NC TIES CONFERENCE 2015 **UP TO THREE GO FOR FREE***

NC TIES is by far the largest teacher tech convention in the North Carolina. Thousands of teachers, coaches, administrators, and media specialists will descend upon the Raleigh Convention March 5 & 6th in 2015. YOU CAN BE ONE OF THEM AND ATTEND FOR FREE. 

Ms. Lea has very graciously offered to provide funds for up to 3 Union Pines High School teachers to join the dozens of Moore County Schools teachers already registered for the  the 2015 NC TIES conference. That offer includes the cost of registration, accommodations, substitute teacher, travel and food (food and travel are based on county established expense sheets). Please understand that the offer comes in the context of very tight budgets everywhere. This conference is a priority for administrators all over the state. The expectation is that you will come back and become resources for the whole staff for years to come.

In 2013 I was lucky enough to have my registration paid by my principal as a history teacher / Dept Chair. That conference opened my eyes to the emerging world beyond the silo of my classroom and my instructional comfort zone. I was exposed to the actual 21st century, information-based economy that my students would soon enter. As a direct result of the conference I was able to improve the relevance and quality of my instruction To better prepare them for that eventuality. I met the writers of SAS Curriculum Pathways lessons, Google for EDU creators, and other leaders in the arena of EduTech. I became a leader in my local LEA beyond that of a SS Department head to a member of the school and county based tech council ultimately ending up here at UPHS.

Why you should attend:

If you are still new to teaching I suggest you try to attend the conference to see where the field is going, make lasting connections with great teachers from around the state and nation, and find practices to bring back to your classrooms.

If you are a veteran teacher I would recommend you attend to expose yourself to the world outside your classroom treadmill. You need new ideas and whitespace to manipulate those ideas and strategies into your professional practice.

For anyone I would recommend you attend because this was the best professional development experience had in 11 years of teaching with the exception of National Boards and Master’s Degree.

To attend:

1. Make sure you are available March 5-6th
2. Contribute 1 article to the MCS Digital Blog Chromebooks in Education
3. Participate in no less than 2 Stop Collaborate and Listen meetings
4. Be willing to help your department and peers in the future by sharing your knowledge gained at the conference
5. Contact me at wherring@ncmcs.net to get the ball rolling.

Remember that we only have a maximum of three spots for UP staff. Let me know if you are interested and can meet the expectations above.