A "Taste of Tech" educational technology conference for teachers is set for Tuesday, November 8, from 7:45 am until noon, at Newtown Middle School.tasteoftech.npstech.org.

The event is open to educators, for $50 per person, and is free to Newtown educators and district support staff.

A committee has been working to make the conference possible. NMS computer integration teacher Rachel Smith said she came up with the idea for the conference when thinking about a way to help teachers in the state use technology to support educational goals. A scene from an episode of Seinfield also came to mind about a celebration "for the rest of us."

"So I was thinking, why not have a tech conference for the rest of us? For the people who are technophobic, who may be scared to try something new," said Ms Smith.

With the state requiring more testing and integration of technology, Ms Smith said she thought, "Let's do something really informal, fun, and simple."

She pitched the idea to Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, and he approved. Dr Erardi is scheduled to offer the opening remarks for the day. The committee working on the conference is Barry Palmer, Bev Bjorklund, Carlen Gaines, Carmella Amodeo, Jane McEvoy, Jean Davila, Kathy June, Kathy Swift, Kristin Violette, Liza Zandonella, Megan Biddle, Pia Ledina, and Tim McGuire.

"The people on the committee are just amazing, because they are volunteering their time to make this happen," said Ms Smith.

The half-day conference will have three sessions. The theme for the day is "A Taste of Tech, Small Bytes in Educational Technology."

The first session is called, "Appetizers," the second session is "Main Courses," and the third session is "Desserts."

Real food will also be available at the start of the day.

Some of the demonstrations will include a 3D printing presentation by a MakerBot representative on using the technology in the classroom, an assistive technology presentation to help students differentiate instruction, how to hold an Hour of Code event to encourage students to code for an hour on one day, using virtual students to help teachers improve instructional practices, overcoming a fear of social media, and a presentation on using Google Classroom.

Ms Smith said there are about 15 presenters signed up for the event.

Registration is preferred, but Ms Smith said walk-ins will also be accepted the day of the event.

Interested teachers can register to attend the conference online at

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