What is WiscNet MiniConnections?
Bringing WiscNet Connections closer to home
We know that the people are the magic of your annual membership meeting, WiscNet Connections. But we also know that making “people magic” once a year isn’t always enough -- or rather, it’s so transformative, we want to create it more often.
WiscNet MiniConnections builds on that magic — not by recreating it wholesale, but by extending it around the state. These one-day, regional gatherings make it easier for more WiscNet members in more places to engage meaningfully within this remarkable community without long-distance travel or time away from home and work.
WiscNet MiniConnections is, at its heart, a smaller version of WiscNet Connections, but it isn’t just that -- it’s part of our ongoing effort to help you connect, support, and learn with one another, community by community.
These events (which run from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include breakfast and lunch) will offer learning sessions and roundtable discussions that cover timely and relevant topics that affect the work of many of our WiscNet members. Tickets to WiscNet MiniConnections are $50 each, and you must be employed by a WiscNet member organization to attend. Because we want to maximize your ability to bring your team, if you buy two tickets, you get a third free.
Where will these events be?
We're bringing WiscNet MiniConnections to communities across Wisconsin and hope to see you at a location near you!
July 28th, 2026- Green Bay at Green Bay Area Public School District
September 23rd, 2026- Waukesha at Carroll University
October 7th, 2026- Menomonie at Menomonie Middle School Library
December 4th, 2026- Portage at CESA 5
Join Us in a Community Near You 👇
What’s on the agenda?
Each host location may have minor adjustments to the schedule to best meet the needs of its community. The agenda below provides a general overview; please check your local event page for the schedule and details specific to your area.
8:00 - 8:45 am Breakfast + Networking
8:45 - 9:00 am Mini Welcome
9:00 - 10:00 am Mini Roundtable: Developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Frameworks for Your Organization, John Pederson, WiscNet
Artificial intelligence is already showing up in everyday work, but what makes its use trustworthy, useful, and sustainable? In this roundtable discussion, participants will share real-world AI experiences, identify the behaviors and practices that led to success, and work together to create a lightweight governance framework that keeps human judgment at the center. Leave with practical ideas, shared agreements, and a starting point for building trust in AI use within your organization.
10:00-10:15 Break
10:15 - 11:15 am Presentation Session: TBD (Local presentation or WiscNet)
11:15 - 11:30 am Break
11:30 - 12:30 pm Mini Roundtable: What's Working, What's Not Working, and What's Next?, Maggie Richardson, WiscNet
As technology, communication, and member needs continue to evolve, this roundtable offers an open discussion for WiscNet members to bring forward any topic they would like to discuss. From network infrastructure and cybersecurity to collaboration, communication, outreach, and member engagement, all ideas, questions, challenges, and successes are welcome. Share what's working, seek input from peers, explore emerging trends, and join a conversation shaped by our community's interests and experiences.
12:30 - 1:45 pm Lunch
1:45- 2:45 pm Presentation Session: Sharing the Smallest Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Solve Small Tasks, John Pederson, WiscNet
We are not starting with big abstract debates. We are starting with the useful stuff: the AI prompt that saved time, the rewrite that helped a message land better, the summary that clarified a messy document, the classroom or staff workflow that made the day a little easier. Then we will ask: What made that work? What did the human still need to check? What should we do more of? What should we be careful about? Using the earlier roundtable to develop general guidelines, we will connect the work members are doing to identify real-world applications.
By the end, participants will have the raw material for a one-page AI working agreement they can adapt for their own setting. It is a simple way to move from "AI is changing everything" to "Here is how we want to use it together."
This work feeds directly into the broader PixelVerse Outreach Strategy (POS) by helping WiscNet members share useful examples, shape practical guardrails, and build momentum for future PixelVerse AI work.
To see how this connects with WiscNet's larger innovation and research efforts, visit https://wiscnet.net/innovation.
2:45 - 3:00 pm Close
Questions?
If you have any questions, concerns, or anything else related to WiscNet MiniConnections, contact Maggie Richardson at mrichardson@wiscnet.net or (608) 210-3946.