Everything you wanted to know!

There are 1700+ delegates who will be participating in the ULearn08 programme. When you are preparing your material, please make sure that you use inclusive language for all levels.

Venues and room overview

There are 46 rooms over 8 venues being used for breakouts

1. Christchurch Convention Centre – Meeting rooms 1-7, Auto Desk suite and exhibition room
2. Christchurch Town Hall – Limes, Cambridge, Green, Conference 1 & 2, James Hay Theatre, Boaters Restaurant, auditorium
3. Crowne Plaza – Crowne Plaza A, B, C, D and First Edition
4. Salvation Army – Primary and Sunday School rooms
5. Cranmer Centre –101, 201, 112, 203, 207, 208, library
6. Christ’s College – library, art history, maths 1 & 2, graphics 1 & 2, ICT1, ICT2, ICT3, ICT5, music suite, Old Boys' Theatre
7. Copthorne Durham - Blackwell, Buick, Britton, A’Court
8. Discovery School

Computer suites

• Christchurch Convention Centre - Meeting Rooms 2, 3, 4 (20-30 HP laptops) Meeting Rooms 5, 6 , 7 (30 Apple Mac laptops)
• Crowne Plaza - Room A, (10 computers) First Edition (25 HP laptops)
• Cranmer Centre - library (25 e-macs), 207 (20 Toshiba tablets)
• Christ’s College - ICT 3 (10 Mac computers), ICT 1, ICT 2, ICT 5, music (25 Mac computers)

Most other rooms are Tela laptop suites although some, while allowing access to the Internet, are not set up with tables. The Salvation Army rooms have no access to the Internet and in the Copthorne Durham Rooms 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 Salvation Army rooms)
• lapel microphones (in large rooms)
• presenter's table

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

You can view the Convention Centre and Town Hall rooms from this URL:
http://www.convention.co.nz/christchurch_convention_centre/facilities

Room opening times

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

Wednesday 8 October
Breakout 1 at 11.00am
Breakout 2 at 1.45pm

Thursday 9 October
Breakout 3 at 10.30am
Breakout 4 at 1.15pm
Breakout 5 at 3.30pm

Friday 10 October
Breakout 6 at 8.30am
Breakout 7 at 10.45am

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 Jill Hammonds jill.hammond@core-ed.net or on 021 344 253 to arrange this.

On-site speaker preparation room

A dedicated speaker preparation space will be available to all speakers at the Christchurch Convention Centre. Presenters are welcome to use the room at the top of the stairs to put the final touches to their presentations. Technical support will be available.

Presentation information

ULearn08 presentation slide

A PowerPoint slide to head up and end your presentation is available at http://centre4.interact.ac.nz/17876/70171 where you may download it now. Please make use of this. It will also available in the presenters' area.

Presentation guidelines

With 1700 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.

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 - 35 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 that most of these sessions will be held in the following rooms:

• Crowne Plaza Gallery A, C, and D
• Christchurch Town Hall Green Room
• A handful will be held in the Cranmer Centre

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). 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 eg 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.

Use of the wireless network

Although the network in Christchurch will be high speed, 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.

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 need to upload it yourself at www.ulearn.org.nz – go to Add presenters' material (under the participation heading at left). You will need your conference logins to do this.

Contact Suzie Vesper suzie.vesper@core-ed.net if you don't have a login or need assistance.

Workshop and presentation timing

There are 7 breakout sessions of 90 minutes each. 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 student support person who will help you with your set up.

Full breakout sessions

Breakout 1 Wednesday 8 from 11.30am – 1.00pm
Breakout 2 Wednesday 8 from 2.15pm - 3.45pm
Breakout 3 Thursday 9 from 11.00am - 12.30pm
Breakout 4 Thursday 9 from 1.45pm - 3.15pm
Breakout 5 Thursday 9 from 4.00pm - 5.30pm
Breakout 6 Friday 10 from 9.00am - 10.30
Breakout 7 Friday 10 from 11.15am – 12.45pm

