Expanding Your NECC 2009 Experience

View and edit NECC 2009 Washington, DC in a larger map. Please add your recommendations!

It's that time of year again... The International Society for Technology in Education will celebrate its 30th birthday in a few weeks by hosting the National Educational Computing Conference in Washington, D.C. For me, it's a particularly exciting time to be visiting our nation's capital in light of our new president and a renewed focus on improving education.

NECC 2009 promises to be professionally rejuvenating event for anyone interested in educational technology. It is a potentially overwhelming conference with nearly 13,000 attendees and approximately 500 vendors presenting their wares. For the record, educational technology has never been about the tools for me (although I do revel in the cool factor of many technologies), but about leveraging learning for kids. That said, I hope that educators from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests will attend for similar reasons. I would actually like to see the excitement about educational technology filter down more to those who aren't necessarily techie geeks like myself.

For the past few years, I've posted a blog entry highlighting a few tips and tricks for making the most of your NECC experience. Review my ideas for 2007 and for 2008; I still stand by that general advice. Pick an area of focus, spend time planning before you get to Washington with that theme in mind, and give yourself plenty of time to digest everything. Bring your laptop for taking notes and accessing additional content; I suspect more people will be using iPhones for this purpose, however. Finally, get connected with other educators through the plethora of events that are scheduled. For the second year, ISTE has an online community for conference conversation. Networking isn't just for job seekers or administrators anymore!

If you are not able to attend in person, you should be able to participate virtually as well. Some presenters may elect to post their materials online and to stream video feeds of their presentations. At Edubloggercon, an informal "unconference" to be held Saturday, June 27 as a precursor to NECC, many sessions will also be broadcast via tools such as Ustream. Finally, similar sessions called NECC Unplugged will be taking place in the Blogger's Café during the actual conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

In addition to all this, people will be blogging, posting pictures, and twittering away about conference happenings. You can find this stuff by searching various sources using tags (keyword labels) such as NECC, NECC2009, and NECC09. For instance, search Twitter using #NECC and you'll find a steady microblogging stream. I recommend searching Technorati for blog posts and Flickr for photos in a similar manner.

Finally, I like to make the most of any travel experience by doing a little research ahead of time. I usually do a cursory search in iTunes for content related to my destination that I can put on my iPod or iPhone. For instance, I purchased the audiobook of A Cricket in Times Square for my daughter when we traveled to New York City prior to NECC 2005. In 2006, I traveled to Europe with other Apple Distinguished Educators on a project and I brought along a Passport to Europe episode on Berlin and a No Reservations episode on Paris (this show isn't necessarily for kids, by the way). In addition to these items, there are tons of free podcasts available in iTunes if you do a search for your particular destination.

I've taken the liberty of putting together a few Washington DC related resources. I have not reviewed all of these; I just explored and plucked ones that look potentially interesting. If you have any additional recommendations, please add them to the comments. Enjoy and see you in DC. I'll be in the Google booth from time to time and presenting as part of Larry Anderson's Podcasting and Podcatching for the Absolute Beginner panel. Stop by and say hello!

Washington DC and NECC Resources

Lucy's NECC Calendar - Each year, I use the NECC conference planner to plot any sessions interesting to me. I'm focusing on math, science and interactive whiteboards this year.

Lucy's NECC '09 Map - Join this Google Map and add your info and recommendations.

NECC Ning - NECC's online community; attendees and virtual attendees are welcome to join.

GovFresh - one stop shopping for multimedia produced by the U.S. governent. Everything is aggregated in one place; web 2.0 at its finest!

