Josh Stumpenhorst - Monday Keynote #WEMTA16

We are thrilled to tell you that Josh Stumpenhorst, the 2015 ISTE Conference Closing Keynote Speaker will be the Monday Keynote Speaker at WEMTA 2016. We are so fortune to be able to bring him to our conference for you.

Josh is a junior high teacher in Naperville, IL. As a teacher his work has been recognized through numerous awards from local and national organizations such as Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Computer Educators, NEA Foundation, International Society of Technology Educators and many more. His book, The New Teacher Revolution: Changing Education for a New Generation of Learners, challenges traditional methods of teaching and learning. You can follow Josh’s work on his blog at stumpteacher.com or through twitter @stumpteacher.

Nov 9 deadline for #WEMTA16 General Session Proposals

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Please fill out the online General Session form by November 9th to share your passion, talent, expertise, or story with other educators! tinyurl.com/WEMTA16-General

We believe that "TOGETHER We're Better @WEMTA16"! This is our theme for this year's conference at the Kalahari on April 10-12th, 2016. This year marks the 10th anniversary of WEMA changing to WEMTA, and we are celebrating all that we have embraced and become by making our organization inclusive. Our conference is for Library Media Specialists, IT Coordinators, Technology Coaches, Teachers, Principals, Administrators, Special Education, and Higher Education. We welcome anyone that wants to make a difference in teaching and learning by collaborating and sharing your best practices.

Stay tuned to our #WEMTA16 conference page for more exciting updates to appear as we continue to plan and finalize details www.wemta.org/conference Did you hear that Kevin Henkes will be our author keynote!

Award-winning, New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Kevin Henkes shows us his childhood drawings and paintings, talks about creating such memorable characters as Lilly and Owen, and demonstrates his illustration process.

Kevin Henkes - Author Keynote #WEMTA16

We are SO excited to share that Kevin will be our Author Keynote at the #WEMTA16 Conference! 

Kevin Henkes is the author of the Caldecott Medal Winner Kitten's First Full Moon and the Newbery Honor Books Olive's Ocean and The Year of Billy Miller. He is the creator of several picture books featuring his mouse characters, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Lilly's Big Day and Wemberly Worried, the Caldecott Honor Book Owen, and the beloved Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Bruce Handy, in a New York Times Book Review piece about A Good Day, one of the author's picture books, wrote, "It should be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius." Among his fiction for older readers are the novels The Birthday Room, Sun & Spoon, Protecting Marie, and Words of Stone. His newest books for beginning readers are Penny and Her Song, Penny and Her Doll, and Penny and Her Marble (a Geisel Honor Book). 

Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin. www.KevinHenkes.com

A call for #WEMTA16 General Session Proposals is out!

​We believe that "TOGETHER We're Better @WEMTA16"! This is our theme for this year's conference at the Kalahari on April 10-12th, 2016. This year marks the 10th anniversary of WEMA changing to WEMTA, and we are celebrating all that we have embraced and become by making our organization inclusive. Our conference is for Library Media Specialists, IT Coordinators, Technology Coaches, Teachers, Principals, Administrators, Special Education, and Higher Education. We welcome anyone that wants to make a difference in teaching and learning by collaborating and sharing your best practices.

Please fill out the online form by November 9th to share your passion, talent, expertise, or story with other educators! tinyurl.com/WEMTA16-General

Stay tuned to our #WEMTA16 conference page for more exciting updates to appear as we continue to plan and finalize details www.wemta.org/conference

Serve on WEMTA16 Conference Committee!

Do you want to serve on the WEMTA16 Conference Committee? We have a few positions open. We have a great time planning and preparing for the conference. Please fill out this form to let us know you are interested in joining us.

Avoid the lines

Would you like to avoid the long line at the Kalahari for checking in?

You can check in or pre-register upon arrival to the Kalahari. If you arrive before 4:00pm and your room is ready, they will be able to give you your room keys right away.

If you pre-register and your room is not ready, you can provide the Kalahari  with your cell phone number, they will text you when your room is ready. You can also ask which building your room is in and return to that front desk to receive your keys.

Visit the Author Fair at WEMTA 15

The Author Fair returns to the WEMTA Conference this year. The fair will take place on Tuesday, March 24th from 1:15 to 3:30 PM. One room will be a dedicated space to meet the authors, have books signed or ask questions about their school visits or writing.

Fifteen Wisconsin authors are participating in this year's Author Fair.  They represent a wide range of writing styles and genres. Stop by the Friends of the CCBC table in the exhibit hall to preview the author fair books on Monday and Tuesday. We will have a limited quantity of books for purchase during the author fair in the Cypress room on Tuesday afternoon, but you may wish to purchase books before the conference begins.

For books for younger readers, you will want to check out the work of Janet Halfmann, Jamie A. Swenson, Joann Early Macken, Nikki Cooper, and Marla McKenna. Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer write titles to engage students and families in the environment. Andrea Skyberg's titles were created in collaboration with different schools around Wisconsin. Julie Bowe writes for chapter book readers. For middle grade reads, take a look at Julie Mata's realistic fiction and Gayle Rosengren's historical fiction. Kashmira Sheth's books work well for multiple age groups.  For our teen readers, take a look at the work of Ann Angel and Bridget Birdsall. Please visit our Author Fair page to learn more about these authors.

