Washington, DC is swarming with educators and technology lovers as the NECC 2009 conference begins. Today’s crowds should swell even more as attendees arrive in town for the official kickoff of the national conference this afternoon, capped by the opening keynote speaker, Malcom Gladwell, author of Outliers (2008), Blink (2005), and The Tipping Point (2000). The conference center is sitting ready, with Ask Me booths and volunteers, including tech support (”The Doc Is In” stations) prepared to assist attendees.
One thing I noticed as I walked around the convention center yesterday (Saturday) afternoon: almost everyone I passed smiled at me and was friendly. There is a collegiate, collaborative feeling in the air, knowing that we’re embarking on a learning adventure for the next few days and that we all come into the arena from the same point. We’re all educators or in the education field and we all love technology and want to use it more effectively and creatively in the classroom.
But we don’t all come to the conference with the same level of expertise and experience using technology in the classroom. We can’t assume that everyone we talk to or share with in a session has the same knowledge about web 2.0 or software that we do. I know many attendees who do not have delicious or diigo accounts, do not blog, are not on twitter or plurk or use facebook, and, more importantly, do not know why these applications are integral to their professional growth. But they’re here to find out. Be gentle, veterans, and do not judge too harshly or look down upon anyone who knows less than you do. You started somewhere, too!
Find out what your audience knows!
Veteran attendees, please remember those of us who are attending a NECC conference for the first time. If you’re leading a session or workshop, take a few minutes to find out what the members in the audience know about your topic before you begin. We need you to explain more, perhaps even from the beginning in some cases. If you don’t have time to start from the beginning, suggest resources and — above all — offer encouragement. Explain the rationale so newcomers understand the reason your topic is essential. And remember, it’s not a comfortable feeling to be a newbie, so be gentle.
Newbies, speak up!
You can’t learn if you don’t ask. Don’t be bullied by the feeling that “everyone else knows this but me.” If you’re attending NECC for the first time, please speak up and ask questions. With a few exceptions, most veterans will offer help and share their expertise with you. They just forget sometimes that everyone doesn’t know what they know. Take careful notes and check out the resources and links provided in sessions. Be willing to take risks and try something new. You have experts around you here to support you as you step out of your comfort zone!
Be kind to new presenters
There is a middle ground between veterans and newbies, which includes educators who are not brand new to technology but who aren’t quite yet seasoned experts. Some of them submitted proposals for sessions and workshops and will be “on stage” for their first time. Please encourage them and participate in their sessions. If they bomb, give them friendly feedback by emailing them afterward or speaking with them to offer tips. If you are the type of person who doesn’t have patience and feels your time is too valuable to waste in a session that is not helpful to you, please find courteous ways to exit the session without showing off your displeasure. Even better, just quietly work on something else while staying in the session.
Don’t be a Mac snob
Many of us use PCs, either by choice, by habit, or because our school system or workplace dictates it. I know that Macs are the buzz, and, personally, when I grow up, I want to own a Mac — but for the time being, please do not show arrogance toward those of us at NECC who pull out our Dells in the midst of a sea of MacPros. The apple logo can be intimidating to PC users, especially because Mac people talk in a different language sometimes. It is like traveling in a foreign country. We need translations to understand what you mean when you mention Mac-specific applications such as Keynote or Garage Band.
The next few days will be a mindmeld of useful information and professional growth. As a relative newcomer myself, I’m looking forward to actually meeting friends from twitter and plurk with whom I have only chatted online. I can’t wait to start learning! I’m expecting my head to begin spinning sometime in the next few hours and not stop anytime soon afterward — I know I’ll learn more than I can reasonably hope to digest.
My hope is that every participant at NECC, whether new or seasoned, makes an effort to communicate and share with each other without staying to themselves. I’m looking forward to a professional, collegiate, and collaborative experience that will rock my world!
This blog expresses the personal opinions of the author and is not affiliated
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Posted on June 28th, 2009 by Sharon Elin
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hello, my name is Tiffany Clark. I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at University of South Alabama and I have been assigned to read your posts for a couple of weeks. The NECC 2009 Conference sounds pretty interesting!! I like all of your tips!! I think they are very useful!!