As I look toward the summer — which for most educators is workshop/conference/professional learning “season” — I am in the process of organizing my gadgets and prepping my “Conference Gadget Survival Kit.” I thought I’d take a moment to share some of my favorite gadgets that are always in my “survival kit” when I travel to conferences and workshops.
Conference Gadget Survival Kit
Monster MP OTG400 BK “Outlets To Go” 4 Outlet Travel Power Strip
This is one of my most essential tools in my survival kit. I don’t go anywhere without it! It’s lightweight, very compact, and works well for expanding access to power outlets at conferences as well as in hotel rooms.
Bonus feature: Whip this out in a crowded conference session or convention center concourse and make friends instantly when you you offer to share some of your outlet space with other conference attendees!
Livescribe Pen
I discovered this little gem when I received one from my boss in my last job. That one belonged to the school district so I had to return it when I resigned from that position, but I found the pen so useful that I ended up purchasing one for my personal gadget collection to use in meetings, at conferences, and workshops. Yes, I do try to type notes while I am in sessions, but there are times when it’s easier just to whip out a pen and paper — especially if sessions are short and dragging out the laptop or iPad is not convenient or if it’s the end of the day and my laptop or iPad batteries are running low. You can buy just the pen kit, but I opted for the pro pack for the additional features.
Adapters
Can you ever have enough of these? I usually carry at least two for my laptop and one for my iPad — and I never leave home without them even if I am not scheduled to present. I’ve found myself in plenty of situations where I wasn’t scheduled but ended up being asked to facilitate or provide a mini-session or unconference session and those experiences have reinforced by belief in being prepared.
Logitech USB Headset
I occasionally have to Skype back home or with colleagues while on the road and I have found this headset very reliable just for that purpose. I’ve also used it for broadcasting from conferences over Ustream and Google+. Bonus: It’s very lightweight and barely noticeable in my backpack.
Logitech Webcam
Sometimes I find myself setting up to livestream (on Ustream or through Skype) from a session to colleagues or other members of my PLN and I find it very helpful to have a USB webcam for that purpose. This allows me to turn just the camera towards the presentation while I maintain access to my laptop screen and keyboard.
Samsonite Business One Mobile Office
I do use a backpack (most of the time) on conference or workshop days, but I do need a larger case for organizing and travelling with my gadgets. I also find it helpful if that case can be a carry-on and includes room for at least one day of clothing. I found this rolling case a couple of years ago and have been so happy with it. It fits easily in overhead compartments, and contains space for laptop, gadgets, and enough room for clothing for an overnight trip. I use this as my carry-on and then check a larger bag for trips that are longer than overnight.
Comfort Formation Padded Strap
I’m not getting any younger and my back and shoulders remind me of this fact every time I go to a conference. If I find myself using a bag other than my backpack (which is well-padded and evenly distributes weight), I will use this padded strap which is much more comfortable than the standard shoulder strap pad that comes with most bags — especially if the bag is “swag” from the conference. I’ve also recently discovered the PacSafe Strap which has a locking mechanism on the ends of the strap making this a great strap to use if I’ll be out in any crowded spaces where my bag could get swiped — the strap can be wrapped and locked around a table leg while I dine with no fear of losing my stuff.
Badge Holder
I tend to hang on to the better conference badge holders that I have received from past conferences — especially the ones that are well-made with plenty of pockets for business cards, a small note pad, and holders for pens. I’ll keep a couple of these premium holders with me at all events to use in case the conference issues only the clear plastic holders. The downside to this is that I might occasionally be sporting a badge holder with an outdated sponsor logo :-) I recently found this leather badge holder that has all of the features I prefer and plan to use this for future conferences and workshops to avoid the sponsor logo issue.
Cameras, Recorders, Pointers, & Remotes…
My iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and my Apple Magic Mouse now handle most of those needs for me in addition to a number of other tasks! :-)
So what is in your “Gadget Survival Kit”? Share your favorite, must-have gadgets in the comments…
Whatever your plans are, have you considered how you might be able to share what you are learning with your colleagues? If you are an administrator, have you considered how to organize all of the learning in which your staff will participate so that everyone in the organization can benefit from the new skills and knowledge?
