Learning for Me!

NECC Conference Musings

Sunday night notes: I'm attending NECC 2008 in San Antonio this week. Yesterday and today were "pre-conference workshops"; you pay extra to attend these in the hope that they will be deeper, more intense than the regular one-hour presentations. The one I chose yesterday was good, but the one today was better! More hands-on, student-directed. The presenters did a good job of practicing a constructivist learning experience.

I was late getting to the major speaker event this evening, so I listened to it out in the hallways where it was being simulcasted on big screens and groups were watching. On the screen next, there was a running commentary in a chat about what the presenter was saying. Quite a bit of that 'chatter' was negative, and I wondered about that. Sure, many of those chatting had read the presenter's books, and already had some insight into what his positions are. Perhaps they had, but probably there were many in the audience who hadn't. I hope the negative people don't discourage those for whom the information is new. The best of NECC should be that there is learning for all, no matter where they are on the continuum.