We love Lanyrd and the tools they provide for conference planners and attendees; but sadly they lack a public API and their mobile website isn’t the best if you need to decide between sessions for a given time block — the most common use-case for an unconference.

Higher Ed Camp organizer and all around rad dude Adam Tuttle put together an unconference-friendly mobile website for viewing the schedule. It scrapes Lanyrd and updates regularly. While you’re organizing your sessions on the cork board, we’ll be putting them up on Lanyrd, and you can view the current schedule throughout the day at:

http://m.higheredphilly.com

— bookmark it on your phone so you can get back quickly between sessions!

Thanks, Adam!

I’m Geoff DiMasi of P’unk Avenue, Indy Hall and Ignite Philly.

What’s your interest in Higher Ed?

As a former full-time multimedia professor at the University of Arts, I am very interested in how higher education institutions can be empowered to do more and how higher education institutions can empower others.

I am very interested in the organization of universities and the strategies that embrace that reality. The horizontal organization of larger universities makes them more similar to a city than to a business. As a result, universities need to design systems that empower people within that framework.

If you led a HigherEd Camp session, what would it be about?

I am always happy to talk about Urban Planning the .edu

What do you do to have fun?

Spend time with my kids. Ride my bike. Play ultimate. Organize events. Meet people.

Maybe you need attendees to your session to think about your topic so they can be prepared to participate in discussion? Or maybe you need them to bring #2 pencils to fill in bubble sheets? (Do they still do that?)

No matter the reason, if you want to get the word out about your session early, now you can. We’re using Lanyrd for organizational purposes. Lanyrd is a free, public wiki-style tool built specifically for conferences and events.

If you’re planning to hold a session, you can easily do that too. Just leave the date/time information blank.

And while you’re at it, we encourage everyone who’s attending to mark yourself as attending, like this:

Thanks entirely to our generous sponsors, Higher Ed Camp will be completely free again this year. See you there!

We’re particularly excited about the high tech facilities that we’ve secured for the event. The classrooms in Huntsman Hall where sessions will be held are outfitted with video recording equipment, white boards, projector displays, and Internet enabled lecterns.

HigherEdCamp is completely free. With training and travel budgets slashed, this is a great opportunity to connect with peers from other colleges and universities to exchange experiences and ideas.

Registration will open in the next few weeks. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter @higheredphilly and/or join our Facebook group for updates.

Special thanks to Wharton Computing for helping us secure the space.

Conferences typically set a schedule of speakers and sessions well in advance of the event. In fact, a roster of well known speakers is usually a conference’s selling point. Experts share their knowledge with an audience at a conference.

An unconference taps into the knowledge of the audience. There is no set roster of speakers for HigherEdCamp. Instead the day starts off with an empty board split up into hour long session blocks. Each hour of the day holds a few open session blocks. Attendees gather around the board first thing in the morning, coffee in hand, and write in topic titles. Throughout the day, you can look at the list of sessions going on in any given hour. You get to pick the one that interests you the most in that hour.

BarCampPhilly session board - Photo by Roz Duffy

Some unconference sessions are like traditional conference sessions. An expert can give a formal, prepared presentation on some sort of technology he/she has worked with. Someone knowledgeable might present on collaboration platforms like Blackboard, Open Course, Sharepoint, and so on.

Other sessions are more like panel discussions. A few people will get together and lead a group discussion with a title something like “Teaching Tech – Creating a relevant tech curriculum for the future.” Attendees participate in the discussion.

Everyone is encouraged to lead a session. Having topics in mind ahead of time helps. You don’t need to be an “expert.” I guarantee that you have knowledge to share on the things that you work with everyday. You don’t have to do it alone. Buddy up with some colleagues and present on something you’ve done or experienced within your organization.

Some of the best sessions come from people posting a topic they want to learn more about. If your organization is getting ready to select a content management platform, then suggest a session on picking a content management platform. Folks who have experience with content management will gravitate to your session. Attendees will share their real world experiences with you.

So come out to HigherEdCamp. Give it a chance and we’re sure that you’ll find it an invaluable chance to exchange ideas & experiences with folks from colleges and universities all over the area.

Just over six years old, the building features some pretty cool, cutting edge classroom technology that will make for great session space.

Special thanks to Wharton Computing for helping secure us this awesome space for HigherEdCamp!

Huntsman Hall

With 324,000 square feet, 48 classrooms, 57 group study rooms, lecture halls, auditoriums and conference rooms – the building is one of the most sophisticated large-scale instructional center of any educational institution in the world. With its warm natural finishes of wood, brick and stone, reflecting the historic significance of surrounding buildings on the University campus, it connects Wharton to the world.

HigherEdCamp sessions will be held in classrooms. Each classroom has a podium custom-designed for Wharton classrooms which includes a microphone, computer keyboard, complete audiovisual control system, and ports for a laptop computer. Also featured in the rooms are video and audio teleconferencing, video and audio recording capabilities, and one or two projectors.

The space also has 57 group study rooms, which are equipped with a computer, two displays, and ports to hook up laptop computers.

A virtual tour of the building is available for a closer look.

A little bit about classroom equipment

• Each classroom has a lectern with integrated computer display and audiovisual control interface and laptop connections for audio, display, and internet connectivity
• Mounted and wireless microphones
• 2 data/video projectors
• 2 electric screens
• Overhead transparency projector
• Installed computer with internet access
• VCR/DVD Player
• 3 in-room cameras for digital recording and videoconferencing
• Audio conferencing system
• Hearing assistance system

WiFi Access

Most of the session rooms and public areas in Huntsman have reliable wireless internet service. We’ll provide full access to attendees the day of the event.

Group Study Rooms

There will be some small study rooms available for people to pair up for talking/hacking the day of the event.

Accessibility

Huntsman Hall is fully accessible.

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 on Lanyard to see what session topics other campers are suggesting.

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.”