Running to Keep Up
Where does the time go? Seems like just yesterday that I was getting on a plane to attend the 2007 EDUCAUSE Conference held in Seattle, October 23-26. For the first time ever the conference was sold out and there was no on-site registration. As always the conference was an excellent opportunity to hear terrific speakers, catch up with friends and colleagues, network with the higher ed library and IT community, and enjoy Seattle.
The conference kicked off with an inspiring presentation by renowned Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin. She focused her remarks on the leadership style of Abraham Lincoln, as he faced challenges and dealt with adversity. She also acknowledged that her keen interest in history began as a young child when she dutifully recorded the plays of her beloved Brooklyn Dodgers by listening to their games on the radio and keeping score so she could report details of the baseball action to her father when he came home from work in the evening. I’m now eager to read both Team of Rivals , her biography of Lincoln, and Wait Til Next Year, her memoir of growing up in Dodger-centric Brooklyn.
The conference closed with a thought-provoking session by Bruce Schneier on trends that affect security. I was particularly interested in the economic factors that impact security risks of our data and the networks. You can learn more by subscribing to his monthly Crypto-Gram newsletter that addresses issues of security technology.
It was hard to choose from the many high quality sessions that were offered. Since SUNY Cortland has an island in Second Life where courses are being taught I went to a couple of sessions on learning in the virtual world environment. And of course I attended sessions on social networking, Web and Library 2.0, and the Millennials. EDUCAUSE was a rich and enlightening experience and I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference.
PS Some of my favorite Seattle experiences included Pike Place Market, Experience Music Project, Pioneer Square with its galleries, shops and restaurants,and the innovative architecture of the Seattle Public Library.