I logged into the K12 Online “When Night Falls” live segment this afternoon at 5:00pm local time here in Reno, Nevada, and participated in a discussion about the conference and a few other topics. However, our 11 year old microwave oven stopped “microwaving” yesterday … and we can’t possibly live without one for a few days. : ) So I installed a new one this evening while listening in to several “When Night Falls” segments – one hosted by Kim Cofino from Bangkok, Thailand, and another by Jen Wagner. At one point someone noticed I was logged in and decided to have me participate just as I was standing on a foot ladder and frantically trying to get a screw to grab hold so that my wife and her father could rest their weary arms. Fortunately I was successful and was able to briefly join the chat.

It was then that it dawned on me … how many conferences could you attend, much less one attended internationally, while in your kitchen using a cordless drill and making sawdust? I just had to chuckle.

Certainly their are limitations to this format … but it is still a great way to share experiences and ideas. And it has some real strengths. How many times have you gone to a conference and heard about a session that already took place that you wish you could have been in? Well at this conference you can see or hear presentations anytime you want, and see them more than once. You can also share all or part of a presentation with others. I wonder what kind of “mash-up” presentation you could make by taking snippets from various presentations to use as a professional development piece?

Learning is messy!

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Tags: K12Online