The Definitive NECC ‘09 Wrap-up Post

Across the last week, more than 18,000 educators, administrators and technologist from more than 61 countries flocked to Washington, DC to attend ISTE’s NECC (National Education Computing Conference) 2009.  After four days (June 26th – July 1st) packed from morning to night with education technology insights, it is my sad duty to report that NECC ‘09 is coming to a close this afternoon.  But don’t dispair!  This post will serve as the definitive recap of all the incredible sessions, people and ideas that made NECC ‘09 an unrivaled success.

Thing got off to a triumphant start with a keynote address (for the second year in a row) from famed author and New Yorker staff writer, Malcolm Gladwell.  Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point (2000) and Outliers (2008), used some obscure triva about Fleetwood Mac, the British-born rock band, to argue that effort — and not talent — is the cornerstone of a successful adult.  To see a video of Gladwell’s complete speech, click here.  To read my live-blogging from Gladwell’s keynote address, follow this link. (For those who are interested, all of my live-blogging was done using coveritlive.com.)

Throughout the week, Joe Corbett, the man behind @isteconnects, interviewed countless NECC participants throughout ISTE Central and streamed hours and hours of footage direct to your favorite website, isteconnects.org.  Check out the highlights at ISTE Central Interviews, Part I and ISTE Central Interviews, Part II.  Here’s a little sample for your viewing pleasure:

On Tuesday, June 30th, the flagship event was the “Oxford-style debate” held in the grand ballroom.  Moderated by NPR’s Robert Siegel in front of a crowd of thousands, the debate featured two teams of three who attempted to answer the question: “Are brick-and-mortar schools harmful to the future of education?”  Much to the surprise of some, the bricks-and-mortar team trounced the digitalistas on the other side.  But there were really compelling points made on both sides.  You can check out my live-blogging of the event here.

One of NECC 09’s most memorable moments actually took place outside of the Washington Convention Center: on Wednesday, a squad of hundreds of blue-shirted ISTE volunteers took to Capitol Hill and lobbied their local representatives on behalf of educators everywhere.  I was tagging along with a team of teachers from the Boston area as they addressed one of Sen. Ted Kennedy’s senior staffers.  You can see photos I live-tweeted from our journey through the capital here.  And below is a an edited video documenting ISTE’s “storming of the Hill”:

And of course, there were the sessions.  I was really impressed by the level of depth, and forward-looking quality of the presentations I attended.  I live-blogged as many as I could, and you can read through some of my accounts here:

• Live Blogging: “Digital Citizenship: Tools, Tips and Ideas”
• Live-Blogging: “Video in the Classroom”
• Live-Blogging: “Blogs, Wikis and RSS in the Classroom”
• Live-Blogging: “Communication and Creativity: Using TuxPaint”
• Live-Blogging: “Tablet PCs in Action: Experience the Possibilities”
• Live-Blogging: “Using Games and Simulations in Learning”
• Live-blogging: “A Meeting of Moodlers”

While I was attending sessions and blogging like a madman, the @isteconnects team was walking every inch of the Washington Convention Center, recording practically everything worth seeing.  Below I’m posting a small sample of the all the videos we shot over the last four days — but you can see the everything here:

If you still haven’t had your fill of ISTE NECC ‘09 (and trust me, I understand where you’re coming from!), check out the post we compiled last night that features 26 blog posts about the conference by attendees, and our article about iPhone / iPod Touch in the classroom.  You can also read The Daily Leader (NECC09’s official newspaper)  here.

I hope everyone else learned as much — and had as much fun — as the @isteconnects team did.  See you all next year!

Zach

@zbgoodwin

Similar Posts:

• Live-blogging: “A Meeting of Moodlers”
• Live Blogging: “Digital Citizenship: Tools, Tips and Ideas”
• Live-Blogging: “Online Professional Development”
• Let the Games Begin: ISTE NECC 2009!
• Live Blog of the NECC 2009 Oxford Style Debate