NECC Exhibition Hall vs. Blogger Cafe

I'm having a delightful time here at NECC '09. This morning I risked going to the exhibition which is a huge carnival of commercialism with vendors barking their wares. If I closed my eyes, it sounded very much like the cacophony of an agricultural fair, only with a digital edge. There seemed to be a royal battle between a variety of interactive whiteboard manufacturers. There was also a huge number of content management "solutions" vying for attention. Interesting. Having heard the phrase, "follow the money," I wonder about this royal battle between putting content into smaller and smaller boxes to make money and the concept of open software and open resources. How will it all shake out?

Right now I'm sitting in the Blogger Cafe which is a wonderfully open and collaborative environment where online friends have the opportunity to meet and talk face to face in an informal setting. No question that this is my preference to the loudness of the exhibition hall. But gosh, I do know the ISTE needs to pay the bills.

Highlights from NECC 2009

by Olga Laplante

I am at a wonderful model lesson here, at NECC in Washington. A bit of a preview, the Essential Question, "How do natural disasters affect people?", the current Project Coordinator of the TRC project as well as a former TRC Project Coordinator will guide students through an exploration of natural disasters around the world. Through email exchanges, students discover where and under what conditions natural disasters are most likely to occur, as well as the impact they have on humans. Particular attention will be given to natural disasters that impact their own lives and those of their corresponding ePal.

Try this wiki for more information, http://naturaldisasterspbl.wikispaces.com. Great presenters, Amber Rowland, University of Kansas with Kari Stubbs. Check it out.