Wow! SchoolDude University 2008 was a blast!
If you want to relive the excitement of this year's University, simply click the link below to browse through the SchoolDude University 2008 photo album!
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And don't forget to mark your calendars for SchoolDude University 2009, March 28th - April 1st, 2009!
Well, I've been home now for a little over a week and still working on getting caught up. SchoolDude University is one of the major events I look forward to every year and it helps get me ready for the busy travel season ahead. We'll be visiting most of your states over the rest of the year and working hard to bringing our on-demand tools to your peers all across North America. So, thanks for all of your support and we will look forward to seeing you soon.
Next, week... The Texas Facility Masters Conference in Houston, Texas...
Thank you again for another great year.
SDU’08 felt like a summit of great minds, coming together to enhance, learn, and disseminate. This year, like the past three, I have walked away from these five days with a refreshed feeling of capability, keen insight, and a substantial plan to refine what I do.
SchoolDude, you have put on a fantastic show. I had the opportunity to network with people I have met there before with whom I can catch up on the previous year’s challenges, accomplishments, and new initiatives. People are doing amazing things around the country to better operations while preserving the teaching in learning process.
I thought the lab was busily last year, this year it was hopping every minute. This is one of the best resources you offer each year and this year was no different. My converging partner, Ken Wertz, utilized the lab and got started on the set up of PMDirect. This will give us a great head start on implementing a very much anticipated product.
Your entire team was friendly and responsive to questions and general discussion about products and events. Donna gave us a nice introduction to our audience in our session, and we really appreciated her kind words. Dave K gave me a great walk through the new MySchoolDude which I cannot wait to see in action. Scott, Mark and Bill, ran an informative roundtable on ITAM as well as suffered through all my enhancement requests. I could go on, but this blog entry would be much to long.
The sessions this year offered more IT centric subjects than ever before. I really found the workshop run by Bev White to be illuminating and engaging. As an IT Director I am pleased to see so much being offered that directly enhances what I do day in and day out.
On a final note, I want to thank our two local sales reps, Josh and Bob for always making the New England contingent feel like a cohesive group. Josh and Bob always go above and beyond to make us feel welcome and informed. Thanks Bobcat.
So have you recovered from SchoolDude University yet? Between the travel, the learning and the good times, you might feel like your body and mind need some time to recover. Of course when you think about all the information sharing and time catching up with friends, then you begin to realize you’re not feeling tired…it’s full on SDU withdrawal!
Having attended all six SchoolDude University events, I can honestly say that this year’s conference was the most amazing in so many ways. We had a new record attendance, some of the most intriguing classes ever, and many fantastic events. It might seem strange for someone from the SchoolDude team to say this, but I learned so much! Our attendees are such wonderful people, and I was privileged to have many of you share your knowledge with me. Plus, you guys are just fun; I had a great time with you all, whether we were hanging out in the hallways or dancing at the General Session. I will miss all you Dudes who came from across the nation (and even across the globe) for this great event, but I look forward to seeing you all next year and greeting you with a friendly hug around the neck instead of a handshake.
As I sit in my office on day 1, post Dude U 2008, I can't help but be a little sad that it's all over. I love all of you and most of you I only get to see once a year!
However, yet again, we have managed to pull off our biggest and best SchoolDude University...and now the countdown begins for Dude U 2009! Which, by the way, is March 28 - April 1, 2009.
A big thank you to everyone who made this year great. I was able to speak with many of you during my classes and thank you to everyone who participated and made each of them great.
Speaking of my classes, the MaintenanceDirect Best Practices roundtable had over 100 people in it on one day - so much so that we brought in extra chairs!! :) A special thank you to my panelists -- Michael Cosentino from St. Lucie Public Schools, Ken Wertz from Sharon Public Schools, Steve Hibbard from Concordia University and Phil Raney from Mountain Home School District. Everyone loved you all and you provided a great insight into how our products help make a difference.
Also, if you are a MaintenanceDirect client, the Facilities Maintenance PMT is looking for your help! Please take our product survey found here - the password is "schooldude":
Thanks to all Dudes -- new and old for making this a great event. I can't wait to see you again next year!
Thank you to all those who participated in our ITDirect and ITAMDirect Roundtable discussions!! I was excited to see alot of new faces in our classes this year...even in our 8am class after General Session!!! Many thanks to our panelists who were able to lead us off in great discussions not only in our products but to the many challenges that IT Directors face in education. I look forward to seeing you again at SchoolDude University '09!!!!
Just a quick note here... The response I've had from clients who take there first look at SchoolDude's critical alarm automation is outstanding. Imagine a world where SchoolDude can talk directly to your buildings. It really feels like something from a Sci Fi movie. The efficiency gains are really out of this world...
Wow, the past few days have been jam packed with opportunities to learn...while having a lot fun, of course!
I hear the roundtable sessions have been especially helpful. They provide chances to see how peers are implementing new processes and handling day-to-day activities. Attendees can share their best practices and benchmark themselves to see if any efficiency improvements can be made. Many would agree it's well worth an hour or two of your time. If you haven't had the chance to attend one of the many roundtables, see if you can squeeze one into tomorrow's schedule.
If you've already checked a roundtable off your must-attend list, there are many other classes left! No matter your title type, you can find something informative. With basic and advanced classes available, the product training sessions have been very helpful to both newbies and veterans. Professional development classes always seem to provide some great take-aways. And those are just a few examples. With another half-day of classes, there's still time to take advantage of this face-to-face interaction.
Let's not forget the fun to be had tonight, though! The General Session pep rally is in less than 2 hours, and people are pumped! Tonight's the night we all join together for some food and fun. Get ready to wrap up the conference with a night full of music, dancing and games. Fooze ball, ping pong, arcade basketball...it's gonna be a blast! Hope to see you there!
I cannot believe it is almost over. I have met so many great people that I will remember forever. I cannot wait until the General Session tonight to see everyone. I will be looking forward to next year because it so much fun and I get to meet many fantastic people. Now I am fan of you. See you tonight!!!!!!!!!!
He's back, and he's presenting again...and I've heard great things about his two classes. Scott Little from MSBO (Michigan School Business Officials) is here for his 5th SDU and is in his element as one of our fantastic presenters.
I caught up with Scott in the hall this afternoon, and he was commenting on what a great event this is for educational professionals to come to for professional development and networking. He noted how important it is for everyone to share and learn best practices, because they discover they're not alone. And while he was here, Scott had an interesting networking experience of his own...he connected with some of the team from CoSN on the topic of increasing computer use and rising energy costs.
In our conversation, Scott noted that attendees will come away with new techniques and ideas they can implement, which is a big thing. And he also extended a major compliment to our SDU attendees when he said that many of those who are here have already adopted one best practice, and that is using SchoolDude!
