That 21st Century Feel

A couple of recent activities in which I am participating have made me feel very 21st century.

Next week, on November 4, I am presenting two sessions (delicious and VoiceThread) at the Francis Howell School District Tech Fest for teachers, librarians and administrators. The coordinator for the event, Gina Hartman, created a wiki so Tech Fest presenters could post handouts and other presentation links. I have taken full advantage of this opportunity by posting links and session information. I applaud Gina for using a 21st Century Web 2.0 tool for organizing the Tech Fest presenter materials and her school district for supporting the use of wikis.


After much conversation and deliberation, the Midwest Education Technology Conference has a new Ning social network. The METC Ning is a place for those interested in and planning to attend the conference another way to communicate and collaborate before, during, and after the conference and will continue to be available, hopefully, well into the future. It is a terrific step for the conference and its participants. Even if you are not able to attend the conference in person, the Ning along with METC2009 Twitter updates will keep educators current on the conference happenings and provide valuable resources and information from its member community. I am happy to report at the time of this posting, the METC Ning has 6 members in the first 24 hours. Additonally, all METC presenter handout materials will be available online as part of the METC searchable program. With all of these "tools of engagement," METC is not just "talking the talk," but "walking the walk" and providing ongoing value to educators in the 21st Century. R U There?