So I’ve been thinking about doing some presenting. I’ve done a bit on the local level, and I’ll be presenting at NECC in the Open Source lab. I’ve applied for the SC Ed Tech conference, and am looking at FETC for January of 2008.
I should pause and thank Cathy for continually sending me the links, she’s the reason I am applying at so many places!
Back to the topic at hand, I’ve been thinking about what folks need when they go to a conference, and what I might be able to talk about. The temptation is to present about blogging/podcasting/wikis but those have been done to death, and there are lots of folks who are perfectly competent to talk about those subjects.
I want a niche.
Here are my thoughts about what I could present on, I’d love to hear what you all think! Do you think there’s a need for these types of presentations? Naturally, I could always propose and let the conference folks decide, but I’d rather think it through ahead of time. Here are my possible titles with a little description…
- MUVE Along: Multi-User Virtual Environments in Secondary Education
- This is a paper presentation resulting from an entire semester’s researh on Second Life, Whyville, River City, Quest Atlantis, Kaneva, and other virtual worlds. Do they really have any place in secondary education? Are they the wave of the future? What does the research say?
- Open source student blogging solutions
- This is a presentation focusing on self-hosted WordPress, WordPress MU, DrupalEd, Moodle, and other possible open source packages suitable for use when blogging with students. How do you protect student privacy, to comment or not to comment, etc. This is my NECC session and is essentially a quick overview of the merits and disadvantages of each.
- Google Earth, a Beginner’s Guide
- This is obvious, for folks maybe considering implementing Google Earth into the classroom. This will be a session regarding the basics, like using the keyhole community, included layers, placemarks, overlays, and best practices. This is designed to be done in a computer lab.
- Don’t Read to Me: Best practices using PowerPoint
- This is a session to help teachers stop reading slides. I use lots of research in the cognitive arena (Sweller, et al) to help educators develop a good strategy when designing presentations for instruction. This is designed for teachers who are currently reading slides, or those who maybe just got a projector and laptop and are going to be integrating that new technology. Don’t just reproduce your transparencies in PowerPoint!
So there they are. I think they are well rounded and kind of fun. What do you think? Are these needed topics? Are they beneficial to conference attendees? Should I propose these or what?
Please notice I stayed away from the theoretical flat world stuff. I wanted something practical, something that has immediate takeaway, and is backed up by research.
Wow, it sounds like you’re really getting around! I wish I could say I’ve attended even half of the conferences you’re planning to be at, but sadly I have niether the funds, nor the means of transporting myself to NECC and other state conferences. In fact, I’ve felt very guilty this year for the amount of time I’ve spent away from the computer lab while doing work for conferences. Perhaps the coming years will help me find a better balance.
I say do as much as you can while you have the resources and the time! All of the presentations you described sound fantastic, and I would love to attend any of them. Then again, I’m a huge sucker for the practical stuff, and not so much theory, so I’m biased to begin with. Keep focusing on the practical uses and implementation, and you’re sure to keep packing sessions.
Chris, I can’t think of anyone better to present any of the topics you have mentioned. You’ll do a great job no matter what you decide. I find that I learn something new everyday. Maybe, it isn’t one of those ah ha moments of learning, but at least I am learning something. I still feel that I have a lot to learn and the more I learn the less I know. Anyway, I am presenting at my first conference this summer. I will be presenting at the AETC in Birmingham in June and I feel the same way you feel. So wish me luck, keep your fingers crossed, and most of all do a lot of praying for my audience. Maybe, they won’t have to suffer too much!
The topic that I submitted is “Plunge into School 2.0: But don’t forget your PFDs”. I don’t know how great of a topic it is, but I am going to do my best to bring as much to the table as possible. It’s like the old southern expression, “I am going to treat my audience so many ways that they’ll have to like something.” I’ve been doing a lot of research on the topic and I keep finding things to add to the presentation. If you have any tips…throw them at me. Thanks and good luck with your presentations. You’ll do great! Maybe, I can attend one sometime. Anyway, keep me in your prayers. Adios mi amigo…
Hello, Chris,
Glad to hear you’re hitting the circuit!
As you talk, keep the focus on the learning, not the technology — these are all tools, but they are also surrounded by varying degrees of hype that can be counterproductive in terms of articulating sound strategies for using them in many classroom settings.
Cheers,
Bill
Option #4, please, and pronto.
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who wants to hit the conference circuit. But, you’re ahead of me in that you’ve already got a list of conferences to which you are applying. My thought is to connect the technology to content understanding.
I am so badly wishing right now that I could attend any one of those four of your presentations! You have hit the nail on the head in regards to needed topics. Knowing just how helpful you are via email/skype/chat means that I am positive that anyone of these presentations will inspire and inform the attendees and they will walk away with a wealth of practical ideas, tips and resources. Muchas Gracias for presenters like you!
No question… “MUVE along” and “Open Source…” are going to be more appealing to me.
I suppose that “MUVE along” would be appealing because I, like David Warlick, am struggling to wrap my brain around virtual environments and gaming. I *WANT* to understand the attraction, I just don’t get it.
It seems that any title including “podcast” or “Moodle” were the darlings of the recent conference circuit. Could “Open Source” be this year’s rage?
Good luck!
KP