injenuity

Posted by Jennifer on May 20th, 2008 in Uncategorized , TLt, Twitter

In my earlier post, I mentioned how Twitter played such a prominent role in the TLt experience. There was another theme that threaded through almost every presentation and deep into the private conversations; the importance of family.  I’ve never been to a conference where so many presenters boldly expressed how their family motivated them to share, learn, and create.  My family sacrificed quite a bit for me to attend this conference, and I greatly appreciated being in the presence of others who recognized the importance of incorporating family values into your work life.  Everyone I met was just a pleasure to be around.  I would like to share a little about some of them. I can’t list everyone I met, because I didn’t spend much time with some of them, but hopefully I can help you get to know a few of those with whom I connected.

Brian Lamb - We met in February at Northern voice and he still blows my mind.  This guy rocks like you wouldn’t believe. He’s brilliant, talented and focused.  If you ever get a chance to see him present, it is worth any sacrifice you have to make!

D’Arcy Norman - Another NV buddy, I was happy to get to spend more time with @dnorman.  I didn’t bring my camera this time, because I knew he would capture it more beautifully than anyone. I was glad he let me take a few shots so he’s got some of himself.  It was so nice to see the grinning conference D’Arcy again in person.

Dean Shareski - Dean’s was my favorite presentation!  I don’t know what it was, but the combination of his presentation skills, engaging slides and commitment to sharing just made for a stellar experience.  The room was more intimate than some of the other presentations and it just made me feel at home.  His posts kept Stephen’s keynote hopping!

Rob Wall - Rob is a gem.  He would do anything for a friend and it’s obvious the second you meet him.  I’m humbled to be in his presence and have so much to learn from his gentleness and conviction to do the right thing.  He wears so many hats, it’s hard to keep track of what he’s up to.  He bridges K-12 and higher ed seamlessly, as we all should.

Alec Couros - The man and the bot are one and the same. Alec has more passion and energy than I could ever have imagined.  He presented, participated, supported, and connected and I suspect he really doesn’t sleep.  It was such a treat to see him in front of his own students, where he’s humble and thoroughly engaged in the learning process with them.

Rick Schwier - Rick is someone I can honestly say I wish I had met earlier in my life. What a beautiful human being. He took advantage of his time in front of an audience to deliver a powerful message about balance, priorities and life.  I admire the courage it took him to say things that wouldn’t typically be said in a keynote, but we all needed to hear.  Thank you for being honest!

George Siemens - George scares me.  I’ll come right out and say it.  Most of the time it seems like he is reading my mind.  I can’t figure out how he got in there! Then sometimes, he will spout something so outrageous, my natural instinct is to argue and call it absurd. Then I pause.  And I think. And I discover he’s onto something and maybe the rest of us will one day catch up to him.  I am so thankful I got to see so many of his presentations.  He’s brilliant and humorous and a pleasure to hang out with.

Heather Ross - I was so glad to learn Heather did not resemble her Twitter avatar at all.  She’s bright and dedicated, despite numerous obstacles she faces to the way she would truly like to work.  I admire her conviction and am honored to have met her, though I really wanted to spend more time with her!

Kyle Lichtenwald - I am so jealous of Kyle!  He’s the luckiest student on the planet, as far as I’m concerned.  But it’s not all luck.  This guy works so hard to connect with people who will have a great positive impact on his life.  He shares what he’s learned and solicits feedback.  He’s going to go a long way in this field and probably others as well!

Cindy Siebel - Oh, Cindy, I remember way back when you first found the rabbit hole.  Cindy’s gone off the deep end for sure. She was the only person I saw connected to at least 3 networked discussions at a time.  She carried around more bags than I did, but didn’t seem to be juggling.  She’s a natural!

Kelly Christopherson - I cannot keep up with the witty banter.  There. I said it.  On Twitter, I have time to process before I respond. In person, this guy’s so quick I just stare at him blinking! He’s also completely dedicated to making this world a better place for his family, one rotten student and teacher at a time, and I am convinced he’s going to do it!

Dan Schellenberg - I didn’t spend much time with Dan, but wanted to say here how great I thought it was that he went home to his family instead of staying out late as he could have.  Way to go!  I also wanted to say that I share his great resources with our instructors and it was nice to meet him in person.

I’m 30 minutes late leaving work, so I’ve got to stop.  I know there are more of you I’ve missed. Hopefully I will have time to go back and edit, but I wanted to get this posted as quickly as possible.  Thank you all for letting me be in your presence and for sharing so much of your knowledge and humility.  It was fun and very rewarding and worth all the sacrifice.  I would do it again in a heartbeat, though I’m not sure my family would be thrilled about it!