you want to talk one-on-one with another educator on a topic of interest, stop by the poster sessions. This kind of learning environment encourages meaningful conversations regarding your ideas, implementation, tools, and projects that you can immediately incorporate in your classroom, campus, or district. Sessions are grouped each time period around a common theme such as STEM, leadership, or coding.
• If you want to “play” with new technologies or experience new ways to learn with current tech, then visit the playgrounds. Here you’ll find experts to help you experience discovery learning as you interact with the latest resources and tools.
• If you need specific information on a particular product, take part in the exhibitor showcases. These 50-minute sessions are presented by exhibiting companies to further explore the products and services available on the show floor in an in-depth, informative, and non-sales atmosphere.
• If none of these learning opportunities meet your needs, you can always schedule an informal meet-up with your colleagues in a lounge area and talk about your own topics.

The Rooms Themselves Also Foster Learning

Research shows that the environment can either add to or distract from the learning. TCEA knows this and so offers a variety of room setups for learning as well. Some of the rooms will be arranged with innovative and flexible seating to foster collaboration and group work. Some will include tables set up in rounds for discussion. Others will be set classroom style with tables to hold devices and thus offer hands-on learning. Some of the larger rooms will be set with just chairs so that popular topics can be offered there and accommodate the most attendees. And there will also be more intimate “chat” areas available throughout the convention center where you can sit and learn with a peer or two.

With TCEA, the Learning Doesn’t Stop

However you want to learn, the TCEA 2019 Convention & Exposition will empower you to achieve the goals you’ve set and maximize your time away from your students and staff. And, because your paid convention registration includes a complimentary year of TCEA membership, we ensure that the learning won’t stop after the event is over. You’ll have access to free webinars 24/7 to take your skills to the next level and will be able to ask questions and share resources anytime you want with your peers and friends in the TCEA Community.

Just like you, TCEA is all about the learning. Join us in San Antonio February 4-8, 2019 and experience innovative learning with us! Registration opens September 13, 2018.