The hardest part of any journey is getting started - not sure who to attribute that to but it applies very well to the notion of blogging… so what is the audience??? Make it relevant to yourself Nick… build your own reflections, then see what happens…. so, here is a rather too long ramble on conferences and thoughts about ULearn07 as it evolves
ULearn07 is about to launch its pre-conference activity ahead of the full day pre-conference workshop on 2 October 2007 followed by the conference on 3,4,and 5 October 2007 at Sky City in Auckland (NZ). The ULearn conference series is focused on transformational change in learning and teaching through appropriation of new technologies and new pedagogies for their integration into the classroom. ULearn’s are more than conferences…. they are learning experiences that have a genesis in the ICT PD classrooms and schools of New Zealand’s ICT PD Cluster Schools Project (MOE, NZ: 1999-present)
So what is it that distinguishes a good conference experience from a poor one…. a great professional development experience from a mediocre one…. a rich personal learning experience from a frustratingly inadequate one? Are there any points of reference that make a difference if adhered to…. can there be a recipe for success so that everyone gets what they want, so that each of these activities result in an unfailingly valuable experience….. hmmmmm - I guess we will all have opinions on this and no doubt they will differ. A quick scan of the blogosphere produces some really interesting comment and ideas for development… Seth Godin talks of conferences mostly targeted at… “getting average people to change their behaviour”. In his 2?? Worth blog, David Warlick sets out notes for future conference 2.0 developers focused on increasing participation through Web 2.0 features.
So there is the issue, In a nutshell… individual difference, varying expectation, differing starting points, cultural perspectives and in states of well-being, attitude to the opportunity and time of the day may make a difference. The range is daunting an d troubling, especially as the organised/facilitator/teacher reviews the experience and looks at the outcome of the evaluations.
So, as we puzzle over the variability of the evaluation comments and the value of them as reflective material that we can gain meaningful information from, we realise that there are , in general, comments from those that have something to say - either positive or negative and most often - extreme… can we rely on the comments from like-it scales analysis that give a range from wonderful to terrible but where people often just go to a fence sitting position?
The trouble with comment without context is that it can only represent a view at the moment in time in which it is made and it has no real context nor any point of reference. Can we really rely on an analysis based on such potentially variable or significantly prejudiced feedback? A survey administered to one specific group at a recent conference was followed up by an online version of the same form some days later. Of those who did it twice (not a requirement) several changed their view by as much as 2 points on a 5 point scale… This makes my point about validity and context of time.
The reflective feedback gleaned from reporting after the event or through interviewing appears to provide a far richer source of critique. Developed after the event, this kind of qualitative data can often be woven into a much richer context. It can also demonstrate how in retrospect, participants can often evolve their thinking and integrate their experiences into the wider context of the school, or workplace. It has been my experience that these reviews are by far the best way of really understanding the significance of an event, workshop, conference or programme.
So is reflection and reflective practice not only useful at a personal level but also useable and effective in judging the impact of systemic change. Can trends seen in an individual???s reflection be effective in the summation of a group experience?
As we review the information coming from our conferences and events, we have to make calls on the way ahead, often relying of the immediate feedback of a survey that we cannot always rely on for the deeper view of the impact on the event. We combine this with the richer content of reflection and comment from milestone reviews and then try to reconstruct our ideas for how to develop the next event…
A moving target??? Absolutely… however, it has been responsible for a lot of development and change as well as sticking with the tried and true. The question that keeps coming up as we look at rearranging things is, ???should the planning and programmes reflect a significant step forward, stretch the boundaries and look for new possibilities, or, should it seek to reinforce a successful formula? The pragmatist would probably take the view that it should be a mixture of both, however profound change requires profound action.
Everyone has a new idea. ???…the best conference experiences have direct contact with students… they are the catalyst for teacher change!!!???. ???…the best conferences have a strong teacher for teacher focus in a collegial environment where teachers can work together to support their own change!!!??? Where is the reality?
Vince Ham (Director of Research at CORE Education) notes in he research that there are significant t advantages to teachers attending conferences and events. Networking and supportive events like these reinforce for teachers the sense of collegial purpose and evolve a strongly supportive environment in which real reflection and sharing of practice, pedagogy and experience are amongst the ???rich??? outcomes. The multifaceted nature of the modern conference and its integration with cohesive and long-term programmes that are accessible to all, make them a very real and effective way to motivate, inspire, consolidate and challenge. By making the conference a wide ranging activity that is simply an extension of a cohesive long term strategy, ongoing community of practice, both electronic and face-2 face, that represents a wide ranging activities of common classroom practice and whole school development, and that provides a place for celebration and networking, we create a place in which teachers can take risks, explore and grow.
So, maybe everyone is right - whatever the experience offers an individual, it is their choice. We all get the experiences and outcomes that we choose for ourselves??? and then we reflect that in our evaluations…. maybe an evaluation of such an even represents more about the individual and the ???space??? that they are in, than it says anything about the event itself.
I will continue to believe that any place where teachers can gather together to value one another, to share and celebrate, to challenge and be challenged as a part of their long term commitment to professional learning, is a valuable experience with potentially constructive long term outcomes.
My colleagues have me on about blogging (or the lack of it in my life…) and I raise the issue with them, that if you do not have the “ego” to blog, (that is the ability to believe that what you write will have value for both you and others), then it becomes a difficult task.
