Sunday, January 22, 2012

5 Things I Love about Educon

At my first Educon 2008
This will be my fifth Educon, and over time, my relationship with this conference has changed, from the freshman excitement of meeting everyone for the first time at Educon 2.0, to the highly anticipated sophomore year, when I couldn't wait to go back and see everyone, to my junior year, where the the familiarity of a place I know well led me to give some Educon advice, and finally my last year as a senior attendee I shared a bit of my disillusionment. And even though I should perhaps have graduated, I'm still committed to this extraordinary conference.

Here are a few reasons I keep going back.

1. The People - For this reason alone I would keep going back. My Twitter network came alive at my first Educon and now it feels like a reunion every time I go back. There are people there I only see once or twice a year, with whom I have developed strong relationships. Every year I add more people to the list. 



2. The Conversations - I can always count on having interesting conversations with people who are facing the same issues I am at their schools. In so many places I am ahead of the pack, doing things others have yet to try.  Not so at Educon, where I can always find someone who is far ahead of me. I learn so much from those folks. 


3. The SLA students - I am always impressed and inspired by the kids who help run this conference. They are an example to me of what students can accomplish if they are given the responsibility, trust and inspiration that The Science Leadership Academy provides for them.


4. The Challenge - Challenge comes in many forms at Educon, there are people who challenge your beliefs and ask tough questions. There are events that require meeting people you don't know (which can be scary at times). And this year I am challenging myself to do an Encienda Educon presentation, something I have never done before.


5. The Sessions - I guess it is ironic that the actual sessions are last on my list. I certainly have not forgotten them. I always enjoy both presenting and attending sessions with this community. There are som many great sessions to choose from, it can be difficult to choose one.

Liz and Lisa
And then there are the purely personal reasons. Hanging out with people I have grown to love, driving 3 blocks down the road when we should be walking, laughing at Chris Craft as he freezes his South Carolina tush off, following around "my conference wife" Lisa Thumann, eating some delicious Philly steak, catching up with Joyce Valenza, David Jakes, Alec Couros and so many more I can't name them all here.

I can't believe it is less than a week away. See y'all there!

9 comments:

Alec Couros said...

Looking forward to seeing you Liz!

RjWassink said...

Well said. This was supposed to be my second one but I couldn't commit to the date until this afternoon... and it's sold out :( Unless a sponsor steps up and pays my way to ISTE, I'm not going to see my EdTech friends until NYSCATE in November and then EduCon 2.5 in '13. Very saddening for me. It's amazing how much you can miss people who you've only ever met 4-5 times in real life.

Unknown said...

naGreat post, Liz...this is my favorite conference, too! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Unknown said...

Well said, Liz! See you soon!

Chris Craft said...

Love you Liz! Thanks for mentioning my Carolina tush! Lol. See you this week!

Lisa Thumann said...

Educon is where it all began...see you in just a few days!

Durff said...

I'm gonna miss you guys! Have a great Educon!!

Carolyn Foote said...

This makes me miss going! I agree with your sentiments and I only went to the first one. Just something so communal about the experience that it is hard to find elsewhere.

It is challenging, it's a conversation that's meaningful, and it also feels like people are starting at similar places so it's like we can start at Chapter 4 instead of Chapter 1 ;)

Have a great time.

David Truss said...

Oh, I'd love to join you there Liz... it has been too long! I was hoping to see you at a conference and show you that I've improved my texting-while-walking skills. ;)

All joking aside, this is a conference I'd just love to get to... maybe next year!