Apps for your iPhone:

• iTransDC Metro - (99 cents)
• iMetroMap DC (99 cents)
  
• Dubbele.com (99 cents)
• Washington DC Public (free)
• Washington Post's Going Out Guide (free)
• Washington DC Travel Guide (99 cents)
• Washington DC - GPS Tour (99 cents)
  
• U.S Historical Documents (99 cents)
  
• iCongress (99 cents)
  
• politicoTrack ($9.99)
  
• Presidents Match Game (99 cents)
  
• USA Presidents (free)

Podcasts:

• Cityscapes - Washington DC
• Tourcaster - Washington DC City Guide
• Mobile Tours
• Cultural Tourism DC: Audio Journeys
• Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Podcasts
• ARTSEDGE: The Kennedy Center's Jazz in DC
• The International Spy Museum SpyCast
• US Holocaust Memorial Museum iTunes U Page
• Smithsonian Podcasts
• LearnOutLoud's US Presidents Podcast
• The Washington Post Video Podcast
• Washington Week Video Podcast
• President Obama's Weekly Address

TV Shows and Movies:

• Smithsonian Channel ($1.99 per episode to purchase)
• Anthony Bourdrain's No Reservations - Washington DC ($1.99 per episode to purchase)
• All the President's Men ($9.99 to purchase, $2.99 to rent)
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ($14.99 to purchase only)

YouTube Channels:

• Smithsonian Channel
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Newseum
• Library of Congress
• C-SPAN
• The White House

New and Improved: Navigating NECC 2008

The 2008 National Educational Computing Conference is set to commence a week from tomorrow in San Antonio and I think it's time for my second annual NECC post! Last year, I passed on a few tips about navigating this gigantic conference. Let's revisit this advice and find about new enhancements for the complete NECC experience.

1. Pick a theme - It's virtually a guarantee that you will be overwhelmed by the amount of choices you'll have at NECC. Being overwhelmed is better than being underwhelmed in my opinion! Last year, I suggested picking a theme such as podcasting to investigate in depth. I'm still not sure quite what I will personally concentrate on this year, but I'm hoping to catch sessions related to professional development, global awareness, and project-based learning in primary grades.

2. Utilize the conference planner - The conference planner is an essential and practical tool for preparing for NECC. You absolutely need to spend some time thinking about how to allocate your time.

This year, I went through the entire program online at a fairly quick pace, and saved anything that I felt was particularly relevant to my interests. I also included my own sessions, so I could figure when I had time to visit the exhibit hall and other presentations. I've saved my planner into a calendar file (planner.ics) that can be imported into iCal and Google Calendar (perhaps other calendar programs support this file format as well). If you really want to get obsessive, you can also put your Google Calendars on your cell phone.

I also saved my selections in PDF format (printversionlucy.pdf)to share with others and to print out. I probably will go through this list on the plane to San Antonio and whittle it down a bit.

3. Bring Your Laptop (or other device) - This piece of advice still stands, but consider bringing a smaller device if you're a super techie. You can follow conference happenings using your regular cell phone on Twitter, a microblogging service. Here are directions for setting this up!

4. Bring a Recording Device - Last year, I recommended bringing a digital audio recorder of some sort (my recording device of choice is an iPod with a Griffin microphone attachment) in order to take audio notes. This year, consider kicking it up a notch and bring a Flip camera, an inexpensive video camera that is extremely simple to use. Flips are all the rage in the education world at the moment.

5. Come Prepared to Network - Again, this piece of advice still stands. However, here's my addendum: come prepared to network whether you are physically present or not. Here are a few things that you can participate in from near or afar:

• Join the new conference ning community developed by fellow ITM blogger, Steve Hargadon.
  
• Again, follow events in Twitter (see #3), and look for some people to use streaming video services such as Ustream to provide live or recorded feeds to presentations. ISTE has some rules about this, by the way.
  
• Look for blog posts and other resources tagged necc, necc08, and necc2008 in Technorati, del.icio.us, and Flickr. Examples: Technorati search using necc08, sites bookmarked in del.icio.us using the tag necc, photos uploaded to Flickr and tagged necc.
• Share your photos of NECCs past and present by joining this Flickr group.
• Join the NECC group in Diigo, a social bookmarking service
  

6. Follow the bloggers and the Twitters! - Twitter has grown in popularity since NECC 2007 and it's a great way to develop your own personal ed tech cheerleading squad. Twittering is a microblogging service that allows one to post 140 characters, not words. This video from Commoncraft explains it better than I ever could! I use Twitter to query my personal learning network, to share resources, and to learn from people around the world.

