I really wanted to start my fresh new WordPress blog off with some mind-blowing stuff from my time at the NECC conference this year, but my mind is still going in so many directions I decided to choose one and go with it.

I was a NECC newbie this year – even more so than the “2009 NECC Newbie” Richard Byrne. I didn’t have any real acquaintances on Twitter, I hadn’t participated in many Elluminate sessions, didn’t have a blog or belong to Second Life, and had hardly even heard of ISTE.  I was, in all senses of the word, a newbie.

How did that happen? I got my Masters degree in Instructional Technology from the State University of New York at Potsdam in 2003. The program is accredited through AECT rather than the ISTE… and somehow throughout the program  I was never told about the competing organization. I will say, however, that I believe the two organizations do have different theoretical beliefs when it comes to learning and they’d probably have a hard time coming together as one.  So for the past 6 years I’ve belonged to AECT, believing that NYSCATE and/or ISTE were meant only for staff developers and business teachers (due to the people I knew who attended the conferences).  Oops – I was wrong!

Anyhow, I arrived in Washington on Saturday mid-morning for the EduBloggerCon.  Ok – I know I didn’t have a blog – but everyone on the NING was talking about how amazing it was last year.  And I concur… it ended up being awesome.  When I walked into the convention center at 11:00 I knew absolutely nobody… by the end of the day I felt as if I had been speed dating… so many names, so many faces, and absolutely no way to remember any of them.

As time went on throughout the conference I kept meeting new people. Just when I thought I “found my clique” I’d meet another person who, in turn, would share me with their friends.  I went from having a dozen quality Twitter followers on Saturday to having over 140 by Wednesday.  It was absolutely amazing, and many of the friendships that I made at the NECC are going to last for a very long time.  I’ve never had so many different people to choose to hang out with.

Of course I made a few mistakes.

  • I signed up for way too many sessions, only to skip about half of them due to conflicts and/or better ideas.  But I did have the magic tickets, so I guess it was smart to do.  If I had wanted to go into any of these sessions I could’ve.
  • I dressed up a little (not a lot) for the keynote in anticipation of the “cocktail party” afterwards… but quickly found that jeans and a t-shirt would’ve sufficed for the ISTE cupcakes and sparkling juice.
  • I didn’t spend enough time in the vendor area.  @bethstill, I never did talk to Bree in the Dell booth… @rmbyrne was taking to her and I never did go back and say hello.
  • I didn’t volunteer.  Not sure when I would have squeezed that in, but next year I plan to give a few hours of my time.  Perhaps I’ll show up early and stuff bags.
  • I was shy and didn’t start waking up to people and introducing myself until the end.  Still upset that I didn’t meet Lee Lefever or Karl Fisch (two of my Ed Tech idols)…
  • I forgot to bring snacks.  Next year I am going to pack an entire shoulder bag full of granola bars and bottled water.  Standing in line for 20 minutes to get a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip cookie?  Not next year.
  • Tried to get a taxi at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel at 1AM.  Hint to those of you who travel to Washington: that is not an easy task at all!

Overall I give the conference experience a very high score.  Anyone want to room with me next year? :-)

by-nc-nd