RootsTech Conference Oregon Style

Tomorrow begins the first of three days of RootsTech Conference classes in Salt Lake City. For those of us not able to attend in person there is the wonderful option of viewing some of the classes through live streaming on the Internet.  The live streaming offers the keynote address and four classes each day, except Saturday when there are only two classes. My family understands that for these three days they will not see very much of me. To sign up and download or print the syllabus material for classes go to RootsTech.org.

Here is the list of classes:

Live Streaming Schedule (Mountain Time)

Thursday

8:30 AM Keynote – Dennis Brimhall, Syd Lieberman, Josh Taylor

11:00 AM The Future of Genealogy - Thomas MacEntee and panel

1:45 PM Tell it Again (Story@Home) - Kim Weitkamp

3:00 PM The Genealogists Gadget Bag - Jill Ball and panel

4:15 PM Finding the Obscure and Elusive: Geographic Information on the Web - James Tanner

Friday

8:30 AM Keynote - Jyl Pattee and Tim Sullivan

9:45 AM Researching Ancestors Online - Laura Prescott

11:00 AM FamilySearch Family Tree - Ron Tanner

1:45 PM Google Search… and Beyond - Dave Barney

3:00 PM From Paper Piles to Digital Files - Valerie Elkins

Saturday

8:30 AM Keynote - David Pogue and Gilad Japhet

9:45 AM Using Technology to Solve Research Problems - Karen Clifford

11:00 AM Digital Storytelling: More than Bullet Points - Denise Olson

Another option for those living in the Portland area is to attend some of the recorded classes at the Beaverton Family History Center building. On Saturday they are offering a Devotional and then four classes in five time blocks, for a total of twenty classes. This is a test run to see how well this option is utilized. Of the five classes that I would like to view, four of them can be viewed on my computer at home. Since it is a pretty good drive from my home it is likely I will stay home to view the classes.   

It is wonderful that access to viewing classes is available for local viewing. My first class beings at 7:30 AM, so I will head to bed early tonight. There are other classes that would be nice to attend, but as with any conference there are choices to be made. There are 126 instructors, offering about 190 classes, so there is plenty to choose from. The syllabus is available for all classes, so if there is one you want to know about but can't attend, you can at least read the material. No matter where you are tomorrow morning try to take advantage of the opportunities offered by one of the largest genealogy conferences to be held in the United States this year.