edSocialMedia invites you to submit proposals for workshops at the 1st Annual edSocialMedia Summit in Boston, MA on February 16^th, 2010. We seek workshops that will help faculty and administrators break through today’s challenges and achieve success by presenting the newest, best, and brightest ideas that will provide insight, experience and understanding on the many ways social media can be used in independent schools.

All workshop proposals must be received no later than midnight CST, November 30^th, 2009.
About the Conference
Are you trying to understand the buzz around social media and questioning what it really means for your school?

Do you need a better grasp of the benefits and challenges of social media before jumping in? Join your fellow educators and school administrators at edSocialMedia’s Summit this winter at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, MA and dive into the theory and practice of social media. The edSocialMedia Summit features leading social media strategists and practitioners in the independent school community.

Come and be part of the dialog as we explore and discover the potential of social media to transform the way schools communicate and educate.  This Summit is shaping up to be the place where the best practices in social media uses in schools are shared, discussed and disseminated with colleagues from around the country. Stay tuned for more information including how you can participate as a presenter!

About Proposals
edSocialMedia is seeking proposals that help bridge the gap between theory and practice. We are especially interested in proposals that will facilitate both the classroom teacher as well as the advancement professional. The Summit will consist of two strands, a classroom, educational, pedagogical strand designed to help faculty better understand the power and potential of social media tools and how they can be incorporated into classroom practice. And an advancement, marketing and communication strand designed to help admission, alumni, development, marketing and communication professionals better understand how to deploy social media strategies to better meet their advancement and marketing goals and objectives.

In writing your proposal, please keep in mind the primary audiences for this conference:

• K-12 Independent School Educators
• Admission Directors and Staff
• Heads of School and Division Directors
• Alumni and Development Directors and Staff
• Marketing and Communication Directors and Staff

Selection Criteria
Proposals will be assessed based on their relevance to the conference theme, content quality, creativity of delivery approach, and incorporation of the following social media guidelines.

1. Increased community participation
2. Relevance to 21^st century teaching and learning
3. Communication
4. Effective implementation of technology to meet institutional goals
5. Empowering students and teachers
6. Partnerships
7. Fostering online relationships
8. Improving a school’s ability to deliver on its mission and message

Please join us in sharing your most creative social media innovations!

Submission Guidelines
1. Proposals must be submitted to edSocialMedia using the following email info@edsocialmedia.com. Please include Summit Proposal in the Subject line!
2. Please print a copy of your proposal submission for your records.
3. You must provide the following information as an email attachment to complete the application:

a. One paragraph describing the primary presenter’s qualifications and experience. (An optional paragraph may be included for each of the co-presenters.)
b. A narrative description (1-2 pages). Describe all important aspects of your presentation, including:

• Description of format
• Goals and objectives
• Overview of presentation content
• Benefits to participants
• Opportunities for participant interaction and reflection
• Relevance to the conference theme

4. Only complete applications will be reviewed.
5. Presentations must be limited to 90 minutes.
6. edSocialMedia reserves the right to edit workshop titles and descriptions for length and content for the official conference program guide.
7. Academic degrees will not be included in the program guide.
8. No more than two proposals will be accepted from the same individual or organization.
9. All communications will be sent only to the primary presenter.
10. All presenters must register for the conference.

Workshops average 20-30 attendees. We encourage presenters to post handouts and presentations on our online conference presenter portal. Information about this process will be sent to accepted presenters.

Written notification on the status of your proposal will be emailed to the primary presenter by December 7th, 2009.