Overall Session Length & Conference Organization

WOUtechCon presentations run for 50 minutes. During each Session, there will be between 2-3 different presentations. After each session, there will be a ten-minute break. Thus, the conference schedule is forthcoming.

Presentation Formats & Content

These presentations can have different formats depending on the presenters' desired content, goals, and delivery preferences:

• Single presenter: one person presents on their topic, using slides and/or other media, usually for 20-30 minutes, and then facilitates conversation/discussion with attendees.

• Panel discussion: under the umbrella of a shared theme or topic, two to five people present on their topic, using slides and/or other media, usually for 20-30 minutes, and then facilitate conversation/discussion with attendees. You can have one presenter act as a chair, if you like, or have a presenter act as a chair.

• Directed Workshop: One or several people teach/instruct attendees how to use a specific technology (hardware or software), specific pedagogical approach, or other method/methodology in online learning. Presenters interested in this should make sure it is clear what software will be used, and if it’s free software whether it should be downloaded in advance of the workshop.

• Roundtables: Under the umbrella of a shared theme, one to three individuals coordinate a series of focused all-group and small group conversations on specific topics or practices for the time period. Usually these open with a framing discussion and a closing discussion.

If you are interested in doing a longer tech-related workshop that requires two sessions, please put that in your proposal.

Each presentation should:

• Address a topic clearly related to EdTech

• Focus on learners, educators, staff, and/or admins who work in K-14

• Touch on or directly address the theme: Increasing Joy in Online Learning

• Allow time for questions, answers, and discussion

Technical Notes for Presenters

WOUtechCon seeks to be as simple and grassroots as possible. We also want to be accessible to the greatest extent. Thus, as a presenter, it’s important to consider these components.

1. Each presenter/panel will host their own Zoom meeting. This means you schedule your Zoom session, share the link with us, we provide the link on the conference schedule, and then you host it. Some of the implications are:

   1. You’ll probably want a friend or colleague to manage the admin side, that is: responding to/organizing questions, responding to the chat, booting any problematic people, turning on auto-captioning, and/or helping with an ASL interpreter if they are present.

   2. You can record your session if you’d like. However, if you do, it’s vital to notify attendees. Additionally, if the video features any of the attendees, then you’ll want to get their permission before sharing the recording.

   3. You will need to troubleshoot your own Zoom session. While we will have some tech-friendly people online, it’s vital that you are comfortable with Zoom. If you are not comfortable with Zoom but still want to present, we encourage you to find a peer/colleague who can help you with this and run the admin side of your session.

   4. We ask that you turn on captions.

   5. Please review Zoom’s Zoom Room Security Recommendations. This should help prepare you for an optimal session.

2. Each presenter/panel will have the opportunity to share their slides, references, or related material in a Google Drive folder created by WOUtechCon. We hope you do this as it makes for a more accessible experience.

   1. We ask that presenters have solid or working drafts of their content/presentation in the shared folders by 9 August 2024.

Accessibility

We seek to have WOUtechCon as accessible as possible. There are several ways we plan to support this. Before we get specific, we’d like to suggest everyone check out Making Your Talk Accessible. It provides a helpful overview. 

Accessibility Service Requests

WOU’s Office for Disability Services will be providing ASL interpreting and/or CART or Typewell services for sessions where there are accessibility service requests. If someone requests these services, we will notify you in advance, let you know the type of request, and what will help make the service best for attendees (for example, there are best practices for running your Zoom if there’s an ASL interpreter present). 

Encourage Accessible Slide/PowerPoint Presentations

Before you start creating your slide deck, please consider reviewing these tips from DO-IT for creating accessible presentations. 

Encourage Accessible Zoom Best Practices

Yale has some helpful guidance on how to make your Zoom presentation more accessible.

If you have a disability that may require some accommodation in order to participate in a Western Oregon University activity, please notify the Office of Disability Services at 503-838-8250 or ods@wou.edu at least 72 hours in advance.