CUE 2009 Reflections

I finally have a moment to sit down and really reflect on CUE this past week/weekend. First off, I can’t believe how quickly it flew by! I was fortunate to be able to attend Wednesday through Saturday, but seriously, where did it go? The main highlight of the conference for me was the opportunity to sit and have conversations with people I have met via Twitter.

Highlights

• Edubloggercon: Steve Hargadon of Classroom 2.0 set this up and since I’d not been to the one at NECC , I really did not know what I was in for. It was great! Very informal with lively discussions, sharing of tips and techniques, and generally hanging out. It was nice to be in the same room as many who share a role similar to mine (teacher professional development/tech integration), but everyone should be aware that it’s definitely a session for those who are new to edtech as well. I am planning to promote this as much as possible next year. Who says we can’t get a 100 participants out there? The evening session found us in the presidential suite at the Wyndham. It was so great to meet people I had only conversed with online or only had seen tweets from them.
• Hanging out with @dserrato @adinasullivan @mhammons @seani @nononi28 @digitalroberto (that guy is always so busy LOL) @markwagner @alicemercer and many others who I don’t actually know their Twitter handles.
• I walked away from almost every session with at least one new tip or tool. That’s tough to do when you’re as engrossed in edtech as I feel I am. The presenters were well-prepared and generally engaging.
• Attending the eLSIG meeting on Thursday was absolutely worth my time. As I become more and more involved in online learning, I am finally feeling the need to be connected and collaborating with other CA educators who are facing similar struggles and issues.
• Riding my bike around town. I got to see a different side of Palm Springs as well as getting some much needed exercise.

Improvements

What would a conference be without suggested improvements?

• Wi-fi was seriously an issue for most people. I was fortunate to be connected via my iPhone, but not everyone had that luxury. Now I know that some people have suggested not bringing your computer to the conference, but I disagree. I understand the intent behind this, but feel that it’s akin to us telling kids that cell phones and computers have no place in the classroom.
• More discussion panels that focus on the larger, philosophical issues of edtech.
• More intermediate to advanced workshops.
• More reference to research. I’m specifically referring to citing pedagogical research that supports the integration of technology into the curriculum. I think this would help draw attention away from the tools and allow us to focus more on the learning process and educational objectives. I am planning to embed research citations in future presentations wherever appropriate. I saw too many sessions where information was stated, but there was a lack of evidence to support the statements. I am in no way saying the statements were untrue, but I was given no sources to help me confirm the validity of the information.

Already looking forward to next year! I’ll be submitting workshop proposals for sure and hope to have at least one selected. Will you be returning next year?