I've been compiling a collection of RSS feeds (called an OPML file) from bloggers and Twitterers. You can download this file and import it into a newsreader to see user generated content all in one spot. Check out the Blog and Twit group in the NECC 2008 ning for the latest OPML file and for a screencast of how to do this.

So, that's my edited list of advice for 2008. For more suggestions, check out this discussion within the NECC 2008 ning in which veteran NECCers give advice to first time attendees. There's also a group devoted to newbies. For equipment concerns, this discussion thread is also beneficial.

You also should take a few moments to check out the second annual Edubloggercon event in which educators interested in Web 2.0 technologies will run a pre-conference unconference. Again, this is facilitated by our very own Steve Hargadon. Additionally, NECC Unplugged will take place during the conference in the Bloggers' Café. Steve has posted about the concept previously in the ITM, and my take is that it's participant-run, informal, and practical in nature.

Finally, if you're interested in the work of some of the ITM bloggers and Google Certified Teachers, here is where you might find us at NECC 2008:

The Infinite Thinking Machine bloggers


Steve Hargadon

EduBloggerCon and Classroom 2.0 Live
[Other Program Events: Meeting/Gathering]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Saturday, 6/28/2008, 8:00am–5:00pm; HGCC 217 A
EduBloggerCon is a free international all-day "meetup" of educational bloggers and those using collaborative technologies. Everyone is welcome to attend. Visit www.edubloggercon.com/NECC+2008 for more information and to participate in planning the event.

Open Source Playground
[Poster: Playground]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 9:00am–4:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby
Explore stations that feature K12LTSP thin-clients and a wide range of free software including Linux, GIMP, OpenOffice, Mysql, Firefox, Moodle, and more.

An Introduction to Open Source Software and Open Technologies
[Session: Open Source Lab]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; HGCC 217 A
Open source software, open data standards, Web 2.0, open content, and open device standards are all contributing to a revolution in computing.

Classroom 2.0?
[Session: Birds-of-a-Feather]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 4:45pm–5:45pm; HGCC 217 A
A meeting of educators using Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in the classroom or those who are interested in doing so.

Classroom 2.0: Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Vicki Davis, Lucy Gray, Karen Greenwood Henke, Rushton Hurley and Leigh Zeitz
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Join educators who are using the tools of Web 2.0 in the classroom for a lively panel discussion with interactive audience participation.

Free, Open Source, and Web 2.0 Software for the Classroom
[Session: Birds-of-a-Feather]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive
Monday, 6/30/2008, 4:45pm–5:45pm; HGCC 217 A
Explore successful uses of free and open source software and Web 2.0 in the classroom.

Social Networking in Education
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Steve Dembo, Darren Draper, James Klein, Michael McVey and Dennis O'Connor
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC 217 A
Social networking, once tainted by MySpace, now has a new reputation in the classroom and for professional development. Why is it making such a difference?

Mark Wagner

Massively Multiplayer Schools: Do MMORPGs Have a Future in Education?
[Research Paper: Discussion]
Mark Wagner, Educational Technology and Life Corporation
Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC 101 A, Table: 2
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games are engaging and motivating. Can they also support context-embedded, inquiry-driven, and socially negotiated learning while encouraging reflection and metacognition?

Lucie deLaBruere

Del.icio.us Research: Redesign Assignments with Social Bookmarking
[Session: BYOL]
Lucie deLaBruere, St. Albans City School
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom C
Redesign research assignments for students, increase critical thinking, and maximize your own productivity by managing online information using social bookmarking tools such as del.icio.us. Please pre-install del.icio.us

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Will Fundamentally Change Learning
[Session: Lecture]
Yvonne Marie Andres, Global SchoolNet Foundation with Lucie deLaBruere
Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC 206 A
The bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything sends educators a critical message. So let's take a look at the hottest collaborative tools, content, and implementation strategies.

Show Me the Tools! Collaborative Tools for Global Distributed Learning
[Workshop: Hands-on] Only 5 seat(s) available!
Yvonne Marie Andres, Global SchoolNet Foundation with Lucie deLaBruere
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 206 B
Innovative, fun, FREE collaborative tools, project-based learning resources, and strategies to support 21st century learning and increase the effectiveness of global distributed learning.

