Welcome to the AISA 2020 Virtual Conference Day Help Page!

An important note: Our Conference Day is a Live Event. It will start at 8:00am GMT on Saturday November 14. When you log in early to explore our new online conference platform (which we hope you will) there may be some items you cannot access yet. All items will become accessible once the live Conference Day begins.

To ensure you get the most out of the AISA 2020 Virtual Conference Day, please go through this important checklist:

• Make sure you have the Zoom App downloaded on your computer in advance. All of our live sessions run on Zoom.
• On the Conference Day make sure you LOGIN to our main AISA website first. You must be logged in to access our 2020 Conference Day platform, which will be accessible from 5:00 am GMT.
• Once you have logged in to the AISA website look for the button that says “ENTER” on the home page or conference page of the website, and click this to enter our new AISA Virtual Learning Environment (AVLE).
• Login early on Saturday 14th. We will start the live programme promptly at 8:00 am GMT. We suggest you give yourself at least 30 minutes before that to make yourself familiar with the AVLE, browse the full Conference Day Programme, click on the pop out menu items and go exploring to make sure you don’t miss anything.
• Take some time beforehand to browse our IPS and LPP WORKSHOPS and decide which AFFINITY GROUP you like, so you know in advance which of these you want to join on the day. You can select these on the Conference Day – but best if you check these out in advance. You won’t have time to read up on all of them once the live programme starts.
• If you need to refer back to any of the info that follows once you are in the AVLE, look for the HELP button on our pop out menu in the FOYER.
• Here’s a sneak peak at what you will find in our new AISA Virtual Learning Environment (AVLE).

Introduction to the AISA Virtual Learning Environment

The AVLE comprises the following sections:

• FOYER: You will find the Conference Day programme here and you launch all your Zoom meetings from here.
• WORKSHOPS: A list of the Innovative Practice Sessions, Learning Partner Presents Workshops and Affinity Groups for you to choose from.
• SHOWCASES: Here is where you will find our AISA Associate virtual exhibition stands.
• NETWORKING: Network with fellow delegates in group discussions or one-on-one.

The below instructions provide further details on what each section offers.

How to Follow the Conference Day Programme

The programme for the AISA 2020 Virtual Conference Day runs dynamically in the FOYER of the AISA Virtual Learning Environment (AVLE); showing what is currently live, what is coming up next and what follows. The programme will automatically show the current session at its scheduled time. Be sure to look for the big pink box that says ‘Live Now’. You may need to scroll on the programme window to find this. It is here too that you will find the links to the various live workshops on offer throughout the day on Zoom. Simply click on the Zoom link of the scheduled plenary of your chosen workshop to launch Zoom and join your fellow delegates in the live sessions. Don’t forget to close the Zoom App at the end of every session and return to the FOYER.

Here are our tips to ensure you stay with the programme and don’t miss anything:

• Keep checking in at the FOYER to see what is currently live and what is coming up next, so you don’t miss the start of your session.
• Stick to the allocated time for networking and breaks, it can be easy to lose track of time when you are having a good chat or engaging with one of our associates in a showcase, so be mindful of your time. You can always pick up these conversations later.
• Remember to close the Zoom App after each live session so you can access the next one from the Foyer.

How to Network with your Fellow Delegates

Our Virtual Coffee Shop allows you to start or join a group discussion on topics of common interest. Simply use the pop out menu to navigate to the NETWORKING section on the AVLE, look for ‘Coffee Shop’ and click on ‘Join Discussion’ for a list of current topics or, if you like, ‘Start Discussion’ to create a new topic. These groups are open to all delegates.

You can also have one-on-one chats with fellow delegates in our Meeting Rooms. Again, click on the NETWORKING item on our pop out menu, navigate to the Delegate Directory and find the delegate you wish to chat to and start your conversation. Our delegates are listed by first name. You will see notifications of chat messages sent to you by other delegates in your Conference Bag. Look for the little pink circle attached to your bag.

How to Engage with the AISA Associates/Exhibitors

Remember when you used to walk into the Exhibition Hall and chat with our exhibitors? For AISA 2020 we have created a virtual showcase with our exhibitors for you to see what products and services they have on offer for our school members. From the Foyer, click on the SHOWCASES on our pop out menu, browse through to the associate showcases, download any resources on offer, chat live with their hosts and, for those associates that have scheduled them, join a live Zoom meeting at 12:15 pm GMT. And don’t miss the Learning Partners Present (LPP) workshops being facilitated by our sponsors. We strongly suggest you browse the showcases whenever you have a spare minute as there is lots to see and great resources to download into your conference bag! We will keep these showcases open for a while after the Conference Day so you can always come back again.

How to Save Resources

If you find a resource of interest in one of our AISA Associates’ Virtual Showcases, you can either download it direct, email it to yourself (or someone else), or save it to your Conference Bag where it will be kept until you have time to download it after the conference. No rush with this – your conference bag will remain active for the next few weeks so feel free to log back in and return to the AVLE and explore further resources anytime.

How to Get Support

We know that this type of environment is new to many of us. If at any time you need our help, simply click on the Support Chat on the bottom right hand corner of your screen and an AISA team member will assist you in real time between 5:00 am and 17:00 pm GMT on the Conference Day. If we are offline, after that, please use the email function in the same Support Chat box and we’ll get back to you soonest. Enjoy your AISA 2020 Virtual Conference Day!