As I prepare to finish the final 6 hours of my 36 hour return from Beijing, I figured I'd drop a brain dump of reflections for this week's Learning 2.012 conference in Beijing. In or particular order or significance, here we go:
The Format:
The organizers have been tweaking their format since it's inception in 2007. They're constantly looking for the right mix. They really want to promote the notion of conversations and networking as a hallmark of the event. Without question they succeed. This year they offered two extended sessions each day. These sessions were not labeled, "hands on" necessarily but it was clear this was not a time for a 3 hour lecture. I still struggle with the idea that a 3 hour time slot at a tech conference should involved doing something with tech. In my session, that was pretty limited. I know many were tweeting, we used a Google form for a basis for discussion but I hesitated having participants "do stuff". Not that it would have been difficult but in the spirit of networking, giving folks time to talk seemed most important and valued. I know other sessions were more tech focused but I got … Read the rest