With only 54 days to go we have A LOT to share with you this week!
Helping you to Prepare for the Conference
The first of our free introductory webinars kicks off in three weeks – Thursday 19th April.
If you are a “first timer” at an Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference, these introductory webinars might help you to get a feel for how to get the most out of your conference experience. We will take you on a tour of the innovative new web apps for planning your schedule at the conference, accessing presentation resources from all presenters and adding notes taken in the sessions to your timetable. Even if you are a “regular” attendee, you may also find this useful as many new initiatives are in place this year.
So come along and have any questions you may have answered!
Register now for free by clicking on the links below – choose from the two sessions (content repeated):
Only one month to go! Thursday 19th April 3.15pm Australian Eastern Standard Time
Only two weeks to go! Wednesday 9th May 3.15pm Australian Eastern Standard Time
Early Bird Registration | Accommodation | Ever-growing Prize Pool
The early bird registration will be closed on Monday 9th April – just 11 days away (Easter Monday)! So if you’re yet to register and would like to be in the draw to win dinner vouchers valued at $200, complete your registration NOW. You’re free to spend these as you wish at any restaurant outlet of your choice at Jupiters Gold Coast – what a great treat!
Speaking of Jupiters, our accommodation block is now almost full. As I mentioned last month, we are unable to fully guarantee that the reduced room rate of $189 per night will be available for much longer. Once again, if you’re yet to book your accommodation at Jupiters Gold Coast Hotel I’d suggest you do so ASAP, as the hotel has now advised that there are no guarantees past mid-April.
And while you’re thinking of accommodation (and therefore your travel plans), keep in mind the fabulous Conference Closing Session at 3pm to 4pm on Friday 25th May. Ensure that you book flights or plan your trip home to allow you to attend, as the prize pool (which will be drawn during this session) is still growing! It is currently sitting at $49,863 – but I can confirm that by this afternoon it will be over $50,000!!! Take a look at the fantastic prizes online now.
Trade Display Drinks, Canapés and iPad Prize
ALL delegates registered for Day One are invited to join us for drinks and canapés on Wednesday 23rd May from 5pm. Be there to be in with a chance of winning the one and only prize being offered that evening – an iPad prize valued at $2500! See the Prizes webpage for more information! The bundle includes:
- iPad 2 – 16GB WiFi Black Version (supplied by MAC1)
- Proloquo2Go app supporting Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for those unable to communicate using their own voice
- iAdapter 2 – for effective amplification of the iPad in social settings and protection of the iPad in special ed settings (supplied by Communicate AT in Sydney)
- iPad 2 Home Stereo accessories valued at $1000 (supplied by Conexus in Sydney)
- An overnight stay in a Superior Room with two full buffet breakfasts at Jupiters Gold Coast Hotel
Sincere thanks to MAC1, Communicate AT, Conexus and Jupiters Gold Coast for their generosity!
Adding Swype to your Assistive Technology Toolkit
Swype is a revolutionary new way to enter text from an onscreen keyboard at rates of 45 words-per-minute and higher! Originally developed as an assistive technology, Swype has now become a mainstream tool on dozens of smartphone models around the world.
Randy Marsden, the co-founder of Seattle-based Swype Inc will be joining us from Canada!
His session “Adding Swype to your Assistive Technology Toolkit” (Thursday 24th May, 1.30pm to 2.15pm) is not to be missed! Come to this session to learn how to use Swype, and how to apply its power to help people with disabilities compose text faster and more accurately. Of benefit to people with physical disabilities, hearing loss, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and many others.
Support for Delegates with Hearing Loss
We have recently been made aware that some of our delegates have a hearing loss and will require additional supports to be able to fully participate in conference presentations and associated activities. We are working on plans for captioning of selected sections using the clever Ai-Live Captioning
service, in combination with some Auslan Interpreter services for delegates who have advised us of their specific needs in this area. We have also arranged for hire of a number of personal UHF Transmitter and Receiver units to assist delegates who require this additional assistance when using hearing aids in the larger presentation rooms. Please do let us know ahead of time if you also have specific hearing support requirements to ensure that your needs are accommodated onsite at the conference.
Printable Program Session Outline PDF
The Conference Committee has had many many requests for a printable version of the program outline, the format as seen online. This is the easiest way to look at the program when groups sit and select their sessions together. So … to help you with this we have created a printable “Session Outline” PDF for you to use. It is now available online, or you can download a copy here.
The ILT2012 Conference Facebook community is building
There are a lot of interesting conference-related conversations happening now on the ILT2012 Conference Facebook Group – we’d love for you to join in!
The difference from other Facebook pages is that we can’t automatically join people up – you need to login and join. Once you are a member you can also invite your other Facebook friends/colleagues/family who would like to be part of this useful (and friendly) chatter!
Have a happy and safe Easter!
