Attendee Guide For OpenEd20
The 2020 Open Education Conference is finally here! The event kicks off on Monday with five days of virtual programming packed with invigorating ideas, fresh perspectives, and new connections.
As the final countdown begins, we are posting a guide with everything attendees need to know to join the conference. Watch your registered email address on Monday morning with your for a link to join the conference, and you can always reach us at contact@openeducationconference.org!
Virtual Access Information
The #OpenEd20 program will be hosted in Sched, which is a virtual agenda platform. You can view the schedule and session descriptions in Sched without having to log in. However, you must log into your account to access session login information.
Your Sched account is linked to the email address you gave at registration (which is still available if you haven’t yet!) We strongly recommend testing your Sched login as soon as possible to ensure you will not have any issues on the day of the conference. Search your registered email account for a message from sched.com inviting you to create a password or watch this handy video tutorial.
How to Join Sessions
All scheduled sessions will be held in Zoom. To access Zoom information for each session, you must be logged into Sched and you must visit the Sched page for the session when you are ready to join. Ten minutes before the session starts, a yellow button labeled “Video Stream” will appear automatically on the session page. Click the button to open a Zoom instant registration page, where you can enter a name and email address and join the session immediately.
To make sure things go as smoothly as possible, we strongly recommend that attendees download the latest version of the free Zoom desktop client (5.3+). This version has additional features including “choose your own breakout room” and emoji reactions that will improve your interactive experience during the conference.
Worried about Zoom fatigue? Check out these tips on how to get the most out of the conference.
Getting HelP
The conference team will be geared up and ready to help everyone get settled at the conference on day one. The best way to reach us is still contact@openeducationconference.org, and we’ll have a team ready to give you a response as fast as possible. You can also click in to the zoom virtual lobby to connect directly with a team member.
Program At a Glance
The #OpenEd20 community planning team has designed an action-packed and diverse program that has something for everyone. The program is available on Sched and also embedded on the website. Here’s a quick tour:
Structure: Each day’s program runs from 9:30am EST to 7:30pm EST, save for Friday which ends earlier. Keep in mind that the program was not designed with the expectation that people will participate from start to end, but that they will pick and choose which parts are most exciting and aligned with their personal schedule. All scheduled sessions will be recorded, so there’s no need for any fear of missing out.
Tea Time: The daily schedule is divided into 90 minute blocks separated by 30 minute breaks that we call "Tea Time." Each Tea Time will offer a list of suggested activities. Some will have explicit programming, and others will point to suggested asynchronous sessions or other aspects of the conference to explore.
Concurrent Sessions: Most of the scheduled program is filled with concurrent sessions. During each 90 minute concurrent block there are 4 to 5 sessions happening at once. The majority of the scheduled sessions are 25 minute presentations, and there are also 55 minute panels, discussions, and workshops.
Plenary Sessions: Each day has a 90 minute plenary session where all attendees can be present in the same session. Community feedback guided the committee away from traditional keynotes and toward fostering meaningful shared experiences. Monday’s and Friday’s plenaries will offer interactive exercises focused on community connections. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday’s sessions each offer a pair of keynote speakers who will explore key facets of the theme "Reimagining Open Education."
Asynchronous Sessions: Alongside the scheduled programming, there are also more than 100 asynchronous sessions that can be viewed at any time during the conference. The sessions are divided up on the schedule timeline by day for convenience, but they are best viewed in the embedded gallery on the conference website, where viewers can leave comments. These include dynamic lightning talks and multi-format submissions.
Choose Your Own Adventure: There are three one hour blocks in the program on Monday morning, Wednesday evening, and Friday afternoon where participants can explore and discuss asynchronous content together, or engage in other community-organized programming.
Code of Conduct
The Open Education Conference is committed to being a safe, accessible, equitable, and inclusive environment for all. Our code of conduct is important to facilitate those values and is essential to supporting environments centered on our principles in all conference spaces. The code of conduct applies to speakers, attendees, sponsors, and organizers alike, and it covers all aspects of the conference, including sessions, chats, and online spaces. Participation is conditional on reading and accepting the code of conduct, and unacceptable behavior is subject to sanctions. Please take a moment to review the code of conduct now.
Social Spaces
Discord: The conference has set up a private space on Discord where participants can engage in text and video chat. If you’re familiar with what Slack is, Discord may feel similar, but it offers a number of additional features that make it a great space for conference chatter. To join our Discord server, look at any of the emails from contact@openeducationconference.org over the last two weeks and you’ll find an invitation link.
Twitter: The official conference hashtag is #OpenEd20 and you can find us on Twitter at @HeyOpenEd. We’ll be active on Twitter throughout the conference, and we invite you to join us there.
Social Sessions: There will be a number of official and unofficial social activities happening during the conference, from virtual OEReoke to trivia to recipe competitions. The social program will be rolled out on Monday morning so everyone can get involved.
Can’t Wait for Monday?
Neither can we! This conference is going to offer a truly unique and engaging experience that is entirely community-owned and community-organized. Many aspects of how we are organizing this conference are completely new, and we’re going to need everyone’s help to make this year’s event a success and improve it for the future.
Got questions? See our FAQ or contact us at contact@openeducationconference.org.
