As we get better at getting to know each other, the community we’re forming becomes more defined in a shared way. Which means every conference is a sequel or branch of the one before — we’re a community that transcends the events.

What would I like to see at DL10? I’d like Oehert to have some help

I’d actually really like to see a track in the conference that actually takes place in VW. Not presentations just on virtual worlds, but attendees jumping into Vastpark or Second Life for a variety of topics where the sessions can’t be done better. Maybe get some coaching/boot camp for presenters.

The ARG needs to come back bigger and badder and get teams networking amongst themselves prior to DL10.

I think we also need Beard Camp to keep a running panel on all the taboo subjects about E-Learning.

Re: Your session with Mark on Social Learning & SCORM – I put together some thoughts at the time which is in a post here: http://blog.litmos.com/2009/11/social-learning-and-scorm-dl09.html

Thanks again – it was awesome to meet you (& the beard) in person!:o)

Cheers,
Nicole
@Schnicker

Sharing – Every conference I go to there is agreat sharing of ideas, but not since I want to my forst Authorware conference (2001) have I felt so engaged by *everyone*. Like Aaron, I had lots of ‘new’ Twitter friends to catch up with and seal our online-bonds with a proper conversation with the hardware version of the avatars. But I also had heaps of old friends to catch up with. This left me torn between several crowds of great people, all of whome had great things to share and inspirational stories of learning successes to spread around.

Learning – what can I say? These were some of the best presentations I had attended – but more importantly, these were some of the most inquisitive attendees ever. I’m not sure if there is a general movement towards presenters realising that engaeing your audience by *cough* having a conversation with them is very very rewarding, or if audiences are demanding that same engagement through exposure to Twitter and other back channel methods. Frankly I don’t care which is true, but when a presentation stops being a lecture and starts being a conversation, the value to everyone increases exponentially – IMHO.

Validation – most of us work in small teams. Over time we evolve our work, our methods into something that we may have strategised, or we might have hit upon accidentally. But how we get there is not so important as how effective it is. What is always intriguing to me is when I meet people that I respect enormously and find that the work they are doing parallels the work that I or my team(s) are working on. Or when I share an idea and they get excited about it (doesn’t work in the local gym, I can assure you! eLearning? Wassat then?), or, even better, they share an idea with me and I can’t wait to try it out at work. Since many of us work in relative isolation, this validation of ideas, methods, approaches, direction is invaluable and helps to keep us all sane.

IMHO

Steve

It really is amazing (and disconcerting) how with today’s technologies we can build such a sturdy community and truly learn from each other. I know that the trajectory of my work has changed as a result of my much broader social network. It is even cooler when we get a chance to meet these people in person.

From your reflections, I sense there may be a tipping point occurring in the community as more people participate AND as more people get face-time together. Not quite sure where that might lead, exactly….