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We know costs can add up when it comes to attending a conference out of town and you need to justify the expense to your boss. Since we want to make sure you don’t miss out, here are our tips for getting to YES on BbWorld!!

1.)    Plan Ahead – Select which keynotes, panels, and meet-ups speak most directly to your work and professional goals, and then show that specific agenda to your boss. This year BbWorld has five themes that hot topics in Education right now: Digital Content, Mobility, Analytics in Action, Technology Adoption and Social Learning. To go even further, identify some people you’d like to connect with and offer to set up meetings with them while you’re there.  Your boss will see you mean business, and you’ll be ready to go when you arrive.

2.)    Offer to Present What You Learn – Once you attend BbWorld, you will be well informed on the latest and greatest in education technology, but what about your colleagues?  Offer to present session recaps and key takeaways at a future staff meeting so everyone can benefit from your attendance. And of course, don’t forget to share a write up of what you learned at BbWorld for your school or organization’s blog or newsletter!

3.)    Social Media Visibility & Engagement – Not only will you and your boss know you’re getting the most out of BbWorld, but so will the rest of the world.  Tell your boss how you’ll embrace Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube, and other social networks to be a part of the conversation, grow your organization’s social media presence, and make new connections so you can continue the dialogue after the conference.

4.)    Build New Best Practices – Technology moves fast and what’s the latest fad in learning one year can be the must-avoid learning trend the next.  In order to be your best at your job, you need to be among the best.  We’ll make sure you have immediately applicable takeaways, make valuable connections, and make your trip to BbWorld an investment, not an expense! For example, this year BbWorld will have a Digital Content Upgrade Center so that you can talk to experts on the spot on how to incorporate our newest technologies at your institution.

5.)    Be enthusiastic! – Your energy and interest needs to come through in whatever form of communication you use to make the request.  Be yourself, but be the ‘yourself’ that conveys that doing your best at work means getting out of your usual environment sometimes and making that most of that time.

Over the past several weeks, we announced some very exciting themes for BbWorld 2012: Social Learning, Technology Adoption and Digital Content. We have two themes to announce yet – one of them I am happy to share with you today!

We are thrilled to announce Marco Torres, a Media Coach and Education Technology Director at San Fernando High School, as our Feature Session Presenter on “Mobility” at BbWorld. He will show us how being connected everywhere and anywhere impacts learning and increases student success. We all know that an on-the-go classroom is a national (and global) priority.

So Marco Torres will share examples of what basic learning looks like and how you can use it in a more media rich environment. Marco’s Feature Session on” Learning Vs. Schooling: The Epic Match” will get your wheels spinning on how to use all of the technology that is available to educators today.

Melissa Stange, LMS System Administrator at Shenandoah University has told us not once, or twice, but NINE times why she wants to be a VIP Blogger at BbWorld! In fact, she said about DevCon 2011, “I was very surprised as to how much I learned and how normal people were. I am not sure if I was expecting for people to be running around with pocket protectors and talking in now understandable language, after all this was Bb’s technical aces…” So, while you might not have time to write nine posts by Friday, we hope you’ll give it a go and enter to be a VIP BbWorld Blogger and join us this summer. We are normal! Submissions will be accepted through Friday, May 4. And check out why Melissa wants to join us in NOLA! I was waiting for something to start off this blog with and as I looked out my imaginary office window Blackboard, Inc. provided it! Blackboard World is right around the corner and it will take place in New Orleans this year in July. This year Blackboard is holding a contest to become a VIP BbWorld Blogger! Who wouldn’t want to be one of Blackboard’s (Bb) VIP Bloggers? They will help promote my blog, which will build my readership and help spread the word on the hot news being shared at the conference. The more readers they send to my blog … the more people who know about my session (7/11, 10:20a, rm. 391) … so I don’t have to present to an empty room. I would get backstage access, which means I not only get first hand comments from keynotes and Bb leaders but get to blog about sessions from a different view. One of the best things they are offering is reserved seating! If you have ever attended a Bb Keynote session you would know finding the perfect seat is difficult due to the number of attendees.

I met Paul Lefavi at BbWorld three years ago, so it’s only fitting that he would share his reasons for attending BbWorld 2012 with me and the rest of the ANGEL community.  Since our first meeting, I have relied on Paul’s perspective many times and appreciate his involvement in the ANGEL community programs.  Thanks, Paul, for contributing your thoughts, and I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans! Guest post by Paul Lefavi, Director of eLearning Technology, Indian River State College As I make plans to attend BbWorld 12 in New Orleans, I have been asked by a couple of colleagues why I make a point of going to this conference each year. Is it the fun and exciting places, Orlando, Las Vegas, and now the Big Easy, where the conference has been held the past few years?  Is it just the allure of getting out of town?  While both reasons would most likely crop up in a bulleted list of motives to attend, BbWorld is so much more than a few days away at a fun destination.

Those of you who have bookmarked BbWorld.com may have noticed that we have announced the program.  I am really excited to see so many clients speaking on such great topics including Mobility, Social Learning, Technology Adoption, Analytics in Action, Digital Content, and more.  Whether this is your first time attending BbWorld or DevCon, or you are a returning attendee, BbWorld can be an overwhelming experience.  There’s so much to see and do and you just don’t want to miss anything!  There are a few tools that are now available to help make the most of your experience at BbWorld and DevCon. MyPlanner Not only is the schedule of sessions available, but you can now begin planning your conference itinerary.  The MyPlanner itinerary builder is now available on BbWorld.com.  Login and use MyPlanner to search for sessions and save them to your own personal itinerary.  You can then download these to Outlook and then sync with your mobile device.  Search by date/time, product, audience, role, session type, and keyword. This is a great way to make sure you don’t miss anything! MyExhibitor The Exhibit Hall at BbWorld is a great place to meet with Blackboard’s partners and learn more about how they can help you meet your institution’s needs.  You can start working with exhibitors now using the MyExhibitor tool, available through the MyPlanner. Search for partners by keyword or category, and add them to your personal exhibitor list. Be sure to login to MyPlanner now and take advantage of these great tools to make the most of your conference experience.