Wesley Fryer

Digital Storytelling Made Simple with VoiceThread
[Poster: Traditional]
Wesley Fryer, AT&T with Vicki Allen and Karen Montgomery
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 10:00am–12:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 12
VoiceThread is a free online digital storytelling environment that permits students and teachers to safely (with moderated feedback) share their voices on the global stage.

Digital Storytelling With Minimal Clicks: Improving Reading and Writing Skills
[Session: Lecture]
Wesley Fryer, AT&T with Vicki Allen and Karen Montgomery
Monday, 6/30/2008, 2:00pm–3:00pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Digital storytelling projects are relevant for all learners. We'll explore several practical, free digital storytelling tools that require a minimal number of clicks to use.

The Magic of Digital: Collaborative Interaction in Teacher Professional Development
[Session: Lecture]
Wesley Fryer, AT&T with Darren Kuropatwa and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; HGCC 207 A
The electricity often present when educators connect with each other using synchronous and/or asynchronous digital technologies is contagious for learning and transformative for professional practices.

Lucy Gray

Classroom 2.0: Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Vicki Davis, Lucy Gray, Karen Greenwood Henke, Rushton Hurley and Leigh Zeitz
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Join educators who are using the tools of Web 2.0 in the classroom for a lively panel discussion with interactive audience participation.

Podcasting & Podcatching for the Absolute Beginner
[Session: Spotlight]
Larry Anderson, National Center for Technology Planning with Steve Dembo, Lucy Gray, Ted Lai, Julene Reed, Dan Schmit and Tim Wilson
Monday, 6/30/2008, 11:00am–12:00pm; HGCC Lila Cockrell Theatre
Podcasting! Everybody seems to be doing it. If you've been afraid to jump into the podcasting water, join us and learn how!

Collaboration 2.0
Monday, June 30 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM Room 216 A/B of the Gonzales Convention Center
Tuesday, July 1 9:45 AM - Room 216 A/B of the Gonzales Convention Center
Wednesday, July 2 12:30 - Room 216 A/B of the Gonzales Convention Center

Google Certified Teachers

Cristin Frodella

Energize Your Classroom with Google Tools
[Session: Lecture]
Laska Koleva, Google with Cristin Frodella
Monday, 6/30/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; HGCC Lila Cockrell Theatre
A tour of examples of some of the most innovative uses of Google Tools in the classroom.


Kevin Jarrett

SLedupotential: Educational Potential of Second Life and Virtual Environments
[Workshop: Hands-on] Sold Out!
Scott Merrick, University School of Nashville/Vanderbilt CSO with Vera Handford, Kevin Jarrett, Jeremy Koester, Lisa Linn, Peggy Sheehy, Scott Swanson, Susan Toth-Cohen and Jane Wilde
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 006 D

Tom Diener

Google: It’s Elementary
[Session: BYOL]
Thomas Diener, Western Suffolk BOCES with Debra Kennedy
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom A
Not just a search engine, Google offers powerful tools to facilitate learning. Explore Google resources and see how they can enrich the elementary classroom.

Ken Shelton

Technology Integration Station: Your Next Stop to Innovation
[Poster: Traditional]
Kenneth Shelton, Walter Reed Middle School
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 12:00pm–2:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 15
Do you use technology? Want to use technology? Are you out of ideas for differentiated instruction? If you answered "yes," then this is the session for you.

Beverly Plein

Think Big, Think Global, Think 21st-Century Skills
[Poster: Traditional]
Beverly Plein, Teaneck Board of Education with Joanna Ebert
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 24
Motivation and engagement are the keys to students taking ownership of their learning. Develop 21st-century skills to build on student thinking.

Oracle booth on Monday, June 30, 9:30-10:30am
talking about Think.com (a free online community for students and
teachers from around the world.

