Rootstech 2018 Online or In Person

RootsTech 2018 In Person

If you’re attending in person, I hope to see you at my sessionT6363 Organizing Genealogy Research Using Archival Ideas on Friday March 2, in Ballroom J of the Salt Lake Palace Convention Center. See the whole schedule here.

Organizing your work may seem dull. But I think it’s fun to have a great big pile of information and make it neat and accessible. I’m very fond of dealing with a digital file or paper record once. Being organized can also improve your results and give you more time for research.

I know of a few Sassy Jane readers who plan to be at my Rootstech 2018 session. I’m looking forward to meeting them…and you. And I’m squeeing like the fangrrl that I am to hear Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in person. I believe he’s done more for genealogy than anyone since Ancestry bought their first server.

RootsTech 2018 Online

But if you can’t make it to SLC for Rootstech 2018,  RootsTech will broadcast 19 of its popular sessions, including former Olympic gold-medalist Scott Hamilton; Brandon Stanton, founder of the Humans of New York photo blog; host of the popular PBS show Finding Your Roots, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,  Natalia Lafourcade, and Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International. The live broadcasts give those unable to attend in-person a sampling of the show’s marquee content. Interested viewers can watch the select broadcasts live at RootsTech.org. No registration is required to view the live streams.

“RootsTech 2018 offers over 300 sessions for those able to attend in-person,” said Tyler Stahle, RootsTech marketing manager. “However, the 19 sessions we will live stream for free will expand the show’s reach and give more people the opportunity to participate remotely in this world class conference.” In 2017, streaming sessions garnered more than 50,000 views, and that number continues to grow each year.

The free streamed sessions will include the popular general sessions and a sampling of technology and family history presentations appealing to varied interests.

RootsTech 2018 Live Streaming Schedule

Watch at RootsTech.org. No registration is required to view the live streams. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST).

RootsTech Streaming Schedule

(Watch at RootsTech.org. No registration is required to view the live streams. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST).

Day

Time (MST)

Class Title

Class Description

Speaker or Speakers

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

9:30 a.m.

Family History in 5 Minutesa Day

 Explore 20 ways to effectively do your family history in as little as 5 minutes a day.

Deborah Gamble

11:00 a.m.

DNA: One Family, One World

(Sponsored by Living DNA)

 A new project by Living DNA is mapping the world’s DNA, building one world family tree through genetics. Gain insight into how this will impact your family history.

David Nicholson

1:30 p.m.

Organizing and Preserving Photograph Collections

 Step-by-step direction in organizing, preserving, and cataloging photo collections for future generations and identifying, digitizing, and sharing collections using family trees and social media.

Ari Wilkins

3:00 p.m.

Finding the Answers: The Basics of WWII Research

 Fire destroyed many US military and civilian service records. Alternative record sources exist to reconstruct service history. Learn how to research World War I and II records.

Jennifer Holik

4:30 p.m.

WednesdayGeneral Session and Innovation Showcase

 Steve Rockwood explores where industry giant, FamilySearch, has been and is going. Introduction of the all-new RootsTech Innovation Showcase.

Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International

Thursday, March 1, 2018

8:30 a.m.

ThursdayGeneral Session

 Brandon Stanton started Humans of New York, a photography and storytelling blog. HONY has built a devoted following of over 20 million fans across several social media platforms.

Brandon Stanton, founder of Humans of New York

11:00 a.m.

MyHeritage DNA 101: From Test to Results

(Sponsored by MyHeritage)

 Learn about the MyHeritage DNA service and how the process works, from taking the test to the lab analysis. Learn about MyHeritage DNA’s over 40 ethnicities and how to optimize your DNA matches.

Yaniv Erlich

1:30 p.m.

Google Photos: Collect, Organize, Preserve, and Share

 Google Photos is a powerful, free app for storing, organizing, and sharing. Learn how to edit and create photo projects and automatically add your photos to the app from digital devices.

Michelle Goodrum

3:00 p.m.

Unlocking Roman Catholic Records

 The Catholic Church is essential for uncovering the lives of millions of immigrants from many nationalities. See how findmypast and the Catholic Church are working to make these records easily accessible.

Brian Donovan

4:30 p.m.

A Gift of Life: Who’s Writing Your Story?

 Only you can tell the real stories of love, loss, forgiveness, and change. Don’t leave the task of finding the answers of your life’s history to someone else. Take the time to write your life story.

Deborah Abbott

Friday, March 2, 2018

8:30 a.m.

FridayGeneral Session

 Scott Hamilton is the living example that good guys CAN finish first! He is an Olympic champion, cancer survivor, television broadcaster, speaker, author, husband/father, and eternal optimist!

Scott Hamilton, Olympic Skater

11:00 a.m.

findmypast’s British and Irish Hidden Gems

(Sponsored by findmypast)

 Explore some of the wonderful findmypast.com collections that can help you break down your British ancestry brick walls, go back further in your family research, and add untold color and detail to your family story.

Myko Clelland

1:30 p.m.

Finding the Right DNA Test for You

 DNA testing is becoming an integral tool, but what is it and what does it do? How can DNA actually help your genealogy? If you are brand new to genetic genealogy, this is the class for you.

Jim Brewster

3:00 p.m.

How Not to Leave Your Genealogy Behind

 Nobody wants their genealogy research to end up in a landfill. Hear a few horror stories of genealogy materials destroyed and how you can avoid those mistakes.

Amy Johnson Crow and Curt Witcher

4:30 p.m.

Finding Elusive Records at FamilySearch

 Learn new skills and techniques used by the experts and lesser known record identification tools and features of the FamilySearch website.

Robert Kehrer

Saturday, March 3, 2018

8:30 a.m.

SaturdayGeneral Session

 Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., host of popular PBS Finding Your Roots series, and Natalia Lafourcade, one of the most successful Latin American pop singers, will keynote this opening session.

Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Natalia Lafourcade

11:00 a.m.

Civil Registration Indexes of England and Wales

 England and Wales national indexes and recent innovations at the General Register Office have opened up new possibilities and completely new indexes.

Audrey Collins

1:30 p.m.

Advancing Your Genealogy Research with DNA

(Sponsored by Ancestry)

 Learn what new tools AncestryDNA has to advance your research and get more out of your DNA results.

Anna Swayne

3:00 p.m.

Pain in the Access: More Web for Your Genealogy

 Library, archive, government, and specialized websites have much to offer. Discover these sites and strategies for getting more online data.