There are a lot of continuing professional educational programs coming up and here are the ones I have heard about lately.

ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Conference

For readers of this blog, the biggie is the virtual conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution all next week.  Be there or be square.

The Section is a bedrock for our field and especially needs financial support in this crazy time.  Rishi Batra, a member of the conference organizing committee, sent an announcement about sponsorship opportunities.  If you would like to contribute, click here.

Sharon Press and Noam Ebner are running the Legal Educators Resource Share, which will take place on Friday, May 22, from 1-2 pm Eastern Time.  They invite you to submit materials and participate:

As a reminder, the Resource Share is a session in which educators share teaching resources with one another to use freely in their classrooms.  Join in this session to learn how your colleagues are teaching specific topics or tackling tricky pedagogical challenges.  Share your own most effective teaching tool, or an exercise your students always learn from and enjoy.

Next week we will post the pre-conference 2020 compilation of resources which will be updated after the session with all the wonderful new ideas you share during the session.

For those of you who have already submitted resources… thank you… and if you haven’t heard from me yet, I will be reaching out to invite you to present your resource live!  If you haven’t yet submitted something, you are welcome to send it in now … or wait to share when we are all together.

Given the likelihood that we will not be going back to teaching fully in-person in the fall, we request that you give special thought to “transition” resources – resources that have served you well as you moved your classes online, or that you have developed to use in these classes.  And remember, we are gathering resources not just ideas.  For example, here are some possible categories:

• • • Simulations specifically created with online interaction intended
    • Activities/ice breakers/fun stuff that can be done online
    • Adventure learning assignments that can be done remotely (where physical interaction is limited)
    • Adapted instructions for “traditional” assignments
    • Instructions on how to use current news events

Of course, since we are optimistic that we will someday see our physical classrooms once again, please come ready to share “regular” resources as well.  We also are interested in resources you have found for taking care of yourself and/or of your students during these challenging times.   If you can send in advance, please do so to Sharon Press.

Other Education Programs

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) has posted an impressive series of webinars about parent-child contact problems and issues for judicial officers that you can access for free.  They also have an archive of webinars for members.

New York Law School is sponsoring Wednesday Lunch Conversations every other Wednesday from 1-2 pm Eastern Time, starting on May 20.  There is no charge for these programs.

The AALS Section on Technology, Law and Legal Education is offering a series of free webinars on Wednesdays, from 2-2:45 pm Eastern Time, starting on May 20.

Drexel University is sponsoring a free conference on May 26-27, Leaning into Uncertainty: Ensuring Quality Legal Education During Coronavirus.

The Greater New York Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution is holding a virtual conference on May 26-29, entitled 2020 Focus Forward.  This is free for members and there are fees for non-members.

The Orange County Bar Association is sponsoring a program, Crushing it at Mediation During the Pandemic and Beyond, on June 4 from 1-4 pm EasternTime.  There is a $60 fee.

iDecisionGames.com and Negotiation Team Resources is conducting a series of Conversations about Innovations in Teaching, Research and Technology on Fridays June 5, 12, and 19, from 12-3 pm Eastern Time.  There is a $25 fee that may be refunded.