Hordes of edubloggers and more are descending on San Antonio for the NECC 2008 show (“the National Educational Computing Conference, the world’s largest educational technology conference for teachers and technology coordinators”). They will be a’blogging, twittering, flickring, tagging, ning-ing… see Vicki Davis’ coverage plan via netvibes. Colleagues like Hey Jude Judy O’Connell are winging in from Sydney.
It’s not on my gig list, but will keep tuned via all the channels. I got a bit reflective, and remembered going to NECC 1995, when I was only 2 years into the instructional technology game, and green as can be. I cannot exactly remember how I chose to go to, but bet a large part was because it was in Baltimore, and I got to be a tourist in my home town.
And I actually found my original notes from that conference which were kind of humorous to read. I remember being excited to have met Helen Barrett for the first time, and there she was really doing innovative early work in electronic portfolio concepts. I recall we made a solid connection, but strangely enough, my cryptic notes only mention “PaperPort Scanner $300”. ??
If blogs existed then mine would have included this rant on “boring sessions”
I will slip comatose if I attend another session where a presenter boldly proclaims “The Sage on the Stage must give away to the Guide on the Side” and then proceeds to turn down the lights, flip on the projector, and monotonely lectures to a nodding choir.
Too much HyperCard… where is the cutting edge? anyone can write a home page, big deal.
There was also a lot of discussions of internet connectivity; remember this was pre web hype days. It’s not in my notes, but I remember a funny titled session, “If I SLIP and fall on my PPP, will it hurt?”
Anyhow, if you are going to NECC, be sure to pry a little bit of time to peek around San antonio, which is a whole lore more than the River Walk.
It must be the year to be reflective on NECC. My first wasn’t 13 years ago it was 7 years ago… I wrote about it the other day.
Times they change for sure! You reminded me just what it was like going to these kinds of events so long ago! But for the aussie troop making their way over for the first time NECC is a bit of a holy grail in IT conferences…something to do once in a lifetime at least. I know there are many sessions I’m not at all interested in, but there are others that should be great value. But for my money, the strong connections with people and the ways they are thinking and using tools – that’s what will make it for me.