Conference

SXSWEDU 2019 Nuggets

March 19, 2019 /

I had the privilege to attend SXSWEDU again this year. Not prepared for the atypical chilly Austin weather, I let it deter me from participating in more events than I would have liked to — those that involved outdoor walking trips. Having one SXSWEDU attendance under my belt, I felt less stressed about not missing any one of the gazillion sessions.

I attend SXSWEDU because of its focus on innovations and its emphasis on educators making a positive difference in communities. I see myself as both a designer AND a teacher because of my teaching experience and professional training (teacher prep). Although I now design courses primarily, I’ve never relinquished my identify as a teacher. It informs my work, and life, all the time. I also align with SXSW’s focus on the arts, that it matters in education and in life. It helps make us creative problem-solvers. 

SXSWEDU’s sessions are organized around 17 diverse tracks (from early learning to higher ed, accessibility and inclusion to student agency, SEL, leadership) and 17 formats, unlike most higher ed conferences. We are spoiled, or, rather more likely, overwhelmed by choice. I had to be selective about how I spent my time in lieu of all the choices.

Keynotes

Of the three, Patrick Awuah Jr’s keynote appealed to me most, as it has immediate application to what I’m doing in higher ed. I build courses to educate people. I believe most educators want to effect positive change, but Awuah Jr’s message was timely. 

He had the opportunity to remain in the US after finishing his studies and working in a cushy job. He chose to return to Ghana to serve his country. On social media, I’d say I come across a number of “agitators” and folks juggling for gigs. Some have a genuine passion to change the world for the better, others seem more bent on doing it for profit reasons. With Awuah Jr, I sense authenticity, and admire his poise and eloquence. He speaks to the point: parsimony is a quality I very much appreciate, in speakers and writers. Howard S. Becker is one of my writing heroes, has been since grad school. [I know it’s not easy to be a speaker or a writer but to earn keynoting opportunities, one must work on one’s craft.] Fundamentally, he’s establishing educational opportunities in service of others, and education that serves others is at the heart of what I do at Georgetown U and what I want to do with my life. 

Workshops

I went to a couple of workshops and I realized that not everyone can conduct a workshop in a large conference that involves the use of software and laptops. It’s a challenge to teach procedural learning for a topic such as VR (Virtual Reality). Attendees come with high expectations and workshop leaders have to deliver. They must be capable of offering accurate and clear instructions on the sequential steps required to create a certain outcome. That unfortunately didn’t occur at that workshop I attended because no prerequisites had been listed in the program. One could not create any VR webpages without a laptop. A tablet and a Chromebook just didn’t make the cut. I sat and listened mostly. Trying to practice at home was futile. It seems I wasn’t that motivated after all. Maybe it’s this learning by doing principle — since I didn’t technically “do it” at the conference; there was no memory of how to “do it.” All the short notes I had taken about it didn’t help. 

The workshop conducted by MIT’s Playful Journey Lab was enjoyable and provided food for thought. I don’t do Maker Ed in higher ed. Still this workshop made me think about how it is sometimes difficult to assess “playful” and “creative” effort. How do you assess or assign grades for maker ed activities when most schools are still concerned about grades and the GPA system?

The Playful Journey Lab introduced activities and worksheets that attempted to keep tabs on how students are learning. Theoretically, it was helpful. However, my table of collaborators had questions about completing the various teaching roles when they were the only teacher in their classes with no teaching assistant. Hmm. 

Performances

I learned about the award-winning book written by Jason Reynolds (2017), The Long Way Down, after watching this performance. A book about teenage gun violence written in narrative verse. It was adapted and staged as a one-person play at SXSWEDU. Will, the main character, rides the elevator down from his eighth floor apartment. At each floor, a new person, who is dead, gets on and tells a story about their lives. What I like about this play, and about SXSWEDU, is the reminder to integrate arts in classes; the arts are no less important than STEM subjects. Integral to SXSWEDU’s program are sessions on how we can deploy various art forms in our classrooms. It’s easier in face-to-face classes. How do we do that in online education? Students will have to record themselves and submit video/audio recordings for feedback and analysis. 

A documentary I have bookmarked to watch is Eighth Grade:

Meetups

I met two colleagues at the conference and got to know a few more over meals and via the #WomenInTech meetup. That was fun, it was just not long enough for us to interact and get acquainted with more folks. Connecting with people and having conversations about our work are the best parts of attending a conference. I want more time on these. 

So these are some of the nuggets I take away from SXSWEDU 2019. It seems I was more excited about the last one. That’s why it has taken me so long to write this post. This may signal a goodbye to SXSWEDU 2020, unless I get a chance to present a session or panel. There are too many conferences competing for attention.  

Thank You for Your Act of Kindness

When I was checking out on the final day at 3.45am and trying to get to the airport for a 6am flight, I met a stranger who gave me a ride in her Lyft vehicle. She was a fellow attendee who I hadn’t met until that encounter. During that short ride, we chatted briefly about the education landscape. This is the sort of thing I love at conferences — meeting new people and having conversations with them, even if it was a serendipitous engagement. 

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