Coming up at #BLC11 from Ewan

This week is, ahem, a busy one at Building Learning Communities (#BLC11) in Boston, MA. I'm getting a chance to hear plenty of other talks, seminars and keynotes and will do that now seemingly old-fashioned thing of live blogging each session as it happens, as is my wont.

I'm also offering up a fair few sessions in this packed week:

• Design Thinking: A 4-hour Sell-Out Pre-Conference
• Data Reveals Stories: A 4-hour Pre-Conference on Tuesday with some limited spaces still available
• Managing Risk-Reward with Digital Media in Education
• A wrap-up keynote on Wednesday with Cisco's Director of Global Education, which the BLC in situe and online audience is helping to write
• Celebrating the Speech: the TEDxKids @ Sunderland story
• Augmented Reality and Learning in the Ether

Most of these, including the keynote, are real hands on, brains on workshops, and I want to be aiming, in fact, to be talking as little as possible, providing some great frameworks for people to play and learn something new for themselves, with prompts and support to take them further beyond the often brief sessions we have together.

I can't wait to catch up with so many people, including the chaps and chapesses at AlasMedia, with whom I first sailed up the Charles River four years ago as they toyed with the idea of setting up a film, media and education company. They're a roaring success and steal the show every time they come to BLC. Their FlickSchool is a delightful place to learn how to make some great films and shoot super photos. Above all, their friendship over all those miles means  a lot to me, and the connection I feel always makes me stop off in LA when I'm off to New Zealand or Oz to say hi, eat some (too much!) great food and trade stories. They also caught on camera the first time Catriona was ever really scared of something (it was a microphone windshield).

And that's what BLC is about - connections. I'm grateful to Alan November for his invite which, after a three year break, I'm finally able to take again. He's the only person I jump onto American Airlines for, in the hope that I might catch even just one fish off the shore at Marblehead. And I'm grateful beyond words to Jennfier Beine who took over the task of organising the event, sorting me out for tickets, hotels, round tables for my pre-conference in a room that shouldn't really have them, and introducing me to the world of Kinko's. 

Enough of the politesse, and on with the show! Fasten your seatbelts, fire up the aggregator and get ready for some good, old fashioned reflection and reportage on the blog.

Comments

[Lorraine]

Ewan, Has it really been four years since you last attended BLC? Your keynote was one of the main reasons I traveled to Boston that year. I have been back working the conference every year since then! I look forward to learning with you again. Safe travels.

[Ewan McIntosh]

Three years, since 2008. Time has flown and a lot has happened / been learnt in the meantime. Really looking forward to seeing you again!

[shirley rinaldi]

Sorry can't join you again in BLC11. 08 was great for me and the beginning of a great journey. Thanks for your inspiration!!

[Natasha]

Thanks for the continued inspiration

[Gifty]

Hey this is an informative blog. This inspires me to join BLC11.

Thanks.