I’m a big believer in conferences to enhance professional growth. For the past several years I’ve attended the PETE&C conference and I’ve gotten pretty good at bringing just the right amount of stuff with me to ensure that I am both productive and mobile.
In the video above I review the items that I bring with me to a all-day conference. A cheatsheet list is below:
- Backpack
- Macbook Prop 13 inch
- iPad Air 2
- iPhone 6S Plus
- Charging cables for all of those devices
- Portable battery charger (for iPhone and iPad)
- Notebook
- Pens
- Bottled Water
- Snacks
There’s a lot of stuff that probably isn’t 100% necessary, but I find that each of the items I’ve listed I’ve used for different reasons. The biggest question is why the heck do I need a laptop, tablet, and smartphone. The main reason for this is that I can get “real” work done on the laptop (grading, chatting with students, etc), take notes on the go with the iPad, and connect to social media quickly with the iPhone. I also keep a schedule of all of the talks, rooms, and times that I want to attend.
The first time I ever went to a conference I didn’t bring anything with me. Since that time I’ve found a mix of stuff that works for me and allows me to get things done the way I want.
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