Reflections from a first-time Educon-er 2.2

Educon 2.2 has come and gone, but I certainly have not forgotten it. I had intended on posting my reflections in a more timely manner, but a few things over the past few weeks have kept me from finishing this post. So while I’m a little behind the other Educon attendees who posted reflections, I still think that it is worthwhile to finish this post and to contribute my thoughts and take-aways back to the community. Thanks to all those I was able to meet and learn with in Philadelphia.

Take-Away #1: Students own the event.

From the moment Kim and I walked into the doors of Science Leadership Academy until the time we left, I was impressed with how students were the center of the event. Dressed in their white lab coats, we were greeted at the registration table and escorted around the building to tour the school facilities. Along the way, our gracious hosts gave us a first-person account of the ins and outs of SLA. They started by providing us with a thorough overview of the core values that guide the learning at SLA. Students were extremely articulate in explaining the admission process, describing the types of classes they are taking, the schedule that they follow, the assessment methods they’re involved with and what they like most about attending SLA.

One of the neat things for me was meeting and talking to the kids who were on A/V duty. The kids running the Eluminate rooms, video cameras and mics are the students I can most relate to, as I am occasionally still paying my dues doing this type of thing. Throughout the conference I observed this team of students working together in a real-world problem-solving environment. On Saturday morning, it was resolving issues with the Vokle streaming feed for the overflow crowd in the library just prior to the keynote. Sunday, it was repositioning the cameras and mics for the Eluminate sessions so that audio quality would be better for remote attendees. Figuring things out. Learning with other kids and adults. It was great.

You can tell the students are doing their part to make SLA the special community it is and it is great to see them thrive in their own environment. In many cases, they are juggling multiple responsibilities in their lives but they all seemed focused on working hard to make the most of their time at the school. The kids are truly excited to be part of the conference and really make it the wonderful experience it is. They all worked hard and should be commended. Thank you.

Take-Away #2: In-person discussions validate the sense of community and sharing that occurs on Twitter and blogs.

One of the main reasons Twitter has become the most vital resource for my own personal learning is the opportunity it provides to engage in thoughtful conversation with a global group of people. The online conversations that emerge from 140 character posts really have become an intricate part of my life. I find great value in connecting with other educators on Twitter and then extending our conversations either through a bevy of follow-up @ replies, TinyPastes, Skype calls or thoughtful blog posts and comments.

After a year+ on Twitter, I’m starting to feel that I carry on more academic conversations with my virtual colleagues than I do with those who I interact with face-to-face at my own institution. Twitter offers me immediate access to hundreds of educational experts with a vast array of skills and experience that I just don’t get at the office. Conversations can happen at any time, around any topic, and as long as you contribute, people in the community will contribute back.

Educon 2.2. provided me with my first opportunity to meet many of the individuals who I communicate with regularly in my virtual learning space.  I found that fluid, thoughtful conversations carried over into the face-to-face interaction I had with many people at Educon. I’d argue that I benefited from spending time with people online before I met them at the conference. Perhaps it was because it made them all more of a known quantity than the random people you meet at other conferences. I hope this experience spills over into more conferences I attend, and to some extent it has with my recent trip to St. Charles and METC 2010.

Take-Away #3: The conversation model might not be perfect, but it sure is superior to the single presenter model.

Sit-and-Get just doesn’t work for me anymore. I can’t do it. I try and I always end up doing the same thing at a conference with nothing but lecture events; looking for something else to do online. Coincidentally, this is often the model I fall into when I’m sitting in most of my grad classes. [Perhaps a follow-up post.]

What I enjoyed about Educon was the blend of the online and the real-time. Discussions are abundant there and can begin and end in many places. The backchanneling experience that the conversations generate was truly unique. I felt the opportunity to interact with the speaker along with real-time dialogue amongst the attendees kept me more focused on the topics we were discussing. This is a stark contrast to many other professional conferences I’ve attended. Overall, I’d say that Educon presented me with a opportunity to hear more, see more and share more ideas with others than sitting and listening to a single presenter talk about a specific topic ever has. I hope that more of my professional learning experiences evolve into this type of environment and learning community.

Random Thoughts that don’t really fit in this post and might not even totally be appropriate, but I’ll put them out there anyway.

• The development of a new type of welcoming learning spaces is a too often overlooked aspect of instructional design. Look to concept of third space. (@djakes)
• Current laws do not adequately reflect the rapid pace of technology change, adoption and use. This is putting teachers, administrators and our students at risk. (@jonbecker & @edjurist)
• Cognitive Load Theory is something I need to learn more deeply about and consider making part of my dissertation lit review. (@crafty184)
• Chris Lehmann must be running on an extra battery pack that no other human has. How is he able to do so much? Thank you for making the event possible.
• The Gary Stager certificate of awesomeness hasn’t really gotten me any extra credibility among my colleagues or peers.
• Next year for Halloween, I’m going to gray my hair, wear a presonalized bowling shirt and go as Paul R. Wood‘s Mini Me.