The season of Thanksgiving is nostalgic for me. I relish it all– from the days-long tradition of cooking to the treasured sides, spending time with family and friends, and giving thanks for all my blessings. But nothing beats the prized entrée. Usually adorning the table in a central location, we have the shining, golden-brown, ready-to-be-carved-and-eaten, glorious turkey with all the delicious side dishes surrounding it. Some people like eating turkey as the main dish, but others prefer to eat it more as a side. Well, to TCEA 2022, special events are that hearty, delicious turkey.
Why Attend TCEA Special Events
Special events are sure to benefit any educator, no matter their role in education. There is really something for everyone! Special events at TCEA 2022 will either:
- Get you in front of speakers who will inspire you and present you with new, relevant information,
- Provide you with an informal space to meet other educators, discuss challenges and successes, share, and brainstorm about topics that matter to you the most,
- Facilitate informal interactions with other educators during which you learn strategies and methods that are working for them,
- Put you in a space where you can discuss solutions and products with trusted vendors who want to support education and educators,
- Or, all of the above.
Special Events Offered at TCEA 2022
Keynotes: We have two fantastic keynote speakers this year. Cynt Marshall will be opening TCEA 2022 on Monday, February 7, from 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. with an uplifting talk on “Leading with Heart.” Brett Culp will be the closing keynote speaker on Thursday, February 10, from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., inspiring us all with his talk on “everyday leadership.” These two are really going to bring messages of joy and hope that you won’t want to miss.
Poster Sessions: Poster sessions are interactive tabletop displays with presenters who share resources and ideas on a common theme or topic, for example, STEAM. During a poster session, you’ll get to interact with fellow educators and learn about specific strategies, methods, and materials they actively use in their school or district setting. You’ll also see examples, gather resources, and have the ability to ask questions. It’s a great way to explore what’s working for other educators and meet peers.
Special Interest Group (SIG) Events: Special Interest Group (SIG) events are collaborative learning opportunities that facilitate communication and connection among educators in similar roles or around a specific topic. Some of these events will also have food and beverage available to attendees. To attend a SIG event, you must pre-register when registering for your conference badge, and a small fee will be charged.
Meetups: Meetups will be one of the showstopping, must-attend opportunities this year. When you attend, you’ll join a casual, come-and-go atmosphere dedicated to facilitating meaningful discussions among diverse groups of education professionals. Connect with other leaders and innovators in education to build your community and discuss topics relevant for today.
Click here to explore all the special events offered at TCEA 2022.
Special Events: Main Dish or Side Dish?
You may be one who enjoys eating as much Thanksgiving turkey as possible, making it your main dish. Or you may be someone who treats turkey as a side dish among the many other options available at the Thanksgiving meal. This is also how TCEA 2022 special events can be approached.
When planning your schedule, you can completely fill your plate with special events. In this way, you’re making them your “main dish” and learning sessions your “side dishes.” Or you can plan your learning sessions and then add a few special events to the mix to spice things up. Either way is not only acceptable but doable. Even if your top goal is to expand your knowledge through learning sessions, a taste of special events may also include credit hours, education, and a unique take on learning. You’ll want to try out at least a few!
Feel free to take a look at some Mock Schedules to get an idea of how some attendees approach planning their schedules to include sessions and special events.
It Isn’t Thanksgiving Without Giving Thanks!
You may be unsure of your top need, strategy for participating, or preferences for your schedule before the showstopping event, whether for TCEA 2022 or Thanksgiving. But what matters most is gathering, reuniting, and making a difference in the lives of those we interact with, which is the ultimate goal. These past two years have taught us to be thankful for the small things, find those silver linings, and celebrate every success, big or small, each day. As we work to reunite in person, we see a glimpse of hope in reconnecting. However you decide to cultivate your schedule for TCEA 2022, we sure are grateful for you, and we can’t wait to see you in February!
our old system and found that it couldn’t provide the service our members deserve. For the new system, you will be asked to log in to the TCEA site with the same email address that you’ve used before. Then, you’ll have to select a new password. The password must be a minimum of eight characters long and contain at least one letter and at least one number. (While this is a pain, it is a necessity in today’s digital world.) And, by the way, if you forget your new password, the Forgot Password? link now actually works and lets you reset your password!
This year’s challenge, Mastering Mars, allowed students the opportunity to task their robots to prepare the Martian environment for human settlement and iron mining. Each team’s robot had to complete as many tasks as they could within the two-minute time frame. Teams were allowed to use one LEGO Mindstorms programmable processing unit, LEGO-branded motors and sensors, other LEGO-branded devices, and non-LEGO parts not to exceed the five dollar limit.
As Arena contestants battled it out for the top spot, Invention participants exercised their creative-thinking skills by designing a robot to solve a real-world problem of their own choosing. From iPotty toilet assistance for the elderly to oil pipe sealing robots, students of all ages let their imaginations run free to create exciting solutions to make the world a better place. Other solutions offered to save lives, assist entomologists to gather insect specimens, and collect dangerous metal objects, among others.