Taster sessions

• Breakout 1A Wednesday 8 from 11.30am – 12.10pm
• Breakout 1B Wednesday 8 from 12.20 - 1.00pm
• Breakout 2A Wednesday 8 from 2.15pm - 2.55pm
• Breakout 2B Wednesday 8 from 3.05pm - 3.45pm
• Breakout 3A Thursday 9 from 11.00am - 11.40pm
• Breakout 3B Thursday 9 from 11.50am - 12.30pm
• Breakout 4A Thursday 9 from 1.45pm - 2.25pm
• Breakout 4B Thursday 9 from 2.35pm - 3.15pm
• Breakout 5A Thursday 9 from 4.00pm - 4.40pm
• Breakout 5B Thursday 9 from 4.50pm - 5.30pm
• Breakout 6A Friday 10 from 9.00am - 9.40am
• Breakout 6B Friday 10 from 9.50am - 10.30am
• Breakout 7A Friday 10 from 11.15am – 11.55am
• Breakout 7B Friday 10 from 12.05pm – 12.45pm

Delegates registered for your session

A live update from the database will provide you with updated numbers in your session. The URL is now available below. A copy of who is in your session and their email address will be available at the registration desk for you to pick up.

http://centre4.interact.ac.nz/conferences/ulearn08/workshop_sizes2.php

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 go to the HP stand in the centre of the trade area. Only small numbers please.

Instructions for uploading your material are available from
www.ulearn.org.nz - Add presenters' material tab

Day/session only presenters

If you are only presenting for one session and have not officially registered, you will need to report to Gwenny Davis at registration in the Convention Centre. She will give you a day badge which will avoid you being stopped by security.

Blogs/wikis

A key component of ULearn08 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 hyperlinking 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 ulearn08

Presenters' bus

A special bus (Christ’s College-marked minivan) will be available to those people needing to go to either Christ's College or Cranmer Centre. This presenters' bus will leave 40 minutes and 25 minutes before presentations are due to begin. It will take approximately 10 minutes to get to its destination. You can catch the bus outside the Convention Centre. Presenters should return from these sessions on the Red City buses with the other delegates if possible (see above) but there is one pick-up by the minivan if you need more time to pack up.

Walking to Christ's College – 10-15 min
Walking to Cranmer Centre – 7 min

Presenter bus timetable

Breakout 1 presenters
10.50 and 11.05 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
1.15 Return Breakout 1 presenters to Convention Centre

Breakout 2 presenters
1.35 and 1.50 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
4.00 Return Breakout 2 presenters to Convention Centre

Breakout 3 presenters
10.20 and 10.35 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
12.45 Return Breakout 3 presenters to Convention Centre

Breakout 4 presenters
1.05 and 1.05 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
3.15 Return Breakout 4 presenters to Convention Centre

Breakout 5 presenters
3.20 and 3.35 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
5.45 Return Breakout 5 presenters to Convention Centre

Breakout 6 presenters
8.20 and 8.35 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
10.45 Return Breakout 6 presenters to Convention Centre

Breakout 7 presenters
10.35 and 10.50 depart Convention Centre for Christ’s College and Cranmer Centre
1.00 Return Breakout 7 presenters to Convention Centre.

Student runners and area co-ordinators

Each room will have a student runner 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 area co-ordinator or the technician. They will also organise a person in your workshop/presentation who will thank you at the end of your session.

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 student support person for your room, the area co-ordinator or if they can’t help and you need technical assistance ring 0800 ETOOLS and a technician will be sent to fix the problem. Please remember there are 47 other presentations happening each breakout so CHECK well before you are presenting.

Unconference participation

ULearn’s very first unconference will take place on Friday 10 October during breakouts 6 and 7. You may like to participate in this new event. An unconference is a conference where the content of the sessions is created and managed by the participants during the course of the event. It is a BYO session in which delegates can introduce a topic, discuss an opinion, or share a viewpoint about a subject. It's up to you (and your audience) how long you speak for and what direction your session will take. Whoever comes to your session will depend on who is present at the time, and whatever happens on the day is meant to happen! So, think about what you might like to talk about and be ready to share your ideas at the unconference.

Showcase to the future

Delegates are invited to contribute to the Showcase to the future sessions which will run across breakouts 1-5. Each session will comprise of 7 x 10 minute presentations. If you have ONE or more good idea/s which you are excited about, come and share the stage with the other 6 presenters during the session.

New innovations and future technologies, new and innovative use of software, totally stunning websites, web 2.0 applications that everyone just has to know about, transformative classroom strategies that work ... you have the ideas we want to see!

Email Sherry sherry.chrisp@core-ed.net by Friday 5 September with your name, contact details and, of course, your "idea", with showcase in the subject line.

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 one 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 Ulearn08 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 delegates at ULearn08. 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.

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 techie team, do so AT LEAST the day before you present. (Instructions will be in your registration pack.)


• Have AT LEAST on 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 if 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!