Stephen's Untold Stories

The final day was pretty crowded, and everyone I spoke with said that they enjoyed the featured speakers as well as almost all of the concurrent sessions. I got to work “behind the scenes” a little for this conference, and I can’t tell you how amazed I am at the people who run the conference. I work with several of them, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by their organization and dedication, but I hadn’t seen it in action in quite this context. This conference is truly a place for educators, and the staff deserves a round of applause!

I did two presentations at GaETC today, and they were both very well-attended. Even the one that started at 8:15 am was mostly full. Not only were there lots of people in my sessions, but I saw numerous “This Session is Full” signs around today. That means two things. First, our program has some really good content that people are interested in. Second, it means that we are perhaps growing beyond our existing facility. These are both good problems to have!

I was busy running around recording some of the featured speakers for podcasting, but I did meet some great people again today. Every person I spoke with had nothing but good things to say about the sessions they attended today. I did get to hear a good bit of Patrick Crispen’s presentations today, as well as a good bit of my colleague, Brent William’s sessions. Every session I stepped into was well-attended, and people coming out were saying how much they enjoyed them.

Our conference just gets better and better!

The official kickoff is on Wednesday, but there were some great workshops today. I also got to meet Vicki Davis and Jennifer Wagner in person. They each did well-attended and positively-received workshops, and I was envious that I could not attend them. I had some tech support duties, and we are ready for the deluge of attendees tomorrow!

A colleague and I had the pleasure of having dinner this evening with Patrick Crispen. He had just gotten into Atlanta after flying from California, and we had a nice time. Topics ranged from technology to doctoral programs to football. He is a passionate Crimson Tide and Pittsburgh Steeler fan. It’s nice when somebody famous keeps his priorities in order!

We have our own educational technology conference here in Georgia, and it kicks off next week. We have an impressive group of featured speakers. They are:

• Will Richardson
• Patrick Crispen
• Susan Silverman
• Andy Carvin
• Tony Brewer
• Douglas Comer
• Leslie Fisher
• Mark Minasi
• Tonya Witherspoon
• Brent Williams

I’ll be presenting in two concurrent sessions on Thursday, and I’ll also be recording some of the presentations for podcasts. We are looking forward to a great conference!