Conference Evaluation for Teaching Outside the Box

Click here to download the evaluation for those who attended the Teaching Outside the Box conference.  Please send completed evaluations as an e-mail attachment to info@caee.org 

Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Annual Conference

The following information will help you prepare- there is quite a bit of useful information below, please read through ALL this information to help answer questions you may have.

If you have any questions, please contact CAEE at 303-273-9527 or info@caee.org

Katie Navin(CAEE Executive Director) &
Nicole Bickford (Conference Co-Chair)

Connecting Together Through Environmental Education

April 29-May 1, 2011, Boulder

CONFERENCE BOOKLET:
Click here for the full conference booklet, including schedule and session descriptions. Please note information is subject to change. Please check with the registration area for any changes.

HOTEL INFORMATION:

Millennium Harvest House, 1345 28th Street, Boulder, CO 80302.

303-998-3809  www.millenniumhotels.com   Click here for a map.

Hotel check-in is located at the Millennium House main desk. Check in is at 3pm and check out is at 12pm.  Click here to make a reservation.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Pre-conference Registration:
Registration for pre-conference workshops will be open Friday, April 29 (see times below) at the Millennium Hotel (near the Cigar Bar- to the right of the hotel lobby desk.) 7:00 am to 1:00pm.

Conference Registration:
PLEASE NOTE: Conference registration will be at NCAR on Friday night. Conference registration will be at the Millennium Hotel (2nd floor outside the ballroom) on Saturday and Sunday. The registration area will be open to check in and ask questions from:

Friday, April 29      7:00am-1:00pm at the hotel

                             5:30-6:30pm at the Friday Evening Reception at NCAR

Saturday, April 30   7:00am-5:45pm at the hotel (PLEASE NOTE: registration will be closed from 8:30-9:45am for the keynote speaker)

Sunday, May 1          8:00am-4:00pm at the hotel

WHAT TO BRING TO THE CONFERENCE

FOOD: Please plan ahead for lunch on Friday (if attending a pre-conference session) and Saturday. Lunch will be provided on Sunday to those attending the Networking lunch.  You can pre-order and pre-pay for a Saturday lunch from the hotel.  See below for more information on food options.

ZERO WASTE: CAEE is striving for its conference to be zero waste. Please bring a water bottle and coffee mug with you.  If you attend the Friday evening reception, please bring your own plate.

In addition, please bring your own bag, notebook and pen

SWAP TABLE ITEMS: Please bring any items you would like to contribute to our Swap Table (see below for more information).

JOB POSTINGS AND RESOURCES & SERVICES OFFERED/NEEDED:
CAEE will have an EE resource posting area to post/find out about jobs & announcements, as well as a contact board by region to post services, resources or support to offer or that you need.  Please think ahead about any information you would like post/request. 

SESSION MATERIALS: If you are attending a morning birding session, please bring binoculars (see below for more information.) 

If you are attending the "Rolling with EE" session on Sunday morning, please be sure to bring a mountain bike and helmet (see below for more information).

INSTRUMENTS: If you are interested in attending the Saturday evening sing-a-long by the outdoor firepit, please feel free to bring an instrument.

CLOTHING: Some presentations and activities will be outdoors. The weather can be unpredictable in late April. Plan to dress appropriately – bring layers! 

MONEY: Please bring cash or credit card for to purchase drinks at the Saturday evening reception. CAEE items will be available for purchase, please bring cash or check to purchase any of these items. 

LAPTOP: There is wireless internet access available in hotel public areas.

CONFERENCE EVENING EVENTS

Feel free to invite guests (see registration information below).

Friday Night Evening Reception
(5:30pm-Registration Starts; Event-6-9pm)
Location: 1850 Table Mesa Road, Boulder. Click here for directions.

Join us for a fun and educational evening at NCAR to kick-off this year’s Teaching Outside the Box Conference!  There will be FREE food and drinks, fun educational sessions, and networking opportunities!  Click here for a flier for more details on all the activities and educational opportunities at this event. This evening event counts as 1.5 hours towards continuing education credit.

This evening is FREE to those registered for Teaching Outside the Box.  
If you’d like to bring a guest (no children please), the cost is a mere $10!  Please register guests in advance. Click here to register and pay for guests.

If you did NOT indicate on your registration form that you are attending this event, but would like to now attend, please e-mail caee.

This event is planned as a ZERO WASTE event – please bring your own plate if possible.

