Descriptions are published for Friday morning's sessions! Check out the great learning that's available on June 21 at #WITcon19!

We may have a few changes coming up to our Friday afternoon sessions. Stay tuned!

We're working as hard as we can on getting Thursday's descriptions up for you very soon! Check back often! 

The 2019 Whatever It Takes Conference schedule of presentations has been published! Please keep in mind: titles, times, and room locations are subject to change. We hope to have session descriptions available soon! Stay tuned! 

Wednesday afternoon's schedule at Carl Sandburg College will be very flexible, and will support topics YOU want to learn about revolving around Instructional Coaching. What is Instructional Coaching? What does a Coach do? What does Coaching "look like" in area school districts? What can I expect from an Instructional Coach? ​How could an Instructional Coach help me? We'll address these and other questions you bring in "un-conference-style" sessions, right after we kick things off with some comments Drew Witherell and Melinda Fry. 

Lombard Middle School will host Thursday's activities. Adam Welcome, author of Kids Deserve It! and Run Like a Pirate,will open our day with an inspiring keynote address followed by a book signing and breakout sessions. Dozens of amazing educators will share their ideas during breakout sessions throughout an incredibly full day! Our school activities will close with an address by Susan Converse, 2019 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

...but WAIT! We're not done yet! Join us at Iron Spike Brewing Company for some appetizers, refreshments, and networking with like-minded educators. Kick around ideas to implement what you've learned about from WITcon so far, chat with some Instructional Coaches and other school leaders, or kick back and relax with some pinball, pool, or golf simulators!

We'll return to to Carl Sandburg College for lots more fun and learning together! We kick things off with Dr. Monica Burns of Class Tech Tips, who will give our opening keynote address. Then choose from two breakout sessions OR take a deep dive into a 2-hour workshop on a topic of your choice.  Don't miss out! 

Mrs. Susan Converse, 2019 Illinois Teacher of the Year, will provide a breakout session and deliver our closing keynote address. Check out the amazing work she does with her students, then register to learn more from her at #WITcon19! www.witconf.org/register 

Don't miss out on your chance to save some money and still enjoy some amazing professional learning opportunities! Register today at www.witconf.org/register! 

Check out the #WITcon19 shout out from @MrAdamWelcome on Twitter! 
Then register at www.witconf.org/register
You might even be able to attend for free by presenting - apply at www.witconf.org/present

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.
​
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