FETC Takeaways
Posted by: milobo in Prof_Dev, tags: blogger, conference, edtech, FETC, PLN, twitterI’m finally getting a chance to sit and reflect on FETC 2009 (the Florida Educational Technology Conference). As usual, there were way too many great choices on how to spend my time and way too few minutes in a day to do them all. I presented on Thursday with Colleen Glaude and Katie Morrow on “Creating a PLN with Web 2.0 Tools” and even with the power outage that caught us just as we were getting started, we had a great time. I took notes in the other sessions I attended in GoogleDocs and posted my learning as part of the Scholastic TechTutors blog if you’re interested in finding out more.
One of the reasons I love attending conferences is the chance to see in person all the people I learn with virtually through websites like Classroom 2.0, ALI, Twitter, Plurk and more. It’s also an opportunity to catch up with my fellow Florida Apple Distinguished Educators. This year was especially exciting because of the number of interactions that began solely because of tools like Twitter and Plurk:
- I got to see Michelle Olah (HolaOlah), a Spanish Teacher at Teague Middle School in Altamonte Springs, Florida give her presentation. Michelle does some amazing things with Web 2.0 tools in her classroom and it was great to see the examples she shared. During the presentation, I sat with Sylvia Tolisano and learned even more.
- I met Cathy Baker (CathBaker) and was able to help in her quest for an iPhone charger.
- I met the tag team Jeff Richardson and Suzan Brandt, two Tech Integrators from Hoover, AL who created a wiki to share their learning from FETC.
- I got to spend some time with the Tech Integrationists Alicia Eslinger, Sonda Burckhard, and Judy Walter who work with Craig Nansen in Minot, ND.
- I listened to and learned from EduBloggers Lee Kolbert, Steve Dembo, Dean Shareski, Tom Turner, Jerry Swiatek and more during an informal Edublogger meetup after hours.
- I even got a ride to our hotel from Gordon Shupe, who just happened to notice my tweet about when we’d be arriving in Orlando.
Sadly, though, there just wasn’t enough time for the in-depth conversations I was craving.
On the way home, I did a lot of thinking about the traditional type of conference model that FETC represents and how I’d like to see it evolve. While at FETC, many others were gearing up for learning at EduCon 2.1 in Philadelphia. EduCon is an example of how professional conferences can evolve into more than a “sit and listen” event, but I wonder how we can support the need for volume events for thousands of educators (FETC regularly hosts between 7,000 and 14,000 educators) and the need for interaction and conversation.
If I could make some suggestions to the FETC planners, here are three takeaways that I’d like to share:
- Ditch the bags. I’m a teacher. I have enough conference bags in my closet to last more than a lifetime. But that’s not the reason I want to see them go. To me, the canvas bags are an invitation to collect paper: paper handouts from sessions, brochures and catalogs from vendors…you get the picture. If we want to model digital literacy, how about giving each participant a conference web page instead? On that page, we could create a schedule of the sessions we want to attend and the vendors we’re interested in talking to. Then, as we attend sessions, we could take notes directly on our web page or add links to vendor information for followup. Participants could link to one another and share notes, start conversations and plan meetups. Which brings me to my next request.
- Create a place for conversations. Give up a couple of the conference rooms and turn them into conversation rooms instead. Put in some groupings of comfy chairs and several round tables. Put in some power ports so we can recharge our laptops between sessions. You could even designate particular rooms to specific conversations (a 1:1 room, a Web tools room, a video production room, etc). Don’t worry about putting someone in charge of leading the conversation, or moderating a larger group discussion; that’s called a Panel session and it’s already available. Just give us a place to let our own conversations evolve.
- Give time for reflection and internalizing. There’s nothing worse to me than becoming engaged and excited in a topic and then having to make a choice – do I run to the next interesting session that starts in 15 minutes or do I skip it in order to put some of my thoughts down in writing or to discuss them with others? There’s got to be a way to mix time for learning with time for reflection and discussion.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
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January 28th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I love your idea of conversation areas! I always need time to bounce off ideas and it hard to find a place at a large convention. I think there should be meet-up areas so if you want to quickly pair up with your PLN before moving on to the next session or exhibit hall. Some times it is almost impossible to find someone during the day and reference points would help.
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January 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I agree with you on all 3 of your suggestions. I would add a 4th: FETC organizers: Please take a little more time knowing and understanding what the crowd will want to see in a session. The busiest sessions seemed to be those sessions dealing with the introduction and use of web tools. It was disappointing to see people turn away from a session (one that may change the way they teach) just because the room was full. There were many presentations delivered in the very large rooms that were nearly empty. Certainly, no one can predict exactly how popular a session will be, but you folks have been doing this a long time and should have a pretty good understanding of what your attendees (mainly classroom teachers) are looking for.
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January 28th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
How wonderful that you got to network with so many people in your PLN. Having the time and place for conversations is very important. I can understand your disappointment in not getting to have the in depth conversations you were wanting. Good ideas on how to change that for the next conference.
