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!