This has been a GREAT weekend! I was able to attend the EduCon Conference at the SLA Academy in Philiadelphia yesterday and today.
I wasn’t able to attend it in person, but went virtually via Elluminate and Twitter. I would have much rather been in Philadelphia being part of the excitement and conversations that were happening there this weekend. But it was not to be this time. I got to watch and listen in on the conference and was able to participate in some of the back channel and Twitter parts of the many of the presentations and discussions that were happening there. I got to listen to Education leaders like Stager, Richardson, Lehman, Parisi and a bunch of lesser known, but important figures in EdTech online communities that I follow most every day.
The first morning was a little rough, as the student moderators, presenters and the rest of us became comfortable with using Elluminate to participate in the conference discussions. As we learned more we were able to do more with the tools available. That afternoon and the second day went very smoothly 
.
The overall content of the conference was excellent and the many side conversations were great. Going to it virtually, just did not lend itself to the same level of excitement and synergy that you get when you go to a great conference – sitting at your desk looking out over your back yard was rather anti-climatic. I did learn a lot, but did not have that big emotional lift and re-energization that many were talking about as the conference wound down.
At least I was able to be the fly one the wall and listen in. I just wish there was a way for the back channel to be part of the presentation too, but that will come in time and the future of Education looks promising when viewed from the lenses of the presenters at EduCon.
Now we just have to get more the High level Educational leaders to attend conferences like this to see what educators really think of their educational reforms. I don’t mean just District level leaders, there needs to be people from the State DOE’s and Federal DOE attend these sessions to see what the “grassroots of their “industry” wants for the future.
I will not hold my breath, I get the impression that State or Federal Educational Reformers have their own agenda and that attending an event or conference like this and being questioned about their great ideas is not what they want to hear. We are not part of their echo chamber. At times it seems to me it is as though we educators are the “Elephant in the room” that no one wants to actually see, have to acknowledge or listen to. We can’t possibly be right, after all we are only teachers and it is only our classrooms that they are reforming.
Enough editorializing and standing on a sopbox pounding my drum loudly for no one to hear.
I do want to thank Chris Lehman, his staff and the students that put on EduCon and did a remarkable job at ensuring that those of us who couldn’t attend were able to listen in. I hope that I will be able to attend next year’s conference and make the personal connections in addition to the online ones I have been fortunate enough to make.
This Tweet from #Educon will stay with me for a long time and kind of sums up a lot of what I saw and heard this weekend.
This one from Chris Lehman
These have been said before, but they do say a lot.
Remember it is about the kids, not you or I, so do the right thing for the right reasons and remember they only get one shot.
Bill Chapman
February 1, 2010
I’m somewhat skeptical of the value of twittering, etc. during conference sessions. Unless the presenter has specifically decided to incorporate social media (and digital attendees) into his/her presentation, it seems somehow rude and disruptive to tweet while present. In my life in education (student, teacher and conference presenter) I’ve found that focusing my full attention on engaging others in the room leads to the most value. I saw many photos posted by attendees at some edtech conference a few months ago, and was saddened to see rows of people absorbed by their laptop screens and keyboards while a presentation was going on in front of them. If this is the direction education is moving, it will not be beneficial. I certainly believe that tech has a role to play in classrooms and conferences, but supplanting face to face interactions is a good use. We (students, teachers and presenters) need to develop interpersonal, face to face skills (discussion and decision making to name two). Try to imagine yourself on trial. When the case goes to the jury, do you want jurors who can talk to each other and reach a reasoned decision; or do you want distracted tweeters casting a vote for who knows what reason?
resource220
February 1, 2010
Bill – I am torn…I too have done it both ways, during most presentations (for me at least) I find that I use Twitter or Blogging as my note taking tools and to engage myself more in the presentation. It works for me and that is all I can go by. If a presenter is simply up front talking and using a slide show with lots of words in it, I get lost pretty quickly. I have found for me that I have to be actively involved – I am very much a “do something” learner and found using those tools works for me or I tend to wander off to other things (much as our students do, during our lectures).
Is it disrespectful for me to engage in back channel or Twitter conversations beyond what the presenters are discussing when I am in the room with them? I don’t know it is a tough thing. Is it more disrespectful for me to stop a presenter’s presentation on points that I may disagree with every time I disagree with them or wait for a point to discuss it and then forget about what I disagreed with? There are no simple answers to these and many more questions or points that you and others have brought up about using Twitter and back channels when others are presenting.
I do know that I prefer the face-to-face conference to attending conference virtually. Then at least I have the choice to sit and listen or use Twitter/back channels. Attending conferences virtually it seems that Twitter/back channeling is the only way we can participate.
I also do not believe that bashing a presenter is appropriate during the presentation, that is not appropriate and not civil. I know that I would not appreciate it if it was me, but using Twitter or a back channel – I wouldn’t mind others using them to comment or ask me questions pertinent to the presentation. Sometimes that might be where the real learning is taking place. I have attended virtual presentations where I have learned more from the back channel conversation than the presenter. It is all about the learning.
I don’t recommend Twittering for everyone during a presentation, but I do believe that for some it is the right choice, just as focusing solely on the presenter is the right choice for others. We all learn differently and our different personal styles need to be respected.
Thank you for making me think and see a different perspective, that is what this is all about — not always agreeing but always listening and learning.
Harold
Bill Chapman
February 1, 2010
I meant to type, “but supplanting face to face interactions is NOT a good use.”
Richard Byrne
February 2, 2010
@Harold,
I feel the same away about attending conferences online. You don’t get the same “energy” that you do in person. That is part of the reason why I didn’t jump into any online sessions this weekend. The other reason I didn’t really pursue going to EduCon is because, as Will Richardson also alluded to in a blog post today, that we can only do so much talking and need to go out and just do “it.” Whatever that “it” is in your school. I guess I’ve gotten to the point that I’ve talked about enough changes/ innovations with enough people that I’ve reached the point where I just want to focus my energy on “doing things.” Don’t get me wrong, I have great respect for Chris Lehmann and the EduCon attendees, but now that I’ve heard and been involved in many conversations on “change” I’m more interested in spending my energy on making immediate changes in our classrooms.
@Bill,
I’m also torn. I try to strike a balance between Tweeting and watching the speaker. That said, I’ve been in some presentations that were so good that I didn’t want to open my computer at all.
resource220
February 2, 2010
Rich – That is part of the problem that I have noticed with several of the Communities, we are long on talking about the problems, but it seems as though we do not discuss what we are doing in our classrooms, campuses, etc. to resolve these issues that seem to repeat in many of the conversations I have listened to. We have to decide is it time to incorporate the change and just do it? The really sad thing is the issues and comments have not changed all that much since we were sitting and talking at the Red Robin that first time we talked F2F and didn’t change very much at all in the 15 months that I was outside of education looking in.
I guess we are at the point where we need to “think globally, but do locally” I have a feeling that while I will continue to participate selectively in online discussions, that like you I will focus more on what I actually have control of or at least input to in my classroom/school and focus on improving what I can there. While still attempting to influence/discuss things I believe are important at a higher level than I normally would be able without our Web2.0 tools.
Thank you for your candor, but I still would like to go to one of these “national” meetings if for no other reason than to meet F2F people who I have talked with so often online. Maybe I will end up in Manchester in July? Within driving distance.
Thanks Rich