Welcome to NCTIES 2012!

Get ready! It's almost here...

We are looking forward to seeing you this week in Raleigh for our 2012 NCTIES Conference!  We hope it will be a valuable learning experience for you, and that you have fun while you are here.
 
The Conference Schedule is now up on our Website.  You can find it at Conference Schedule.
 
The Generation NOW wiki is also ready for viewing.  You can check Concurrent and Vendor sessions, and the Student Showcase and Poster Sessions.  You can find it here:  Conference Wiki.
 
Make the Most of Your Conference Experience

Edmodo is proud to be an official social media partner of NCTIES 2012. Each NCTIES session has its own Edmodo group, in which you can download presentation materials and discuss ideas shared during the sessions. In addition, as a member of the Edmodo NCTIES Community, you can connect with other attendees and extend your NCTIES experience long after you leave Raleigh.  Learn about
Edmodo and NCTIES 2012.

Here you can find out more about our Edmodo Community (pdf).

Opening Remarks and Keynote Speaker

This year the Keynote Presentation will be Thursday morning at 8:45 a.m., immediately following the Continental Breakfast in the Vendor Area, Exhibit Hall A.  We are excited to have Ken Shelton as our Keynote Speaker this year. This event will be held in Ballroom A/B on level 400.

Concurrent Sessions, Poster Sessions and Student Showcase

This year we have over 140 Concurrent Sessions, and over 35 Vendor Sessions.  This year for the first time, we have more than 75 students and their teachers presenting at the Student Showcase, which will be held at the same time as the Poster Sessions.  Don't  forget to visit this great event on Thursday from 12:30 - 1:30 in Ballroom B.

Vendors, Vendors, and More Vendors!

Don't forget to schedule times to visit the many vendors we have at NCTIES this year.  Collect your Door Prize tickets, then visit the vendor registration area to place your tickets in the Door Prize Bags. You will need to be present at the Closing Session on Friday in order to win!  Good Luck!

2.012 Networking Lunch on Thursday

Lunch this year will be from 11:30 - 1:30 in Ballroom C on the 400 Level.  You can drop in for lunch anytime between those times, so you won't miss that session that you've looked forward to.

2.012 Reception

On Thursday from 5:30 pm  - 6:30 pm we will hold an informal reception to celebrate our day of learning!  We look forward to seeing you there for a beverage and light pre-dinner appetizer.

2.012 Awards and Smackdown

Join us Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.  as NCTIES presents its
annual grants, outstanding educator awards, scholarships, and other individual and group recognitions.  After the presentation of these awards, NCTIES will have the first annual 2.012 Smackdown.  Please come to support our award winners, and then stay for a SMACKDOWN!
 
Cruising Downtown Raleigh

We hope that while you are here, you will explore and enjoy the many diverse eateries that Downtown Raleigh has to offer.  Please watch for announcements for specials from local restaurants.  We will provide you with that information at the conference.
                                       
Marriott Hotel Information

Valet parking is available free to Marriott guests attending NCTIES for one vehicle per room each day in the city parking lot. Be sure to remind hotel staff at check in that parking (for one car) and Internet access are included as part of the agreement with NCTIES. A hotel staff member must park your car for you in the valet lot.  We highly recommend car pooling to minimize parking expenses. Parking in the area runs $10 to $15 per day for any additional vehicle.


It's not too late to Volunteer at the conference!

Would you like to volunteer at 2012 NCTIES?  We are still looking for volunteers to help with various duties throughout the conference. It's easy and fun!  You need give only an hour or two of your time! There will be a short training session so you will feel comfortable helping people navigate the conference. Sign up by submitting this form: NCTIES Volunteer.  If you have any questions, please contact Danita Russell, our Volunteer Coordinator, at danita.russell@ncties.org.  Thank you!
                     

Julia Hieronymus, 2012 Conference Chair
Sonya Terry, NCTIES President
2011-12 NCTIES Board

Staying In Touch At #NCTIES12

We are only 4 days away from the start of NCTIES 2012! I dunno about you but the Conference Committee and the entire Board are so very excited to kick things off at the Raleigh Convention Center in just a few days. Everyone has been working hard to make this the best conference yet!

There is lots to experience at the conference. From the great sessions lead by some of the brightest minds in the education community to the vendors showing off the latest in technology to just catching up with old friends there is something for everyone.

But how do you keep up with all that's going on? We have lots of different ways that you can stay on top of all the conference happenings and get more out of your conference experience.

Twitter- You can follow us at @ncties. This is the official channel for anything and everything #NCTIES12 (which is the official hashtag by the way.) From here you can keep up-to-date on schedule changes, vendor happenings, pictures from around the conference, and be the first to hear about some special things we have planned.

Facebook- The home of NCTIES on Facebook is http://facebook.com/ncties. You can find not only all the Tweets from the @ncties Twitter feed but more information too and you can network with other conference attendees.

