What you should know about ECOO 2009

Many Seminar full day sessions fill up within a few weeks of receipt of the Planner: register early to ensure acceptance for your top picks!

• All ECOO conferences are organized and co-ordinated by volunteers!

• Reserving a room at either the Best Western or Sheraton Parkway by October 11th can guarantee you the ECOO group discount rate and an entry into the “Win a Hotel Getaway Contest”

• Our complimentary social event on Thursday, November 12th will be a great chance to enjoy delicious snacks while networking with other Ontario educators

Be part of the tradition: Offer to introduce and thank our speakers, and receive the official ECOO Commemorative Host gift. Simply check this option on the registration from and join us at the Hostess table upon your arrival.

Remember: Prize draws take place in the Exhibit Area on Thursday, November 12th and in the Ballroom right after the closing keynote on Friday, November 13th. Times will be announced in your final program at the conference. Winners MUST be present to win.

ECOO Membership Information By registering for this conference you will automatically be added to our email list until the next annual conference. This costs you NOTHING and is our way of trying to provide you with continued service and thanking you for participating in our event. You will receive any ECOO newsletters, announcements of events and other information about ICT in education directly to your email address.

Your email information: Our promise to you is that your email address will NEVER be provided in any form to any other company, group or service.

NOTE: If at ANY time you wish to stop receiving email information we will remove your address from our list.

ECOO 2009 Conference Rates

If you chose not to use the online registration form, and prefer to use the registration form at the end of this planner, remember to calculate and add the GST amount as outlined on the Conference Registration Form. Please do not forget to add the $10.00 manual processing fee should you choose to either fax or mail in this form. Payment must accompany your application. We do not invoice or accept post-dated cheques. You can call our ECOO Office (416-538-1650) for more details.

Online Component
The Conference Committee has arranged for interested speakers and delegates to communicate in an online forum via an ECOO blog. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Commun-IT.org. Please visit us at www.commun-IT.org/ecoo in order to view and participate in the blog. To dialogue with other members of the ECOO community, or continue your conversations after the conference, consider joining Commun-IT!

Successful Session Selection We continue to value our secure registration system and therefore online registration must be completed separately on the ECOO website ( www.ecoo.org ).

It is a good idea to make your selections in this online conference planner before going online to register. You’ll notice some features we’ve introduced this year to help you keep track of your selections until you are ready to register online. You might use the online planner and keep track of the selections that you like as you read through, or you can also download a pdf version of the planner which has an option to track your choices onto a last page which you could print before registering online.

If you take too long to register online and read all session descriptions there, you risk timing out of the system (for security reasons). Using the online registration system, you need only select the session you want. If it is full, you will not be accepted into the session. It is a good idea to have a second and third option ready with you for this reason. The online registration system will immediately inform you if you are registered in the sessions of your choice.

To register manually using the Conference Registration Form found at the back of the pdf planner, please indicate three choices for each time slot. Note, you will need to wait until your application is processed in order to receive confirmation of your sessions. The online registration system works on a first come first served basis, so it is advantageous to use this option. The registration link can be found on the www.ecoo.org main website.

The following information may be helpful when making your choices: The Seminar Day and Minds on Media Day (Nov. 11) consist of a full day session and the Presentation Days (Nov. 12 – 13) are filled with 4 Conference Sessions as well as time allocated for visiting the Exhibitor Hall. Strand information: Each session is associated with a relevant theme to education today. Look in the Strand Index at the back of the planner to help guide your needs. Audience: Speakers have identified one or more of the following student levels for their session. Look for these codes when considering your selections:
 
JK/K Junior Kindergarten/Kindergarten
P Primary
J Junior
I Intermediate
S Secondary
PS Post Secondary
G/A General/All
A Adult

Audience Prerequisite: Speakers have indicated levels of experience that would assist with understanding their session. This information is found within the planner and on the online registration form.

Computer Specific: Some sessions demonstrate software requiring a computer platform. The code Computer Specific indicates the platform used in conjunction with the material presented in the session.

Exhibitor Affiliation: These sessions are either presented by a representative of a company or commercially-oriented group or focus on a specific commercial product or service.

Registration Location and Hours
Registration area is located at the front entrance of the Grand York Ballroom on the upper conference floor of the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel. Registration will be open for pick up of registration package and receipt as follows:
Wednesday, November 11 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Thursday, November 12 8:00am - 3:00pm
Friday, November 13 8:00am - 1:00pm

Exhibit Hours
Thursday, November 12 8:30am - 5:00pm
Friday, November 13 8:30am - 3:30pm

Lunch Information Lunch is included with each conference registration. Seminar Day delegates will have lunch delivered to their location. Presentation Day conference delegates can find their lunch ticket in their Registration Package as part of their name badge. Lunch locations will be outlined in the final conference program.

Mix and Mingle: Celebrating 30 Years of ECOO
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Place: Sheraton Parkway North Hotel
Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Cost: Complimentary to ECOO Delegates,
Snacks provided. Cash Bar available.

Wheelchair Access
All session rooms and the Exhibit Area are wheelchair accessible.

Non-Smoking Policy
Delegates are reminded that smoking is NOT permitted in the meeting rooms or Exhibit Area at the conference. Thank you for your cooperation.

REGISTER As Soon As Possible It is important to select your sessions and indicate your choices on the Conference Registration Form. Submit your registration form online (best option), or fax to the ECOO Conference Office as soon as possible. Faxed or mailed copies are subject to a $10.00 charge to cover our manual processing fee. Correct payment must be attached. Prompt return of the form will assure you of the sessions of your choice.

Sale of ISTE books
ECOO will be selling a selection of ISTE technology related books at the ECOO booth located in the exhibit hall. Prices will be in Canadian Dollars and there are only a limited number of books. These are fabulous resources for Canadian educators. This is your chance to save both shipping and conversion costs.

Registration Refunds
Any request for a refund must be made in writing and received atthe Conference Office prior to Friday, November 13th, 2009. All refunds are subject to a 15% administrative fee.