WEBIT - 2019 Convention Wrap Up

Be the Beacon. Light the Way.

Highlights from the 2019 Annual Convention

October 23, 24 and 25, 2019, WEBIT and WMEA held its third joint convention, Be the Beacon. Light the Way. New this year was a pre-convention for attendees. Information on Personal Financial Literacy co-led by Joel Chrisler, Sauk Prairie Schools and Dave Thomas, DPI Consultant for Business and IT, along with other panelists, provided information on various partnerships being developed; the coalition’s impact on economic systems, and implementation opportunities for students and educators. A sneak peak at the new Personal Finance standards was also highlighted. Microsoft Imagine Academy (MSIA) along with Certiport provided another opportunity for attendees to dig deeper into the vast resources available to educators using MSIA materials and the bridge to using Certiport MOS testing.

Attendees had the opportunity to socialize, network, and enjoy food and drink at the social that evening.

Thursday, October 24, the Radisson Hotel Convention Center was filled with over 120 attendees from both WEBIT and WMEA along with students from UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater. 15 Vendors were on hand to give information on various textbooks, software applications, and donate some great door prizes!

Opening session on Thursday, included comments from WMEA President, Heidi Warren; WEBIT President, Stacey Ryan; and to welcome our attendees to Fond du Lac, City Manager, Joe Moore. Keynote speaker, Dr. Aaron Sadoff, Superintendent of North Fond du Lac Schools started off the day with his keynote on, We GET to Give Reasons to WHY Things Happen!, focusing on ways of how happiness increases productivity, reduces stress, and make a positive community.

Teachers in Business, IT, and Marketing and Business & Industry from the Fond du Lac area shared their ideas and resources over the two-day convention. Areas of Tech Tools, Entrepreneurship, Poverty in the Workplace, School-Based Enterprise, Boosting Creativity, Business Panel, Assessment, Wellness, Social Media, Personal Finance, FBLA and DECA and more were discussed.

A huge thank you to the following educator presenters: Joel Chrisler, Nate Daniels, Joan Gard, Jason Holter, Urs Haltinner, Sarah Hart-Olson, Skip Hay, Haley Hesselberg, Jan Imhoff, Stephanie Jansen, Laura Morrissette, Denise Roseland, Stacey Ryan, Debbie Stanislawski, Candace Strehlau, Danielle Stiebs, Tina Trumbrower, Heidi Warren, Diane Weinheimer-Webber, Sean Van Aacken, Kurt Wismer, and Amanda Zieba. UW-Stout Pre-Educators; Allison Rigotti, Tanner Christopherson, Megan Weseli, Tim Bott and UW-Whitewater Pre-Educators; Austin Kastner and Brian Zimdars presented sessions for the first time at our convention and drew rave reviews for those who attend their sessions on Entrepreneurship and Tech Tools .

To cap off Thursday’s day full of breakout sessions, attendees tested their trivia knowledge with an evening of Tacos and Trivia hosted by THEY Improv. Food, conversations, and laughter were just what was needed to rejuvenate for the next day’s sessions.

Tacos & TRIVIA WINNERS!

Friday morning was fast-paced filled with updates on FBLA and DECA. Dave and Tim highlighted information that was being proposed at the state level and

Stephanie Helmers was Friday morning’s keynote speaker. Entrepreneurship was her topic and the attendees loved her message and the reason she created her company, Zen and Pow! Along with her keynote address, Stephanie also presented at two break out sessions; “Finding Your Tribe” and “Building a Brand on Low to No Budget”.

Sessions wrapped up by 12:30 after three break out sessions focusing on; Xello, Assessment, Being a Tech Coach, Flipgrid, Product Prototyping, Writing, Creating/Modifying Curriculum and profession based learning.

As we wrap up 2019 in Fond du Lac, we look to 2020 in Pewaukee. Please join us starting October 21, 2020 at the Ingleside (formerly Country Springs) for a reception and social followed by two fast paced days of workshops, sessions, and collaborating with colleagues.