John Costilla’s most recent blog post.. Video Killed the Radio Star…. Social Communities killed…?

I think part of my “I want to meet different people” mantra came out of David Jakes’ post after EduCon2.0 in Philadelphia titled “Tragedy of the Commons” where he noted that many of the attendees spent time in the school’s library talking with people they’ve met digitally but not personally - when they could (should?) have been spending time talking to the students and teachers at that school. I’ll be honest, I felt like I was interrupting the teachers and students, but I relished the opportunity to talk with the students and teachers - maybe because I’m still just a “lowly teacher” and I really wanted to hear from the mouths of babes what worked and what didn’t.

So I started NECC off seeking out people that I had little contact with - I didn’t care if they were FB’s or even whether other people regarded them with respect or contempt. I was looking for ways to improve my craft, to see how other people are doing things that I didn’t already know about. I met people often without asking their names, because what they had to say was valid and interesting. I helped a very nice woman with her laptop. I talked with someone from the University of Oregon about how we can effectively measure technology use in the classroom. I talked with other state affiliate members about how to foster educational leadership in our state (Pennsylvania).

And you know what, as I’ve posted in my blog, the conversations were again so much more valid than the presentations I saw. And of the few “official” NECC presentations I did attend, the ones that included input from the audience were more genuine and interesting than ones where I was spoken to.

A couple of thoughts about your NECC post.

I’m not at all surprised 1800 people were in your Podcasting for the Absolute Beginner panel discussion. In my work with teachers in schools, I usually informally ask them about their technology use; to most PowerPoint is something to which they aspire. Many have never heard of wikis; some never heard of podcasts (although most heard of blogs, but do not use or read them themselves.) It’s easy to surround oneself with similar thinking, back-patting folks. It’s easy to start to think that is the universe, and forget the huge numbers far away from the cutting edge.

“I’ve heard from many people that they were largely disappointed with the conference and that the best part about it was simply the conversations outside of sessions” - I’ve attended many NECCs since 1986, and that has always been the case. Hit or miss sessions. Informal conversations rule. I always try to attend sessions given by classroom teachers (rather than tech directors or administrators) and also usually avoid those by vendors (not always, but usually). Actual classroom use has an authenticity that can’t be beat.

Jeff

Unlike others, you are always welcoming new people in to the network. You make it comfortable for those who are new. I thank you for that.

Your observations of NECC were right on the money. I had some goals for NECC that weren’t met and now that NECC is over I am trying to meet them by re-attending the conference online.

Sorry, that I will miss you next week!

MaryAnn Sansonetti’s most recent blog post.. NECC 2008…

I DID put together 10 goals and posted them on my blog prior to attending the conference- some were serious, others not so much. Since this was my third NECC experience, I wanted more than just to wander around, though. Not certain that I accomplished everything I wanted to, but am definitely in agreement that the outside conversations were usually more valuable to me than the sessions I attended… and that’s okay!

Was also glad to meet you at the DEN get-together at Rio Rio! I always enjoy F2F meetings after communicating via social tools. Thanks again!

It’s so easy to forget that everyone else is not on the same path as you and not seeing the same sights.

sylvia martinez’s most recent blog post.. Leadership Day 2008

Robert Rowe’s most recent blog post.. Hypermiling - to Chicago

But I wanted to say THANKS for a very eloquent and thorough NECC evaluation and reflection. I enjoyed reading it — and will reread it again later.

I wanted to say THANKS FOR MENTIONING what Chris Champion’s plans were. I had offered a challenge on by blog (http://jenuinetech.com/blog/?p=295 ) about taking in new sessions — and glad to see that others are expanding themselves too.

Smiles, you once were an unknown to me (as I was to you) and by talking to a new voice….we expanded our ripple!

Again — thanks. This was a very good post. Lots to think about.