Local CTCNet Conference and Call for Speakers

Posted by on August 16, 2002

To All:

The CTCNet Regional Conference for the Delaware Valley is fast approaching (Sept. 20, Philadelphia PA) and the planning committee is fully engaged developing an agenda that will be meaningful for all participants. To that end, we are seeking to identify presenters/speakers that fit with our theme. The message below contains information regarding the upcoming conference. Please review and let us hear from you within the two weeks.

Additional registration information will be forthcoming shortly.

Thank you.

Jonathan Ford
Turning the Tide
Conference Planning Committee
[email protected]

Community Technology Centers Conference
Call for Speakers

The CTCNet Regional Planning Committee for the Delaware Valley is seeking qualified presenters to speak on the subject topics outlined below. Our goal is to provide attendees with practical and useful knowledge that they can implement for their organization. Real-life examples, resource contacts, available tools and worksheets will be key to the speakers’ presentations.

If you or someone you know, might be interested in this opportunity, please contact Jay Cohen at [email protected] or John Cureton at [email protected]

Have you heard about the TechXchange Coalition and NPower coming to Philadelphia? Have you been contacted by one of the regional surveys to collect information about community technology providers? Are you completely in the dark about these collaborative groups and surveys?

Many Community Technology Centers and Technology Service Providers within the Philadelphia Region are at an impasse. We know that there a large numbers of potential clients out there but we don’t have the time or the resources to bring them in. We know that more funding is available, yet it is difficult to acquire the larger dollars that always seem to be just beyond our reach. And we even hear about “resources available for us” yet they rarely coalesce into something of which we take advantage.

Over the last 9 months there has been a great deal of activity in our region focused on how collaborations can get us beyond this impasse. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being invested and many interesting collaborative and membership organizations are being formed. Innovative online tools for collaboration are becoming available and surveys have gone out to help us understand where resources are located.

This conference will focus on “Growth through Collaboration”. By presenting tools, collaborations and resources in our conference on September 20th, this will enable the next stage of growth for CTCs in our region. The conference will focus on Regional Resources, Tools of Collaboration and Specific Successful Collaborations.

Program
9:15 – 9:30 Welcome
9:30 – 10:30 Regional Resources (Large group – Presentation)

Find out about some of the major efforts and surveys taking shape in the region to provide services to community technology centers. A series of short presentations could include NPower, TechXchange, CTCNet.

10:30 – 11:30 Tools of Collaboration (Large group – Presentation)

Demonstration of collaboration tools being used. Quickplace, Yahoo groups and Listservs

11:30 – 12:00 Networking break with tables for presenters

12:00 – 12:45 Lunch with presenters

12:45 – 1:45 Specific Collaborations (Small groups – Breakout sessions)

Discuss and formulate specific possibilities for regional collaborations in small groups.
* Marketing our Community Technology Centers through a CTCNet collaboration
* Sharing staff, curriculum and training resources through bartering with each other
* Collaborating on building and using an online volunteer network
* Collaborating on building a regional online calendar for our daily activities

2:00 – 3:15 Presentation of Specific Collaborations (Large group -Presentation and Discussion)

Each of the breakout sessions should present their findings with regard to each of their collaborations.

3:15 – 3:30 Wrap-up with signup lists for next steps

This conference is funded in part by the United States Department of Education via the America Connects Consortium and CTCNet. It is one of several meetings being conducted in local regions across the country. This meeting is particularly for people from eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and southern New Jersey.

Led by Education Development Center (EDC), the America Connects Consortium is a partnership of 8 organizations with different expertise working to help people to build and improve community technology centers. See http://www.americaconnects.net
(especially look at the link titled “How to use this site.”)

CTCNet is a national membership association of more than 650 community technology centers. See http://www.ctcnet.org for background.

Official Site: http://www.ctcnet-philly.org