Observation one
First session – Death by Powerpoint. My first choice for concurrent sessions did not show up, so I headed to the second session. I had high hopes for “Contemporary Multimedia Projects”, hoping to see what new directions projects were taking beyond Powerpoint and HyperStudio. It turned out to be Death by Powerpoint. When a stand and stretch break was taken ten minutes into the presentation, with no reason why we were doing this, I took it as an opportunity to leave.
NECC is trying its best to limit disruption by sessionhoppers, so I was forced to wait for the exhibits to open, and to watch the crowds go by. I was able to refine my teacher radar, and pick out not only teachers, but vendors and administrators. I think I’ve got a fairly high accuracy rating. I also noticed a “ribbon heirarchy.” Apparently, the more ribbons you have on your name badge, the higher you rank – Presenter, ISTE Member, International Member etc., etc. With no ribbons, I guess I’m lowest on the totem pole.