SXSWEDU 2018: Navigating the Conference
Campfires, Future20s, Innovation Hub, Meetups, Mentors, Performances, Policy Forums. I had to learn a whole new language before I could assimilate into this new learning ecosystem. #Lesson1
Learning the conference lingo. #SXSWedu pic.twitter.com/TtSRyw0pvw
— Yin Wah Kreher (@yinbk) March 4, 2018
The mobile app came in useful but just four days back from Singapore before landing in Austin, jetlagged me wasn’t adequately prepared to navigate a new conference. No app could make up for the work I hadn’t put in to plan my learning in advance.
Line up for school. #Lesson2
I learned that many (some? most?) sessions in SXSWEDU attract huge crowds, which means I need to get in line at least 20 minutes ahead of the session to get into the venue. It seems that most people think like me, and want to go to the sessions I want to go to. On my first day, I couldn’t get into nearly all the sessions I had pre-selected. For a Betsy DeVos higher ed policy panel, the lines meandered round the entire fourth floor of the Austin Convention Center! John (my colleague) and I gave up trying to get in. In this aspect, #sxswedu differed from most traditional academic conferences. I had never encountered such overwhelmingly high attendance at many academic conferences.
Me in line trying to get into a top choice session #SXSWedu pic.twitter.com/Vf4ea1ayez
— Yin Wah Kreher (@yinbk) March 5, 2018
Line behind me. Can we all get in??? #SXSWEDU pic.twitter.com/VEF4ycZkXN
— Yin Wah Kreher (@yinbk) March 5, 2018
I got in! #SXSWEDU pic.twitter.com/JzSNiOydEN
— Yin Wah Kreher (@yinbk) March 5, 2018
Suffice to say, after my first day, I adopted a Singaporean “kiasu” (scared lose) mentality and planned to always reach my sessions 20-30 minutes ahead of time!
Always go back to the mission. #Lesson3
I came knowing that the goal of #sxswedu is to celebrate innovations in learning. The conference also began mainly as an event for K12 educators; growing from a regional to an international event over the years. Sometimes, I felt a little dwarfed and out-of-place as groups of K12 teachers clustered together to talk shop. Yet, I was glad to be here alone so that I could push myself to be open to new and deep learning experiences.