Flickr Group- Taking pictures at NCTIES 2012? Why not post them to our Flickr Goup? http://www.flickr.com/groups/ncties2012/ Here you can add your photos of your experiences at the conference for others to share. Oh, and you can post video too!

Conference Wiki- http://2012ncties.pbworks.com/w/page/48944357/FrontPage All session presenters are invited to upload their handouts, presentations and anything related to their session to a page created just for them on the Conference wiki. Use this after you leave the conference to find resources from all the sessions. You will also be able to find all the tweets from everyone at the conference who use the #NCTIES12 hashtag.

Edmodo- New this year is our Edmodo community. (http://www.edmodo.com/publisher/NCTIES2012)  You can find it by creating a free Edmodo account and looking for NCTIES 2012 in the Publisher Community. Once there you can find more about how to use the community and the best part? We have created groups for every session. You can find the group codes here and join the groups for any sessions. Presenters are being encouraged to post resources here as well and this can be a place to carry conversations beyond the conference too. (Want to learn more about how to use Edmodo? Check out the Edmodo Help section. We will also have lots of materials in the Conference handbook as well as folks on site who can answer your questions.)

This year's conference is going to be pretty awesome! We want you to show us all the exciting things you are learning and experienceing. Send your pictures, reactions and more to @ncties or post them to the Facebook page. We will take the some and do a wrap-up here after the conference!

See you in Raleigh!

NCTIES Update

New at NCTIES this year - Student Showcase!

 

This year we have an exciting new addition to NCTIES!  On Thursday during the conference, we will be adding a student showcase (similar format to MEGA for those of you who have participated).  If you are interested in participating, use this link to submit a proposal 

http://tinyurl.com/ncties2012.  Proposals are due February 3.  If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Mangum at nancy.mangum@ncties.org

ISTE Membership Opportunity

  

NCTIES is part of the official Affiliate Network of The International Association for Technology in Education (ISTE).  You can join ISTE through our Registration page as you register, or you may Re-Access Your Registration your registration and add the membership. 

With ISTE membership, NCTIES members will recieve:

Learning & Leading with Technology magazine (print and online)
30% ISTE books discount
60% ISTE webinars discount
Access to NETS resources
ISTE annual conference and exposition registration discount
Unlimited access to all ISTE member communities and social networks including more than 20 special interest groups (SIGs)

                                         

Volunteer at NCTIES!

Would you like to volunteer at 2012 NCTIES?  We are always looking for volunteers to help with various duties throughout the conference. It's easy and fun!  There will be a short training session so you will feel comfortable helping people navigate the conference. Sign up by submitting this form: NCTIES Volunteer.  If you have any questions, please contact Danita Russell, our Volunteer Coordinator, at danita.russell@ncties.org.  Thank you!

Important NEW Update on Hotel Accomodations

The NCTIES blocks of rooms at the Sheraton and Marriott hotels have all been reserved. (You may still be able to get a room at either, but not at the NCTIES conference price or with the same privileges.)
However, the Clarion Hotel State Capital at 320 Hillsborough Street has a block of rooms at a special NCTIES rate of $79 per room per night. The Clarion offers free high speed Internet access, free parking, and is on the free R-Line bus route that also runs by the convention center, five times per hour from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. .
To make reservations, call the Clarion at 919-832-0501 then press 0 for reservations and ask for the NCTIES group rate.

 

Attendee Registration
 
Already registered for the conference, but you have decided you would like to come to one of the Pre-Conference sessions? It is not too late to easily register for one or two sessions through the Re-Access Your Registration link.  Pre-Conference sessions are $50.00 each and lunch is furnished for those that attend a morning and afternoon session.  We have a great line-up of presenters and with the wide variety of session topics offered, there's definitely one or two that will inspire you! 

 

Additional Registration Options Include:

  

Full-Time Student Registration 

Full-time Student Registration - $50.00 (lunch not included) Registrant must be a full-time undergraduate student and be currently enrolled at the time of the conference. Student will need to show proof of current enrollment when picking up registration packet.

  

Retired Educator Registration

Retired Educator Registration - $50.00 (lunch not included) Registrant is a retired educator not currently working in the public or private sector.

  

Vendor-Only Registration (Exhibit Hall Only) 

Vendor Only Registration - $50.00 (lunch not included) Registrant will be given a unique color coded badge to show Vendor Only Registration. Vendor Only Registration gives access only to the vendor area. The registrant will not have access to concurrent sessions or keynote speakers.

  

  

We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh in March!

Julia Hieronymus, 2012 Conference Chair

Sonya Terry, NCTIES President 

2011-12 NCTIES Board

Hotel Update

The NCTIES block of rooms at the Marriott is now full. You may still be able to book a room at the Marriott for the conference, but it will be at a higher rate and will not include the free parking and in-room Internet agreement.

The Sheraton has no more rooms available with two double beds. There are still plenty of King beds available at the Sheraton and there are also a number of roll-away beds to go in those King rooms.

Visit http://ncties.org/conference/raleigh/hotels/index.html for more information