tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post4716018209331555046..comments2024-03-22T08:16:45.553-06:00Comments on The Fischbowl: NECC Reflection #2: Do We Need NECC?Karl Fischhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11121548023409279686noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-6595195000093550462007-07-13T07:50:00.000-06:002007-07-13T07:50:00.000-06:00Thank you for the reflections. I have been physica...Thank you for the reflections. I have been physically "away" from technology for ten days -- a very healthy thing to do, by the way-- and am excited by ALL of your ideas (and Chris's) regarding ways to spread the message. Just as the kids learn in so many ways, we need to have many ways for the adults to approach all these ideas and forces for change. <BR/><BR/>One thing that I observed at NECC was that there is a definite<A HREF="http://chshively.blogs2teach.net/index.php/2007/02/11/blogs-and-the-cafeteria/" REL="nofollow">HS cafeteria-like</A> nature to some of the interactions. Those who know each other do hang together, eat together, and enjoy the stimulation of seeing each other once a year. Edubloggercon helped those of us who felt like the "out" crowd to feel more comfortable walking up to the table. For those who know others only by name (bloglurkers)-- if at all-- or who are not "up to speed" with the fast-track, the conference remains comfortably seated in the traditional sessions and official offerings. <BR/><BR/>Kathy (above) is right that finding the others with whom to converse once the sessions end is VERY difficult for those traveling alone (especially if one is not the type to break in on conversations). <BR/><BR/>I would advocate some ways to lessen this new divide. I am afraid that we are perpetuating the them/us of those who are using collaborative, web 2.0 tools and those who those who are not. I overheard too many early adopters talk about "them": the teachers who "won't even try anything new." We would never dare to treat our students with such disdain. We would lure them in. Those who read/write blogs and have new visions for education need to do the same.<BR/><BR/>Some unsessions/cafés where edubloggers INVITE newbies to sit down at a table together and join in writing a post might help. This would encourage those who are more comfortable with some support or who feel the need for "how to" time. Once comfortably seated at a table together, the conversation among diverse learners/users can move to the why and the more provocative issues of change. I do not mean that everybody has to be a peer-tutor. But it would be a good idea for everyone to seek out some they never knew and converse with some who may not have seen a bigger picture (have any of us really brought that picture into focus?). <BR/><BR/>An open invite and open chair for someone you never met would be a powerful way to open more dialog, whether at regional, national, or international conferences. Give "them" permission and opportunity, and they will come.<BR/><BR/>BTW, if there is a way that <A HREF="http://www.teachersfirst.com " REL="nofollow">TeachersFirst</A> can publicize regional, low cost events to our largely "traditional" audience of teachers, we would be happy to do so. We have a pretty good track record of making the new seem approachable for busy teachers. And we are free and not-for-profit..no ads or agendas. I will just need to be notified via our <A HREF="http://www.teachersfirst.com/cfemail.cfm" REL="nofollow">webmaster email</A> with some mention of what the conference/event is all about and a contact email.chshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03807340029247968428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-83930897241235351482007-07-11T12:24:00.000-06:002007-07-11T12:24:00.000-06:00Thanks everyone for your thoughts.Dean - I'm shock...Thanks everyone for your thoughts.<BR/><BR/>Dean - I'm shocked, absolutely shocked you didn't notice my absence from your reader. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. You do have to use your google account, but you can put the ideasandthoughts url into your profile so that it shows as "My Web Page" in the upper left corner when folks view your profile. That would at least have a chance to directing them to the right place.<BR/><BR/>Diane, Carolyn, Anthony, Kathy and others - how do we go about suggesting something like this to ISTE?<BR/><BR/>Bud and cthscougar - thanks for volunteering, let's see if we can come up with something.<BR/><BR/>Jane and Durff - thanks for the encouraging words.<BR/><BR/>Darren - bold thinking, but I still think there's a need for face to face. So many folks would be excluded if we tried to do second life or elluminate, either due to technical issues or comfort issues. I think that's a fine additional idea, but I still think that for the majority of educators/community members, small, face to face conferences are worth exploring.Karl Fischhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11121548023409279686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-29079271622829043742007-07-05T22:08:00.000-06:002007-07-05T22:08:00.000-06:00Karl,First, let me say that I have been reading yo...Karl,<BR/><BR/>First, let me say that I have been reading your blog for several months and always find your articles interesting. I am also a fan of your visual work - Did You Know?, 2020 Vision, and What If? Thanks for all you share with us.