2013 Homeshool Conference Update - 3 Days to Go!

We're just a few days away from the 2013 Homeschool Conference. This little conference is really shaping up! 

Pat Farenga (the conference co-chair and opening keynote speaker) and I knew it was going to be hard to announce, organize, and hold a conference in a matter of weeks. However, we wanted to be sure to do this before the school year begins for those many considering homeschooling, unschooling, or some other form of alternative learning. This will be, we hope, the first of many such events.

PROMOTION:

Please tell everyone you can about this free event. Our goal is to create a great, inclusive environment for practitioners sharing their strategies, practices, and resources, and we can accommodate an unlimited number of attendees. We've had over 1,000 people sign up so far, and would love to see many more. Blogs, email lists, list-servs, social networks--spread the word wherever you can.  http://www.homeschoolconference.com.

THE PROGRAM:

Currently, we have eight great keynotes (see below) have accepted over 40 presentation sessions (a partial list of which is also below). This is going to be a great experience! The conference program is now up on the website, showing in US-Eastern Daylight Time. In the next day or two, the program will be available to be seen in all time zones, plus there will be detailed information on how to connect to the virtual sessions.

KEYNOTE SESSIONS:

Our keynote lineup is now set: Pat Farenga, David Albert, Clark Aldrich, Cindy Gaddis, Peter Gray, Jerry Mintz, Elliot Washor, and Yale Wishnick. Read up on them at http://www.homeschoolconference.com/page/keynotes.

PRESENTING:

Believe it or not, there is still time to submit a presentation proposal. Submitting by the end of the day Tuesday, August 20th, guarantees a time slot if accepted. After that we will still consider proposals on a time-available basis. We want this first conference to have as many sessions as possible, so we'll help you if you want to present. http://www.homeschoolconference.com/page/callforproposals

VOLUNTEERING:

The success of this kind of a virtual conference is in large part because of the terrific volunteers who help to moderate sessions and especially help new presenters. What you may not know is that volunteers end up having a terrific, bonding experience as a group, and we encourage anyone who can to sign up as a volunteer. You don't have to have had previous experience with Blackboard Collaborate (the conference platform), but you will have to watch or attend the one-hour training (see below). Presenters--we count on you to volunteer as well! Whether you can help with one session or many, go to http://www.homeschoolconference.com/group/2013volunteers to sign up, where you will also find the link to the actual hour-by-hour signup calendar.

TRAINING:
There is a recorded training program on the training page at the site as well as a live training on Tuesday, August 20th, at 6pm US-Eastern Time and an open help session on Thursday, August 22nd, at 9am US-Eastern Time. More information at http://www.homeschoolconference.com/page/training.

STUDENTS:

Students are most welcome to attend the conference, and our long-term hope is that many of them will present as well. There currently aren't any student presenters, but there should be! If you know a student who would like to present, please encourage them to do so.

SPONSORS:

We didn't have high hopes that we'd find sponsors on such short notice for this conference, but if your organization would like to support the Homeschool Conference, please contact me at steve@hargadon.com.

See you online!

Steve

Steve Hargadon
Co-Chair, 2013 Homeschool Conference

PARTIAL LIST OF PRESENTATIONS:
Listed in US-Eastern Daylight Time. More detail on each session on the conference site.

Friday, August 23

11:00am

Opening Keynote - Pat Farenga

12:00pm

Integrating Unschooling with Traditional Teaching - Dr.Revathi Viswanathan

Slow Learning - P. Aravinda

1:00pm

Enterprising Students in Institutional Contexts - Eric Rosenberg

The Myth of Ability: Nurturing Mathematical Talent in Every child - Dr John Mighton, Founder

2:00pm

Transforming learners into global citizens through Wikipedia - Natalie Rector, Emerging Technologies Librarian & Wikipedia Ambassador

Using Online Resources to Teach Math vs. Training Kids in Math - Mr. John Bovey

3:00pm

Keynote - Clark Aldrich

4:00pm

Princeton Learning Cooperative: Helping teens live and learn without school - Alison Snieckus, PLC staff member

What is Your Creation/Consumption Quotient? The Power of Learning By Doing - Dr. Bernard Bull, Assistant Vice President of Academics & Associate Professor of Educational Design & Technology

5:00pm

Educate-Me Egypt: Dream-driven learning! - Yasmin Helal, Founder

Social, student-centered online study environment uniting homeschoolers and schools - Marko Koskinen

6:00pm

Dynamic Learning for 21st Century Learners - Kathy Ray, Advocates for High Ability Learners & Gifted Facilitator K-12

Learning in Minecraft - the Massively @ jokaydia Guild - Jo Kay - Director, jokaydia.com / Facilitator of Fun on the Massively @ jokaydia Minecraft Server

7:00pm

The Feminist Homeschooler - Suki Wessling

Writing Homeschooling Goals - Heddi Craft

8:00pm

Keynote - Jerry Mintz

9:00pm

Inquiry Through Citizen Science - Jennifer Fee, K-12 Programs Manager

Observing for Learning - Dr. Kathleen Forsythe Principal

10:00pm

Alternative Education in South Korea; Stigmatized Schooling or Cultural Resistance - Kara Mac Donald, Assistant Professor

Creating significant learning environments to inspire, foster and facilitate deeper learning - Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik - Learning Theorist, Home Educator and Instructional Development Consultant

Saturday, August 24

9:00am

Keynote - Cindy Gaddis

10:00am

Keynote - Elliot Washor

11:00am

Keynote - David Albert

12:00pm

From School to Homeschool - Suki Wessling

Motivation for the Uphill Climb: Praise and Success - Cindy Sheets

1:00pm

Helping Boys Learn: 6 Secrets for homeschool success - Dr. Edmond Dixon

Learning Styles or Learning Disabilities? - Mariaemma Willis, M.S., Educational Therapist

2:00pm

ABC's of Learning Beyond School: T is for Trust - Lisa Nalbone

Home Education in England and Wales - Leslie Safran Barson

3:00pm

Keynote - Yale Wisnick

4:00pm

Creating Your Own Interactive E-learning with Adobe Captivate - Tammy Moore

Unschooling, distance schools and how to use teaching materials - Sorina Oprean, Homeschooling Mother/Collaborator at Pedagogia Blanca-Pedagogia Alba

5:00pm 

The Christian Education Mandate: Equipping Kingdom Kids to Impact the World for Christ - Althea Penn, Educational Consultant

Worldschooling - Jessie Voigts, PhD

6:00pm

Aligning Curriculum with the Bible and Common Core Standards - Althea Penn, Educational Consultant

7:00pm

Benefits and Challenges in Homeschool Education - Ann Gaudino, Ed.D.

Short Term Online Language Review Courses - Edwige Simon, Educational Technology Specialist

8:00pm

Closing Keynote - Peter Gray