Presenter FAQ's

Everything you need to know!

Note: This page will be updated weekly as we get closer to the conference.

There are 1300+ delegates who will be participating in the ULearn11 programme, along with 200 exhibitor support personnel. Delegates come from all sectors, early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary. Please make sure that you use inclusive language for all levels when you present.

We would like to thank you for presenting at ULearn11. The programme team hope it is a positive experience and that you will return in 2012.

Important info

• Every workshop will be reviewed by the attendees so please remember to look at your workshop evaluation forms before they get taken from the room.
• Don't Forget to upload your support material details in how to do this use this link
• http://community.core-ed.org/pg/resources/group:15099/new/
• Use the ULEARN slide at the front of your presentation available from the slide tab.
• http://www.core-ed.org/ulearn/sites/core-ed.org.ulearn/files/presenters_slide.ppt
• You will receive a presenters helpful information sheet at registration. Please ask for one.

Venues and room overview

There are 39 rooms over 9 venues being used for breakouts:

Rotorua Energy Events Centre:

Rooms 1-5, conference, Baytrust Forum and Arena 1-3

Rotorua Convention Centre:

Concert Chamber, Banquet, East1&2, South, West, Civic Theatre

Rydges:

Manuka, Totara, Aintree 1 & 2

Blue Baths:

Blue Baths

Novotel:

Seddon, Mansfield, Rutherford, Batten 1 & 2

Millennium:

Rooms 1-4 & Mokoia

Sudima:

Baycrest 1-3, Summit, Delta

Rotorua Museum:

Classroom

Runanga/Tea House

Princes Gate:

Club Lounge, Memories, Board Room

Computer suites:

Rotorua Energy Events Centre:

Rooms 1-3 ( Win) 4& 5 ( Mac) on mezannine floor

Rotorua Convention Centre:

East1&2 (Mac), South, West ( Win)

Most other rooms are BYO laptop suites although some, while allowing access to the Internet, are not set up with tables. The Runanga and the Blue Baths have no access to the Internet other than from a Tstick or Vodem which can be supplied if you ask at the Equipment room. In the Millennium Room 4 and the Museum, access to the Internet is available for the presenter only.

Room setup

Session rooms are equipped with the following:

• LCD (data) projector
• Screen
• Whiteboard and whiteboard pens
• Network cable for connecting to Internet (except Blue Baths and Runanga)
• Lapel microphones (in large rooms)
• Presenter's table
• Speakers

If you requested extra equipment, please check with the ROOM SUPPORT PERSONNEL that it will be in your room when you present. Call 0800 ETOOLS if you have any concerns.

Room opening times

Rooms will be open about half an hour before breakout times.

Wednesday 19 October opening times

Breakout 1 at 11.00am

Breakout 2 at 1.45pm

Thursday 20 October

Early Bird Session 7.00am

Breakout 3 at 10.45am

Breakout 4 at 1.30pm

Friday 21 October

Breakout 5 at 8.00am

Breakout 6 at 10.15am

In some exceptional circumstances rooms may be opened prior to 30 minutes before the breakout session. If you want access out of the regular times you will need to contact Sherry Chrispsherry.chrisp@core-ed.org or on 021 906 637 to arrange this.

On-site speaker preparation room

A dedicated speaker preparation space will be available to all speakers at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre. Presenters are welcome to use the space at the top of the stairs by Technology Centre Sigma Room 5 to put the final touches to their presentations. Technical support will be available.

Presentation slide

A PowerPoint slide to head up and end your presentation is available from the link below.
ULearn11 presentation slide

Presentation guidelines

With 1300+ delegates participating in this conference, it is extremely important that workshops and presentations run smoothly, keep to time, and come up to the expectations of the attendees. Conference attendees are predominantly from the primary sector but please make sure that your content is applicable across all levels if this is possible and that your language is inclusive.

The information outlined below should be of help to new presenters and serve as a reminder for those experienced in delivering to groups.

40 minute taster sessions

Please structure your presentation as follows:

• Introduction and presentation - 30 minutes
• Reflection and review - 5 minutes

Although short, these sessions can be invaluable for giving attendees an overview of a particular topic. Please make sure that you keep to time and also that you follow the criteria as set out below:

1. Identify your audience.
2. Deliver a clear, concise message.
3. Provide school based examples that relate to the range of schools/centres that exist within our communities eg large, small, primary, secondary etc. Student work examples should be considered.
4. Support your presentation with high quality session notes. These can be housed on the conference website, if desired.
5. Enable delegates to leave a session feeling as if they have strategies, a plan of action, an idea etc that is a clear outcome for them.

