Here I am trying to turn a Thursday into a Saturday, and I keep reading fantastic blog posts and wanting to shout out comments. Theatre EduTech writer, Scott Walters, writes a compelling entry (Rehearsing the Revolution: Thoughts on NECC06 and NECC07) describing an evolution in conferences, and his ideas are echoed by Jeff Utecht and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach.
I think that it is important to note, that these very radical and valuable ideas are coming from bloggers. By nature, we are radicals. In another time, we would have worn black arm bands with our fists in the air. Today, we blog. My point is that many, perhaps most, NECC attendees come to learn the “How To.” They want step-by-step instructions, and they are seeing brand new things in the exhibitors area. We too, who have attended conferences for years (decades) should be seeing new products and concepts in the exhibitor halls, and we are right to demand it. But the conference, as is, is not a failure. Thousands, I suspect, left fully satisfied.
The results, however, remain in the air. The step-by-steps and the new technologies (podcasting, blogging, and the still emerging video game concept) taken back into classrooms around the world, lead to nothing unless they are accompanied by the “why” part. “Why” this is important, should be a part of every presentation and of equal measure to the “How.”
I agree with Susan’s intrigue with a “new conference format”. I wonder about a parallel conference. In a sense, its already there with the birds-of-a-feather. But as I’ve stated before, I think that it should be extended to run along side the breakout sessions. They should be a meeting of minds within the context of communities of interest with no presentations, just discussions. And they shouldn’t be relegated to the end of the day.
Two more pennies.
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In addition to a new conference format, I like your idea of an ongoing meet-up as well. I wonder if there is a way to have a couple sessions that are ongoing. That between 8-9am we will meet here and discuss this… if you have anything to add to the discussion–electronic or otherwise please bring it.
I am seeing something similar to a poetry slam. Folks show up and share their ideas live in front of an audience while others weigh in. We could capture it all as it happends via podcasts, vcasts and through those blogging the session.
What else… what do you see?
A BloggerSlam, I love it!
— dave —
I, too, felt that I was mostly killing time during the day until the birds-of-a-feather sessions, only to find that there were several that I wanted to attend on the same day.
I attended a BOAF session with you in which we talked about a vision of what a technology rich classroom might look like. It was great to hear the ideas from people, but terribly frustrating to come home and hear from a tech director that he doesn’t see the point of a wiki in education, or that blogs are too much for the teachers right now (small steps), or that Google Earth drains too much bandwidth so it’s blocked. ARGH!!
I go back to what I said about the VERY KEY ROLE of the principals in leading this charge. In a school where the principal blogs, more teachers will blog. And if the principal sets up a wiki and encourages its use, teachers will begin to see it as the powerful tool it is.
Now all we have to do is get ALL teachers to the next NECC if we’re going to talk about the WHY’s. A minister never grows a church by always preaching to the congregation, eh? 🙂
David — Thanks for the nod, and it was great to meet you in San Diego. I agree with you — NECC doesn’t need to be defended. The first step for everybody (and half of the people at NECC were there for the first time) is to find out what the technology can do. In fact, I just learned about all this at an AAC & U conference on technology in the spring — before then, I had no idea. So what happened at NECC was very, very important. And that is also why your speech, and Will Richardson’s, were vital — those in attendance needed to see how all these technologies connected.
But parallel to the introductions, as you have also said, we need to be visualizing a new future. Do we really think that this technology combined with the difference in this generation of students requires us to rethink our approach to education? If so, then we also need start laying out an image of that future BEFORE (or at least while) the technology gets appropriated into mainstream schooling.
I wonder what you think of this: what if there was a day or two pre-NECC meet-up in Asheville, which is about 3 hours from Atlanta? I would probably be able to handle arrangements, and some people might bring their families and have them vacation in Asheville while they attend NECC. Just a thought. Perhaps this, with a couple NECC panels that would present the “findings” of this pre-conference meet-up, would help to get this conversation started.
Scott,
I think that this is an amazing idea. I wonder if we could get someone to sponsor this. Lets continue this via e-mail with some other folks. I’m on my way up to Cullowhee today for a special event with my daughter at Western Carolina. I’ll forward your comment to some other folks who are visioning something new about NECC. Later!