April+13,+2015+meeting

Attendees: Norton Gusky (recorder), Kevin Conner, Tim Devlin, Zee Poerio, Nikki Navta, Kris Hupp, Ron Reyer, Lindsey Bradley


 * Pre-conference - Do we want to include workshops and sessions before a social hour? Should we have the pre-conference at the Bethel Park high school or at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the high school? (We cannot have alcoholic drinks at the school)
 * Keep workshops no more than two hours in length;
 * Start workshops in late afternoon to accommodate people traveling (3:00 or 3:30)
 * Focus workshops on topics that will come out of a survey for attendees. Possible ideas: Apps in the Classroom / Touchcast for Educators
 * Consider social event at new brew pub in Bethel Park, hotel, or eating/drinking establishment near hotel
 * Incorporate student involvement through student led sessions or a student showcase
 * Investigate shuttle service from hotel to school (and social event) for out-of-town attendees who do not have their transportation (Tech Council will follow up)
 * Question to investigate - Will Bethel Park HS be available on Tuesday for vendor setup and workshops? (Ron Reyer shared a calendar and the students will not be in session, but teachers will be in the building.)
 * Keynote Speaker(s)- Tom Murray is available for the pre-conference. Should we plan on booking him? (no cost) Whom should we add to our list of potential keynote speakers (see list on wiki - http://tretc.wikispaces.com/March+9%2C+2015+meeting
 * Pre-conference = Tom Murray ([|http://www.thomascmurray.com/#!2014-engagements/c1d9n]
 * Conference
 * Sal Kahn (Kahn Academy - []
 * Adam Bellow (eduClipper - []
 * Jason Lange (Bloomboard - []
 * Jason Singer (Curriculet - []
 * Jeff Scheur (NoRedInk - []
 * Lynda Weinman (lynda.com) - []
 * Reshma Saujani (Girls Who Code) - []
 * Derek Lomas (LearnLab) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=autoshare&v=owfpL8dJbfU&app=desktop


 * Future Ready - We agreed to use this program as a strategy to align TRETC with a national event. Let's review how we can build on the Future Ready program. (no further discussion at meeting)
 * Edsurge Summit - How will we combine the Summit with TRETC? What do we need to do to get the Summit moving forward?Conference Presentations - What are some of the hot topics we want to make sure we include?
 * Concern with vendors displaying instructional applications, if teachers are not involved -> Focus on administrative applications
 * Question to investigate - Will TRETC participants have access to Edsurge Summit during day
 * Special Events - Should we shoot for any special activity, like the Red Chair?
 * Badges - reach out to local company through Tech Council to design digital badges
 * Use Beacon technology to push information to attendees (Ron Reyer shared a video with an example - @https://youtu.be/oASynt0pQag
 * Conference Tools - What's the status of a tool for mobile devices? How can we keep TRETC alive year-long? (no further discussion)
 * Other Ideas - What else would you like to see this year to make TRETC even better? (no discussion)