2017 National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference

There is still time to register for the HVAC Excellence National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference is this coming on March 27-29 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida. I will be speaking at the conference and will be at the Pearson booth at the Expo. Please come by and say hello. I love to talk with other HVACR Instructors. Not an instructor? No problem. Techs and contractors are welcome as well. You can pick up on many of the latest topics. Better yet, you can meet the dedicated people teaching HVACR. You really can’t find this amount of quality continuing education anywhere else for the price of these conferences. Come and fill up at the all you can learn educational buffet being offered.

If you can find a way to attend one of this conference you won’t be disappointed. They are well worth your time. Unlike generic teacher’s conferences that target all subjects, these are specific to our field. And unlike industry showcases like ComforTech or the AHR show, these are specifically for teachers. As a result, everything you see will have a direct application to teaching HVAC/R.

I know that times are tough and getting funding and permission to go is difficult. When presenting the idea to your school administrators be sure to forward a copy of the program from the conference. The sessions at the National Educators and Trainers Conference in Orlando are high quality, professional programs, not sales pitches. The presenters are nationally recognized speakers from respected HVACR organizations. Be sure to note the large number of educational sessions. There are literally more sessions than you will have time to attend. Point out that attending will keep you informed about emerging technology like communicating systems. Point out that by attending you will be better positioned to integrate green mechanical concepts into your curriculum as a result of attending the conferences. Your attendance is tracked, so you can prove the number of hours you attended. Finally, you can get enough free instructional material and tools to help your program. Come gorge yourself at the all you can learn buffet! Here is a link for more information about the conference

https://www.escogroup.org/hvac/nhetc/default.aspx

March Madness is Here!

I am caught up in my own version of March Madness! No, not the basketball championship brackets, but the annual educational seminars and meetings that come every year in the spring. I will be speaking at HVAC Excellence National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, March 22 on “Developing and Evaluating Performance Exams.” If that is not your idea of a good time, then check out some of the other 50 sessions! There will be hundreds of HVACR instructors, and 70 exhibitors showing the latest and greatest at the expo. Youi can find me at the Pearson booth where I will be showing off the brand new third edition of “Fundamentals of HVACR.”  This event is always energizing and inspiring. But wait, there’s more! I will be giving a webinar through Person on “Tips for Running an Effective Air Conditioning Lab” at 3:00 Eastern time on March 30. Please join me to learn how you can plan for success.

Meet Me in Orlando!

I will be speaking in Orlando at the HVACR Educators & Trainers Conference. I will speak on Sunday, March 15 at 8:30 on “Using Social Media to Extend Your Reach.” I will speak again on Tuesday, March 17 at 8:30 on the same subject. Social media and the inter-connectivity of individuals through the internet has brought about many changes in the way people communicate and information is spread. Although the iPhone did not invent “smart phones” or social media, the explosion of internet connected devices and the effect on Social Media can be clearly seen. In just a few years smart phones went from a curiosity carried by executives and geeks, to something everybody felt they needed. The first generation iPhones were sold in June, 2007. In less than 8 years these types of devices have become so ubiquitous that it is truly unusual to meet someone who does not have one. Note that several large tool and equipment manufacturers now make devices which are specifically designed to take advantage of this technology. For example, the imanifold digital gauge set which has no screen, but uses your tablet or smart phone. Now Yellow Jacket is selling its Mantooth device- again a refrigeration gauge which depends on your phone for a display. Flit just released an infra-red thermal imaging camera that clips onto your i-phone. An infrared thermal imaging camera that fits in your pocket and costs under $1000! There are bore scopes that use the phone as the screen as well. Just the fact that these companies have invested their research time and money into these projects shows how commonplace hand held computers have become. Our challenge is to figure out how to use these ubiquitous personal communication devices and the net to advance education.

Sure Thing in VEGAS!

The upcoming 2014 Educators & Trainers Conference & Expo in Las Vegas is a SURE THING! You can’t lose! You won’t find this many different training sessions anywhere else, especially not for this price. The conference is from March 31 – April 2. There are over 40 sessions with top name speakers from all over the country. A big plus to a national training conference comes from networking with other instructors from all around the country. With several hundred instructors at the conference, you will most likely learn something from fellow attendees during discussions in the hall or lunch. Sharing ideas and offering support and encouragement are vital to the long term health of our industry. If you live within driving distance, this conference is definitely a no-brainer.

I know that times are tough and getting funding and permission to go is difficult. When presenting the idea to your school administrators be sure to forward a copy of the program for the conference. Be sure to note the large number of educational sessions. There are literally more sessions than you will have time to attend. There may also be topics of interest to school administrators – such as Getting Started in Hybrid Instruction, or Program Accreditation. There are also opportunities to get free equipment. At one of these conferences a few years ago I learned about the Appion program to donate recovery machines and vacuum pumps to schools. That alone would cover the cost of your trip. If all those arguments don’t work, just tell them that I will be speaking. I am sure that will seal the deal. I hope to see you all there!
You can read the details here http://www.hvacexcellence.org/nhetc/Faq.aspx