Apply to Present at the Sixth Annual Maker Educator Convening

Note: The application process is closed as of July 31, 2020. Thank you for your interest! 

Join us as a presenter at the 2020 Maker Educator Convening — apply now!

Dates & Times

This year’s Convening will be a 2-day VIRTUAL event on Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, 2020. We expect to have approximately 3 hours of live content each day, including a keynote and a rich variety of sessions to choose from. 

Theme

This year’s theme, which continues our commitment to our values and the hard work we must do as a field, is Making It Happen: Equity and Joy.

Format

While we recognize that a virtual convening will not be the same experience as our in-person convening, we are excited to collectively design and plan an event that shares the field’s knowledge, enables inspiration and provocation, and supports the community to grow together. 

Session Proposals

For this year’s 6th Annual Convening, we encourage you to submit proposals that represent new voices, creative ideas, real work, concrete practices, and lessons learned, specifically integrating the two critical pieces of our theme: equity and joy. 

For your convenience, our proposal guidelines and application questions are provided below to help you plan. Applications open on June 22, 2020, and the deadline for submitting proposals is July 31, 2020. All applications will be reviewed, and presenters will be notified by mid-August 2020. 

When you’re ready to submit, please begin! You will NOT be able to edit your proposal once you click the submit button.

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 convening@makered.org.

Proposal Guidelines

Maker Ed is committed to equity as an organizational priority and we strongly encourage applicants from a diversity of backgrounds and from communities most impacted by an unjust education system. 

We welcome a max of 4 presenters per session. Ignite talks should be one presenter only.

Session Format

Sessions will be one of the following formats listed below. Applicants will be asked to choose one in the application. With all sessions and session types, we encourage you to be as interactive as possible, especially in a virtual setting. For each format, a linked guide provides additional information and recommendations.

  • Presentation
    • 45 minutes in duration with a single or multiple presenters
  • Panel Conversation
    • 45 minutes in duration, as a facilitated conversation between 2-3 people on a specific topic. Panels should include a max of 4 presenters, including one person as a moderator or facilitator.
  • Workshop
    • 45 minutes in duration, where participants are actively engaged in a hands-on, minds-on experience. If your workshop includes specific materials, please address materials access in your application.
  • Ignite Talk
    • 5 minutes long, 20 slides, inspirational and succinct!
  • Discussion 
    • 45 minutes in duration, where the focus of the session is to spark and engage in deliberate discussion around a certain topic or question

Proposal Review Factors

Factors that our team will consider during the review process are included below. For all submissions, we will consider if and how the proposals: 

Content & Design

  • Address issues of equity such as access, social justice, and anti-oppression and anti-racism
  • Celebrate progress, acknowledge achievements, and highlight the joy in maker education
  • Engage participants in a virtual environment
  • Contain new and timely ideas
  • Move the field of maker education forward
  • Are applicable in a variety of educational settings
  • Support community-building

Voices

  • Include representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
  • Include representation of youth
  • Include presenter(s) who are knowledgeable of and experienced in the topic they are proposing
  • Includes a balance of those who are new to presenting and experienced in presenting at conferences

Communication

  • Convey the content and topic of the sessions clearly
  • Address the session’s goals clearly and concisely 

Application Questions

Shown below, the 2020 Maker Educator Convening application addresses the following questions. An asterisk (*) denotes a required question. When you’re ready to submit, click here! You will NOT be able to edit your proposal once you click the submit button. 

Session Format

  • *Please select your preferred session format. Descriptions are included below. With all sessions and session types, we encourage you to be as interactive as possible!
    • Presentation
      • 45 minutes in duration with a single or multiple presenters
    • Panel Conversation
      • 45 minutes in duration, as a facilitated conversation between 2-3 people on a specific topic. Panels should include a max of 4 presenters, including one person as a moderator or facilitator.
    • Workshop
      • 45 minutes in duration, where participants are actively engaged in a hands-on, minds-on experience. If your workshop includes specific materials, please address materials access in your application.
    • Ignite Talk
      • 5 minutes long, 20 slides, inspirational and succinct!
    • Discussion
      • 45 minutes in duration, where the focus of the session is to spark and engage in deliberate discussion around a certain topic or question[/expand]

Session Description

  • *Session Title
  • *Session Description (long) (200 word maximum): 
    • Provide a thorough overview of your proposed session, including the session’s goals, that addresses what your session will be about and how you will facilitate the content.
    • Consider including content that addresses the “Proposal Review Factors” [hyperlink]
    • Share what resources participants will be able to take with them. 
    • This long description is for internal review purposes.
  • *Session Description (short) (50 word maximum): 
    • Provide a short description of your proposed session.
    • This short description will be published on the external-facing Convening schedule if accepted.
  • *Intended Audience: Who might benefit most from this session? Check all that apply.
    • K-12 formal classroom teachers
    • Out-of-school-time educators 
    • Researchers
    • Parents
    • Administrators
    • Coaches and instructional supports
    • Other: (please describe)

Session Content

  • *How will your session address issues of equity (access, social justice, anti-oppression and anti-racism) at a broad level?
  • *How will your session celebrate progress, acknowledge achievements, and highlight the joy in maker education?
  • *How do you plan on making your session engaging in a virtual environment? If you will be using specific materials, please provide a plan for access and participation in a virtual environment.
  • *Has the proposed session been presented at other conferences and events?
    • Yes
    • No
  • *If yes, please list other conferences and events where the proposed session has been presented. Please describe any differences or modifications of this proposed session.

Tags and Keywords

Choose the top 3 keywords, or add new ones, that align best with the topic and content of your proposed session.

  • Educational approaches
  • Professional development
  • Teaching and facilitation
  • Activity design
  • Curriculum integration
  • Assessment and evaluation
  • Community and/or family engagement
  • Out-of-school-time
  • Early childhood education
  • Post-secondary education
  • Networks and/or communities of practice
  • Ecosystems of learning
  • Workforce development
  • Systems-level scale 
  • Makerspace operations and management
  • Policy
  • Arts
  • STEAM
  • Computer Science
  • Social emotional learning
  • Learner agency
  • Other: (please describe)

Presenter Information (individual or a group up to 4)

  • *First and last names (for each presenter)
  • Pronouns (for each presenter)
    • They/Them
    • She/Her
    • He/Him
    • Other pronouns (please describe)
  • *Race / ethnicity (for each presenter)
    • Hispanic or Latino
    • Black or African American 
    • American Indian or Alaska Native
    • Asian
    • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
    • White
    • Prefer not to say
    • Other race or ethnicity (please describe)
  • *Age (for each presenter)
    • Youth (18 and under)
    • Adult (over 18)
  • *Email addresses (for each presenter)
  • *Organization name (for each presenter)
  • *City, state, and country of organization (for each presenter)
  • *Website and social media handle(s) (personal and/or organizational) (for each presenter)
  • *Job title (for each presenter)
  • *Please choose one of the following that best speaks to your experience presenting at conferences and events. (for each presenter)
    • I am relatively new to conference presentations. This is among the first 5 times I’ve presented.
    • I have presented at 6-10 conferences in the past few years.
    • I have presented at 11-20 conferences in the past few years.
    • I have presented at more than 20 conferences in the past few years.
  • 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 gender-non-conforming 
    • LBGTQ
    • Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
    • Title I schools
    • Special needs education 
    • English language learners
    • Other underrepresented community: (please describe)
  • *Relevant Experience: Please describe how the personal and/or professional experiences of presenter(s) relate to the topic of your proposed session.