- Several of my fellow students from the ID&T program at UT attended the conference. It was great to have friends with which to enjoy the presentations and events and it made my first conference less intimating. It reminded me of living in a dorm with people constantly coming and going, chatting in the halls about this and that.
- My professors attended and presented at the conference.
- I was able to present myself, which was wildly exciting. Having my friends and professors in the audience made the whole experience feel more like a family shindig than an intimidating, professionally organized event.
- My entire instructional design world was located inside the bubble of the ID program at UT. When I got to the conference that bubble immediately popped and my instructional design world grew like it was on steroids. I met students and faculty from from universities around the world; I met professionals from a wide variety of settings; and I added to my personal learning and professional working networks in a way I never imagined possible.
- Key Note Speaker. Professor Johannes Cronje spoke about the 'rhizonomic' nature of learning. His observations are hugely thought provoking and he is a dynamic speaker. Dynamic. When I grow up I want to be able to engage an audience the way Dr. Cronje does.
- Presenting. Previously mentioned so that's that. Well. No. It's not. But its good enough for its own blog post so we'll move along.
- Breakfast with Champions. This is a breakfast event with average food and illustrious guests. Here's how it works. A large room is set up wedding reception-style with round, numbered tables. You get your food, pick a table and a 'Champion' will join you to nosh and chat until the bell cues them to grab their grub and move to the next table. "What is a Champion?" you ask. The 'Champions' are pioneers, innovators and leaders in the field of Instructional Design. These people are exceptionally friendly. My table enjoyed a fascinating conversation with Aytekin Isman from Sakarya University and Cengiz Haran Aydin from Anadolu University.