Tips For Writing A “GREAT ISTE 2010″ Proposal

Thursday, August 6th 2009 by hdiblasicloseAuthor: hdiblasi Name:
Email: howie@frontier.net
Site: http://www.dr.howie.com
About: Dr. Howie DiBlasi was recognized as “Vocational Teacher of the Year” for the State of Arizona and nominated as a finalist in the “Top Secondary Leaders in America”. He has been featured in several magazines as “A CIO that really thinks outside the box”. He was recently recognized by the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration with the "Pinnacle Award" for outstanding Professional Development Programs. Dr. DiBlasi has extensive experience in the education field, (20 years) business leader, (10 years) and as a Technology Director (14 years). His emphasis is on Digital Technology, multi-media, Interactive Video Conferencing and 21st Century Learning. He is a Master Certified Trainer and has received certification from two National organizations. He is a recognized leader in these areas and has extensive hands on experience in training administrators and educators using 21st Century Technology and applications. He is known as a highly energetic, compassionate and approachable speaker. He is a trainer that blends humor, applicable stories of best practice and high levels of audience involvement. Over the past year, he has presented programs, courses and Keynotes to thousands of administrators, teachers, technology specialists and professionals around the country. Howie is the President of the I.S.T.E. Special Interest Group for Interactive Video Conferencing , a member of the ISTE SIG Board Council and a member of the Alan November Consulting Team. In a recent article for e-School news by Kathie Ivy, she said. “His TCEA workshop was one of the most dynamic conference presentations I have attended in some 30 years. Howie is charged with energy, willing to share, and open to suggestions.”See Authors Posts (1)

I have reviewed conference submissions for a number of years and it amazes me how many of the proposals need a lot of work to be considered for a slot in the conference.

I am going to give you several tips on how to make sure your proposals “Stand Out” and have a better chance of being selected.

A great proposal can be decisive in securing a presentation slot at ISTE10, while a poor one can cause your submission to go it the “reject” box.

Follow these tips to a write a “GREAT” proposal every time.

• Review last year’s conference program.  Read the descriptions and evaluate WHY the session was accepted.

• Read the guidelines carefully and the READ the guidelines AGAIN. Highlight key points. Keep referring to the guidelines as you write and start putting your ideas on paper and collating your materials.

• Decide on a specific idea that can be stated in one sentence. Make sure it is  a specific idea that makes a great opening line.

• Create a powerful, but concise 25-50 word  summary Decision-makers start with and focus on the opening statement and  summary, so create this section with that fact in mind. When writing the  summary, assume that the reader knows little or nothing about the subject matter.

• Winning proposals describe what kids and teachers will do. Create a real-life scenario for the reader. Paint a picture with words. The reader must clearly make sense of what you intend to do.

• Be generous with your ideas Share your expertise.  Attendees are looking for solution and new ideas to use in their districts classrooms.   Use your ideas and solutions to show conference attendees your approaches to problems in creative and innovative ways.

• Quantify the results that the attendee can expect from your conference presentation. Be specific on the results in the form  of performance objectives. List the process, solutions and methodologies.

• Focus on the individual attending your session at the conference. Focus your proposal on the ” INDIVIDUAL’S NEEDS” first.

• Put passion into your words and ideas! Reviewers  want to know why you care and why they should care.

• Remember, conference attendees  care only about how you’ll address their issues, so show them how you’ll do that.

• Beware of best practices. Instead of relying on answers that worked for a previous conference,  find a blend of outstanding practices and innovative solutions that fit the individual  attending the conference.

• Be accurate and “Sweat” every detail Double-check and triple-check the information. Spell check the submission at least 3 times.  You’ll risk turning a winning proposal into a loser if you present inaccurate data and/or misspelled words. Have three  people proof your writing before you send it out.

• Finish early Let your proposal sit for a day after you’ve completed the final draft, and then reread it completely before sending it to the conference committee. You’re likely to come up with some new ideas that enhance your work, and you may find errors that you missed earlier.

• Let your personality shine through. Give the review committee a sense of your culture and your style of  standing in front of the group and making the presentation. What will it be like to attend this session at the conference?

• Write a short succinct bio and make sure you highlight your track record. A good proposal bio should be done in  50-75  words.

(A guest post by Howie DiBlasi, SIGIVC President)

(pic from flickr.com/photos/tnarik)

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