Present: Guidelines and Application

Maker Ed Convening October 12 & 13 Pittsburgh, PA

Apply to Present at the 2019 Maker Ed Convening!

For 2019, the Convening will be a 2-day event on Saturday and Sunday, October 12-13, 2019, hosted at the Museum Lab on the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh campus in Pittsburgh, PA.  

For this year’s 5th Annual Convening, we are eager to welcome inspiring, practical, and thought-provoking proposals that represent new ideas, concrete practices, and lessons learned from the maker education field. Our community and network are critical to the progress and success of maker-centered learning, and we’re excited to showcase your work and voices!

For your convenience, our proposal guidelines and application questions are provided below to help you plan. Applications open on April 2, 2019, and the deadline for submitting proposals is May 15, 2019. All applications will be reviewed, and presenters will be notified by June 3, 2019. Convening presenters will also receive discounted ticket rates.

Note: The application is now closed. 

If you have any questions, or would like support in crafting your session description, please reach out and ask. These queries can be directed to events@makered.org.

Proposal Guidelines

We are requesting proposals that fall into one of four different categories. With all sessions and session types, we encourage you to be as interactive as possible!

  • Presentation: 30 minutes in duration with a single or multiple presenters.
  • Panel Conversation: 1.25 hours in duration, as a facilitated conversation between 3-4 people on a specific topic.
  • Workshop: 1.25-hours in duration, where participants are actively engaged in a hands-on, minds-on experience.
  • Ignite Talk: 5 minutes long, 20 slides, inspirational and succinct!

We are looking for proposals that demonstrate an understanding of the current state of maker education that can also serve moving our collective work forward. We strongly encourage proposals from a range of backgrounds and perspectives. Specifically, we are looking to increase representation of youth and people of color as presenters at the Convening. Proposals that elevate and celebrate the lived experience and stories of a diversity of communities may be given preference during the review process.

Factors that our team will consider during the review process are included below:

Proposal Content

  • Does the proposal contain innovative and relevant ideas?
  • Do the goals clearly describe what participants will get out of your session?
  • Does your session plan align with your stated goals?
  • Is the proposal designed for active participation?

Equity, Access, and Sustainability

  • Does the presentation team have representation of youth and/or people of color?
  • Does the proposal address issues of equity and accessibility?
  • Does the proposal support new or renewed connections and community-building?
  • Does the proposal address the programmatic or environmental sustainability of maker education?

Applicability

  • Is the session applicable in a variety of educational settings?
  • Does the proposal share tools and strategies participants will take with them?

Application Questions

Shown below, the 2019 Maker Educator Convening application addresses the following questions. An asterisk (*) denotes a required question.

Presenter Information (individual or a group up to 4)

  • First and last names (for each presenter)
  • Email addresses (for each presenter)
  • Organizational affiliation (for each presenter)
  • City and state of organizations (for each presenter)
  • Organization and/or personal website and social media handle (for each presenter)
  • Roles (for each presenter)
  • Do you, or any of your co-presenters, identify as members of the following communities? Please check all that apply.
    • Trans and/or NB
    • Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual
    • Person of color
    • Young people (under age 18)
    • Person with a disability
  • Do you, or any of your co-presenters, primarily serve members of the following communities? Please check all that apply.
    • Women and/or girls
    • Trans and/or NB
    • Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual
    • Learners of color
    • Title I 
    • Low-income
    • English language learners
    • Learners with disabilities

Proposal Information

  • Type of session: Please select your preferred session type. Descriptions are included below. With all sessions and session types, we encourage you to be as interactive as possible!
    • Presentation: 30 minutes in duration with a single or multiple presenters
    • Panel Conversation: 1.25 hours in duration, as a facilitated conversation between 3-4 people on a specific topic
    • Workshop: 1.25-hours in duration, where participants are actively engaged in a hands-on, minds-on experience.
    • Ignite Talk: 5 minutes long, 20 slides, inspirational and succinct!
  • Session Title
  • Session Description (long) (200 word maximum): Please provide a thorough overview of your proposed session, including the session plan. Consider what you would like attendees to learn from your session, as well as any resources they may be able to take with them. This long description is for internal review purposes.
  • Session Goals: Please share the goals of your session.
  • Applicability: Please describe the applicability of your session to a variety of educational settings.
  • Equity, Access, and Sustainability: Please describe how your session addresses equity, access, and/or sustainability
  • Session Description (short) (50 word maximum): Please provide a short description of your proposed session, to be published on the external-facing Convening schedule if accepted.
  • Relevant Experience: Please describe how your personal and/or professional experiences relate to the topic of your proposed session.
  • Intended Audience: Who might benefit most from this session?
    • K-12 formal classroom teachers
    • Post-secondary educators
    • Early childhood educators
    • Librarians
    • Museum Educators
    • Out-of-school-time educators
    • Researchers
    • Parents
    • Administrators
    • Coaches and instructional supports
    • Other informal educators
  • Themes and Topics: Choose topics below that align best with the content of your proposed session.
    • Equity and Inclusivity
    • Community Building
    • Curriculum Design
    • Facilitation of Learning
    • Workforce Development
    • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Sustainability (related to longevity and stability of programming)
    • Environmental Sustainability
    • Program Models & Design
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Invention and Entrepreneurship
    • STEAM
    • Youth Leadership
    • Maker Mindset

This page was last updated on May 16, 2019.