AASL is coming right up!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at 05:29AM 
LM_Net has been abuzz with conference tips for next week's AASL conference in Hartford, Connecticut. There's been a wealth of good advice. The only confusion I had was when someone recommended wearing comfortable shoes. What other kind are there?
Anyway, I'm doing a BYOD, hands-on pre-preference workshop on Wednesday afternoon, Libraries in the Cloud. On Friday at 3:15, I'll be giving a breakout session on Developing the Creativity in Every Learner. I'm also doing a short author talk at the Linworth/ABC-CLIO booth at 10 Friday morning. I hope somebody shows up. I'll do my best to make sure we all have fun!
One event, if I can stay awake for it, that I am personally looking forward to is the Joyce Valenza (and minions) AASL Unconference on Friday from 9PM to midnight. Modeled on Steve Hargadon's "unconferences" that have preceded the ISTE/NECC regular conferences for the past few years, this is a great informal way to learn from our peers about topics of great and current interest. Joycie ran an "unconference" at our state library conference last month and I've heard nothing but raves about it.
- The Unconference wiki: http://aaslunconference.wikispaces.com/home
- The Unconference poster: https://www.smore.com/a0yv-aasl-late-night-unconference
For me, conferences are really not about the sessions, the keynotes, or the vendors. They are about the personal conversations in the hallways, over drinks, and at lunch. They are about not just learning new things, but catching up with old friends (and it is amazing just how old some of my friends are getting!)
Anyway, say hello if you get a chance if you're still speaking to me.
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