Saturday Evening Reception and Presentation (5:15-7:45pm)
Location: Millennium Harvest House, 1345 28th Street, Boulder

Join us Saturday night for an evening of connecting together through environmental education. The evening starts with networking, visiting exhibitors, free appetizers, and a cash bar. In addition, there will be the fun and exciting CAEE SwEEpstakes, in which you can enter to win fabulous prizes.  After having time to socialize, there will be a presentation by the Alliance for Climate Change and then the winners of the SwEEpstakes will be announced. Please remember to bring cash or credit card if you plan to purchase drinks from the bar.  This evening event counts as 1.5 hours towards continuing education credit.

Saturday Evening Activities (7:45-10:00pm)

The evening fun continues with Coyote Trickster Tales by the outdoor fire pit, a showing of environmental films with Lynne Cherry, and music and a sing-a-long by the firepit (bring your favorite instrument and/or your best singing voice).

This evening is FREE to those registered for Teaching Outside the Box.  
If you’d like to bring a guest (no children please), the cost is a mere $10!  Please register guests in advance. Click here to register and pay for guests.

FOOD OPTIONS
Meals are NOT included in the conference registration fees (except at the Sunday lunch), however, some of the food options are listed below.

Please bring your lunch on Friday (if attending a pre-conference) and plan accordingly for Saturday. On Saturday, you can bring your own lunch or plan to purchase lunch from either the hotel (see details below) or a local restaurant. Suggestions of local restaurants within walking distance will be available at the CAEE registration table or the hotel front desk.

*Hospitality Room: light continental breakfast available Saturday (7:30-8:30am) and Sunday (8:00-9:00am) in the hospitality room (Executive Board Room on the 1st floor). In addition, light snacks will be available all weekend.

*Friday Night Reception at NCAR: light appetizers and drinks

*Saturday Lunch: lunch is on your own, however, you can pre-order and pre-pay for a grill lunch from the hotel.  You can order your lunch at the Friday evening reception and Saturday morning in the CAEE registration area. Vegetarian option available. Prices start at $6 for a sandwich to $11 for a full lunch package. If you would like more specific details about what will be offered, email caee.

 *Saturday Night Reception: light appetizers and cash bar (Millennium Room)

*Sunday Networking Lunch: lunch will be provided in the outdoor pavilion for those that registered for Sunday or for the full weekend. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available.

If you did not indicate a need for this type of lunch when you registered, please e-mail caee with your request.

 SESSIONS TO PLAN AHEAD FOR

*Early Morning Birding -Saturday 6:30-8:00am; Sunday 7:00-8:30am Meet at the Millennium Hotel Lobby.  Observe and identify Colorado birds in local Boulder habitats. Come dressed to be outdoors in any weather, and bring your binoculars.  The complimentary continental breakfast time will be very limited due to the conference schedule, please plan ahead!

*Saturday Morning Keynote Presentation (8:30-9:45am)

Visioning (Environmental) Education for the 21st Century
Join Marcella Wells to vision a changing constellation of learning for the 21st century. Marcella will reveal how each one of us is a part of this puzzle by challenging some of our fundamental assumptions -- about teach­ers and learners, about settings, and about learning progressions. Join Marcella for an entertaining and provocative discussion about environmental literacy in a changing world.

Free breakfast snacks are offered in the hospitality room Executive Board Room before the keynote presentation on Saturday from 7:30-8:30am.

*Sunday Morning Session-Rollin with EE!  (9am-12pm)
Plan ahead to bring a bike and helmet for this session.
This session will start with a short  program with topics including bike safety, law enforcement patrolling, simple maintenance, volunteer programs and successful interpretation. Participants will then ride 5-6 miles on single track and crusher fine trails. This bike tour will include strategies and techniques for providing interpretation on a mountain bike, history of the short-grass prairie, and managing a multi-use Open Space program. This is a moderately strenuous tour. Plan to bring your own mountain bike, water, and helmet. Dress for the weather. No pets please

*Sunday Networking Lunch (12:15-1:45pm)
Join your fellow environmental educators for an opportunity to discuss relevant topics in the environmental education field, as well as network. Look for facilitated discussion tables if you are earning continuing education credit. Lunch will be provided.  Vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available.

If you did not indicate a need for this type of lunch when you registered, please e-mail caee with your request.

BE SURE TO LOOK OUT FOR...

          (Check the registration area to confirm location information.) 

Exhibit Area:
The Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Conference will feature an Exhibit Area all weekend where exhibitors will showcase their programs and products.  The Exhibit Area will be open on Saturday (9:00am-9:00pm) and Sunday (8:00 am – 5:00pm)in the Century Room. Conference participants are encouraged to specifically visit the exhibit area during breaks, during Saturday lunch, and in the evening during the social activities. Please note that there may not always be representatives at the table. For a list of exhibitors, click here to view the conference booklet (and go to page 27).

