Educational Technology Evangelist and more ILT2014 Conference news!

Thanks for letting us know that you are interested in keeping up with exciting developments as the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2014 (ILT2014 Conference for short) draws ever nearer. Only four months to go now! We are working on the conference EVERY DAY now and will be doing so right up until the minute it kicks off on Tuesday 20th May this year.

Need proof? Just check out the list of tasks that we need to get through for you! It’s a busy time at conference HQ but we love it! And yeah … we know it is a low tech way to outline planning for a technology conference. But sometimes just seeing everything still to be done is the best way to motivate everyone to get cracking on it all!

Image of a whiteboard filled with tasks for each member of the Conference Committee to complete!

Featured Presenter: Kevin Honeycutt | Educational Technology Integration Evangelist

Montage image of Kevin Honeycutt with iPad and iPad guitar

In each of these conference updates, we like to share news about one of our first-time presenters. So today … meet Kevin Honeycutt! We call him an “Educational Technology Integration Evangelist” but Kevin is this and SO much more. All rolled into an irrepressibly effervescent and enthusiastic package!

His passion for use of technology to re-engage disengaged students is wonderful to witness in person. After following his work for years, and then seeing him in action at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in San Diego in 2012, we were hooked. We had to bring him to Australia for you. So he will be there at this year’s ILT2014 Conference opening with a Keynote Address that will energise you for the rest of the week!

Learn more about Kevin on the ILT2014 Conference website. Or just watch him for one minute in our ILT2014 Conference video. From 2.34 to 3.25.

“I grew up in poverty and abuse. I was the kid who wasn’t supposed to make it. But some teachers that I had convinced me that I could. These crazy teachers. The ones who show you a future you might have and make you believe it so much that you move from your reality into that future. And that is hard. That is scary. You gotta make me believe. And that’s the hardest part of this job right? Showing kids what they might be. Creating that reality for them in your room every day even though they go back to who knows what reality back home again. That’s what you do and that’s beautiful. That’s how you get to spend your heartbeats!”

Can’t wait to see him in action!

Nuance Communications now our Platinum Sponsor

Just a quick note of sincere thanks to Nuance Communications for coming on board as our Platinum Sponsor for the conference. Their Dragon NaturallySpeaking for PC and Dragon Dictate for Mac speech recognition programs offer great support for older students struggling with literacy and completion of their required study workload. Conference planning is always a juggle between a grand vision and what is actually affordable! So this valued sponsorship by Nuance has moved us a little closer to the “grand vision” end of the scale for you! 

Accommodation and free WiFi!

Image of a bed in a room and Jupiters Hotel with a banner across it saying 'FREE Wifi!'

We have once again negotiated special rates for accommodation onsite at the conference venue (Jupiters Hotel, Gold Coast Queensland) available only to our conference delegates. These rates start at $199 per night and are valid for occupancy on a single, twin or double basis. Making it even cheaper to stay onsite if you are sharing your room with a colleague. All of these rates will be available for 7 days prior to the conference and 7 days after the conference if you wish to extend your stay on the sunny Gold Coast.

Apart from the convenience of being right there where all of the conference events and after-hours networking are happening, you will also be given access to free WiFi 24/7. Not only on the conference floor, but in all dining areas of the hotel and back up in your room too. Saving on the standard charge of $25 per day for this service.

Visit the accommodation page of the conference website for details of how to book securing this special discounted conference rate!

Session Selections opening soon | Lock in your preferred personal program!

Image saying 'Session Selections coming soon' with a checkbox ticked and a hand lifting a selected person out of a lineup of people

If you have registered for the conference, you won’t have to wait too much longer to be able to lock in your place at your preferred sessions at the conference. We are hoping to have Session Selections open by the end of February. One great reason to register NOW, is that you will be one of the first delegates given the opportunity to lock in your personalised program. Making sure you don’t miss out on any session you really want to be a part of! Places will be offered in order of receipt of registrations so the earlier you register … the better your chances of getting into EVERYTHING you want to be a part of!

Click here to register online now!



Got the ILT2014 Conference app yet?? This app will very quickly become your central social and information hub for keeping up with all of the buzz building as the ILT2014 Conference approaches. Then, once at the conference, it will become your go-to-tool for keeping track of the sessions you are attending, the ones you’d like to get to but can’t fit into your schedule, and organising your social schedule and informal networking onsite! LOTS more functionality to be added over coming months, but here is Version 1.0 ready for download onto Apple iOS and Android devices.

Click here to register online now!

PS I know we have mentioned this already, but I want to share again. We have decided to limit the number of delegates to just 1200 for the ILT2014 Conference. This is the exact same number who attended the last conference in 2012 so that it stays small enough for you to effectively network without being overwhelmed by the numbers attending. Why am I telling you this here? Well … every time we run the conference, we receive double the number of registrations! But if that happens again for the ILT2014 Conference, we simply won’t be able to accommodate everyone. We already have over 150 confirmed registrations. So, I’m giving you advance warning here to get in early with your registration to be sure you don’t miss out on a spot!

With sincere thanks for the support of our valued sponsors!

Platinum Sponsors

Images of Nuance and Staging Connections logos Image of logos for Inclusive Technology, AbleNet, Texthelp Systems and Crick Software
Gold Sponsors

Barbara Landsberg

Sales and Marketing Director SPECTRONICS BOccThy, MBA Barbara is an Occupational Therapist who joined the Spectronics team 14 years ago. Prior to that time, she spent 17 years in occupational therapy positions working with adults and children with a variety of physical disabilities and learning difficulties. She also held the position of Coordinator of the assistive technology service of the Independent Living Centre of Queensland for three years before moving to Spectronics. On completion of her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 2010, she assumed the role of Sales and Marketing Director at the company and, among other roles, oversees running of the exciting and innovative Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference hosted every two years by Spectronics. Barbara has a strong interest in the opportunities for students with disabilities or learning difficulties made possible through technology. She is also a passionate advocate of the use of social media tools to promote the power of inclusive learning technologies to enable independent achievement for all – whatever form that achievement might take.