Dr. Monica Burns will provide our Keynote Address on Friday, June 21, 2019, and will share some amazing ideas with #WITcon19 attendees through a variety of breakout session on Thursday, June 20, and Friday, June 21, as well! 
 
Dr. Monica Burns is a curriculum and educational technology consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and founder of ClassTechTips.com. As a classroom teacher, Monica used one-to-one technology to create engaging, standards-based lessons for students. Monica has presented to teachers, administrators and tech enthusiasts at numerous national and international conferences including SXSWedu, ISTE, and EduTECH. 

She is a webinar host for SimpleK12 and a regular contributor to Edutopia.  Monica is the author of Tasks Before Apps: Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom (ASCD), #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scannable Formative Assessment with Technology (Corwin), Deeper Learning with QR Codes and Augmented Reality (Corwin), and co-author of Taming the Wild Text (Shell).

Monica visits schools across the country to work with PreK-20 teachers to make technology integration exciting and accessible. She also provides support to organizations using technology to reach children and families in need. Her mission is to help educators place tasks before apps and promote deeper learning with technology. You can find out more about working with Monica, and her books and resources by visiting ClassTechTips.com.

Want to see your name on the same agenda as Adam Welcome and Monica Burns? YOU can apply to present at WITcon19, June 19-21, 2019, in Galesburg, Illinois!

Just complete the form on our PRESENT page with your ideas and we'll be in touch to help you develop an amazing learning experience for your teaching peers!  

 "But, what could I possibly present?" 

Just about anything! We're looking for interesting projects or teaching techniques that help positively impact student learning, from classroom management techniques or technology-enabled strategies, to whole-school culture-building  initiatives. If your think there's something kind of cool happening in your school, WE WANT TO LEARN ABOUT IT! 
 
​Complete a presentation proposal today! 

#WITcon18 sessions are starting to come together! We are in the process of finalizing our agenda for this year's amazing event! We're  constantly impressed by the outstanding quality of presenters from our region, and we think you will be, too!  

This year the Whatever It Takes Conference (WITcon) Executive Team, made up of staff from Galesburg CUSD 205, Carl Sandburg College, and Regional Offices of Education 26 & 33, chose to rearrange the WITcon18 schedule a bit. This is largely because the Team found that last year we had outgrown the available number of classrooms at Sandburg that we needed within a comfortable walking distance from one another while classes were in session. That kind of growth is a really good problem to have! However, to be respectful of Sandburg’s classes and the physical needs of many of the WITcon participants, some changes were needed.
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So, the Early Bird Rate of $99 covers the general conference schedule, just like last year. The general conference schedule, however, has changed:

• Thursday, June 14: 9am-4pm
  • A full day of WITcon breakout sessions by regional educators will be available, just like last year.
  • A free social at Iron Spike is planned again this year, along with a special activity under development! More details on that later …
• Friday, June 15: 9am-3pm
  • To be respectful of the classes at Sandburg, all of the previous half-day sessions were pushed into a full day of breakout sessions at Sandburg on Friday when classes are not held. Instead of ending at noon like past years, that day runs from 9am-3pm.

NEW: Wednesday Pre-Conferences

• This year WITcon offers pre-conference sessions that are available for an additional fee of $50. These Pre-Conferences will be held at various locations around Galesburg.
  • This model is in line with many state- and national-level conferences

We're consolidating our social media presences to help make sure our participants can find us easily! Find us on social media at: 

Follow us on the platforms above, and give us a shout out to help others find us at our new social media homes! Use the hashtag #WITcon18 

We are seeking engaging and inspiring presenters for 3-hour pre-conference and <1-hour or <2-hour breakout sessions for #WITcon18. Pre-conference sessions will be held from 1-3pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, at various edu-locations around Galesburg. Regular Conference sessions will take place at Lombard Middle School on Thursday, June 14, and at Carl Sandburg College on Friday, June 15, 2018. 

Presenters should strive for sessions that are active and engaging for all participants - Avoid lecture-style "sit-and-get" sessions whenever possible! We offer you a venue to show off your best classroom or school-wide project, amazing ways to use apps, and innovative ways to engage students in learning. 

Successful applicants will receive free Regular Conference registration, a digital badge for your email signature or web presence, and of course no small amount of reverence and envy from your colleagues! (Your mileage may vary on that last bit, but hey, we can dream, can't we?) 

For more info and to complete the Presenter Application Form, click the button below: 

We are proud to announce the Keynote Presenters for #WITcon18

His work focuses on leading and learning in the digital age as a model for moving schools and districts forward. This has led to the formation of the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a framework for all educators to initiate sustainable change to transform school cultures. As a result Eric has emerged as an innovative leader, best selling author, and sought after speaker. His main focus is purposeful integration of technology to facilitate student learning, improve communications with stakeholders, enhance public relations, create a positive brand presence, discover opportunity, transform learning spaces, and help educators grow professionally.
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​Eric has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for his work. He is a CDE Top 30 award recipient, Bammy Award winner, NASSP Digital Principal Award winner, PDK Emerging Leader Award recipient, winner of Learning Forward's Excellence in Professional Practice Award, Google Certified Innovator, Adobe Education Leader, and ASCD 2011 Conference Scholar. He has authored and co‐ authored the following:

• Learning Transformed: 8 Keys for Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today (coming soon)
• BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning (coming soon)
• Uncommon Learning: Creating Schools That Work for Kids
• Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times
• Communicating and Connecting With Social Media: Essentials for Principals
• What Principals Need to Know About Teaching and Learning Science