With less than a week to go until the Icepops 2020 call for contributions closes we have been watching with interest the submissions come in from the copyright community in the UK and internationally. I’ve also been speaking to a couple of colleagues encouraging them to submit something related to their area of expertise. We are really interested in different approaches to copyright education and want to put together as varied a programme as possible. Therefore, I’ve just put together a couple of FAQs based on some conversations I’ve had recently with people to spark your creative thinking and encourage people, perhaps new to presenting, to put in a submission to Icepops before next Monday’s deadline (the call with be open until midnight, in case last minute inspiration strikes you!)
Q: I’m not really doing anything playful and I haven’t made a game
A: Icepops is focused on ‘playful approaches’ but we’re really interested in any creative approaches to teaching and interpret that pretty broadly. We certainly don’t want a conference programme jam packed with just copyright games, so if you have tried a new approach to teaching this year, if you made a video, or an online quiz, then we want to hear about it. We are also interested in people who are teaching copyright to other audiences outside of formal education, perhaps in a museum or public library. We want the conference to be as cross sectoral as possible and we really are interested in your ideas!
Q: I’ve not presented at a conference before and I would be really nervous
A: Well there has to be a first time for everything and Icepops is a great opportunity to present at a friendly and supportive (and not too large!) event. If you pitch for a lightning talk you only get 5-10 minutes to speak, and if you present as part of the World Cafe then people come to see you in small groups clustered around a table. We are also open to other suggestions such as poster presentations so please don’t be put off from applying! The other option is to team up with someone if you haven’t spoken at a conference before, it’s a great way to try out presenting, knowing you only need to do half the session and have someone else there for moral support!
Q: I’m not sure I’ve got anything worth sayingÂ
A: Absolutely you have, everyone who works in the field of copyright has a ton of weird and wonderful experiences that they can share with others. Whether it’s the bizarre or strange queries they get from colleagues, the difficult conversations they have at parties when asked what you do. Come on copyright folk, we want to hear your stories and share your pain and build our community of practice.
And in case that wasn’t enough, the conference is taking place in July in Wales and we are being supported by WHELF (the Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum) who are taking a really innovative approach to copyright education. There is no better time to see Wales than in the summer. It’s likely to be a little bit warm (possibly wet too), and after the conference finishes you can head off to do some sightseeing and even take a short holiday! We’ll be trying to pack in a few Welsh cultural activities either side of the conference too and we’ve negotiated a discount at the Park Inn Hotel. All the booking details are here.
So there you have it, no excuses! Get your contribution submitted quick!!
Copyright Literacy 