Summer Working Connections Preview

Summer is almost here and that means it’s almost time for Working Connections. This year, our 17th summer, we have three: Working Connections North, June 5-9 in Lansing, Michigan; Working Connections South, June 19-23 in Jacksonville, Florida; and Working Connections Texas, July 10-14 in Frisco, Texas.

The goal of Working Connections is to provide faculty attendees with the expertise needed to teach their respective track in a subsequent semester, bringing the most current information to their classrooms either as a stand-alone course or as a supplement to an existing course. There is also the added value of putting so many IT instructors together in the same venue, which allows for networking and sharing of best practices. One of our favorite moments is when we happen to overhear two instructors from different states – who might not otherwise ever cross paths – discuss the classes they teach and share strategies about how they teach them.

Working Connections’ cutting-edge, cost-effective professional development program for IT faculty continues to thrive as one of the National Convergence Technology Center’s crown jewels. To date, Working Connections has influenced over 700 attendees at 28 events that have impacted an estimated 88,500+ students in 90 topics.

This year’s topics at Summer Working Connections North include: “Preparing to Teach Internet of Things” and “Next Generation Firewall Essentials 1 & 2“. “Python” will be taught at Working Connections South as well as “Microsoft Server” and “Amazon & Microsoft Cloud.” Our National BILT (Business and Industry Leadership Team) continues to report that scripting is becoming more and more necessary in IT entry-level careers and Python is fast becoming the defacto scripting language. Registration is currently open for both. Though the Convergence Technology Center’s grant got renewed, this may be your last chance to attend North or South in person. Future events may shift to online only. Click here to register for Working Connections North and here for Working Connections South.

At Summer Working Connections Texas, this year’s topics include: “CompTIA CSA+,” “Designing and Teaching a CS Principles Course,” “Internet of Things,” “Teaching Cloud Storage and Data Management,” “vSphere6” and back by popular demand: “Leadership Academy,” which will share workshop best practices and strategies to increase your enrollments through better recruiting and retention, strengthen your curriculum by maximizing relationships with business leaders and sharpening strategic thinking, and develop stronger communication skills with your peers and your supervisors.

All together, we have over 80 attendees signed up for Working Connections Texas, but there is still room for you! You can read more about Working Connections Texas and register here.