CUE > CUE Conference Speakers Selection Process

CUE

Advancing Student Achievement Through Technology

CUE Conference Speakers Selection Process

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CUE is a grassroots organization that strives to offer conferences that celebrate the classroom and learning with technology. Classroom teachers are cherished as speakers at the conferences. Conference speakers share promising classroom practices, new technologies, funding information, and state and national information regarding educational technology.

If you are so inclined to grow professionally, meet interesting people and share your stories, then speaking at a conference is a process that you should undertake. The most important thing is to choose a topic for which you have passion. It must be something that you love, know and are willing to explain, question and share. All of us in the classroom are looking for ideas at CUE conferences and those who can share real stories in an organized, articulate manner are valued.

This article describes the committees involved with the conference, the speaker application form, and the selection process for the different types of conference speakers.

Conference Committee
The Conference Committee is a small group of individuals selected by and approved by the CUE Board of Directors. This committee meets three times a year to advise the volunteer Conference Chair, volunteer Speaker Coordinator and Director of Operations (CUE staff member) on conference planning topics. Members serve a three-year term.

CUE Affiliates are encouraged to apply for contracts to assist at the conference. Contracts are available to affiliates for the Information Booth, Conference Signs, Packet Preparation, Packet Distribution, Speaker Ready Room, and Evaluations.

Application Form
Speaker application are available in OnCUE, the previous conference program and online. While completing a speaker application for a concurrent session you should know:

• Topic should fit the description.
• Be specific about what the session will cover.
• Mention handouts, resources to be given to participants.
• It should not be a resume of the presenter.
• Spelling and grammar should be correct.
  

Abstract Score Sheet
Rating Scale for items 1-4:
1=poor 2=fair 3=good 4=very good 5=excellent

1. Content. Is the abstract convincing that this is a solid presentation? Does the presentation stand out? Is the topic thoroughly covered in the given time?
2. Appropriateness. Is the topic current, appropriate to CUE and of interest to our members?
3. Educational Soundness. Is the presentation educationally sound? Is it more than just a project advertisement?
4. Expertise. Does the abstract convince you that the speaker knows the topic?

After the reading process, results are give to the Speaker Coordinator. The Coordinator combines all results of the selection committee and assigns sessions based on highest scores and topics. At this point the review is no longer blind. The goal is to cover all strands, grade levels and experience. All abstracts are reviewed, including those with lower scores, to try to meet the needs of conference attendees.

The Speaker Coordinator and Conference Chair meet to prepare a speaker matrix for the conference. This matrix matches sessions to rooms with requested equipment and tries to avoid conflicting sessions on the same topic. (Even with these efforts, conflicts may happen if there are cancellations.)

All who submit applications receive acceptance or rejection letters (use your home address on the application to assure you receive it). Call the CUE office if a letter is not received. If a session is accepted, the letter will include a description of the presentation room, the day and time of the session, and the equipment that will be in the room. Call immediately if there are any equipment or presentation time changes.

Head speakers at concurrent sessions are compensated registration (not membership).


Concurrent Sessions
This is the predominant session of the conference. Sessions are one hour in length. Once the CUE office receives applications, the originals are kept and the strand, title, and abstract are copied to a file and sent to the Speaker Selection Committee. Proposals are evaluated on the abstract content. (They are read blind, the reader does not know the submitter's name.) Three reviewers read each abstract. The volunteer Speaker Coordinator reviews any proposals with discrepant scores. Reviewers use the following rubric to rate proposals.

Invited Concurrent Session Speakers
The Director of Operations maintains a list of invited speakers and mails an application and invitation to each speaker prior to each conference. The Board Conference Liaison, the Speaker Coordinator, and the Conference Chair review the invited speaker list.

Invited speakers must submit session applications, which are reviewed and placed in appropriate topic strands. Invited speakers are compensated registration (not membership).

Hands-on Workshops
Any speaker can submit a proposal for a hands-on workshop. Hands-on workshops are held in a Mac or Windows Lab, are three hours in length, and have 25-30 participants. Each participant has their own machine. Hands-on workshop presenter receives a compensated registration (not membership) and a $200 stipend.

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