Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/rethinking-conference-learning/5016824/
Over the last decade I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to attend numerous conferences across the U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. What immediately strikes me in reflecting on my experiences is how many remarkable and skilled early childhood folks dedicate themselves to planning and hosting these labor intensive events. And, of course, this dedicated effort means hundreds upon hundreds more get to take advantage of them as conference attendees. Collectively this represents a contribution of countless days of heart, head, and grunt work, not to mention a commitment of financial resources. Obviously, we are a profession that takes ourselves seriously.Seeing conferences, especially large state or national ones, through the eyes of newcomers is always an important reminder of how strong and influential we are as a collective body, a point that is easy to overlook. Those new to our professional gatherings typically express their shock at how much is going on, how many resources are available, how many of “us” there are. Old timers tend to use conferences for networking, for keeping abreast of new topics and trends, and getting updated on policy and organizational developments.
I recognize the tension conference planners experience between doing things as they always have (why ...