Please note: most of these sessions will be held in the following rooms:

• MILLENNIUM 1,2,3
• SUDIMA Baycrest 1&3 and Delta

There are also a few tasters held in other venues.

90 minute interactive presentations and workshops

Here is a suggested structure for your presentation:

• Introduction and presentation - 80 minutes
• Reflection and review - 10 minutes

It is also important that these sessions involve the participants. Please keep in mind that your workshop attendees should go away from your workshop with ideas and strategies that they can use in their own situation.

Workshops are built on the conference strands so when developing your workshop or interactive presentation please note the following criteria.

Sessions need to:

1. Be interactive and participatory, involving hands on activities for participation allowing for dialogue between presenters and delegates (no more than 50% should be stand and deliver unless tagged). Sessions should be designed to invigorate and inspire participants.
2. Be practical in modelling innovative teaching and learning strategies and technology that support the conference strands.
3. Provide school/centre-based examples that relate to the range of schools and centres that exist within our communities e.g. large, small, primary, secondary, early childhood etc. Student work examples should be considered.
4. Be supported with high quality session notes. These can be housed on the conference website, if desired.
5. Enable delegates to leave a session feeling as if they have strategies, a plan of action, a product etc that is a clear outcome for them.
6. Ensure there is adequate support for up to 30 people (using computers) or 25-50 people (no computers) involved in activities in the sessions. This rule holds unless you are in one of the 5 large rooms (Auditorium, Limes, Conference, James Hay, Cambridge, Conference 1&2, Cranmer Library) where there may be more participants.

Presenters' material (save trees!)

Remember, if you have presentation or support material to share with delegates, and/or would like it posted online for back-up purposes, you will receive instructions shortly about how to do this.

Use of the wireless network

Although the network in Rotorua will be fast, we would like to know if any of you have intentions of asking delegates to embed movies etc during your workshops. Activities similar to this tend to put strain on a wireless network and we would like to make sure that everyone has a good experience. Please contact Sherry, <sherry.chrisp@core-ed.org> with this information if you are concerned.

Workshop and presentation timing

There are 5 breakout sessions of 90 minutes each and 1 (breakout 2) of 80 minutes. There is also  an earlybird session on Thursday at 7.30am of 75 minutes. There are two taster sessions per breakout. Please take a note of your presentation times.

Rooms will be open to presenters 30 minutes before your session begins. Each room will have a support person who will help you with your set up.

Full breakout sessions

• Breakout 1 Wednesday 19th from 11.30am – 1.00pm
• Breakout 2 Wednesday 19th from 2.15pm - 3.35pm
• EarlyBird  Thursday 20th  7.30am -8.45am (slightly shorter than normal breakouts)
• Breakout 3 Thursday 20th from 11.15am - 12.45pm
• Breakout 4 Thursday 20th from 2.00pm - 3.30pm
• Breakout 5 Friday 21st from 8.30am - 10.00am
• Breakout 6 Friday 21st from 10.45am - 12.15pm

Taster sessions

• Breakout 1A Wednesday 19th from 11.30am – 12.05pm
• Breakout 1B Wednesday 19th from 12.25pm - 1.00pm
• Breakout 2A Wednesday 19th from 2.15pm - 2.50pm
• Breakout 2B Wednesday 19th from 3.00pm - 3.35pm
• Breakout 3A Thursday 20th from 11.15am - 11.50am
• Breakout 3B Thursday 20th from 12.10pm - 12.45pm
• Breakout 4A Thursday 20th from 2.00pm – 2.35pm
• Breakout 4B Thursday 20th from 2.55pm - 3.30pm
• Breakout 5A Friday 21st from 8.30am - 9.05am
• Breakout 5B Friday 21st  from 9.25am - 10.00am
• Breakout 6A Friday 21st from 10.45am - 11.20am
• Breakout 6B Friday 21st from 11.40am - 12.15pm

Delegates registered for your session

A live update from the database will provide you with updated numbers in your session. The URL will be available as soon as the organisers can make this available. A copy of who is in your session will also be available

Photocopying

We ask that you do your photocopying at your school/centre or preferably put your information up online prior to the conference so that delegates can access it from the ULearn site. However, if you urgently need to photocopy something, Please ask at the registration desk.

Coming for the Day/Session Only

If you are only presenting for one session and have not officially registered, then please let Gwenny know by email that you intend to only appear for your session <gwenny.davis@core-ed.org>.

You will need to report to Gwenny at registration in the Energy Events Centre. She will give you a visitor pass which will avoid you being stopped by security.