Swap Table:  
Do you have supplies, props, books, etc., that you no longer use?  Do you have items that might be useful to others at the conference, such as cloth tote bags, clean coffee cups, water bottles, etc.?  Bring them to swap!  The Swap Table will be open all day Saturday and Sunday until 2:00 PM in the hospitality room, so bring any items that you no longer need, but that may be useful to others (all is worthy - anything from old books on EE to a collection of film canisters).  If your swap items do not find a new home you will be responsible for taking it back to your home after 2:00PM on Sunday – please be sure to collect items at this time.

EE Resource Posting Area:
Come find the EE resource posting area to post/find out about jobs, workshops, announcements, as well as a contact board by region for you to post to if you have services, resources, or support to offer or are in need of them.  Please think ahead about any job postings/announcements you may want to bring and what you may have to offer or are in need of to post.

Attendance Beads:
This is a creative way of displaying the number of years you’ve attended the conference- even if this is your first one! Be sure to add a bead to your name tag. This is a great conversation starter!

Quote Puzzle Pieces:
Fill out a puzzle piece with your favorite nature quote, which will be used as part of the closing ceremony.

Diversity & Inclusiveness in EE Initiative Table:
Diversity is part of the changing climate of EE, so stop by CAEE’s Diversity and Inclusive­ness Initiative table for more information, resources, and how to be involved. (See registration area for location.)

In particular, come learn about our Inclusiveness Statement and sign our mural of support. CAEE is collecting stories, resources, and best practices on inclusiveness in environmental education, if you have something to contribute, please come share your vision and strategies for an inclusive future!

If you are interested in this topic of discussion, check out relevant sessions on page 6 in the conference booklet  and come find our discussion table at the Sunday networking lunch. Also, look for the Inclusiveness Committee name tag badge.

Youth Attendance:  
We will have youth attending the conference this year.  We are excited about their participation and hope you will help us in making them feel welcome in sessions and at the conference in general.  These are our future environmental educators!

Zero Waste:
CAEE is working towards the goal of zero waste at Teaching OUTSIDE the Box. You may notice that recycling bins as well as compost stations will be available in the meeting spaces. Thank you to Woodbine, Ecocycle and Millennium Harvest House for their support of our Zero Waste efforts this year.

PLEASE NOTE: Disposable cups will not be readily available - please bring your own mug/cup or water bottle.  In addition, if you are attending the Friday Opening Night Reception at NCAR, please bring your own plate.

Presenters are being asked to reduce the number of handouts they bring to sessions.  Please bring your own materials to take notes.  Many handouts will be made available on CAEE’s website (www.caee.org) after the conference.   

INTERESTED IN CARPOOLING?

Come "LIKE" CAEE's Teaching Outside the Box Environmental Education Conference Facebook page. 

This Facebook page will be used to connect conference attendees for  carpooling to conference related events and to connect with other conference attendees. Once you "Like" our Facebook page you will be able to see the postings on our wall about finding a carpool. Click on that note and post your request for carpooling. As this Facebook page is just starting, please be sure to check back occasionally for new requests. 
Click here to visit our conference Facebook page. 

If you do not have a Facebook page, but you are interested in sharing carpooling, e-mail caee and we can let you know via e-mail about any postings. However, if you do have a Facebook account, we encourage you to utilize our Facebook page.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT

You may earn up to 1 credit hour of continuing education credit through Colorado School of Mines (CSM) for participating in 15 contact hours or earn a 1/2 credit hour for participating in 7.5 contact hours during the conference.  An additional 1/2 credit can be earned if you participate in a full-day pre-conference workshop. 

In order to fulfill the 15 contact hours for 1 credit hour, in addition to aattending sessions, you will need to attend other conference events such as an evening reception, the morning keynote, and/or the Sunday networking lunch. There is an additional fee for credit.  You can pay when you check in for the conference.

Course requirements will be available at registration.  Please contact CAEE with any questions about CSM credit by emailing  caee.

Click here to view the conference brochure.

CONFERENCE SPONSORS

Sponsors help CAEE to keep registration costs low and make scholarships possible.  CAEE is grateful to the following sponsors for their generous support of the Teaching OUTSIDE the Box Conference:

Your True Nature, Chevron, Waste Management, O’Dell’s Brewing Company, Acorn Naturalists

 CANCELLATION POLICY

If you need to cancel your registration, our cancellation policy is that prior to April 25 registrants are subject to a $50 fee.  After April 25, your registration can be transferred but cannot be refunded.  The conference will be held rain or shine.

 If you have to cancel, please e-mail caee.