As many of you know, the TLT Symposium held last year at Penn State seemed to be one of those moments that really changed everything. From the unbelievable lead-up to the symposium that occured on twitter, to the interaction during the conference, and the follow-up blogging and discussions that occured after… I have to say that it was one of the most unbelievable ‘community-based’ conferences I’ve ever been to. It was like spending a day hanging out with friends and meeting new ones.
I read a post this morning on Michele Martin’s “The Bamboo Project” blog that talks about exactly this sort of thing and I 100% completely agree with it. It’s a great post and you can find it here.
Basically the post talks about how the ideal conference is one that revolves around, and helps to build community. I feel as though our TLT Symposium could be a shining example of this. Not only do we use tools like wikis and twitter for collaboration prior to the conference, but during and after the conference as well.
This year’s TLT Symposium will be held on April 18, 2009 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel with the theme of “Student Engagement and the Culture of Teaching and Learning”. You should really plan to attend if you’re able. It’s a phenomenal event. (and I’m not just saying that because I’m on the committee 
).
6 responses so far ↓
Nikki MK // January 13, 2009 at 5:20 pm |
Shannon,
Thanks for the link. I didn’t attend TLT last year, but I did attend LDSC. For me LDSC was the event.
To quote the Bamboo Project blog post, “This is where a lot of conferences fail. Conference designers assume that communities are formed based on things like our job titles or industries or membership in an organization. …Real community is fueled by passion and interest, not solely by our membership in a particular group. The best conferences help us tap into the passion and harness it for connections and creating “aha” moments for participants.”
The difference between TLT and LDSC for me is that TLT, at the end of the day, has a faculty focus. While many staff attend, the proposals still come from faculty. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; I’m just saying that the community is much more defined by role than LDSC.
micala // January 13, 2009 at 6:08 pm |
I think you’re right, Nikki and I think that every person will have a different experience at different conferences. TLT was that for me, LDSC was that for you. Even though TLT is “faculty focused” I felt an amazing community connection during that event. I certainly felt it during LDSC as well, but differently for me.
Cole // January 14, 2009 at 1:43 am |
I just hope we can make it happen again … and there in lies the answer — the “we” is the critical component! Last year prior to TLT Symposium there was an incredible amount of energy coming from the community to fuel the event. If we want it to be the same type of an event, we will all have to apply passion in its direction. No amount of planning can generate the bottom up power that the enthusiasm of participants can create. I am convinced.
I am humbled by the notion that we are creating events that do so much for people. A few years ago we honestly decided to set out to create events that we’d be proud of and hoped others would feel the passion — what we discovered was how energized those around us already were! We live for creating these events, but the energy comes from the contributions! We’ll keep pushing as long as everyone else keeps pushing!
Thanks for the positive flow!
micala // January 14, 2009 at 1:48 am |
Welcome! I think it will happen. I think we have a group of people that have this inherent need to connect and collaborate and if we can do that in really fun, energizing ways – all the better. I cannot wait for TLT Symposium this year – it will ROCK
Michele Martin // January 14, 2009 at 4:31 pm |
I love to see when other people have had these kinds of great community-building conferences! I do think that part of it has to do with size–it’s very hard to get a community feeling going when you have a huge conference. I also agree with Cole that it’s about finding ways to get people to contribute their passions, definitely something easier said than done!
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