Nancy Sharoff

Visual Literacy and Web 2.0: Implications and Applications for Education
[Poster: Traditional]
Nancy Sharoff, Ellenville Central SD with Maria Avgerinou
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 1:00pm–3:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 25
Develop an understanding of visual literacy and learn which free Web 2.0 tools can support and enrich visual literacy in your classroom.

Creating a Personal Learning Network in Second Life
[Session: Lecture]
Fred Delventhal, Arlington Public Schools with Lori Abrahams, Charlene Chaussis, Beth Knittle, Elaine Plybon, Nancy Sharoff and Anne Truger
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–9:30am; HGCC 211
Create and expand your personal learning network using Second Life. Use SL as your portal to meet, collaborate, and communicate with educators around the world.

Carol Anne McGuire

Global Rock Stars: Fostering an International Community of Learners
[Poster: Global Gallery]
Camilla Gagliolo, Arlington Public Schools/ISTE with Heather Blake, Dorothy Burt, Gaby Eyzaguirre and Carol Anne McGuire
Sunday, 6/29/2008, 7:00pm–9:00pm; HGCC Tower View Lobby, Table: 22
"Rock Our World" celebrates building communities of learners through the integration of science, music, and collaborative technologies. Students across the continents will share creativity and learning experiences.

Rock Our World: Global Collaboration Buzzword or Educational Reality?
[Session: Lecture]
Carol Anne McGuire, Imperial Elementary School
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 3:30pm–4:30pm; HGCC 103 A
Be prepared to "rock your world" as you apply practical global projects in your classroom today! Learn to expand the walls of your classroom!

Hollywood Goes to School: Digital Storytelling for 21st-Century Schools
[Workshop: Hands-on] Only 2 seat(s) available!
Larry Anderson, National Center for Technology Planning with Helen Barrett, Mark Benno, Jeanne Biddle, Carol Anne McGuire, Julene Reed and Marco Torres
Saturday, 6/28/2008, 8:30am–3:30pm; HGCC 006 C
Explore the magic of digital video to tell a powerful story. Bring your digital camcorder or use ours, but have loads of fun learning!

Robert Craven

21st-Century Literacy: iLife and Digital Storytelling in the Classroom
[Workshop: Hands-on] Only 3 seat(s) available!
Robert Craven, Orange County Department of Education with Kathy Shirley
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–7:30pm; HGCC 006 C
This hands-on session will use the new iLife to provide participants the skills and knowledge to incorporate digital media and storytelling to support standards.

Oh, the Places You Will Go: Google and 3D-Connexion SpaceNavigator
[Workshop: Hands-on] Sold Out!
Robert Craven, Orange County Department of Education with Kathy Shirley
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 206 B
Google Earth and SketchUp allow learners to explore and create worlds, while 3D-Connexion SpaceNavigator allows you to to soar, zoom, tilt, and turn with ease.

Rushton Hurley

A Different Direction for Video in Teacher Preparation
[Session: Lecture]
Rushton Hurley, Next Vista For Learning
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; HGCC 102 A
Video for a student audience can help preservice teachers hone their
presentations, enhance their employment possibilities, and develop
themselves within a professional community.
Who Can Make a Video in 10 Minutes? You!

[Session: BYOL]
Rushton Hurley, Next Vista For Learning
Wednesday, 7/2/2008, 10:30am–11:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom D
You and your students can use free software to do powerful projects
with video—learn how, and receive resources and project ideas.
Requires Windows Movie Maker on PC or iMovie on Mac.
Very Cool Tricks for Using and Making Videos
[Session: BYOL]

Rushton Hurley, Next Vista For Learning
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–9:30am; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom D
You can use simple editing software, but wonder what's next. It's this
session! Make better videos and get students more engaged and focused.
Requires Movie Maker on PCs, iMovie and Garageband on Macs, Audacity,
and Irfan View.

Classroom 2.0: Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0
[Session: Panel]
Steve Hargadon, CoSN/EdTechLive with Vicki Davis, Lucy Gray, Karen
Greenwood Henke, Rushton Hurley and Leigh Zeitz
Monday, 6/30/2008, 12:30pm–1:30pm; Grand Hyatt Lone Star Ballroom E
Join educators who are using the tools of Web 2.0 in the classroom for
a lively panel discussion with interactive audience participation.

