The 51st Annual CETPA (CA Educational Technology Professionals Association) Conference was held over four days in Long Beach, CA, this past November. Networking opportunities were everywhere, sessions were powerful, the keynote speakers were fantastic, and the sold-out exhibitor show had something for everyone.
The opening and general session keynote speakers continued in the tradition of fun and thought-provoking speakers. Joel Zeff, a national workplace expert, used improvisation and comedy to provide insight on creativity, communication, balance, and teamwork. Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks, brought tears and laughter to the audience as he shared his insights on Servant Leadership.
More than 200 sessions were offered under the four strands: emerging topics included cloud and mobile computing, managing shrinking budgets, organizing for change, desktop and server virtualization, and e-textbooks.
CETPA offered three hands-on lab environments focusing on desktop, laptop, and mobile technologies on the Windows, Mac/iOS, and Linux/Android platforms. m embers sat at their own workstations to manipulate the technologies that were being taught in the lab environments by experts. this year also added three “Technology Shootouts.” Each Shootout presented three different vendors offering similar technologies on the same stage. Vendors were given 15 minutes each to present their solutions and then all three sat together on stage to answer audience questions.
All in all, the 51st Annual CETPA Conference was a whirlwind of networking and learning and a good measure of surprise and fun.
Steve Thornton is the Director of Technology for the Menifee Union School district in Menifee, CA.
