This is my favourite conference. I come away with great material each year and I make face-to-face connections with people I follow on Twitter and truly admire. Some quick highlights in this category. Sitting at a keynote and realizing I am sitting next to Donna Miller Fry who I have learned so much from this year. Talking to George Couros just before his keynote and getting his words of wisdom, “man you really need to change your Twitter photo, no one can see you”. Doug Peterson, my hero then chimed in “your photo is rather dark”.
These seem like very simple exchanges, but for me they show how much I have learned in the last year from these great educators. We have barely (or never) ever met but there is a shared intimacy that comes from being part of the writing community on Twitter.
Some of the best learning at conferences for me now comes just from these quick connections. They will be enough to sustain our on-going on-line relationships where I will continue to be enriched by their experience on an almost daily basis.
I talked to lots of vendors and attended as many keynotes and workshops as I could when not doing registration, but I think there is huge value in all the conversations with committee members (a truly wonderful group of people), vendors and twitter learning partners. It is amazing to me that after 30 years in education, my learning experience is richer than ever.
We hear it now lots in workshops – to be an isolated educators really makes no sense anymore. I truly lived that over the past four days.
I have lots more to write about, but as George says – relationships are key, certainly the most important aspect of the work we do.
Thank-you everyone, great seeing you all!
this is the way to finish a conference – what a great group!
Whole-Hearted 