I agree the bags do encourage people to pick up the papers and handouts and what happens to most of those when they get home? Two years ago I picked up tons of stuff when I attended NYSCATE and brought it back and organized it all in a big binder for the teachers to look through. I don’t think one person looked at it. When I returned to the conference this year I only picked up a couple of things that I was really interested in. When I walk into a session and the presenter starts handing out a packet I’m very tempted to walk out. I want that info online. NYSCATE and NECC have Nings for the conferences and NYSCATE had a wiki this year for presenter information. I think they’re both good resources for both presenters and participants.
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January 28th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I like the “conversation rooms” suggestion. I really think that if we want our teachers to shift away from always being “on stage,” and to allow time for reflection and creativity, shouldn’t our conferences model that behavior?
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January 28th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I agree with many of the above suggestions. I also think conversation rooms or even meet-and-greet sort of activities would be good. I was a first-timer and because of my plurking I felt alittle more connected to those at the convention. BUT that being said, there were many times I felt a bit lost and was looking for people to share this great info and excitement with. Given a place to just meet others, chat, etc. I think I could have made deeper connections that would lead to greater collaboration in the future. An event like FETC can be a bit intimidating for a newbe like me so I think an informal setting to meet others would be beneficial to all.
Michelle Olah
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January 28th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I am TOTALLY sharing your ideas with the NETA Board at our board meeting next week as we plan for our Nebraska state Ed Tech conference in April. Your ideas, just like the rest of your professional sharing, are top-notch! Even more amazed that you are able to reflect and blog while being sick! You are amazing! Hope you feel better soon
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January 31st, 2009 at 9:18 am
Hi Michelle,
It was wonderful meeting you at FETC. I like (most of) your ideas but I think the “ditch the bags” idea will not work on many levels and as teachers, we tend not to see the big picture. Conferences such as FETC (and ours in our district) are mostly funded by vendors and sponsors. In our district, we are completely funded by vendors and sponsors. If there were no bags on which the major sponsors could post their logos, and prepopulate with their materials, and in which teachers could carry around (as walking billboards), there would be much less incentive for sponsors to sign on for such huge sums of money. Additionally, the smaller vendors in the hall, want to see you walking around and want you to take their stuff. If you have something to put it in, you are more likely to take something. This gives them motivation/financial incentive for being there. If only a few teachers bring back their promotional materials to their decision makers where a resulting purchase is made, then the conference was most likely a success for that small booth.
As far as being green and going totally digital with the handouts? Companies know that once you leave the conference, and your emails start coming in from them, you aren’t reading them. They know that while you are at the conference, you are in an educational euphoria but once you get back to work, the everyday tasks of teaching take over and you don’t have time to focus on the “visions of tomorrow” that were dancing around your head as they were just a few days prior. They know that if they can get something in your hand as you’re walking by, that is STILL the most effective form of marketing.
For many of us who are there for the learning and networking, the vendor hall is a major annoyance. It’s important to understand though, that without the sponsors and vendors, the learning and networking wouldn’t be there either.
As for your #2, I totally agree that a place for conversations, was totally lacking at FETC. ILC in San Jose had this set up quite nicely. They had tables and chairs set up in the lobby area. At FETC, it was common to see people sitting on the floor. There’s a lot of real estate there that could be more wisely used.
#3 is also a necessity for me as well, but not sure that is the responsibility of the conference. People are spending money to fly in, eat and stay at hotels and I’m guessing there are lots who want to pack in as much as possible in as short a time as possible (without impacting their work schedule as well). I’m not sure what the solution is there. We hear the same complaints at our conference every year. People want time to discuss what they just experienced before they move on. It’s a tough thing to build in to a 50 minute session. Perhaps that’s something the presenters themselves should sense and allow for it if they see the desire building with their audience.
Great post! I still haven’t gotten to my FETC post yet, but you’ve inspired me! Thanks!
~Lee
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February 2nd, 2009 at 11:33 pm
@Lee
I know you’re absolutely right about the need for vendor support, but I’m hoping that as people become comfortable with digital resources, we can get rid of more of the paper even if we can’t eliminate it entirely. I was interested to see the FETC vendor followup email I received called BuyersConnect from CompuSystems. It seems that whenever our nametags were scanned by a vendor, that information was compiled – the email gave me a listing of all the vendors whose booths I visited along with a link to their website and contact information. That’s one step closer to a paperless vendor hall!
I actually like having the vendors as part of a conference as it gives me time to explore tools and options for future purchases. I usually go to conferences with a list of needs we’re looking to fill or a list of products that sound interesting and try to plan time to visit the exhibit hall to see them all.
As for time to discuss and reflect, I’m still hoping there’s a way to fit it in without feeling like I’m leaving something else out. I don’t quite know what it is yet, but it’s got to be out there somewhere.
Looking forward to your FETC post!
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February 4th, 2009 at 11:39 am
My favorite part about going to these conferences is the networking and interaction with other educators. I come home all jazzed up with new ideas… ideas that other schools are already implementing! Many of the sessions were a great introduction to topic.. but wouldn’t have been nice to meet with other educators to discuss the sessions…
As for the conference bags, with the airlines charging for check bags, the last thing I need is to add to my already full luggage! Where would I put all of my shoes:)
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