May+11,+2015+meeting

Attendees: Norton Gusky (recorder), Karlton Chapman, Justin Driscol, Lindsay Bradley, Tim Devlin, Ron Reyer, Sandra Calgaro NOTE: Comments from May
 * Pre-conference - We're going to plan on a series of pre-conference workshops at the Bethel Park High School. We'll then have a social event either at a hotel or nearby restaurant. Here are some of the issues that were discussed at the April and May meeting:
 * Keep workshops no more than two hours in length; Limit to 90 minutes
 * Start workshops in late afternoon to accommodate people traveling (3:00 or 3:30) Workshops will run from 4:00 - 5:30 and will feature students
 * Focus workshops on topics that will come out of a survey for attendees. Possible ideas: Apps in the Classroom / Touchcast for Educators / Arts and Bots with Hummingbird / Scratch for Beginners / Scratch for Experienced Users
 * Consider social event at new brew pub in Bethel Park, hotel, or eating/drinking establishment near hotel Due to travel and shuttle needs keep social event at hotel / Tech Council will visit Crowne Plaza and report back to committee next month
 * 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 / Crowne Plaza can provide shuttle service
 * Time-line = 4:00 - 5:30 Pre-conference workshops / 6:00 - 7:30 Social and networking
 * Featured Speakers -
 * Kris Hupp - Digital Innovation and Learning Award / Teacher-facilitator Cornell School District http://dilas.org/winners/busting-boundaries/
 * Aileen Owens - Digital Innovation and Learning Award / Director of Technology and Innovation South Fayette School District http://dilas.org/winners/busting-boundaries/
 * //Vickie Hsieh - PBS Learning Media Digital Educator 2015 / 2nd-3rd grade literacy teacher at Environmental Charter School// http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2015/04/pbs__digital_innovation_educators.html


 * 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] No pre-conference speaker due to workshops / possibility of opening remarks by keynote speaker at pre-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) - []
 * Additional names shared by Lee Ngo to provide more diversity:
 *  Mandela Schumacher Hodge  Alexis Ringwald   Lauren Thompson Starks


 * 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.
 * Edsurge Summit - We formed an Edsurge sub-committee that developed a list of potential priorities. Jana Baxter took the list to a meeting of superintendents. She'll report on their reaction. Here are the potential priorities:
 * [[image:Screen Shot 2015-05-10 at 8.10.05 PM.png]]
 * The planning committee will vet the vendors based on the priorities


 * 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 Tech Council will discuss with local vendor, Savvior,
 * Use Beacon technology to push information to attendees (Ron Reyer shared a video with an example - @https://youtu.be/oASynt0pQag / Tech Council will discuss with local vendor, Savvior, possibilitiy of using Beacon technology to make TRETC more interactive

> > It's Sunday, June 28th, 9AM-3PM at Magliano's Little Italy, just 2 blocks from the Philadelphia Convention Center. > > The extra special bonus is that every participant will receive a copy of Josh Burker's new book - The Invent To Learn Guide to Fun (which will be available shortly on Amazon) > > The day will be (needless to say) fun! It's a great way to kick off ISTE with a deep dive into what makes "making" work in any learning space. You'll be done in plenty of time to attend the ISTE opening reception. > > We have very limited space, so please check this out and share with colleagues who may be attending. @http://inventtolearn.com/iste
 * Conference Tools - What's the status of a tool for mobile devices? How can we keep TRETC alive year-long? (Justin will share some new developments.) Updated version of web tool now supports mobile technology / Tech Council in conversation with Bloomboard and MediaQuest to develop Virtual TRETC that would include videos and other digital resources on a for-pay basis / TRETC attendees gain 1 year access to resources as part of registration
 * Conference Pricing - Consider lower cost to $99 due to reduced expenses and opportunity to draw more people
 * Other Things - Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager will be conducting a workshop at ISTE in June. Here's a memo she sent me: I've just announced a new PD opportunity for anyone who will be at ISTE 2015 (or lives in the Philadelphia area). Gary and I are leading "The Invent To Learn Day of Hard Fun" at ISTE 2015. All the information is here @http://inventtolearn.com/iste