unconference

Tuesday was the first day of Ulearn 09 with many eager delegates coming a day early to take part in the powhiri, preconference workshops and the first Ulearn unconference.

Delegates were welcomed to Ulearn09 at the powhiri and reminded that knowledge can be found all over the world and we need to be open and listen to each other and learn from each other. (Blog reflections on the powhiri)

Preconference workshops covered many topics: Leading learning, preparing your school for change through to communicating powerfully with photography.

The first ever ulearn unconference was held in a room overlooking the lovely gardens in Christchurch and the conversations were just as striking. People moved from group to group discussing topics such as the structure of schools, open source software, and sharing the latest and greatest online finds. Myna was one of these finds which is an online audio application similar to Garage Band, which was my new learning of the day.

A highlight of the unconference was for people to meet the people in their social networks. There were many exclamations of ‘You look just like your avatar!’. There will be many more connections made over the next three days.

Last year’s UNCONFERENCE was so successful that we have opened it up and placed it on the afternoon before the full Conference. Held this year in the Town Hall Boater’s Restaurant on Tuesday 6^th from 1.00 to 4.30pm there will be plenty of room for you to introduce a topic, discuss an opinion, or share a viewpoint about a subject with others who turn up.

The principles of ‘Open Space’ unconferences are:

1. Whoever comes are the right people.

2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.

3. Whenever it starts is the right time.

4. Whenever it is over it is over.

And, finally, the Law of Two Feet is a guide to people attending an unconference: “If you are not learning or contributing, it is your responsibility to respectfully find another place where you are.”  Come along and share in the fun and learn something at the same time. A post unconference happy hour will be held in the Crown Plaza First Edition Room.

Recently, a group of educators met in Auckland to spend the evening sharing together and exploring various aspects of ICT in education. This was an unconference event similar to the planned unconference sessions for ULearn08. Check out the impressions of the evening from some of those that attended and see the power of this type of event. The Voicethread below is an example of an web 2.0 application that you can use to activities to life with voice comment, that might have previously been a set of photos with captions.

Remember to register for one (or both!) of the unconference sessions on Friday 10 October. The unconference will take place during breakouts 6-7. The more people who participate and present, the better this event will be.

An unconference offers the flexibility to talk about topics of interest for a short time, and to engage in informal discussion about a range of ideas. There will be several discussions occurring simultaneously and, from within this ‘organised chaos’, productive and professional dialogue emerges.

Here’s how an ‘Open Space’ unconference works:

1. Whoever comes are the right people.
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
3. Whenever it starts is the right time.
4. Whenever it is over it is over.

And, finally, the Law of Two Feet is a guide to people attending an unconference: “If you are not learning or contributing, it is your responsibility to respectfully find another place where you are.”

We look forward to seeing you and your colleagues at our very first unconference!

ULearn’s very first unconference will take place on Friday 10 October during breakouts 6 and 7. An unconference is a conference where the content of the sessions is created and managed by the participants during the course of the event. It is a BYO session in which delegates can introduce a topic, discuss an opinion, or share a viewpoint about a subject.

The principles of ‘Open Space’ unconferences are:

1. Whoever comes are the right people.
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
3. Whenever it starts is the right time.
4. Whenever it is over it is over.

And, finally, the Law of Two Feet is a guide to people attending an unconference: “If you are not learning or contributing, it is your responsibility to respectfully find another place where you are.”

Remember that whoever comes to your session will depend on who is present at the time, and whatever happens on the day is meant to happen! So, think about what you might like to talk about and be ready to share your ideas at the unconference.