It’s not quite 6:00 AM EST, and I’ve been up for a couple of hours, worrying over one of the presentations I’ll be doing at NECC. I’m not nearly as busy with presentations this year as last, and won’t know until tomorrow if either of the EduBloggerCon sessions I suggested will fly.
The one session that has me working overtime will happen on Sunday at the SETDA Emerging Technologies Forum. I’ve been asked to present, along with David Thornburg, a ten minute presentation for state ed tech leaders, coinciding with the continuing development of their Class 20/20 Action Plan for Education. While David will compellingly promote the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics), I am planning to promote the equal importance of the creative arts (Music, Art, Drama) for the very same reasons, not just for the sake of culture, but as a critical economic leaverage point. Then again, I may change my mind and do something entirely different.
One thing that I do know is that preparing for a ten minute presentation is a lot harder than preparing for an hour.
I just took a quick scan of the NECC page on Hitchhikr, and found that it was not sorting the blog postings. So I fixed that, and just to break the menotony of all of those pre-conference Second LifeTM events, I uploaded a picture of my computer, while it was helping me plan for that SEDTA session. I’m sure that the photos will start pouring in today. I also discovered that there are a lot of things, whose acronyms work out to be NECC, such as the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. I blocked that one out of Hitchhikr.
Anyway, I think I’ll spend the final hour before hitting the road, trying to clean up my NECC planner! 😉
Have a great NECC Dave. It is 3 years this weekend that I came across your blogging and NECC covereage. I have been keen to get over for some time now. 2009 Washington DC sounds like fun!! Would to love to have heard your session you mention here. We just had our Arts festival at school and it was clear to me the extent that the arts really does impact on students work ethic and overall engagement. As a film and new media teacher I see everyday the power of the digital arts and the impact it has a students.
Have a great few days – and keep an eye out for some of my Aussie colleagues – Judy O’connell and Al Upton.