Catching up on CW presentations

Attending the 2009 CW conference. Attended the morning town hall, but didn't have my laptop out. Some good ideas from Michael Day about encouraging adjunct faculty to more formally share their own ideas and practices. Other good ideas.

I presented at 9:30; we got a late start so things were rushed, but Kris Blair offered a compelling vision for bringing the whole English department along with technology, engagement, innovation. I talked about the true function of the computer: to program and orchestrate terrestrial and galactic environments and energies in a harmonious way. CJ Jenny talked about disruptive mobile technologies.

Now attending keynote: Barbara Ganley, "Ecotones and Crossroads: Re-imagining the space of learning in an in-between time."
http://prezi.com/108186/view/#2
Cool presentation software, interactive style. Supposed to conjure a metaphor from a picture I was given: snow covered chair. Challenging; snow covered chairs are my life. Easy answer might be cool writing, cool sitting. Post card from partner. We came up with a story: I alluded to McLuhan, her post card alludes to Derrida, they both were asking "us" to rethink writing 40 years ago, but here were are in 2009 being asked by a keynote speaker to rethink writing.

Ganley's point: the second writing, the second prompt was better, it directed a conversation, built a metaphor. McLuhan might say the action is at the interface; without the second image, we have no interface, friction, energy. She also encourages these exercises in class to encourage play, to leave the grade behind.

Also encouraged twitter as playful practice. Worth considering. No need to think about sustained twitter use, but just as a warm up exercise. I do need to think about these kinds of activities with visual culture and language and electronic communication.

Interesting phenomenon happening here. The hosts are trying to record everything, but that desire to capture everything keeps getting in the way of conversations and presentations. All questions are supposed to be spoken into a mic; the presenter was clicking so a techie came up and fixed the "problem."

Ask experts to come in. I've been thinking of getting Mary M to be a guest in my online class; I should probably ask Helen O and maybe a professional medical writer (Michael?). Others? Gotta work around the Bb problem. Maybe move to Facebook.

Cool exercise adding notes to flick photos; this exercise definitely works for VCL!
Also a good photo essay exercise sample. http://www.slideshare.net/bgblogging/a-question-fro-wordcamped-vancouver

Looks like the twitter # on this presentation was lively. Still haven't gotten the hang of hashing.