Have you thought about presenting at WAFLT but then wondered if you really had enough to share? Well, you do! It’s all about the packaging. Maybe you don’t feel ready to spend a whole hour talking about what you are doing. Perhaps you prefer that one-to-a-few informal conversation with colleagues. Or maybe you have an idea you have been working on and it isn’t fully developed yet. Consider submitting a WAFLT Poster session to the conference.
So, what is a poster session?
A poster presentation in its original form was a physical paper poster at a conference for participants to view. These posters contain anything from research data to marketing information that would tell interested participants what the presenter has been working on, is passionate about, or to which they are hoping to draw attention of like-minded individuals.
A poster session is an event, often as part of a conference, at which many such posters are presented simultaneously in a single space. This space, in the case of the WAFLT conference, is an area of the exhibit hall and the session is for an hour on Friday morning. The presenter of the poster session remains in the area where they have set up their “poster” for the duration of the allotted time and answers questions posed by colleagues who pass by.
With today’s technology, the “poster” is often a digital slide presentation or website, however it may be a physical printed poster from a large format printer. Smaller handouts may accompany the poster to send attendees away with something to remember your content or a link as a way to learn more about what you are working on.
Poster sessions are an opportunity to share that cool activity you did, the research that you are working on, the way you integrated a particular technology, an advocacy campaign you started in your community, a language club activity the students loved, a service project that your students are working on… Whatever it is, poster sessions are a low stakes opportunity to let others know the innovative ideas you have and what you are learning along the way.
It’s not too late to submit a proposal for a poster session, or any other type of session. WAFLT is accepting session proposals until March 15. Submit your genius ideas today!