<BR/><BR/>Here is something for us to chew on. What if an ISTE World Conference were held every two years? During the off years, NECC would sponsor Zonal Forums. These zones would correspond to different local regions in North America and around the world. The events could be held over a three or four day period. One could further divide these regions into areas and have area mini conferences over a weekend with Saturday being the main conference day. These area mini conferences could be held annually. Understand that I have not given much thought to the logistics of such a system of events. I just think the zonal and area meetings would serve to give many others the benefit of attending a NECC style event without the prohibitive costs of an annual national/world conference. Local events would allow more students to be involved. Hey...how about having a student chapter of NECC....<BR/><BR/>Anthony PowellAnthony Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02229191385593439850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-90950061862682670632007-07-05T17:16:00.000-06:002007-07-05T17:16:00.000-06:00Hello Karl-It was great to meet you at NECC. I wo...Hello Karl-<BR/><BR/>It was great to meet you at NECC. I would have liked to have sat down to speak with you at greater length, but I understand how conferences sometimes go.<BR/><BR/>I recall you asking me whether or not you thought that your video has caused any change in the ways that teachers are now teaching. In reflecting further on your question, I am left thinking that some changes have been made - at the very least, much needed conversations are now taking place. We're at least planting a few seeds that will eventually be sown.<BR/><BR/>As far as our need for NECC goes, I couldn't agree more with your post. I think that NECC is great (as far as a "battery charger" goes), but it needs to take place on a more frequent basis.<BR/><BR/>As a result (and as a result of a post that Graham Wegner recently wrote), I <A HREF="http://drapestakes.blogspot.com/2007/07/why-every-teacher-should-blog-reason-7.html" REL="nofollow">wrote a post the other day</A> in which I explain that I think we need to hold an international EduBloggerCon type conference on a more than yearly basis. I'm also thinking that it needs to be very inexpensive - if not free for participants around the world (possibly all via Elluminate or Second Life).<BR/><BR/>What are your thoughts on the matter? You know that whatever we all decide to do, we've got to stick together - or else nothing will ever take place.<BR/><BR/>Darren<BR/><BR/>P.S. Thanks for commenting on Russ Lauber's blog the other day. I spoke with Russ on the phone and your comments made his day.Darren Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17578208859042859340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-55623761972178274102007-07-05T07:55:00.000-06:002007-07-05T07:55:00.000-06:00So about halfway through your post I thought "So l...So about halfway through your post I thought "So let's do an event." Then, you suggested, "let's do something," and gave some info on what it might look like. <BR/><BR/> So, gulp, let's do something. I'm in.Bud Hunthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460157804783466969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-24718271259554517322007-07-05T06:48:00.000-06:002007-07-05T06:48:00.000-06:00Karl,I love this idea. (It'd be great if NECC pic...Karl,<BR/><BR/>I love this idea. (It'd be great if NECC picked up sponsoring something like this--much like the TechForum one day conferences).<BR/><BR/>I like the idea of the informality, and having a variety of people.<BR/><BR/>I'm excited about the edubloggercon ideas, but also those feel more like something for me, and not something I could encourage other people to attend if they are not part of the blogging community at all. I think too much of the conversation might not seem pertinent to them.<BR/><BR/>So I also like the idea of a community type of mini conference.<BR/><BR/>(I also agree about the conference room set up, the blogger's cafe, and evening event postings. I think it was hard to connect with people that you knew were there, especially if you were attending sessions or missed the bloggercon.)<BR/><BR/>I am also fascinated by your comments in this post and the previous one about including students, and the ability that these smaller community conferences could provide for that.<BR/><BR/>In terms of dates, I'd just say late October/November already are prime conference dates for people, so something other than that?<BR/><BR/>Looking forward to seeing this idea develop!Carolyn Footehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07581454611313810543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-78424572262155051262007-07-04T23:16:00.000-06:002007-07-04T23:16:00.000-06:00This was my first NECC and although I loved every ...This was my first NECC and although I loved every minute of it, I found it overwhelming. I spent weeks beforehand pouring over possible sessions and putting them into my NECC planner. I loved all the sessions, but as a newbie and a singleton, I found it a bit difficult to make connections because, once you left a session, chances weren't great that you'd encounter your session-mates again because there were just so many places to go.<BR/><BR/>It would also be great to have some well-advertised electronic or bulletin board posting of after-hours things. I found out as I was waiting for my luggage when I got back home, that there were was a northwest after hours gathering but as I was there on my own, I had no way of finding out about it.<BR/><BR/>There was an introduction to NECC, but I found it singularly unhelpful. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every minute of the conference. I only attended one session that I felt wasn't worthwhile and there are few conferences I can say that about!!