#EdCampKC PLN F2F/IRL

Now that EdCamp Kansas City has passed by with sufficient time for some thinking, I hereby present my initial thoughts and my ten day later reflections (I will not identify which thoughts are which category). While this sounds rather high-brow, the real reason that I waited is that the cold that had me nearly voiceless in Kansas City turned into a nasty sinus infection that has totally drained me. I am only just now getting my energy back (very slowly). So, here it goes...

Like so many others I've read, this post will begin with how cool it was to meet some of my PLN (Personal Learning Network) F2F (face-to-face) or, as one woman I met put it, IRL (In Real Life).

During the Friday night tweetup, the person I was sitting with asked me why I thought people came to EdCampKC. My answer was immediate and emphatic: this kind of conference is really for meeting and talking with people rather than the content or skills acquired. Chris wrote a fantastic post about this conversation. Read it now. I'll wait...

I was floored when I read his comments. I knew that we'd connected during the day on Saturday (even he was "that guy in the back"); I knew that we had a great time with a group of EdCampers at dinner on Saturday night.  I had no idea that I said something to change his thinking. If for no other reason, EdCampKC was a resounding success for me by making this strong connection with Chris. After all, as one of my core values states, It's All About Relationships. Don't get me wrong there was an enormous amount of learning going on. It's just that everything taught there could likely be learned online or something. No, there is great power in coming together. Someone reminded us that we are genetically programed to be together, to be social. EdCampKC was really just an extension of our genetic programming.

EdCampKC was also great for meeting all sorts of new folks. I met a bunch of the extended PLN and folded them into my PLN. I also met educators new to the online PLN game. One such person is Leslie Joyce. I was sitting next to Leslie during a session and we got to talking about twitter. She said something about how she meant to sign up for twitter and someone at school would show her how. Oh, no no no, said I. Right then and there I turned my laptop in her direction and got her started. So, please show Leslie the power of twitter for educators and follow her. Hopefully, she'll get the bug soon.

I had planned on blogging about all of the cool things that I learned at EdCamp. I still might in the near future. For now suffice it to say:

EdCamp KC is my >>>>>> PLN F2F/IRL

EdCamp is my Personal Learning Network Face to Face and In Real Life 

For more information about EdCamps all over the country, visit the wiki.