Where to begin…

The freight train called NECC barreled through Washington, D.C. last week, in a loud, raucous, overwhelming show of educational force that combined high-tech hollywood-style production values with individualized, here-let-me-show-you-how-it-works personal connections. I started snapping pics the moment I arrived, resulting in my being dubbed “official photographer” by more than one person. 1,098 shots later, I’d contributed one-fifth of the (currently) over 5,000 photos tagged with NECC09. That’s just me, always trying to help. :-)

photo credit: digitalART2

How do you describe NECC? The “blind men and an elephant” parable comes to mind … so many see so much from such different perspectives, there can really never be agreement. For some, it’s empowering, enlightening and inspirational; for others, it’s exasperating, exhausting and confusing. For most people, it’s a little of both. So, with that, here’s my take.

What Worked Well

• EdubloggerCon – probably my favorite “formal” event at NECC. This pre-conference was small (about 80 people) and loosely organized. Some sessions were planned in advance, others happened spontaneously. We made gathering spaces in the hallways and people used the Law of Two Feet when necessary to ensure they got the most out of the conversation. I had the pleasure of arranging a session called “Social Media Policy & Practice for K-12 Districts” which was a Conversation led by Ann Flynn, Director, Education Technology, National School Boards Association and our own Scott McLeod, Iowa State/CASTLE. As shown here, this was one of the best attended sessions … participants were even filmed by ISTE and appeared in the Sunday opening keynote. Cool!
• The Blogger’s Cafe – while officially nothing more than a few chairs, some tables, powerstrips and a TV monitor or two, this centrally-located space was the defacto gathering place at NECC. Attendees of all kinds (including the musically inclined) spent time here between sessions, sometimes INSTEAD of sessions, getting to know each other (many meeting for the first time) and catching up on Twitter and email.  It was so, so, so terrific.
• The Second Life Playground – despite being located in a remote area that was probably the brightest, sunniest part of the convention center (making it next to impossible to see what was projected on the SMART boards), this year’s playground was a great success, thanks to a lot of hard work by a huge team of volunteers and the leadership of Lisa Linn and Scott Merrick. I personally helped at least a dozen different people get their avatars up and going, gave tours of ISTE Island, discussed implications of the Teen Grid, and generally promoted virtual worlds as viable educational spaces. I also enjoyed meeting Rachel Dretzin and Caitlyn McNally who are working on PBS Frontline’s digital_nation project, which if you have not yet checked out, you must! They need to hear from you!
• The “Debate” Tuesday Morning Panel – asking the widely-derided question, “Are bricks and mortar schools detrimental to the future of education,” NPR commentator Robert Siegel guided four panelists including our own Gary Stager through a series of talks designed to convince the audience that their assigned “side” was correct. (It wasn’t really a debate.) Gary’s comments were incredibly powerful (click here for the full text). I snagged a front-row seat and shot about 100 pictures at that event alone!
• Our Student Showcase – Holly and Allie did a terrific job sharing about our middle school newspaper/media club, the TBird Times, to everyone who came by on Wednesday between 12-2. We had a nifty display board, three laptops (all my own) and an external monitor, rocking out with our Animoto trailer for the club … it was great to talk with other educators interested in what we’d done and how they could try something similar in their districts.

What Could Have Been Better

• The Exhibit Hall Boat Show – Scott McLeod said it best in his blog post, “Do pink Cadillacs really sell printers?” but why are we surprised that the Education-Industrial Complex, fueled by good ol’ American capitalism and OUR TAX DOLLARS have led us to this place? (Recession? What recession?) But wait … there’s more! Thanks to the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, schools everywhere are salivating at the prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars to quench their insatiable technolust. Remember, folks: machines are the easy part; people are the hard part. Here’s a novel idea – why not invest your hard-earned ARRA money in the most important asset your school district has – the one that LEAVES THE BUILDING EVERY AFTERNOON – your people?!?!?!
• Some sessions – by and large I missed most I’d planned to attend, due to conflicts, extended conversations in the Blogger’s Cafe, or because I just didn’t plan well. A few were truly great, but I missed more than I made. Some, on the other hand, generated angst amongst attendees.
• The Food – I’ve got no problem paying $12 for a dry sandwich, a bag of chips and a coke, but please, make it easier for me to do so! Having more food access in the conference center would have been terrific. I realize you can never have ‘enough’ but I was literally skipping meals left and right (and then over-eating when I did get near food – not good.)
• Our Student Showcase – I am proud of our students and the work they did this year in the club, I just wish I’d done a better job leading the group. :( When Alan November showed the Student News Action Network, I was blown away. Ok, so it’s a product of Washington International School, not a public school in New Jersey, but it’s a great example of what I had hoped we’d achieve – well, maybe except for the network of international correspondents.

Wow. Ok. Enough of that, eh? 1,000+ words? Sheesh. Still reading? :)

Bottom line, I’m glad I went. Warts and all, NECC is still one of the two conferences I never miss. The other, diametrically opposed in many ways, is, of course: Educon. Both feature the most important aspect of personal professional development – connecting to the people we learn from. And since we’re fortunate enough to attend, it’s up to us to share the wealth with those who can’t – in our school and in our networks!

-kj-

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