With General Sessions, research panels, author luncheons, and more, the ILA 2015 Conference runs the gamut of events, not to mention any side adventures you might like.
Taking some time to take a look at the conference’s slate of events ahead of time can help in planning your weekend. Enter the iPlanner, an online directory of all conference events. Not only does it have up-to-date schedules of each day, but it’s an opportunity to personalize your ideal conference docket.
The iPlanner includes five sections: Speaker Sign In, Itinerary Planner, Program Grid, Event Search, and iPlanner Instructional Video. These can be accessed from the upper right corner on the first page after signing in.
Here’s the rundown on how the tool works.
Log In
The iPlanner homepage has information about the iPlanner and a place to login and enter your password. While everyone is free to browse convention offerings on the Program Grid and to use the Event Search, creating a login and password allows the iPlanner to “remember” sessions you save to your itinerary.
If you have never used the iPlanner, simply click the “Create Profile now!” link toward the bottom of the page. The login and password for the iPlanner are different than your member login/password and any other logins and passwords you may have set up with ILA, so new iPlanner users should create a profile. It’s an extra step, but it’s worth it!
Once you create a profile and login, it is easy to search for sessions and add them to your itinerary.
Browse the Program Grid
One way to find sessions you’re interested in is to use the Program Grid. Click on underlined links at the top of the grid page display different days or all days. Session times run along the left side of the grid.
The grid is divided into 12 categories including Assessment, Children’s Literature, Common Core Standards, Content Literacy, and Engaging Classroom Instruction. If you are interested in one of these topics, review the sessions listed in that column.
Click on the underlined link to open a window with more information about that session, including date, times, presenters, capacity, Clock Hours, and more. This window also has options to print this information or add it to your itinerary. Click “Add to Itinerary” to add to your schedule, then click “OK” to confirm.
Searching for Specifics
If you are interested in a specific topic or are looking for a session from a certain presenter, use the Event Search.
You can search by keyword (text search), speaker last name, date, category, event type (luncheon, symposium, Teaching Edge, etc.), and/or location.
When your search results are displayed, click on the underlined link for a window with more session information and a link to add it to your itinerary. Or, simply add sessions to your itinerary using the “Add” checkbox on the right side of the search results webpage. Sessions that are already added to your itinerary will say “Added.”
Review Your Itinerary
To see items you’ve added to your itinerary, click on “Itinerary Planner” in the top right menu list. On the “Itinerary Planner” page, “My Itinerary” is in the left margin in yellow.
On your online itinerary, it is easy to review your convention plans and click on session links for more details. You can add one, two, or even three simultaneous sessions to your itinerary in case one is full or cancelled. Sessions can be removed from your itinerary at any time by clicking on the “Remove” link next to the session title.
Click on “View Day Planner” link at the top right of the “My Itinerary” page to see a colored chart of how sessions overlap.
Add Your Own Events
Having lunch with a colleague? Carving out time to visit the Exhibit Hall? Taking a side trip to The Arch? The iPlanner has the option to add your own events to your itinerary. From the “My Day Planner” page, click the gray “Add Personal Activity” button at the top of your itinerary. Personal activities that you created show in orange on your day planner.
Keep Your Itinerary at Your Fingertips
The “My Itinerary” page gives you the option of e-mailing your itinerary to the address you provided in your profile, or to produce a printer-friendly version of your schedule.
From the “My Day Planner” page you also have the option to create a printer-friendly version.
The ILA 2015 App won’t be released for a few more weeks, but once it is, you can sync your iPlanner itinerary with it. Please note: if you set your iPlanner login prior to Dec. 1, 2013, the importing feature is not available. In that case, we recommend that you set up your itinerary directly in the app.
Adding Sessions Is Not Registering or Reserving Seats!
Please be aware of the room capacity for the selected sessions you wish to attend. The Itinerary Planner is simply a planning tool and is not used to register for sessions. Entry into each session at the meeting is on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, placing items in your itinerary does not constitute a paid registration, but it does put your conference wish list at your fingertips!
The ILA 2015 Conference will be held July 18–20 in St. Louis, MO, with more than 6,000 educators ready to transform their practice. The days will be jam-packed with featured speakers, the revamped Teaching Edge series, and exciting general sessions. Key topics affecting literacy featured at the conference include content literacy, children’s literature, classroom engagement, and professional development. More than 120 exhibitors will be on hand with new tools and technologies for all manners of literacy education.
Learn more about the conference programs at ilaconference.org. Register today for the ILA 2015 Conference to take advantage of special Early Bird pricing.