<BR/><BR/>I think you are on to something about regional conferences held in schools. Prior to NECC I went to a Jamie McKenzie workshop held at Shiloh Point Elementary in Cummings, GA. It was great to be in a school and it really did help me to keep in mind what the bottom line is -- impact on student learning.<BR/><BR/>I think that this is a great dialog to have. With all the opportunities to conference online, there could be pre-conference preparation things that could happen so that the content of the conference might be even more meaningful. I hope that you will continue with this conversation over the next few months.Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15995114369096034972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-74553537096904545612007-07-04T21:25:00.000-06:002007-07-04T21:25:00.000-06:00I'm in CCSD in Colorado and think the mini confere...I'm in CCSD in Colorado and think the mini conference idea is a good one. I would make it a point to be there. Might even consider assisting you with the effort if you needed an extra hand.Christine Archerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266263688214498076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-28675515806301597422007-07-04T15:13:00.000-06:002007-07-04T15:13:00.000-06:00Last year a colleague and I put on a conference fo...Last year a colleague and I put on a conference for our area. It was a stretching, growing, stressful but rewarding experience. The idea for our conference was to bring in two inspirational keynote speakers and then have workshops to choose from all presented by teachers in our area. In my role as an ICT Facilitator I have spent the last three years in schools with teachers helping them integrate technology with effective pedagogy, having these teachers present their experiences was valuable for all concerned. <BR/><BR/>In this way our conference was more than a conference, people got to attend sessions and grow in their knowledge but they also got to present, step outside their comfort zone and celebrate the great things they were doing in their classrooms. So I am a fan of hosting a small conference. But I would never give up going to the large conferences to meet up with people who are extending my thoughts.Jane Nichollshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185395110248629846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-71707581117126433202007-07-04T13:21:00.000-06:002007-07-04T13:21:00.000-06:00Karl,You and your staff did a terrific job at NECC...Karl,<BR/>You and your staff did a terrific job at NECC. Your presentation was just enough for the amount of time allotted and comments/conversation from the audience was especially relevant - you always learn a lot by hearing people talk about their own experiences and knowledge. So, a couple of things have been going through my head since getting home. First of all, like all learners, even adults need a variety of learning situations and have a variety of learning styles. I didn't stop at the blogger's cafe because there were a number of sessions that I was interested in attending. So one way I learn is to take in various amounts of information then reflect on it later by filtering what I learned through my own knowledge or by discussions with others. But, the one thing the came to mind as I read through other postings about the cafe is how much we still need that face to face interaction for learning - learning is a social process. I wonder if NECC would sponsor more frequent conferences on a regional basis or on an interest basis. ASCD has frequent conferences but they tend to be focused on more narrow topics and are held around the country. The expense of a one time conference and the location, wherever it may be, will always hold some people from attending but conference in various localities would give more opportunities for attendance and help attendees pick and choose what they're most interested in. ISTE would have to think about something on an international basis as well so that our friends around the world have the same advantages as we do for these conferences.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again for the great presentation. I brought a friend with me who couldn't decide what she wanted to go to at the particular time and she went away with lots of good ideas.Diane Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02334892358542302037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-22506723227405113122007-07-04T11:00:00.000-06:002007-07-04T11:00:00.000-06:00I think the "vast wasteland" has proven itself oth...I think the "vast wasteland" has proven itself otherwise!<BR/>We do need both formats. Some of us may be ready to move on and most of us that we seek to reach are not ready.Durffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05683687754001195123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16660456.post-83959948273033266642007-07-04T10:35:00.000-06:002007-07-04T10:35:00.000-06:00For some reason when I switched from Bloglines to ...For some reason when I switched from Bloglines to Google Reader, I lost your feed. With so many feeds I never realized I missed yours....Glad to have you back in my reader.<BR/><BR/>As someone deeply involved in Professional Learning, your points are spot on and thankfully, some of the changes and concepts are being implemented however sporadically and inconsistently. Certainly variety of learning environments have merits but we are finding that certain learning principles ought to be used more widespread.<BR/><BR/>PS..is there a way to post a comment without using my google account? It doesn't link to my main blog....ideasandthoughts.orgDRShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15055490866531065692noreply@blogger.com