This summer for the second year in a row I will be hosting the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp at Sunday River Resort in beautiful Newry, Maine. The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp will be held on July 14th and 15th, 2014. Discounted early registration is still available. I have received quite a few questions about the summer camp. Those common questions and their answers are provided below.

1. Can I register with a purchase order / check from my school?
Yes, you can. To register with a purchase order or a check from your school email me or have your business administrator email at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com and I will register you on receipt of the purchase order.

2. Are you (Richard) the only instructor?
While I will be leading the summer camp, I will also be joined by Mike Morrell and Denise Blain who will be there to ensure that everyone gets the attention they need. Mike is a former colleague of mine, a high school science teacher, he is currently pursuing his M. Ed in educational technology, and is an all-around great guy. Denise is currently an alternative education teacher at the high school level and previously taught math, English, and social studies at the middle school and high school level.

3. My school is transitioning to Google Apps for Education, will this help me?
In short, yes. The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp will include the use of Google tools in each day. We will share methods for incorporating Google tools into much of what we do. That said, this is not focused only on Google tools. The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp is based on my framework of Discovery, Discussion, and Demonstration. The first day is focused helping students use technology to discover and discuss. Day two is focused on demonstrating knowledge by creating new digital content including podcasts, videos, and other multimedia productions.

4. I want to bring my principal, will she/he benefit from attending?
Absolutely! As I’ve heard my friend Scott McLeod say, “the leaders must get it.” This is a great opportunity for your principal to gain a great understanding of what you and your colleagues want to do when school starts again in the fall. Equally importantly, they’ll learn why you want to do it.

5. My school is going 1:1 with iPads, will this help me?
While I will share apps and methods for using iPads, the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp was designed with laptops and Chromebooks in mind. Participants in last year’s summer camp who brought their iPads also brought their laptops.

6. We would love to attend but the dates don’t work for us, will you be offering this at another time?
At this time I don’t have plans to offer the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp on other dates. I am more than happy to come to your school district to offer a workshop. Please click here for information about my on-location professional development services.

7. Will you be streaming this online?
No. The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp is designed to be hands-on and a livestream wouldn’t capture much.

8. Where the heck is Sunday River and how do I get there?
Sunday River is in Newry, Maine. It is about an hour from Portland, Maine. Portland has an international airport serviced by US Airways, United, Delta, SouthWest, Jet Blue, and AirTran. Boston/ Logan Airport is about three hours away. Most people who came last year rented a car and explored a bit of Maine before and after the summer camp. I am happy to make recommendations on things to see and do if you want to extend your trip. Click here for a list of suggested activities in the area.

9. Why isn’t this event free?
There are two reasons why it isn’t free. First, I incur a lot of expenses in organizing and hosting the event. Second, while all of the sites and apps we will use are free, my time for teaching about them isn’t free.

10. I want to sign up, where do I do that?
Click here to register online. Contact me via email at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com to register with a purchase order or school check.

If the answer to your question wasn’t provided above, please feel free to contact me directly at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com