So despite writing this while sitting on the tarmac at Midway (Chicago) airport after being canceled out of flying home last night and now being delayed AGAIN, I’m in a downright giddy Read/Write Web mood. Maybe it was spending the day with a roomful of energetic, geared-up Discovery educators yesterday who despite the roadblocks and barriers being thrown in front of them by their districts REALLY want to get their brains around these technologies. Or maybe it was listening to Hall Davidson talk about the ways in which we can integrate digital storytelling into our curricula so easily and effectively. Or maybe it was getting a chance to chat with Steve Dembo and Eric Langhorst (another logger added to my life list) about the stupidity and growing irrelevance of standardized testing and NCLB. Or maybe it’s just the affirmation of these ideas that can be found all over the place in this month’s Wired magazine (which, btw, has a picture of Ruppert Murdock with the words “MySpace†in huge print across it on the cover.)
Personally, I am happy as heck that MySpace is getting sued,that DOPA is floating around out there, that districts are blocking, filtering, shutting down, turning off, locking up everything in sight. (Boy, did I collect some stories from the DEN folks…) Everyone is up in arms, and that’s the first sign that people are finally waking up to what’s going on. They’re jerking their knees at all of it, but at least the discussion is starting, and now is when we have to engage it. Who was it that said “Bring it on?” (Just being giddy…)
Which is why I’m looking forward to NECC next week as a chance to get really energized about getting this message out there even more loudly and more convincingly with the growing number of educators who seem to be coming into the fold. David Warlick, Tony Vincent and I (among others) will be doing a panel with 150 technology leaders at the Wednesday morning ISTE breakfast with a heavy “Web 2.0 in Ed” emphasis (regardless of what the program says.) There are bloggy, podcasty, social Web sessions all over the place. The “Ed Tech Coast to Coast†crew will be doing a live podcast on Wednesday night, and Tim Wilson and I will also be doing a “NECC Live!” Webcast with Chris Walsh and Tom Marsh to talk about our favorite topic. There’s a whole slew of people blogging and podcasting the sessions, David is aggregating it all, and it’s just feeling more and more like the time for serious, broad discussions about the Read/Write Web has finally, really arrived. San Diego is looking like it could be a MAJOR event for this community, and I am loving the prospect.
Giddy, I tell you. (Someone bring me to my senses.)
technorati tags:necc, necc06, Read_Write_Web, Denri06, DOPA, How_many_tags_can_I_have?
Will – It was such a thrill to be able to meet you in person in Chicago at the Discovery Educator Network Regional Summer Institute after a year of listening to you on podcasts and reading your blog. So many incredible things out there available to teachers with the read write web.
If anyone wants to check out what made Will so giddy in Chicago at the DEN event (other than spending way too much time at Midway) check out the Speaking of History podcast http://www.speakingofhistory.blogspot.com Episode #30 which has Will’s 90 minute keyonte about read write web tools and education. It was a great presentation – a little on the long side for a single podcast at 90 minutes, but a great podcast for the car while driving on vacation or a couple of early morning walks.
Thanks for spending time with us in Chicago and I look forward to seeing you at NECC next week.
Eric Langhorst
Will, Thanks again for the great presentation you did at KSU for the Blog2Learn workshop….As I told you earlier, it was awesome….Thank you, thank you. Sounds as if you had another successful workshop with the Discovery Educators in the Chicago area!! I have been reading about the awesome Southeast DEN conference that was held in Atlanta last week. It undoubtedly was a great event as well as the one in Chicage.
I look forward to seeing you at NECC next week. Hopefully, I will be able to attend one of your sessions…..I will be the regional poster co-chair for NECC 2007 in Atlanta and will be shadowing the current chair; however, I am determined to arrange some time for PD.
Am wondering what made you so giddy! 🙂 Jerrie
Giddy? Just don’t pee in your pants 🙂
Sounds pretty exciting… I last attended NECC in 1995 in Baltimore (I got to be a tourist in my hometown) where I think I met Helen Barrett for the first time… she always remembered me since then.
Sign of the old times- there was a session called, “If I SLIP and Fall on my PPP, Will it Hurt?”
PS- Someone ha a full history of conferences:
http://web.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC/history.html
I did not actually recall what year I attended