Blogs/wikis

A key component of ULearn11 will be the contribution by participants to the understanding and knowledge being created throughout the conference through the use of Web 2.0 applications such as blogging, wikis and social bookmarking.

You can promote this by encouraging delegates to blog your session, by blogging yourself, and can hyperlink to people, resources, and handouts. Information about how to do this and how to use other Web 2.0 applications is outlined in the conference handbook. Please try to model this for delegates if you can.

Our conference tag is #ULearn11

Presenters' Taxi

A special taxi will be available to those people needing to go to either Rydges or Novotel. This presenters' taxi will leave around 40 minutes before presentations are due to begin. Please ask at reception. You can catch the taxi outside the Energy Events Centre. Presenters should return from these sessions on the delegate buses with the other delegates if possible.

Walking to Rydges – 15-20 min
Walking to Novotel – 10 min

Room Support Personnel

Each room will have a person to support you. They are there to provide you with any help you need. If you strike a problem they can't handle, they will call the technician. They will also organise a person in your workshop/presentation who will thank you at the end of your session.

There is a technical support person in every venue DON'T HESITATE TO CALL THEM

Room checks

Please check your venue, software, etc well before your presentation so that you know that every piece of software you asked for, and room set ups are as you want them. The students and area co-ordinators are there to make this happen for you. If you find a problem please contact the room support person for your room, or if they can't help and you need technical assistance ring 0800 ETOOLS and a technician will be sent to fix the problem. Every Room has a dedicated technical support person so ask your support person to ring them. Please remember there are 39 other presentations happening each breakout so CHECK well before you are presenting.

Pecha Kucha Style Presentation

(pre-conference Day 18th October 5.00pm-7.00pm)

ULearn's Pecha Kucha will take place on Tuesday 18th October from 5.00pm-7.00pm in the BayTrust Forum in the Energy Events Centre. Nibbles will be available (crisps etc) and a BYO bar will be in operation.

If you would like to put a Pecha Kucha style presentation together please contact Sherry.

<Sherry.chrisp@core-ed.org>

Technical information

Preparing your presentation computer (access to the Internet for your workshop)

Throughout all the conference venues there will be wireless Internet provided for computer connection. There will be a page of instructions for both Macintosh or Windows machines that you can follow to connect your laptop. These will be available in all rooms.

There will be two network working across all venues this year. To ensure your laptop is able to connect to an 'open wireless network' (DHCP with no passwords) try connecting it to a Telecom Hotspot, CafeNet or other wireless access point. If you can, you should be able to use the conference network!

It is important that you have administration rights (user name and password) for your computer to allow the Ulearn11 technical support team to assist you, should you need it. Tech support will be available at the conference and priority will be given to presenters and Tela workshop delegates.

Please keep in mind that your systems operations manager at school/centre/university may have locked your computer down significantly and that it will not always be easy for our team of volunteers to get around this. Our suggestion is that you discuss your laptop settings with the appropriate person at your school/centre before the end of the term. You should record your current proxy and proxy port numbers as you will need these to reconnect to your school/centre/university network after ULearn.

Note: Wired (RJ45 ethernet cable) or dial up Internet connections are not available for general delegates at ULearn11. A wired Internet connection will be available for presenters in all rooms and we expect all presenters to connect using the wired access rather than wireless

Workshop Evaluations

Session attendees will be asked to fill in an evaluation form before they leave. You are encouraged to have a look at these before you leave the room.

The last word

Presenters' survival kit

• Try out your presentation with an audience before the conference and ask for feedback both on content AND how well the presentation worked. Give your audience the ULearn abstract - does the presentation match your abstract?
• Run the presentation through a data projector, with a 'viewer' sitting at the back of the room to ensure that images, fonts, colours etc work for the whole audience.
• The completed presentation AND notes should be uploaded to the website a few days prior to the conference.
• Visit the room you have been allocated BEFORE you present.
• If you need to check in with the technical team, do so AT LEAST the day before you present. (Instructions will be in your registration pack.)
• Have AT LEAST one other copy of your presentation - on disc, flash drive and/or another laptop.
• Look after yourself - if you need rescue remedy, or a quiet place to meditate before presenting, make sure you organise this AHEAD of time.
• Organise (before starting) with somebody in the audience, or your team to give you 'time checks' and let you know iif you are talking too fast/slow/soft. This kind of feedback makes a difference to the audience's experience.
  
  REMEMBER: You have a great story to tell, and your audience is there because they are INTERESTED. Relax and ENJOY telling them your story!