Ok, so you can’t attend the conferences for your dreams due to money, time, or the location. Don’t let that stop you. Here are a few ways to attend conferences for free without leaving home.
One way to attend a conference is to see if your conference has a virtual component. Blackboard World is a conference I attended last year. And by attend, I mean from my couch. You can sign up to watch their sessions live. They even make it possible to send in your questions. With it being in real time, it’s like you are there. If you area BlackBoard user, or interested in blended learning, consider “attending” this conference.
Another is to follow the conference hashtag. Last year I stumbled upon #notatiste. This is where all of us who couldn’t attend the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference could learn from those who were there. The conference has an official hashtag where many of the speakers/presenters will share their material or conference attendees will share what they are learning. Follow along on Twitter @isteconnects and #iste2017.
Are you on Periscope? Periscope is another great way to attend a conference virtually. Last year I really did feel as if I were at ISTE2016. I follow @TonyVincent on both Twitter and by using the Periscope app. Last year he went through the poster sessions and interviewed those presenting. He even zoomed in on their name tags so that we at home could get their name, school district, and Twitter contact information. Even better, the app allows you to post questions to the person broadcasting, they read them, and then answer you verbally in the broadcast. It really was amazing and I learned about so many new technologies and the amazing things that schools around the world were doing.
These are just a few of the ways I have found to be able to attend conferences. How do you do it?
One Room Schoolhouse 