I guess I started going to conferences my first year of teaching.  It’s an expectation, with regards to Professional Development, but it’s also (generally) invigorating to see what others in your profession are excited about or engaged in.  After a few years as an attendee, I started to think maybe I would like to present sometime…. I still remember the first workshop I ever created and presented.  To that end, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize, profusely, to the people who attended that, well, train wreck.  I know what you are thinking, kind and gentle reader, that I am being hard on myself, mis-remembering.  I assure you, you are wrong.  It was a disaster.

But I learned.  I grew.  And I realized what the answer was (or maybe the question).  I need to speak about things I am passionate about, but also have knowledge and experience in, AND it needs to appeal to a wider audience than just me and my ego. That was the problem with my first presentation– I was super interested in what I had to say, but it didn’t really have much relevance to the attendees.  In my defense, I did give them a parting gift– a mixed-CD of my favourite songs (which, now that I think about it, is a HUGE copyright infraction that I would never do now.  Sigh.  Like I say, at least I have learned some lessons)

Well.  Maybe.

I’m headed to Burnaby next week for a conference I have attended in the past, and was well received, I guess, or I’d not have been invited back.  But it’s not exactly my crowd, and my topic is something I think they should care about, but I won’t know if they do until I get half way through my presentation.

So, if I may be so bold, dear reader, check in next week and see how I did– a room full of glazed-over-eyes, engaged and excited eyes, or no eyes at all.  Better yet, come see me in person 🙂

Festival Of Learning