Day One: I’m nearing the end of the first full day of the conference, and have managed so far to attend two whole sessions (and I was late for them). The barrier is not that the topics don’t seem interesting, it’s just that I can’t throw a rock without hitting somebody I’ve met at previous events, somebody with whom I enjoy sharing ideas. I get chatting with them, get lost in time, finally glance at my watch and realize that I’m twenty minutes late for the presentation I had wanted to attend.
It brings home to me how small our community is, in some ways… And so far I’ve been heartened by how much casual interest there is in social software. I chat with another weblogger in the halls and a faculty member overhears and taps me on the shoulder, saying something like “I want to get my students using weblogs for my courses, what tool do you recommend? … Movable What?”
My conversations with other peers have indicated that a broad section of people who work with learning objects have come to many of the same conclusions that I have. I feel far less like a heretic and more part of a genuine community of practice. Imagine that!
So I’d like to offer a blanket apology to the MERLOT presenters. I’ll try to do better. Having said that, this conference has thusfar been the most stimulating big event that I’ve attended in some time.
