22 April 2009: Views from the Chair - Breaking Code
I might as well have shown up naked. In front of everyone, I revealed my true identify today during Dr. Bryan Setser’s session “E-leadership for E-Learning,” a session that took place at the North Carolina Virtual Public School's Second Life Island. I didn’t mean to do it. Honest. It just happened. I was so enthusiastic about being able to move about and sit down without sitting on someone, that I lost all sense of decorum. In case you’re wondering, and if you are still reading, my avatar was not naked. See this screencapture of the session provides by an attendee, whose identity I will not reveal: http://twitpic.com/3s1kx I’m the guy sitting in the front row, second seat from the center aisle. My indiscretion aside, the message and method of Bryan’s session affirmed that we as digital immigrants can speak the language of the millennial. We can learn how to meet them where they are. We can prepare them for their future.
Today I was struck by the passion and willingness to take risks demonstrated by our presenters. Dr. Eric Baily from East Carolina University received several rounds of virtual standing ovations in response to his passion for teaching and his understanding of how to embrace the affordances of the online environment. His course design for “Ethnic Health and Ethnic Disparities” invites the learner to explore health issues in eastern North Carolina and in the United States. Eric gets it. And as a result, I’ll wager his students do as well.
Jonathan Vester of Haywood Community College gets it, too. With great eloquence and with a voice that communicated, “I think this is important,” he invited us into his home office where he explained the distinction between working from home and working at home. How appropriate on Earth Day, that we are presented with a model for the distance workforce.
Robert Turley and Robert Nix of the University of Toledo, Ohio, really get it. Who would have ever believed a film course on “Hollywood’s Western Heroes” is not available on ground, but completely online?! Dr. Turley and Mr. Nix took gave us a personal tour of the course design and scope. Both Roberts are to be commended on their first virtual conference presentation. We applaud them for their willingness to try something new. And after an impressive demonstration of team collaboration on the part of these presenters, I have the utmost respect for what it must take to develop and teach an online film course. Not to worry, gents: “I won’t wake up the wrong passenger. I have no desire to end up in the bone orchard.”
Gary Dietz, Rick Ruden, and Steve Hargadon are making it possible for others to “get it” as well. These guys, and all the other forward-thinking professionals at Elluminate know how to collaborate and create new environments, technologies, and opportunities that bring learners of all ages together. Keep reading this blog and the conference newsletter for news of cool new stuff coming from Elluminate. I can’t reveal anything now, but I can confirm that I was responsible for flashing several virtual “
” during their session. My enthusiasm erupted when I made the connection that Steve is the founder of the online community website, Classroom 2.0. By the way . . . flashing a does not require taking off one’s clothes. 
The day ended with a presentation that made me proud to be an educator and a North Carolinian. Robert Belton, Mike Shumake, and Tom Sears from the North Carolina Virtual Public School made it clear that they work in the largest classroom ever - - - the world. All three presenters reiterated what we know to be true about teaching and learning: it doesn’t stop once the students leave the room, virtual or otherwise. This session left me with the desire to be a high school student so that I too can learn alongside my peers in Puerto Rico, just as NCVPS students are doing. Final assessment: NCVPS gets it, too.
So what is the connection between these impressive presenters and me, and the virtual faux pas described at the beginning of this blog entry? We all broke code. We revealed our true identities in a new environment. We are all risk-takers. These presenters took a risk by virtue of presenting at a virtual conference. How many models, how many examples do we have for that? They took risks and continue to take risks in their work as educators using distance-learning technologies. They know that the technology doesn’t always function perfectly. In fact, I can tell you that there were technical glitches in every session today. No matter. Just because we aren’t quite there yet, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
When we break code, when we reveal our true identities, we establish ourselves as risk takers who embrace the challenges, known and unknown, that accompany our journey into new environments. We don’t have the road map, and that’s ok. We’ll draw it when we get there. In the meantime, much like the “Hollywood Western Heroes” of Professor Turley’s online film class, we’ll blaze the trail for those who follow.
Bobby Hobgood, Ed.D.
NCDLA 2009 Virtual Conference Chair
ncdlaonline@gmail.com
