You can lead a HigherEdCamp session

There’s no requirement that you have to lead a session to attend HigherEdCamp. But everyone is encouraged to give it a try. Hopefully these tips give you the confidence to try leading a session.

Don’t be afraid

Fear of public speaking is high on the list of common phobias, right up there with fear of heights, flying, and spiders. The best cure for any fear is experience. The open-grid format encourages participation. Campers will interact and contribute to your presentation. An engaged audience will make presenting a lot easier than you might expect!

HigherEdCamp is not just about the technology

You don’t need an advanced degree in computer science to present at HigherEdCamp. All of us interact with technology. Some campers are interested in how we go about teaching technology. Some are interested in how we can better use tech to enhance teaching the arts. Don’t feel like you can’t present because you’re not leading a session on developing iPhone applications. Identify your perspective and create a session around it.

Pick a format for your session

Sessions generally go one of two ways: either as a straight presentation or as an open discussion on a topic.

Present on a project that you’ve implemented. Get hands on with a technology that you know the ins and outs of. Or moderate a group discussion. Research some facts and statistics. Come up with a list of educated questions on a topic. Lead a group discussion with those questions as starting point.

Check out the session tracker to see what session topics other campers are suggesting. Vote on those and add your own ideas to the list.

Leave plenty of room for discussion

Each session is one hour long. But you won’t spend the whole hour presenting. Leave plenty of room for discussion amongst attendees. Encourage campers to ask questions. The more engage your audience, the better the session will be.

Do you need slides or not?

Slides are not required. The session rooms in Huntsman Hall have computers connected to projectors where you can show slides and hands-on web demos. You can also bring in and connect your own laptop to the projectors. But it’s totally up to you if you want to use slides.

Come up with a catchy title

Your session’s success depends on the campers it attracts. Don’t just write “Collaboration Tools” on the session board. Make the title something catchy, specific, and descriptive like “From Moodle to Google: Systems for getting work done on the web.”