Stigmergic Web

I’m sitting in the lobby as the SACE conference winds up. I haven’t attended SACE for a few years because the last time I attended it wasn’t feeling particularly relevant. I’m happy to report that it feels like it has a lot more to offer this time around. Some highlights:

• Stephen’s keynote – “On Being Radical“. I’ve already put my notes on this online, so I won’t rehash it too much. It set a good theme for the conference. I’ve attended conferences before which were too vendor driven and felt more like a trade show than a conference, and There’s a reason, though, why we purchase hardware and software – what are we trying to achieve by doing all of this, and what sort of future are we creating by what we are doing today? Thanks again, Stephen, for getting us started with some consideration of the big picture!
• Dean’s presentation on RSS. I’ve already blogged about it, but Dean has made his presentation available online – watch it, watch it again, and then get other people to watch it. RSS is powerful stuff. The media attention might currently be on AJAX and Web2.0, but RSS is a truly disruptive technology that is going to help to open up the free flow of information in a growing number of areas.
• Sitting in the hotel lobby checking my e-mail yesterday, and looking up to see a fellow conference attendee working on his laptop. As I said hello I took a quick look at his name tag and saw that it was Darren Cannell, who has been on in my RSS aggregator for a long time. We had a nice little discussion afterwards. It was great getting to meet you in person, Darren.
• Initiating a new blogger by helping Shaun get his brand spanking new blog – Of Mice and Middle Years… – set up on edubloggers.org. Great title! (And if you are an educator looking for someplace free to set up a blog, go check out edubloggers.) Now I just need to get Owen blogging. And Donna too!
• My daughter describing the Regina Science Center as “really really really cool!”
• An amazing breakfast conversation this morning with Dean and Stephen. Len Proctor joined us at the end – I wish that he had joined us earlier! Note to self – get Len podcasting. The iRiver was in record mode for the conversation, and I’ll get this edited and out to the world as an EdTech Posse podcast (or a series of podcasts – it was a 2 hour conversation) as soon as I am able.
• Renewing acquaintances and initiating new ones.
• Having time (and free wireless access) to sit and blog in the lobby of the hotel. This is the first technology conference that I’ve been to since NECC 2001 in Chicago that had such extensive wireless access. Kudos to the conference organizes for that!

So, I’ll be on my way to Saskatoon (thanks for the ride, Owen) to catch up with my family and a stay overnight including, hopefully, a chance to see the new Harry Potter movie, then back home tomorrow.