Lisa Linn

Second Life Playground
[Poster: Playground]
Lisa Linn, CUE, ISTE SL, ASCD, SLolar, C.A.V.E., Sledupotential with Scott Swanson
Tuesday, 7/1/2008, 9:00am–4:00pm; HGCC West Lobby
Explore stations for creating avatars, navigating in Second Life, using Second Life for professional development, using Second Life with students, and exploring ISTE's Virtual island.

SLedupotential: Educational Potential of Second Life and Virtual Environments
[Workshop: Hands-on] Sold Out!
Scott Merrick, University School of Nashville/Vanderbilt CSO with Vera Handford, Kevin Jarrett, Jeremy Koester, Lisa Linn, Peggy Sheehy, Scott Swanson, Susan Toth-Cohen and Jane Wilde
Monday, 6/30/2008, 8:30am–11:30am; HGCC 006 D
A group of ISTE educators scattered over the world are meeting frequently in a virtual environment called Second Life. Come see why, how, and "where..."

Conference 2.0

I've been attending the National Education Computer Conference for over 10 years, and each year I walk away revitalized, my head swarming with ideas and luggage filled with resources ranging from business cards, handouts, literature, and other conference goodies. This year I noticed educators walking away with one more exciting 'benefit' -- an incredible sense of community that resulted by combining their face to face conference experience with read/write web's community building tools.

Conference 1.0 looked like this: You're sitting next to someone at a workshop. You spend several minutes chatting, learning about each other, and just as you start to engage in a meaty discussion sharing resources, the workshop presenter brings your focus to their exciting content. Trying to squeeze in as much as you can in this day packed with valuable, but limited, opportunity to network, you run off to your next session, remembering that you forgot to get a business card from the person sitting next to you, but thankful that your presenter had not run out of handouts.

At recent NECC's we have been introduced to the tools of the read/write web and have started to use them to build community online. While at this year's NECC, I saw a new level of passion being ignited as educators who have been using these tools met on escalators, in workshop sessions, at the blogger's cafe, or by an exhibitor booth.

Conference 2.0 looks like this: You're sitting next to someone at a workshop. You politely introduce yourself, and recognize the name on their conference badge. You've seen it online along with the works of her students. Within seconds you are in a meaty discussion receiving timely tips about how to replicate the strategies you've already picked up from this teacher's online showcase. Your workshop presenter starts and skips all the “background” information that would build credibility and authority (because it's online at his/her blog) and gets right into the meat of the presentation, touching on the important points, leaving you to explore the minute details on their wiki or blog. Instead of fervently taking notes and hoping they don't run out of handouts, you click on online conference handouts and focus and reflect throughout the whole workshop.

For others, the online communities that lead up to face to face meetings at the conference were more formal. Member of Classroom 2.0, the open source community, second lifers, edubloggers, and even we (ITM bloggers) met face to face for the first time. The sense of community reached a new level by these face to face meetings, and I know that our online experience in the year to come will be richer because of this opportunity. Feeling like I already knew someone because of their contribution to the read/write web; and knowing that I would be able to continue to have insight into the development of their work, ideas, class projects through their read/write web contributions, made my NECC 2007 connections some of the most powerful ones I've ever made at a conference. How did the read/write web impact your conference experience?

Calling All Educational Bloggers

Edubloggercon 2007 – This first-ever, international, all-day “meetup” of educational bloggers will take place on Saturday, June 23rd, at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta just before the start of NECC.

All are invited–whether you yourself blog, are just an educational blog reader, or even just want to hang out with an interesting group of people. The event is free, and you can indicate that you are coming (and see who else will be there) at the Edubloggercon wiki.

Edubloggercon 2007 will be unique in that it is going to be organized by the participants in real time at the wiki. We have access all that day to the large Open Source Pavilion room at the Conference Center and there will be free wi-fi: beyond that is up to you. So come join the discussion and help us plan a fun and stimulating experience.