Many of these authors are also presenting short fifteen minute sessions to tell about their books or give you an idea of what their school visits are like. We have two rooms set aside for these presentations. You can mark the sessions you would like to attend on our conference Sched or consult the chart below.

Times	Ball Room 4	Ball Room 5
1:20-1:35	Jamie Swenson	Stacy Tornio and Ken Keffer
1:40-1:55	Kashmira Sheth	Julie Mata
2:00-2:15	Janet Halfmann	Bridget Birdsall
2:20-2:35	JoAnn Early Macken	Ann Angel
2:40-2:55	Nikki Cooper	Julie Bowe
3:00-3:15	Marla McKenna	Gayle Rosengren
3:15-3:30	Andrea Skyberg

Teachingbooks.net put together a wonderful collection of instructional resources you can use with these authors and their books.

Did you book your room yet for #WEMTA15?

Time is running out to get a discounted rate for a hotel room. Since the block of rooms at the Kalahari had sold out, we were able to reserve a LIMITED number of rooms at the following nearby area hotels at a discounted rate. Reserve now to get your discount! Once these rooms are gone, reservations will be at full prices.

• Holiday Inn Express - discount only available until 2/26
• Wintergreen Resort - discount only available until 3/15

Make sure to check out our hotel page for specific reservation information.

Pick Your #WEMTA15 Sessions

Scan this QR code on your mobile device, or log into WEMTA15.sched.org to preview sessions and start creating your schedule for the conference. This helps us know which sessions to move to bigger rooms based on interest. Please do this ASAP! Also don't forget to create your profile and start networking with other attendees and presenters.

We have got a lot of fun things planned for you, and the Conference Committee is getting EXCITED!

Please checkout our 2015 Author Fair authors that will be at the conference. Come meet our local Wisconsin Authors on Tuesday afternoon. Get to know the authors before meeting them in person! Fantastic instructional resources from TeachingBooks.net have been posted about the conference authors. Sign in using your school email address if off campus.

Kalahari rooms gone!

Wow we have had a tremendous response to the super early bird registration rates. We have a record number of attendees already signed up to attend the conference.

Unfortunately that means that we have run out of rooms at the Kalahari. We have been informed that the Kalahari hotel block for our March 22-24th conference has been sold out. WEMTA is not able to get more rooms at the discounted rate, due to Spring Break.

Fortunately, we were able to reserve a block of rooms at the Wintergreen Resort and the Holiday Inn Express. Make sure to get your reservation in before the discounted rooms are gone! More details on our conference website.

Super Early Bird pricing ends tomorrow 1/31

Get the best pricing to attend the conference today and tomorrow. Online registration available at this link. The conference is a great value for professional development with 11 sessions over three days. Breakfast and lunches are included on Monday and Tuesday. Great prize drawings throughout the conference. Opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals, and interactions with fantastic exhibitors.

Makerspace Prizes on Sunday

Reasons to "make it" on Sunday.

• There will be some pretty amazing prizes given away on Sunday with the Makerspace theme.
• Opportunity to attend sessions on Sunday.
• Added this year is a Sunday Only option.
• If you are unable to get to the full conference, you can still experience some great sessions, and do not have to get a substitute.
• First session starts at 11:30, so you can still sleep in.
• Snacks and refreshments will be available during the sessions.
• After the last session at 3:00 you will have time to explore hands-on Makerspace ideas and inspiration.
• You can even walk away with some items that you have made or played with.
• Stop in and play to learn at the Green Screen It - A Mobile Maker Space.
• Don't forget to attend the Build Your Own Sundae Bar Social.
• Perfect time to network with colleagues, presenters, and a keynote or spot light speaker too.
• Sunday is also included in the full conference registration.
• That is a lot packed into a Sunday!
• Make sure to join us!

Super Early Bird until 1/31

Make sure to register if you haven't done so to take advantage of early bird registration pricing.

Conference Website: http://www.wemta.org/conference/
Online Program: http://wemta15.sched.org
Twitter: #wemta15

WEMTA 2015 Registration is now open!

All conference details are available on the WEMTA website. Make sure to check out our Keynotes and Spotlight Speakers.

New this year are Sunday sessions (no workshops). The Sunday sessions are included in the full conference price. You can attend Sunday only, or Monday or Tuesday only as well. Also on Sunday will be a Maker Space Fair and a Build Your Own Sunday Bar Social. Come join the fun!

Returning this year is the Author Fair and Author Luncheon on Tuesday. You won't want to miss these wonderful events!

Please check out our online scheduler for all the awesome general sessions that will be provided by great presenters. We will be having 11 concurrent sessions to choose from.

Registration is now open online or you can use the paper form. Be sure to register early to get the best discount! 

Historically the block of rooms at the Kalahari sell out fast, so get yours early. Hotel details are on the WEMTA website.

If you are in need of some credits, check out our partnership with Marian University.

This great conference is organized by great volunteers, and supported by generous volunteers as yourself.  Please consider giving a couple of hours of your time to help make the WEMTA 2015 Conference a huge success. Sign up here to volunteer.